The Diary of Latoya Hunter: My First Year in Junior High

by Latoya Hunter

A twelve-year-old Bronx girl recounts her first year in junior high, using a diary format to discuss conflicts with her mother, violence, new and old friends, and more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

131 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 1992

Reviews

[Rachele Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Latoya is in a way wise beyond her years and then very obviously just a 12 year old child. She has hopes and dreams but also has a lot to discover about herself and the world. I enjoyed the slice of life from the early 90's from a young girls perspective that lives in poor neighborhood in NY. Often we hear the stories of the priviliged or now famous people, we should hear more stories like Latoya's. Not always terribly exciting but a talented voice worth hearing.

[Luci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sophisticated writing for a 12 year old. Readers will get really attached to this young quirky character who is just determined to be happy.

[Ahuoa Kone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Diary of Latoya Hunter was a very relatable book. When she would talk about her first day of high school and how she was anxious I could relate because on my first day of high school I was so anxious and nervous about meeting new people. I would recommend this book to teens because she always talks about her going through changes in highschool and I think this book can be a comfort book for teens who are going through it.

My favorite line in the book was “I can’t believe it I got a 95 on my math test’’.
That was my favorite line because she was so happy about it because she never understand math.

[Kaylie Paulino · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book The Diary Of Latoya Hunter is about her experiences in junior highschool and about how she was extremely nervous to start because she's been hearing a lot for “freshmen friday” and she thought she was gonna get bullied by the senior.I rate the book a solid 3 because i honestly didn't like the book because it wasn't in the category that i like to read books about.My personal favorite genre is comic,drama etc.I didnt really like the book personally but everyone has their own opinions on books they read.

[Karah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope this young lady didn't disappoint herself with teenage pregnancy and/or substance abuse. Black girls grow up so much faster than other ethnicities. Our purity gets questioned even at preschool. Too expressive and assertive? Fast!!!! Fast!!!! Fast!!!! Fast!!!! Disgusting how people judge us harshly.

Miss Hunter, please write a memoir.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book from my advisory class because I felt like reading about another person's life at the time. It was formatted as a diary where the date, year and such were mentioned. The diary was of an African American girl who I believed was in middle school. I found her life style to be quite interesting and very much different from my own. Her way of talking, feelings, family members, interaction in her life and such were quite intriguing and so I continued to read it. This book is a good find and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading about someone else's life for a change. I also recommend it to those who have nothing to do at the moment or are bored because the book will definitely liven up your spirit.

[Kevyn]

This book is about a middle school girl who starts middle school in the bronx. I like this book because i can relate it to the book i read for english class called "amazing grace" amazing grace highlights the negative things about the bronx while this book shows the positive side of it. For example, in Amazing Grace a big topic was the heavy drug use in the neighborhood and the HIV rates in the 1990's. This book doesnt ignore the negative issues but it does highlight the simple good things.. Anyone would like this book.

[Laniya Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is very good book that Latoya Hunter wrote is amazing, it was so much detail fell in love with this book like she is so willing and adventurous. everyday she would go to school she would come home and write in her diary about everything that happened that day, she is like a normal girl she just loves her diary so much like she loves her parents. overall this book was amazing i recommend this book to people who like to be connected with other people but for people in 6th grade i recommend this book because you would have so much in common.

[Chole · Rating 1 out of 5]

i would give this book half a star. a complaining twelve year old who finds the negetivity in everything is not my idea of a good book. I know that i'm complaining right now, but this was just a bad book.