Charlie's Song Has a Message for Teenagers: Find Your Dream and Pursue It With Your Heart

Young teenagers are bombarded with mixed messages these days -- not all of them particularly positive. And the messages come thick and fast, thanks in large part to today's instant media and instant electronic communication. It's a wonder the kids -- and their parents -- can find ways to cope, to emerge successfully from their teen years in the face of so much conflict.

(PRWEB) March 22, 2008 -- Charlie's Song has a message for teenagers: Find your dream and pursue it with your heart.

Young teenagers are bombarded with mixed messages these days -- not all of them particularly positive. And the messages come thick and fast, thanks in large part to today's instant media and instant electronic communication. It's a wonder the kids -- and their parents -- can find ways to cope, to emerge successfully from their teen years in the face of so much conflict.

Joy Lynn Goddard is a teacher, based in southern Ontario. A former news reporter, she's also an author of positive-message novels for young adults. Her first young-teen novel, Daredevils, was an award-winner, acclaimed for the clarity of its strong, upbeat vision.

Joy has just released her second work, Charlie's Song, the story of Charlene (Charlie) O'Brien, a young high school girl with a dream. She longs to be recognized as a singer and performer.

Life is difficult for Charlie. Her dad died in a boating accident some years ago. Her mom Mary Ann has to carry two jobs just to put food on the table -- and the family had to move to the poorer side of town to make ends meet. And Charlie, at an age when she wants to be out having fun with her buddies, very often has to look after her pesky younger brother Nicholas.

What keeps Charlie going is her dream. She loves the TV show American Idol, she loves the music of Avril Lavigne and she wants nothing more than to get up on stage and sing her heart out. She gets her big chance in a school competition, but she's up against the snooty Alessa, the girl who was once her best friend, but who now scorns her.

Charlie's Song is a strong, enormously readable work. The plotline is steady and consistent, the characters are fully developed, and there is huge value in the message: Charlie O'Brien has a dream, she's ready to pursue it, and she won't be satisfied until she's done everything in her power to make her dream come true.

Charlie's Song is powerful and positive, just what a young teen needs these days.

Joy Lynn Goddard lives in Guelph, Ontario. Visit www.northviewtales.com, take a look around and find out about Joy, her books and what readers think of her works. Then pick up one of her books and you won't be able to put it down.

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