Top Secret: Diary #1 (Confessions of a Nerdy Girl Diaries)

M y first zit … my first bra … my first kiss.

My birth mom missed them all. She missed everything — starting with the day after my first birthday when she handed me over to the orphanage like a load of dirty laundry. Maybe it was because I was born with a cleft palate and one wonky eye. Maybe I was too much. Or not enough. I’ll never really know.

I stayed there until I was five — waiting, wishing, wondering if anyone would ever choose me. Dad did. He was the dentist who visited the orphanage and noticed the girl who was always still there. Me.

Dad chose me ( unfortunately, he came with some extra baggage in the form of his wife, Diane — think Cruella de Vil in yoga pants — and his biological daughter, Olivia — who has perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect everything… except a heart. That part is mostly venom ).

And now they’re dragging us 2,000 miles away to California — new school, new kids, new everything. Yay me. Said no middle-school girl ever.

So I started this diary. Not because she’ll ever read it, but because I want her to know me — the real me. And maybe writing it will help me remember that my story matters… and that I do too.

These pages hold my fears, my hopes, my awkward middle-school disasters, and the tiny wish I'm almost afraid to say out loud: that somewhere, somehow… she thinks about me too.

A NOTE FOR PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS
Middle school is messy — friendships shift, confidence wobbles, and every child is searching for where they belong. Willa’s story gives girls a safe place to laugh, feel seen, and understand that it’s okay to be different. Through humor, honesty, and heart, Top Secret reminds readers that resilience grows from challenges and that kindness — toward ourselves and others — matters most. Whether they’re adopted, shy, neurodivergent, or simply trying to figure out who they are, girls will find connection, comfort, and courage in Willa’s words.

Perfect for readers who love heartfelt, funny diary stories like Dork Diaries and Dear Dumb Diary.
A moving, authentic look at belonging, identity, adoption, and finding your voice — even when you feel different from everyone around you.