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A Girl's Life OnlineKatherine Tarbox Published in September 2004 This book is written by eighteen year old Katie Tarbox, and tells the story of how she was seduced by an older man whom she met through an Internet chat room. Katie was a thirteen year old living in Connecticut when she began talking online with twenty three year old Mark from California. In her memoir, Katie describes how the online relationship began, quickly progressed through emails, ultimately culiminating in a face to face meeting in a Texas hotel room. Katie provides insight as a lonely, self concious eigth grader craving attention who falls prey to an online sexual predator. Katie s story continues through the process of becoming the first unnamed minor to test a federal loaw enacted to protect kids from online sexual predators. This book is a quick read for parents of teenagers who would like to get a glimpse of what it is like to be a teenage girl in the Internet Age. It is an appropriate read for teenage girls as well but I would recommend that parents preview the book before giving it to a preteen to read due to some sexual content. Katie's story is one that teenage girls and their parents can relate to as the dangers of the internet, especially online chat rooms, is something that many teens face daily. Book Review Written by Carrie Whitaker
Body DramaNancy Amanda Redd Published in December 2007 $12.00 @ www.amazon.com This book is a wonderful resource for girls as it addresses a range of experiences they may encounter as their body develops. In the foreword by Dr. Angela Diaz the Director of Mount Sinai Adolescent Center, Diaz says "Body Drama presents reliable information in a 'medical textbook meets Seventeen magazine' way." The author Nancy Amanda Redd approaches topics that girls frequently feel embarrassed or ashamed to bring forth to parents, doctors, school nurses or other health providers. She provides accurate medical information for girls in a language that isn't filled with medical jargon. The chapter Skin has sections on "My Skin is full of stretch marks..." and "I have acne on my back or but...". The chapter Boobs has sections on "One of my boobs is bigger than the other..." and "I have many little bumps around my nipple..." In the chapter, Down There, two sections are "My vagina smells..." and "I get really bad cramps..." The chapter Hair, Mouth, Nails has sections on "I fried my hair..." and "My breath is harsh..." and "I have yucky stuff under my nails... The chapter Shape has sections on "I want to get fit and eat right, but it's expensive!..." and "I'm obsessed with my looks..." I've picked out only a few sections in a book with a wealth of information. The way Redd provides body education on topics that girls worry about is unique to any health resource on the market today. The book's Introduction says "Body Drama closes the current gap in women's health education by going beyond our periods and providing practical and educational information, photographs, and anecdotes that describe how real bodies look and how they function - the good, the bad, as well as the ugly, the funky, and the admittedly gross." In addition to body drama topics, the author chose to use pictures of real girls which is another asset of the book. While girls are reading about challenges the body may encounter, it makes sense that they can look at images of girls that are realistic and that they can relate to. This book is designed to increase girls comfort level with their bodies and the physical challenges they may encounter. It is a wonderful resource for girls as they enter their teens. Review Written by Carolyn Charpentier 
Don't Give It AwayIyanla Vanzant Published in 1999 $9.56 @ www.amazon.com This book is filled with activities that girls can do to recognize and focus on the many wonderful and unique qualities they possess. The activities ask girls to work on discovering and knowing themselves; honoring themselves; and affirming themselves for the amazing people they are. This workbook really would be a perfect gift for girls in the age range of 10-14. One of my favorite things in the book is "The Girls Pledge". It is in the beginning of the book, and embodies the flavor of the activities in the book. I am a girl. I'm an expression of beauty, joy and love. I have the right, the power and the ability, To create a beautiful, joyful and peaceful world For myself and others. I have a body, but I am not my body. I have a face, but I am not my face. I am the most important thing in the world to me. I am love in motion. I am the light of the world! I can create! I can make a mistake! I can create something beautiful in all that I do. I deserve the best. I give my best. I do my best to always take care of me! I am a girl! I am growing into a woman. I AM IT! I am the joy the world is waiting for! There are so many wonderful assertions in this pledge, and they are abundant in the activities in this book. What a wonderful resource to counterbalance the many negative and conflicting messages that girls receive in today's culture! Review Written by Carolyn Charpentier The Girls Guide to Everything by Melissa Kirsch  This book really provides a wealth of information and
A Resource on Money for younger girls from The American Girl Library.This book is available at www.amazon.com for $9.95.
The Girls Guide to Everything by Melissa Kirsch  This book really provides a wealth of information and
advice on subjects like health, work, money, manners,
friends, love, family, spirit, home and fashion. This book is
written for women in their twenties, so I would recommend
it as a resource for Moms to use to offer current information
and advice to their daughters. The chapter on Dating, Sex
and Romance is geared towards a mature reader, so I
would advise Moms to review this chapter before handing
the book over to girls to use as a resource independently.
Using humor and accessible language, the author, Melissa Kirsch, breaks down and makes sense of diffi cult topics that girls may shy away from, such as student loans, buying a car, talking to the boss at work and designing a budget. She offers practical advice and information on how to get spots out of clothes, tipping in a variety of service industries, how to make introductions, and how to observe good phone etiquette (including cell phone etiquette). This book is a wonderful resource for mothers and daughters alike. I recommend that Moms buy it as a guide for them to use to impart information to their daughters. Some of the information, such as stock market analysis, health care plan descriptions and home purchasing will be helpful to Moms to read, but not quite age appropriate for teenagers. The Girls Guide to Everything has enough information and advice appropriate for teenagers that it is well worth the purchase price of $15.95. Review Written by Carolyn Charpentier Rainbow Wishes and Colorful Dreams by Teresa Brouwer 
The book, Rainbow Wishes and Colorful
Dreams, has a subtitle that describes it as
"A Self Discovery Journal for Mothers and
Daughters Celebrating Life."
This is a book filled with activities that mothers and daughters can do together to inspire them to celebrate their lives. Readers are asked to talk and write about their dreams, goals, memories, feelings and life experiences. Through this discussion and writing, participants are given the framework to start uncovering and celebrating their true identity. This book provides quotes and real life experiences written by girls and women that correlate with each activity. Journal writing activities ask questions like, "What makes you an important person? ; "What are your likes and dislikes?"; "What are your dreams and goals?" and "What makes you a valuable person?". Craft activities include girls making a treasure box fi lled with items that refl ect their identities; girls gathering pictures of family and themselves to create a storybook about their loved ones; and girls can gather recipes to create a family cookbook. This book also suggests some activities like creating a mother/daughter book club or starting a tradition called "Princess for a Day". The activities in this book can serve as a wonderful tool to open communication between girls and the important women in their lives. This book seemed like a natural choice to give as a gift to all participants in our November 17th Girls' Health Conference, and we recommend this book to our readers too! Review by Carolyn Charpentier
Changing Bodies, Changing Lives, by Ruth Bell and the co-authors of Our Bodies, Ourselves and Ourselves and Our Children, together with members of the Teen Book Project. 
A quick summary of this book may be
difficult, because it is chock full of a
wealth of information. This book works
best as a resource, or even a dictionary,
if needed. It's not really a "fun read" ,
so I wouldn't recommend expecting
to read it cover to cover. Parents may
find themselves referring to the book
for quick reviews or questions. Teens
may find it a great book for frequently
asked questions because this is just
the kind of book a young person can
use to access information quickly. The
chapters cover everything from physical
health and emotional health to eating
disorders and substance abuse. Each
subject has thorough descriptions and
pictures, as well as, many personal
stories, poems and writings, written
for teens and by teens. Chapters end
with a list of resources, agencies and
websites that can further direct a person
for more information on the subject. The
only complaint I received as I reviewed
this book with my young babysitter, was
that the pictures are a little outdated,
which I have to agree they are.
However, the information is accurate
and up-to-date, and the outdated
pictures add a little humor to the book.
Buried Written by Robin Merrow MacCready Published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Putnam 
How deep do you dig to bury your past?Claudine has long buried her own needs and dreams to cover for her alcoholic mother. She protects herself with careful planning and constant control. Order is her weapon. How deep do you dig to uncover the truth? After Mom suddenly disappears - another alcoholic binge?-and seventeen year old Claudine finds herself all alone, a much darker reality emerges from beneath years of angry denial and enabling behavior. And as the truth comes closer to the surface, Claudine must dig for the answers she's always worked so hard to cover up. A suspenseful and mind twisting psychological thriller, Buried is about drama and destruction of codependency and the redemptive power of secrets revealed. Source: Book Cover Author of Buried, Robin Merrow MacCready lives on the Maine coast with her husband, two children and her dog. Buried can be purchased at Barnes & Noble, Border or online at www.amazon. com. Buried won the 2007 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. Dealing with theStuff that Makes Life Tough:The 10Things that Stress Girls Out and How to Cope with Them Written by Jill Zimmerman Rutledge, M.S.W., LCSW 2004, McGraw Hill Publishing: Contemporary Books 
This book is written as a resource to help
girls find ways to calm down and cope
with the various stresses that can occur
in their lives. Each of the ten chapter
identifies different circumstances that
can bring on stress for today's teenage
girls. The chapters are as follows:1. "If Everyone Says I Look Fine, Why do I feel so Fat?" - Making Peace with Body Image 2. High Anxiety - Panic Attacks and Other Frightening Fears 3. The Sun Through the Clouds - When you Feel Down 4. Venus to Mars - Dealing with Guys 5. Not "Just Saying 'No'" - Smoking, Drinking, Drugs 6. Fresh Air - Taking Back Your Overscheduled Life 7. Picking up the Piece - When your Parents' Divorce Shatters Your Life as You Know It 8. Mr. Sandman, Bring Me a Dream - Getting to Sleep When You Can't 9. Enough Already! - Bullies and So-Called Friends 10. When Your Crush is a Girl - Lesbian Teens Within each chapter the author, Jill Zimmerman Rutledge, M.S.W., LCSW, shares the stories of three girls and how they handled the stresses identified. Along with the girls' stories, the author identifies healthy techniques for girls to use to calm down and cope with the stress. This book can be a great resource for girls to keep on their shelves and take down and review chapters based on what they're experiencing as there is a degree of stress in everyone's lives. This book is directed at teaching girls how to handle stress effectively so they can feel centered, in control and confident. The Girls' Book of Wisdom Edited by Catherine Dee. Published in 1999 by MT Books. 
As I've been collecting resources for the November 17th Girls'
Health Conference, I came across the book, The Girls' Book
of Widsom. I've been reading through the quotes on a daily
basis, and have found "pearls of wisdom." The book breaks
down quotes into forty five categories, including Confidence,
Speaking Out, Leadership, Spirituality, Family, Friends, Money,
Freedom, Happiness and Giving Back. I've selected some of
my favorite quotes, and included them below.
"Happiness is a gift. But it cannot be given to you by other people, you give it to yourself." - Jacqueline Kehoe, age fourteen "I always preferred having wings to having things." - Pat Schroeder, Former US Congresswoman "The one hand washing the other is a pitiful spectacle, but when one hand washes the other, power is increased, and it becomes a force to be reckoned with." - Maya Angelou, poet, writer "Laughter can be more satisfying than honor; more precious than money; more heart cleansing than prayer." - Harriet Rochlin, writer
Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk about Sexuality BOOK REVIEW By Mary Orear, Executive Director, Mainely Girls Deborah L. Tolman (November 2002) Publisher: Harvard University Press 
If you're wondering how to go beyond
the birds and bees talk and begin a
more complex conversation with your
daughter or girls at your high school
about girls' sexual desire, you can't do
better than by listening to the girls as
you read Deborah Tolman's book.
The morning I was introduced to Deborah Tolman's work, she was busy giving birth to her first child in a hospital across town. Representing her was a group of three young women who had just graduated high school, part of a group Deborah had met with once a week for two years to, as one girl said, "Eat pizza and talk about sex." In 1991 and 1992, encouraging girls to talk candidly about their sexuality was a radical idea - and it remains so today. As each young woman spoke, she wove her experience with the project into her personal story, showing the positive impact this study had on her life. The first young woman was from an Italian- Catholic family that never discussed sex. She'd been a virgin when she started the project and had remained one throughout. The difference was that by the study's conclusion, when her friends came to her with their sexual concerns, she was comfortable talking with them and knew what to say. The second young woman had been a tom-boy and said she hadn't even realized she was a girl until the second grade. During the course of the study, she had fallen in love for the first time, and the boy had dropped her, breaking her heart. The members of the group had picked up the pieces, put them together, and given it back to her. The third young woman was from a very privileged background, and her mother had spoken to her openly, honestly, and often about sex. In the course of the study, the other girls had helped this young woman see that she was in an abusive relationship and had helped her break up with the fellow. Their moving presentation one summer morning fourteen years ago prompted me to buy the resulting book, The Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk About Sexuality by Deborah L. Tolman, as soon as it was published in 2002. It's one of the most important books in Mainely Girls' very large library. Instead of ridiculing or exploiting girls' sexual desire, trying to put constraints on it using religious mores, evaluating it using our culture's double standards, or casting it in terms merely as a response to boys' sexual desires, Ms. Tolman recognizes girls' sexual desire as something real and normal, and belonging to them. She uses two years of interviews with girls to think through what healthy sexuality for girls is, and how we can help girls develop it. In our media-saturated culture, sexualized images of girls are everywhere, and many girls start dressing in a sexualized manner, beginning in early childhood. During puberty, girls' physical sexual development receives significant emphasis and attention, but their sexual desire is usually ignored. In fact, girls' sexual desire is cast in terms of being a problem, and society keeps the lid on the Pandora's Box of girls' sexual desire by surrounding it with fear, telling girls that to have intercourse could lead to one or more of many negative outcomes. This book makes clear just how difficult it is for girls to express their sexual desire in a safe, healthy and acceptable way, and provides an example of how some girls negotiate a compromise between their desire and their reputation. In our culture, girls are deemed either "good girls" who are without sexual desire or don't express it, or "bad girls" (fill in your own derogatory term here). In an attempt to breach the divide, many girls will use the expression, "It just happened," when trying to explain their sexual involvement with someone. The expression allows them to distance themselves from having acted on their true desires, and thus remain "good girls." Alcohol or drug use also help make that passive explanation even more believable. Ms. Tolman approaches girls' sexual desire from an entirely different perspective: "Feeling desire in response to another person is a route to knowing, to being, oneself through the process of relationship: 'The psyche cannot cut off one kind of desire without affecting another. When sexual desire is truncated, all desire is compromised - including girls' power to love themselves and to know what they really want' (Debold, Wilson, & Malave, 1993, p.211)." She goes on to say, "In other words, not feeling sexual desire may put girls in danger and 'at risk.' When a girl doesn't know what her own feelings are, when she disconnects the apprehending psychic part of herself from what is happening in her own body, she then becomes especially vulnerable to the power of others' feelings as well as to what others say she does and does not want to feel." The girls' honesty, humor, sensitivity, and courage resonate throughout the book, and the author's thoughtful deconstruction or interpretation of what girls are saying make this book a fascinating read. You'll see yourself and some of the challenges you've encountered at stages of your own sexual development. And having read this book, you'll know how to begin that conversation you've been wanting to have with girls about their sexuality. You'll listen to girls talk about themselves and their relationships in an entirely different manner. Who knows, you may even be able to help them with some of the challenges they are facing!
Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood BOOK REVIEW By Christina Venditti Koren Zailckas (Jan 2006) Publisher: Viking Penguin 
"I take great care when I choose the word smashed as a euphemism for drunk. There are infinite slang terms to choose from: bombed, blasted, capsized, toppled, clobbered, dismantled, and damaged. But they are the type of violent action verbs the boys I baby-sit use when they play G.I. Joes. None of them have smashed's fragile femininity."
Koren Zailckas' book Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhoodaccurately tells her personal story, not of addiction, but of emotional and social dependence on alcohol because "[She's] tired of the world that won't rescue girls until they're long past the point of saving." She vividly paints a picture of the unexpected things girls say and do, and often times the precarious situations in which they find themselves because of their frequent and excessive use of alcohol. As a recent college grad and young woman myself, her story hit rather close to home. Part of her story takes place at my alma mater, Syracuse University, and she certainly didn't exaggerate the muddied and hazily patched together nights spent down on M-Street at the bars or party hopping up on frat row. Any night out you saw girls staggering their way home, being pulled into vacant bedrooms, or holding a friend's hair as her whiskey sour resurfaced to make room for more. A 2001 study showing that 40 percent of college girls binge drink seems accurate in my experience. But much like Koren says in her book, young women and girls don't usually drink to keep up with the boys, or to prove we can, but rather "...most every girl [she knew] drank as an expression of her unhappiness. [She] too drank in no small part because [she] felt shamed, self-conscious and small." I believe this is true for most girls: they drink as an escape or as a coping mechanism. "I already need alcohol, not physically but certainly emotionally; my relationships, self-image, and ability to cope fluctuate with my blood-alcohol content." Among girls and young women, the need for acceptance tends to trump all else. Girls are more likely than boys to try drugs and/or alcohol to fit in with a group. Girls and young women feel pressures not only from their peers but also from their parents, teachers, and especially the media. Today thin is in, and it's everywhere. The average woman is a size 12, yet an average mannequin is a size 6. But we all know that women on television and in magazines are rarely even that size. These images place unrealistic norms on girls and young women who are then fixated on their weight and appearance. These insecurities are factors in the growing abuse of alcohol, drugs, and smoking among teenage girls and women. "As a gender, we are far more likely to turn our drunken destructiveness inward, to wage private wars against ourselves, to attempt suicide, to be pinned down by fear and depression." It is worrisome for me to think of the damage that substance abuse causes girls with such fragile teenage psyches. In Maine alone almost twice as many girls attempt to commit suicide than boys do. Girls are drinking as much and as early as boys are for the first time in history. The consequences of such alcohol and drug abuse are increased rates of depression, suicide, alcohol poisoning, and sexual assault. Recent studies have shown that girls' marijuana use can double the risk of depression later in life. I share Koren's "fear that women, even those women who escape the physical consequence of drinking, won't escape the emotional ones. [Her] fear [that] some sliver of panic, sadness, or self-loathing will always stay with [them]." "In the end, I quit drinking because I didn't want to waste any more time picking up the pieces. I decided smashed, when it's used as a synonym for drunk, is a self-fulfilling prophecy." Without preaching about the joys of sobriety but rather explaining the roller coaster ride that brought her there, Koren puts it rather well, "The life of a young drunk is not a continual fall into the pit of abject alcohol abuse. It is a herky-jerky evolution. You slip, you trip, and you tumble into the habit of drinking when you are afraid, or enraged, or heartsick..." And her story perfectly portrays this life as she so vividly describes it. Traveling with her through the somersaulting ride of foggy memories and emotional turbulence, it's a hard book to put down. Her honesty and at times her inability to remember draw the reader into her world, especially if you have ever woken up wondering how you made it home, or had a girlfriend recount for you all the humiliating events of the previous night. She has put it out there that you are not alone. Teenage girls and young women alike are binge drinking in greater numbers and the consequences can be jarring. Following in Koren's footsteps, I refuse to preach about abstaining from alcohol but believe all teenage girls and young women should read this book. I hope you come to understand that it's never too late to 'pick up the pieces' or not get started in the first place.
Mean Chicks, Cliques and Dirty Tricks. BOOK REVIEW By Kathleen Hastings Shearin Karres, E. (2004) Mean Chicks, Cliques and Dirty Tricks. Avon, MA: F and W Publications.  This book calls itself "a real girl's guide to
getting through the day with smarts and
style", I wondered as I read this book what
"real girl" is truly benefiting from the myths
perpetuated throughout these stories.
The book is short and therefore easy to
read, but hard to read past the frustration
over the constant labeling of the so called
"mean girl" personality traits and cliques to
beware. This book titles its chapters with
headings like, "the Snob", "The Traitor",
"The Gossip"; is it not better to focus on
how we can positively implement change
within ourselves, before we go labeling the
characteristics of those we wish to avoid.
Mean Chicks, Cliques and Dirty Tricks included lots of cool quotes, by everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Eleanor Roosevelt. The format was also more fun and trendy, somewhat like a magazine. It included everything from real-life stories to self quizzes to cool checklist. This book also offered lots of good advice and inspiration from fellow teen girls, as well as a few write-ins to Dear Dr. Erika at the beginning of each chapter. The author states that she polled 1,000 teen girls from various locations, backgrounds and schools to answer the question "What is the major problem for girls today", their answer, Other Girls!, was one of the main reasons she wanted to offer help with this guide. Obviously this is a personal as well as professional interest for this author, as she speaks of her own painful teen years in post World War II Germany. She seems to speak with experience and sympathy but still with a bit of spite in her language. This tends to tarnish the good intentions of the book by focusing too much on the negative aspects of "mean chicks", like "how to spot one" and less on how one can spot these aspects in herself. I do agree with the overall point of this book , which she summarizes in part III, specifically Chapter 9, titled "The Power of Several", where Erika writes that we could all use more "girl-girl support", how very true. This book is definitely written more for the young/pre-teen with its trendy layout and peer stories and advice. Girl Wise BOOK REVIEW By Kathleen Hastings DeVillers, J. (2002) GirlWise. New York: Crown Publishing.  This is a fun, positive and upbeat book
for any young girl to use. You can read
it cover to cover, or use it more like a
reference and read about certain topics
as you need. Girlwise seemed to be more
realistic and helpful, she offered a more
positive focus on how the individual can
create change among themselves to feel
more confident and happy. She covers
it all from the embarrassment of walking
out of the bathroom with toilet paper on
your shoe, to how to ignore negative
comments about our bodies. Even
the titles of these chapters were more
inspiring to read, focusing on positive
characteristics, like feeling confident, in
control, being more creative, and more
conscious, these are personality traits we
all could improve.
This book also had lots of cool quotes and good advice from peers, it had checklists and much more specific instruction with advice. For example, when talking about being more creative, this book mentions dance and more specifically, offers instructions on how to belly dance. The book is a compilation of great advice, helpful hints and secret tips from all kinds of experts like magazine publishers, authors, celebrities, sports experts, etc., the contributor bios alone are pretty impressive. It also seemed to address the personal/spiritual side of the person, encouraging young girls to learn to be more comfortable in their aloneness, indulge in their passions and settle the mind through practices like meditation and yoga. The author cited specific examples of how to achieve these things throughout the book. Julia DeVillers also seems to be personally and professionally connected to improving the lives of young women. She has developed the web site www. girlwise.com, has written other books related to teen girls and is the mother of two daughters. She too speaks with experience and sympathy but not as much of the negativity as Mean Chicks, Cliques and Dirty Tricks. GirlWise definitely is written for the older teenager, with its more mature responses, more practical advice and better direction. Odd Girl Speaks Out. Simmons, R. (2004) San Diego: Harcourt Trade Publishers.  Odd Girl Speaks Out provides a revealing look at girls' relationships. The book is a
collection of writing pieces submitted by girls on topics like "bullies, cliques, popularity and
jealousy." The writing pieces are short stories and poems describing various scenarios
from multiple perspectives. Simmons groups the writing pieces into six chapters:CHAPTER 1: THE SOUND OF A GIRLS VOICE: Introduction CHAPTER 2: WHY IS IT MY FAULT THAT I DON'T WANT TO BE HER FRIEND? CHAPTER 3: A NEVER-ENDING NIGHTMARE: When Friends Turn On You CHAPTER 4: IT'S THE WAY GIRLS SURVIVE: Aggression, Fear and Revenge CHAPTER 5: I WANTED TO FIT IN SO BADLY: Life as the Odd Girl Out CHAPTER 6: FINDING YOUR INNER STRENGTH At the beginning and end of each chapter, Simmons provides insight on each theme, but she keeps the passages to a readable length for teenagers so they don't feel like their reading a textbook. Each summary provides useful research, ideas and strategies for the chapter's theme. Clearly, there is a value for girls to read other girls' writings that describe very similar painful interactions. It can be terrifying for a girl to feel isolated as the only one being left out, gossiped about or given the cold-sh oulder by the group. Reading about parallel experiences of other girls is a beginning step to involve girls in the recognition and elimination of alternative aggression within their communities. There is a value for parents and educators in reading this book as well. Reading about the painful experiences of these girls, can help parents and educators better understand the girls they love and work with. What I also found valuable about this book is the insight it provides on how the internet is used as a tool to facilitate alternative aggression among girls. Many of the stories are laced with references to emails that are sent to communicate negative and hurtful messages. Simmons details the dangers of using email as a weapon to injure relationships. On page 144, Simmons writes a section called "IM and Email: Clicking Your Way Through a Fight." As girls read this section, Simmons provides relevant reasons for not using email to fight. As parents and educators read this section, they will start to realize the wide use of email by students to bully one another. Overall, the book Odd Girl Out is an excellent read for girls and women alike.
Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great by Mavis Jukes and Lilian Cheung, D.Sc.,R.D. 2003 $12.95 Crown Publishers.  This little book was listed among six pages of recommended resources in the appendix of the Girl Scout report,
"The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living." I'm a fan of Mavis Jukes' previous book, "It's a Girl Thing: How to Stay Healthy, Safe and in Charge," written
for the 11-14 year old group so was interested in how she used her very girl-friendly approach to address health for this same group. My used copy from Amazon,
$2.95, arrived within a week, and I began reading.
In short, it's definitely upbeat, fact-filled, positive, and appealing to girls. The book focuses on nutrition and talks about food in terms of fuel or energy, (no "bad foods," just some foods that should be occasional treats), stresses what is important to eat, how much of it, and why, how to read food labels, how to shop for food, and even safe food storage and handling. After twelve chapters of food and nutrition, the book has a chapter on exercise, one on beauty, ("Beauty is defined in so many ways, and it definitely doesn't refer exclusively to physical characteristics."), and the last is, "The Amazing You." The book goes into considerable depth about nutrition, but does so in a way that makes a fairly complex subject quite understandable. Its tone is positive, encouraging, and even fun! It's as valuable for the very active athlete as for the girl who needs to increase her exercise as both need to know their food needs and how to make wise food choices. I wouldn't mind having a copy in my house, just to help with reading all those confusing labels, and I'll definitely send my niece one for her upcoming 11th birthday. In addition, the multitude of girls' health websites listed in the book provide excellent sources for additional information that can be used to delve more broadly or more deeply into topics, or for school reports. Many of the sites provide information that girls will want to know about as they mature, making this a book girls can grow with. It's a good one to have in your house, and on your daughter's shelf. A ROOM ON LORELI STREET by Mary E. Pearsons  I read A Room on Loreli Street by
Mary E. Pearsons, and enjoyed it very
much. The way that the main character,
Jess, describes the room that she
moves into on Loreli Street makes it
viewable in your mind. I think that this
is an appropriate book for high school
girls to read. It's a quick read, and the
story has a good meaning behind it. I
like how Jess is very independent and
hardworking. I also liked the end of the
book; I thought it was fitting. A majority
of the girls in the Vinalhaven High
School girls book club, A Girl's Point
of View, were very fond of it too.---Amber, Vinalhaven |
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