What Matters: Telling It Like It Really Is (Teen Ink)

After publishing four successful books in the groundbreaking Teen Ink series, this fifth-and possibly best-installment takes a close and compelling look at what's really important to today's teens. Partnering with the worldwide Laws of Life Essay Contest, a program of the John Templeton Foundation, this collection offers a unique tapestry of teen expression. Many of the haunting questions of all time are tackled by voices that sing with hope and the reality of being a teenager in the 21st Century.

With eloquent prose, insightful poetry, art and photography, these teens present timeless values through their own experiences and explore principles such as, "It's better to give than to receive," "If at first you don't succeed . . ." and "Honesty is the best policy." In Teen Ink: What Matters, you'll find fresh and honest interpretations of these and other ideals that we all try to live by. In addition, teen authors and artists journey into waters filled with forgiveness, generosity, courage, love and bravery through personal expressions about tough challenges, family, friends and everyday events.

Young people from as far away as China and Ukraine reveal fascinating insights in this selection from over 88,000 submissions to the Laws of Life Essay Contest. Teen Ink: What Matters is an uplifting book of hope, reflection and inspiration that will resonate with teens.