When Emily (Emu to her aunt) gets a packet of cards with labeled titles, she uses the cards to write about her friends and her life. For example one of the very first cards sees Emily telling about her first kiss. This concept would work well for a memoir or non-fiction work, but Harper uses it in a novel.

Cards with such titles as Embarrassment, Friends, Identity, Hate and others allow Emily to express her views on a variety of topics, and let the reader into the mind of a young girl. There are a large number of cards, and sometimes Emily goes off on tangents from the cards, but each time the information is revealing.

Being a teenager, Emily spends a lot of time discussing a boy friend or the lack of one, and of course, the usual spats that occur between girls are included.

An appealing addition to Harper's novel is her own hand-drawn illustrations that go along with the text and add humor and added insight to Emily's life.

Young girls will be drawn to this journal approach to writing and will see some aspects of themselves in the journal entries of Emily. The novel should be well received by middle-school students.