14 Real Teenagers Who Are Better Literary Role Models Than Bella Swan And Edward Cullen

When English teacher Marjie Bowker brought author Ingrid Ricks ("Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story") in to mentor her class, she had no idea where their partnership would lead. Together they put together a curriculum that used Ricks' book to encourage students to claim their power by sharing their own personal stories (on subjects ranging from gang life to drug abuse to sexual identity) through narrative writing.

The students were so enthused by the project that they turned their stories into a book called "We Are Absolutely Not Okay," which they hope will give other at-risk kids the opportunity to claim power in their own lives.