carrie bradshaw, before she was having sex all over the city.

Young adult novel, "The Carrie Diaries" by "Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell goes back in time to the 1980's, when our favorite New York City gal was seventeen, and not having sex in any city. A prequel, if you will. And if you have not heard of the "Sex and the City" series, then you clearly live under a rock or you're a hoarder. One of the two.

This book is for grade 9 and up, which is appropriate because the book does not include explicit sexual content, but I'd still recommend it for older teens. The "Sex and the City" books and HBO series are honestly even too mature for me. When the show was airing, we did not have HBO at my house so I was completely out of the loop. It wasn't until I was in my early twenties that I rented the series and watched it through. Ummm...I STILL didn't tell my mother I watched it. Yes, she's a prude, and you parents can make your own decisions about it, half of your teenagers watch the edited version of the shows on E! anyway, which doesn't leave much to the imagination. Just a little disclaimer.

Those of you who have read the books, watched the series and the movies are no doubt curious about Carrie Bradshaw before she was the Carrie Bradshaw. Before Mr. Big, before Aiden, even before Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda. Pure curiosity is what enticed me to pick up my copy.

Before you begin to read this novel, which I highly recommend by the way, you need to get your mind ready. Think 1980's, skinny teenage Carrie only beginning to spread her fashionista wings, she's a virgin and the oldest of three sisters. I did not peg adult Carrie for an oldest child, she has never appeared to be the mother hen type, which oldest children, especially girls, usually are. "The Carrie Diaries" is set during Carrie's senior year. She is hoping to be accepted into a summer writing program in New York, has applied to Brown and is the last of her friends to still have her virginity. When a new boy enters her school, you can clearly see the Carrie we all know and love. Questioning relationships, casually dating, becoming more independent from her childhood friends, smoking, drinking and doing what she does best, talking about sex; even when she's not having it.