Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey

This book is the journal of Tish, a student in Mrs. Dunphrey’s English class. Tish is living with a mother who is mentally ill and a brother who is eight years younger than she is. Her abusive father left a couple of years ago. Tish is originally hesitant to write anything meaningful or personal in this journal, but after she tests her teacher and makes sure that she really isn't reading the entries marked "do not read," Tish begins to let her feelings show in her writing. Through these journal entries, the reader gets the full story of Tish's life, her struggle to be the adult in her family, and her need to take care of her mom and brother. When Tish's father shows up after being gone for two years, Tish's journal entries get scarier and scarier, and it is more and more disturbing to see that she is not sharing these stories of her life with anyone who could help her.