Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

If you're looking for something light and quick to read, this might just be the ticket.

Stargirl Caraway, the eccentric, spontaneous heroine, always sings to her fellow students on their birthdays and always looks out for those who might be having a rough time.  Slightly odd, but always genuine, she is unafraid to be her own person.

If I had a pre-teen/teenage daughter (or son, I guess, although I can't see boys getting into this one much), I'd probably encourage them to give Stargirl a try.  It was clean and a really quick read--I think it only took me a day or two--but it was well-written and kept me reading to find out what would happen.  I believe it has a sequel (which I haven't read yet . . . ) called Love, Stargirl--I'll be sure to post if I ever read it!