Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner

• Brynn Harper's life could not get much worse:   her older brother died; she has a stepdad she refers to as the "Fart Weasel" (and he fully deserves that nickname); her girlfriend broke up with her; and she's been put in remedial classes in the Blue room in the basement of her school.
  
• When a school assignment requires Brynn to write to a "celebrity hero," she drafts emails to TV political commentator Rachel Maddow.  She creates a journal of her life one email at a time beginning with the words "Dear Rachel Maddow."
  
• When it looks like her nemesis rich bully Adam is going to take over the school, Brynn decides to do something and get involved in school politics (with a little inspiration from her hero Rachel Maddow).

I loved the epistolary format (the story is all told in emails), and Brynn's voice is so funny and sharp.  Brynn struggles in school and at home, but her friends, her comrades in the Blue room, and even her brother's friend all provide a support system that help Brynn to keep fighting the good fight.

Grades 8-12