I’ve spent time watching movies as research. No joke! Donuts is all about young adults, how they interact, and what crazy things they do so I wanted to immerse myself in books and movies about teenagers. I love movies, so this research was super fun! Here are some of the movies I got to watch. What movies do you think represent teens and teen culture?

Mean Girls – So good! The only part I had trouble with was how ‘dumb’ they made Karen Smith’s character and how ridiculous they made Regina’s mother. There are so many good quotes from this movie and such great dialogue and character interaction. It may not be an entirely accurate depiction of high school, but it’s one of the best representations of the New-Girl-Made-Popular trope. The movie is chock full of teenagery goodness (and badness).

Clueless – A classic, even though it’s getting up there in age (21 years old!). The slang is regional (California), but oh so adorable. Cher is a great main character/narrator and shows a bit more introspection than your average teenager. This movie also showcases the New-Girl-Made-Popular, though I think Tai is a bit more ‘clueless’ than Cady.

Brick – If you want teenagers that act like adults, then you’ve got them in this fast-paced unusual-dialogue-filled film about the underworld of high school. I recommend putting on the subtitles to catch all the wonky phrases they say. This movie is clever and satisfying with its complexity.

Prom – I threw in a Disney movie to fill out my “what does our entertainment culture think about teens when the movie is geared toward pre-teens” category. This movie had the most overdone dialogue of the bunch. I liked how it contained multiple storylines and it was fun to make fun of the cheesiness while watching it. Prom was never as big a deal in my life than in this movie.

Easy A – My editor recommended this one and I was all too happy to re-watch it. Emma Stone is great in this movie and even though it portrays an even more ridiculous version of high school than Mean Girls, it is fun to watch. As a play on the Scarlet Letter, Emma Stone is a character that gets caught up in a rumor. The parents in this movie are super duper hilarious and the comedy in the movie is spot on, even if the teen promiscuity is a bit over the top (even if it’s only a rumor).

4-Film Favorites – This was a throw in because who can’t turn down a good deal when buying movies? I have only watched What a Girl Wants thus far and was not impressed with this modern Cinderella-esque rendition. It was rather generic, though Amanda Bynes has such a lovely and bubbly personality in this movie. Also, she’s in England and who doesn’t love a good English accent?

Local young adult writer, Rachel Barnard, will release the first novel in her young adult For the Love of Donuts series titled Donuts in an Empty Field with Life’s a Book Publishing, June 3rd, 2016 (AKA National Donut Day). Pre-order your copy HERE.

Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s son from a burning building. Nessa blames the boy, but her best friend Nichole thinks it’s time to let go of the past. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge will bust her out of her shell. A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

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Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa Smith hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.

Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could’ve imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.

A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.