This is one of the first books I ever read that wasn't for school as I entered into middle school. It has long been a favorite of mine. I always pick it up when I'm feeling down. Trying harder is about a girl named Jen who is going into high school as a freshman while her brother is a senior and all around perfect student. On the first day of school Jen is included into the in crowd due to her brother's ties, Jen meets Cliff, the football captain. Jen has to come to terms of either changing herself to become part of the in crowd or to become her own person.