By Shauna Fleming with L. A. Stamford

Moved by her encounters with American soldiers and their families, 15-year-old Shauna set out to find a way to let our troops know how much we appreciate them. Her aim was as simple as it was extraordinary—to collect one million thank you letters from all over the country and distribute them to our military personnel here and abroad. Less than six months after she launched the “A Million Thanks” campaign, Shauna reached that goal.

This book combines the wide-eyed enthusiasm of a teenager just stepping into the world with the stirring realism of military life. Images of wonder at Shauna’s first television interview are juxtaposed against an e-mail message from a woman who just lost her nephew to the fighting in Iraq. Overwhelmingly, though, the message here is inspirational and unabashedly patriotic. It’s about a girl who can’t even vote yet bringing smiles and a sense of appreciation to people who sacrifice so much to defend our country. And it’s about the outpouring of emotion she has experienced from around the country and, in fact, throughout the world (her Web site, www.amillionthanks.org, has been visited by residents of more than 110 countries) from like-minded people who want to be a part of her efforts.