Ready, Set, Grow!: A What's Happening to My Body? Book for Younger Girls

Book Description

From the award-winning author of the best books on puberty — A completely new book written especially for 8-11-year-old girls, playfully illustrated in an appealing, two-color design.

Young girls before the onset of puberty have a curiosity about their soon-to-be changing bodies that needs addressing in a simpler way than for their older sisters. In the proven, trust-worthy, Madaras-friendly voice and style, this entirely new book now brings them the same kind of thoughtful, down-to-earth information—but at a reading and understanding level that's just right for them.

Responding throughout to real-life questions and observations from younger girls, Madaras explores the strange and thrilling changes that are happening, or about to happen, to them, including: the development of breasts, body hair, and body fat; the changes in their reproductive organs, both inside and out; their first period and all the complex feelings surrounding it; the unwelcome appearance of acne and new body odors; and, perhaps most important, how to respect and celebrate their unique bodies, even when the outside world is not always so accepting.

Lively cartoon drawings throughout make the book not only helpful, but fun to read, too.

Customer Reviews:

A great introduction for "tweens".......2007-10-11

I bought this book (along with a stack of others) to begin a dialogue with my 9 year old about the facts of life. Of all the books I reviewed, this one most well suited my daughter, with its colorful (and playful) illustrations and conversational tone (she loved the "eew gross!" references!).

It adequately (and thoroughly) begins the discussion of how her young body is beginning to change, while avoiding any real (and not yet necessary) details about sex. Of course, it does reference the fact that all of these changes are ultimately happening to make her body ready for having babies....but spares her the gory details she is just not yet emotionally ready for.

We read much of the book together, and it is playful enough to foster a nice opening for dialogue on the changes she is about to go through. She has approached me several times while reading it on her own with questions, and has referred to it a couple of times when, for example, she was feeling some growing pains, and when she was trying to make healthier food choices while packing her own lunch, etc...

Overall, a winner. I'd highly recommend it!

Good As it Gets For Me.......2007-09-24

It was a very hard decision for me to choose a book and this ended up being the one I chose for my girl. Mainly because it has alot of information and fun graphics that help make this serious topic a little more light hearted. Some of the info is a bit much for my 9 1/2 yr old but I can see her referencing back to this book later. My important focus was for my DD to understand her menstrual cycle and what is happening. It's a bit detailed regarding the female reproductive organs which I think is just a bunch of big words for her now, but like I said can be something she can reference back to as she gets older. I did like it's recognition of how these changes can make you feel awkward but the author encourages her young readers to feel proud of themselves. This book could have been better if the author had explained intercourse but apparently she has a different book for that.

There were so many books and so many varying reader reviews from not enough info to porn for the same book! For example the reviews on the American Girl My Body book are glowing but for me there was no detailed explanation as to why a woman has her cycle, there was alot of fluff that was okay for younger girls but not a girl approaching puberty. I think that shows that this is a very individual choice for each family. My reccomendation is to browse here but go to your local library or a bookstore and look before you come back to Amazon to buy. I think the best book is the one you write yourself, but since that's not going to happen it's important you have a chance to look cover to cover for the book you know your child will be reading cover to cover several times over the next few years - good luck!

Don't Forget Your Son!.......2007-09-15

I purchased this book for my 11 year old son so that he could have a better understanding of what makes girls tick. He already has a good bit of knowledge on boys body development and we wanted him to know more. This was a good general information book that explains the changes he is already seeing in some of his classmates.

"Ready, Set, Grow: A What's Happening to my Body? Book for younger Girls.......2007-08-24

Great Book! Lots of good solid information for a younger girl of 8yrs.
We did not read the whole book because it was not information she needs right now.

Good Book to start talking about growing up and changes.......2007-05-11

I notice some changes in my daughters appearance and I knew it was time to start to have some discussions. We have worked our way through two chapters reading together and talking about stuff. A heck of a lot more than I got when I was growing up. Hopefully this will help her get through these changing times

Average customer rating:

Does a good job of explaining how potty training happens
Best Potty Book We Found
OK, but not exciting
This is what did it
Love this book for my Daughter

My Big Girl Potty
Joanna Cole
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688170412
Release Date: 2004-12-28

Book Description

"What a big girl you are!"

Potty training can be fun. With warmth and sensitivity, Joanna Cole and Maxie Chambliss guide young girls though the challenges and rewards potty training—from the first steps to the joy of graduating to big girl underpants! A helpful "Note to parents" is included.

Customer Reviews:

Does a good job of explaining how potty training happens.......2007-06-18

I like this book because it explains potty training as a process, beginning when mommy and daddy bring home a potty chair and ending with the transition to big girl panties. It depicts two supportive parents gently helping their daughter to learn to use the toilet and shows that sometimes accidents will happen and that the child will still need to wear diapers at night for a while. It is also relatable for children, beginning with the words, "Ashley is a girl just your age" and describing how she likes to play with toys and do other things that children like to do.

Best Potty Book We Found.......2007-04-12

We bought this book for our 18mo. old daughter to start potty training as she's been showing all the signs of wanting to go on the potty. She took to it immediatley. She loves the pictures and the simple story line that she can understand about a little girl named Ashley. Whenever we talk about going potty she always says "like Ashee", it's so adorable. I'm positive we'll be buying the same book for boys when it comes time for our newborn son to start training. Great Buy!

OK, but not exciting.......2007-01-13

My daughter likes this book, but not a lot. I think it would be better for getting a child started - she was already sitting on the potty and doing her business before we started reading it.

This is what did it.......2006-09-13

DD found this book at the library and wanted it read to her CONSTANTLY, around the time she seemed to be getting interested/willing to try the potty. She liked it so much I went and bought her her own copy.

She enjoyed other potty books/videos, especially "Once Upon a Potty", but for some reason this one seemed to be the one that did it for her and made the whole idea click.

I think it's well-written and nicely illustrated. Kids can easily identify with the pictures and with the few false starts that Ashley has on the potty, and the questions asked help draw them into the story as it's being read.

DD is 4 now and has been potty-trained for over a year, but still likes to re-read the book on occasion.

I've given it to friends who are going through the potty-training stage, and they've all been happy with it too.

Love this book for my Daughter.......2006-08-26

My daughter really seeems to pay attention when I read this to her and she seems to understand about the potty. I bought this book and the "Too Big for Diapers" book with Ernie featured. She liked the "Too Big for Diapers" book she knew Ernie. She really related to this book because it was about another little girl. I would recommend both, unless you have a little boy then I would a book about a little boy.

How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time

Average customer rating:

Brilliant concept, but not the memory lane I was looking for.
Once Upon A Time
Media Revolution Girl Style
One to check out from the library
A celebration of the magazine which influenced a generation of liberal, activist young women

How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time
Kara Jesella , and Marisa Meltzer
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0571211852
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Book Description

For a generation of teenage girls, Sassy magazine was nothing short of revolutionary—so much so that its audience, which stretched from tweens to twentysomething women, remains obsessed with it to this day and back issues are sold for hefty sums on the Internet. For its brief but brilliant run from 1988 to 1994, Sassy was the arbiter of all that was hip and cool, inspiring a dogged devotion from its readers while almost single-handedly bringing the idea of girl culture to the mainstream. In the process, Sassy changed the face of teen magazines in the United States, paved the way for the unedited voice of blogs, and influenced the current crop of smart women’s zines, such as Bust and Bitch, that currently hold sway.

How Sassy Changed My Life will present for the first time the inside story of the magazine’s rise and fall while celebrating its unique vision and lasting impact. Through interviews with the staff, columnists, and favorite personalities we are brought behind the scenes from its launch to its final issue and witness its unique fusion of feminism and femininity, its frank commentary on taboo topics like teen sex and suicide, its battles with advertisers and the religious right, and the ascension of its writers from anonymous staffers to celebrities in their own right.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant concept, but not the memory lane I was looking for........2007-10-05

Seriously... I *CHERISH* Sassy Magazine.. all of the back issues, xeroxes of back issues... It did change my life...and when I got this book, there was no pictures, except for some on-the-cover-spineline-shots, and artsy rolled magazine shots... I really wanted to reminice, and I got gossip, and analysis and it kinda made me sad. For such a visual magazine... there's nothing to look at in this book.

Once Upon A Time.......2007-07-27

Long, long ago (not really, just the early 1990's, but it feels like forever!), there was the most fantastic teen magazine ever: SASSY!!! For girls like myself (this is William's wife Jen writing, by the way, in case anyone is wondering "Huh?") who were not the upper class WASPs of America with money to burn, perfect tans and bleached hair and New Kids lust, Sassy was such an amazing outlit for our social, political, and emotional frustrations. I was a girl who didn't gave a darn about 90210, Debbie Gibson, Prada, Calvin Klein, social conformity, and Sassy really helped to open up a whole nother world. The staff at Sassy became like our cooler older sisters in the hip underground: they knew all of the cool bands, fashions, actors, etc before the mainstream media had a clue. Also, I must add, that Sassy was the first place where I had read about Wicca which is now my spiritual path in life. In a time which I was an outcast demiJew interested in paganism and Buddhism but forced to going to a very Conservative Catholic school full of the standard cheerleader types (their solution to life was just to follow whatever nonsense the nuns and their parents proclaimed, no matter how braindead, and never to think for themselves), Sassy was literally a Goddess send where I finally felt connected.
On another note, I was very happy to see that they added a bit about how many girls felt alienated by the ultra- underground and alternative aspects of Sassy. Towards the end of the magazine, it seemed to me (and after reading, I'm glad I'm not the only one) that if you liked any song that managed to get on the radio, any show that had appeared in TV Guide, or wanted to dye your hair with Clairol instead of funky Kool Aid colours, then you were deemed terminally uphip (I remember as if it were yesterday how they trashed my then favourite band Roxette). I think that that exclusiveness, rather than any boycotts about the sex columns, were the cause of Sassy's demise. Still, it was an amazing magazine and so uplift and often soulsearching for its readers and sadly no magazine has come close to filling that void for today's young women (although B*tch is great. Check it out if you can).

Media Revolution Girl Style.......2007-07-01

Before female adolescents in America had Oakland/Portland's Bitch or Chicago's VenusZine for feminism 101, there was New York City's Sassy. In How Sassy Changed My Life, readers are given a magazine-size book that reads like a nostalgic love letter chronicling one of women's crucial marks in journalism's history. Known as the 80s lovechild of founder Sandra Yates of Australia's Dolly and then 24-year-old Jane Pratt, the youngest editor-in-chief of a magazine, Sassy shunned the "come get me boys" themes of teen publications with blonde, blue-eyed, bulimic models. For the first time, two female writers carefully analyze Sassy's impact on insecure, teenage girls seeking refuge from YM and Seventeen through interviews with former staff members and the many readers that created an online cult following.

How Sassy Changed My Life starts off by answering the frequently-asked question: why would anyone write a book about a teen magazine? While Jesella and Meltzer give a brief, but convincing explanation for exploring Sassy's rich, cultural history in American media, the chapters remain faithful in giving an in-depth look behind the magazine's main competitor. With Seventeen's "Where to Spy Guys" and "Learn How to Be a Secretary" ads, Walter Anneberg, the publication's owner (who had a gold-plated toilet seat in his private plane), surely wasn't risking his sales with features on homosexuality, AIDS and premarital sex. Yet, when Sassy arrived at 1 Times Square in 1988, they covered "The Dirty Scummy Truth on Spring Break (or, Where The Jerks Are)," included ads for Doc Martens and featured pixie-haired models with bandanas. Jesella and Meltzer manage to successfully show with crisp, tight language, the staff's many personalities that collectively provided a voice for those wanting to learn about their inner girl power with "13 Reasons Not to Diet." Former reader Sarah Kowalski commented, "The magazine was so personal it felt like a community, like people that you hung out with-that was very important. I was kind of an outsider type. I didn't have a lot of friends in school. You wanted to find your people."

One of the major concerns in How Sassy Changed My Life was Pratt's portrayal in the magazine's birth and downfall. Pratt, initially viewed as "the extremely charismatic leader," who made her writers "go through as many as 15 story drafts," was detested by Sassyites for the betrayal known as Jane magazine. Jesella and Meltzer spoke with Jane's arch-nemesis, Lisa Jervis from Bitch, who retaliated against Pratt's vision for a more girl-friendly periodical that even included a column by Pamela Anderson. In responding to Bitch's "10 Things I Hate About Jane," Jervis explained, "Those of us salivating in front of the newsstand were hoping for something that took Sassy's early vision of self-confident girl power and critical thinking a step forward." Ultimately, How Sassy Changed My Life concluded with Pratt being a pretentious publisher whose feud with Bitch magazine seems more appealing than her celebrity-fueled glossy. While the conclusion leaves readers torn, Jesella and Meltzer lets their audience decide whether Pratt should be celebrated for her role in leading Sassy or hated for her false promise in keeping the dream alive.

Whether you grew up reading Sassy or are just discovering its famous April 1992 cover of grunge's Sid and Nancy, How Sassy Changed My Life is a cultural tour de force that embodies the best of modern feminist writing. Readers will finish Jesella's and Meltzer's testimonial feeling confident about their femininity and hopeful for womankind's future, just as Sassy did for six years.

One to check out from the library.......2007-06-04

Read it in two sittings - it's fast, with more gossip in it than I expected. It was surprisingly balanced in terms of pointing out how Sassy may have just promoted a new alterna-girl conformism with their backlash against the Seventeen ethos.

I am sort of surprised that there was no mention that lots of readers' political views matured beyond the ones pushed by Sassy. Perhaps that's because the authors' views are still stuck in teenage years, too? (The tone of approval given by the authors to Ian Svenonius's Marxism was another cringe-worthy moment.)

My only wish: A scrapbook of clippings from various issues, or at least pictures of the staff, and a where-are-they-now? chapter. Okay, that was three wishes. With those features, the book would have been worth purchasing. Now I just wish I'd sent the money to charity instead.

A celebration of the magazine which influenced a generation of liberal, activist young women.......2007-05-21

The central thesis of How Sassy Changed My Life is that the one-of-a-kind teen magazine created a club of kindred spirits during its short 6-year tenure, and that it has had a lasting effect on a generation (or two) of American women. Authors Jesella and Meltzer write "Upon meeting a fellow Sassy fan, we feel like we understand something essential about that person: their life philosophy, what their politics might be like, what their artistic preferences are, what they were like in high school, what kind of person they wanted to grow up to be. (By contrast, we find non-fans of a certain age slightly suspect.)"

Since this title is about how Sassy changed our lives, it is necessary for me to reflect on my own Sassy readership. I picked it up for the first time at age eleven, when the magazine was just two years old. My best friend and I were immediate converts, and even created our own short-lived dozen-wide-circulation `zine in the Sassy tradition. I have all my Sassy back issues. When the magazine was sold to the owners of Teen magazine in 1994, the editorial staff was fired, and the name was repackaged as standard bubblegum fare, I never knew why my magazine died such a horrible death. I cancelled my subscription to the "Stepford Sassy" and every time I got a renewal notice, I would write an angry letter about my disgust with the new magazine (my boyfriend at the time could never understand why I had such passionate distaste for renewal notices).

Finally, the story of the rise and untimely death of Sassy is told, in this fine collection with chapters about the conception of the magazine, its rise, its relationship to the competitors, the lives of the staffers, the feminism of the publication, and its catastrophic fall from grace.

Sassy was the first magazine in which I read bylines, in which I reflected on what I knew about the writer of each piece, and how his or her personality and life experience played into the end product. Sassy poked fun at the celebrity worship and body-flaw fixing so central to other teen magazines. It talked frankly about sex in a voice completely opposite from that of your curmudgeonly gym teacher. Jesella and Meltzer's book is not only a delightful trip down memory lane, it also reveals important behind-the-scenes tensions and political maneuverings, as well as the cultural significance of the periodical. Highly recommended.

It's my Life: Diary of a Teenage Girl (Book 2)

Average customer rating:

It's My Life
Well written
Extremely disappointing
Faith or Friendship
My Life, My Decisions

It's my Life: Diary of a Teenage Girl (Book 2)
Melody Carlson
Manufacturer: Multnomah Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 159052053X
Release Date: 2002-07-11

Book Description

In this emotional sequel to Diary of a Teenage Girl, Caitlin O'Conner faces new trials as she grows in her faith and strives to maintain the recent commitments she's made to God. As a new believer, Caitlin begins her summer job and makes preparations for a Mexico mission trip with her church youth group. Torn between new spiritual directions and loyalty to Beanie, her best friend (now pregnant), Caitlin searches out her personal values on friendship, romance, dating, life goals, and key relationships with God and family. Tough choices threaten her progress, and her year climaxes in her realization that maturity sometimes means life-impacting decisions must be made ... by faith alone.

Download Description

In this emotional sequel to Diary of a Teenage Girl, Caitlin O'Connor faces new trials as she grows in her faith and strives to maintain the recent commitments she's made to God. As a new believer, Caitlin begins her summer job and makes preparations for a Mexico mission trip with her church youth group. Torn between new spiritual directions and loyalty to Beanie, her best friend (now pregnant), Caitlin searches out her personal values on friendship, romance, dating, life goals, and key relationships with God and family. Tough choices threaten her progress, and her year climaxes in her realization that maturity sometimes means life-impacting decisions must be made by faith alone.

Customer Reviews:

It's My Life.......2007-09-30

Great teenage stories that draw students to want to read the book. I can't keep the series of books in my classroom. As soon as it's checked in it's checked out by someone else. Every teeenager's story.

Well written.......2006-12-18

This is the second book in one of my favorite serises. Caitlin is a real girl who with real problems. I did think that the author talked about dating a little to much. She made it sound like dating or liking a boy was a sin against God. When it really isnt. This was still a very good book and I am looking forward to reading the nest one in the series

Extremely disappointing.......2006-10-12

I've enjoyed Melody Carlson's adult novels. They tend to have realistic characters and give a far more complex, nuanced view of faith and the world than a lot of Christian fiction.

This novel disappointed me a great deal. The characters are one-dimensional and the plot could not be more simplistic. Basically, it boils down to this: don't have sex, because God's greatest concern with teenage girls is the state of their hymen (their actual one, or maybe, like Beanie, their spiritual hymen) rather than of their heart. Perhaps the most insulting, disgusting part of the book is the final page where the fictional character in the book tries to urge readers to sign a chastity pledge.

Can you imagine how much better this world would be if young Christians were encouraged to pledge themselves to feed the hungry, comfort the afflicted, and visit the imprisoned, rather than to not have sex? How wonderful it could be if their energy and passion were turned outward toward helping the "least of these"--the poor, the sick, the outcast, the people Jesus served--rather than inward toward perserving their "sexual purity"? Unfortunately, that is not what's happening, and books like this are a part of the problem.

Faith or Friendship.......2006-04-24

This book, It's My Life Diary of a Teenage Girl, is a true test to see if Caitlin can remain loyal to God, while trying to maintain her friendship with Beanie. After making a few new commitments to God, Caitlin realizes that dating is just not something that she wishes to take part in. She sees one of the results from dating every day when she looks at Beanie, and just wonders how in the world is that girl every going to be able to raise a child on her own. Among all this friendship trouble Caitlin is also helping out with the planning of a missionary trip to Mexico. Read this book to find out the shocking truths of a teenage girl.
This is a great choice to read for any teenage girl. This series is one of the best that I've ever read. Once I get started reading I just can't seem to it down for hours. You can take situations from the book and relate them to your own life very easily. Again, this is a great book if you enjoy reading Christian fiction and are a teenage girl.

My Life, My Decisions.......2006-02-10

If you like the first book, Diary of a Teenage girl, then you will love It's my life. It will probably answer all your questions all of your questions about the first book. Caitlin is now working at her dad's office. She is raising money for her trip to Mexico. Beanie is not herself because of her pregnancy, and she doesn't want to do any thing with Caitlin. Caitlin is becoming friends with Andrea. One day Beanie was babysitting for Steph's son and he ran in front of a car. Beanie ran after him so he wouldn't get hit, but Beanie got hit instead. When she went to the hospital they found out that she lost her baby. Caitlin felt so sorry for Beanie, she went to visit her every day. That's when Caitlin got the idea that her church should give Beanie a scholarship so she could go to Mexico with their youth group. When they went to Mexico they had a good time until they went to the dump. All the kids there were dirty and hungry. Caitlin felt so sorry for them that when she got back she set up a fund for the dump kids. After school started, Caitlin and Jenny became friends again. That's when Caitlin found out that Jenny has anorexia. What will happen next? You have to read the book you find out.
My favorite part of the book is when they go to Mexico. It was amazing how the explained the kids. The part of the book that I disliked the most was when Caitlin found out that Beanie lost her baby.
I would recommend this book to people that want to get closer to God. It you like books that have real like situations then this book is for you. I hope that you read this amazing book.

My Child, My Princess: A Parable About the King for Little Girls of All Ages

Average customer rating:

A great parable for adults and children!!
Beautiful Story
Princess to a Loving King
Wonderful

My Child, My Princess: A Parable About the King for Little Girls of All Ages
Beth Moore
Manufacturer: B&H Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805444556

Book Description

A wistful fairytale at first impression, best-selling author Beth Moore's My Child, My Princess is a simply profound story that rings true among children and grown-ups alike. When a King's rebellious daughter disobeys her father's wishes, his forgiveness and patience vividly remind us of God's unconditional love. Indeed, all girls are princesses; children of the King.

Originally released to massive success in 2003 in a kid-focused format under the title A Parable About the King, this new keepsake sepia-tone illustrated edition "for little girls of all ages" makes a precious gift that is sure to rest on nightstands and in tender hearts everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

A great parable for adults and children!!.......2007-04-04

I ordered this book for my 5 year old daughter and just finished reading it myself. I have to say, this is a book that I will read for years to come. This book sends out a great message about how forgiving and loving our Lord is. I would higly recommend this book for girls of all ages!

Beautiful Story.......2007-03-26

I love this book. It is good for little kids and adults. I will buy this book to give as a gift to a girlfriend that ran away from God. I think anyone that feels away from God and read this beautiful story can be tauched and make the decision to come back to God. You will feel you are a real princess that belong to the King of Kings after you read this book.

Princess to a Loving King.......2007-03-24

All girls need to know they are loved.How lovely to discover they are loved by the King! Excellent for reading between generations.

Wonderful.......2007-03-08

A charming story for girls, leading to a wonderful lesson about love, faithfulness, obedience and forgiveness.

On My Own: Diary of a Teenage Girl (Book 4)

Average customer rating:

On My Own
Best So Far
Off To College
Can She Handle It?
A Life Changing Experience

On My Own: Diary of a Teenage Girl (Book 4)
Melody Carlson
Manufacturer: Multnomah
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1590520173
Release Date: 2002-07-04

Book Description

University life isn't what Caitlin expected. Her roommate Liz is hostile to her faith -- tormenting her with raunchy music and sleazy boyfriends. Worst of all, suddenly Caitlin doesn't understand herself anymore. Why has she regressed to being the shy, insecure girl she was in junior high? She doesn't even fit in with her new Christian fellowship group! Caitlin tries not to envy Josh and her friends at Christian colleges, but suddenly all she has are questions and few answers. In the story of Caitlin O'Conner's soul, this frustrating year is the most significant one yet, as the homesick freshman eventually remembers there is one companion she can always trust.

Customer Reviews:

On My Own.......2007-09-30

Great teenage stories that draw students to want to read the book. I can't keep the series of books in my classroom. As soon as it's checked in it's checked out by someone else.

Best So Far.......2006-03-09

On My Own has seemed to be the best yet in the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. While I prefer Carlson's True Colors series to the Diary of a Teenage girl books, this one showed true challenges to Caitlin's faith.

While I believe in the awesome power of God to change hearts, the fact that Liz did not automatically convert made this book realistic. As a Lutheran, I believe that God calls us to plant the seed and to live as a Christian rather than overevangelizing. While some of Carlson's terminology hints that she is most likely a mainstream Protestant, I do appreciate that this book focuses on Caitlin living her faith rather than talking about it.

Caitlin also seems more human in this book. When she is angry, it seems genuinely angry, as compared to previous books where the most common expression of anger seemed to be "I'M JUST SO MAD" Her confusion over the Josh situation and her frustration and loneliness at college also make her seem more like the average Christian girl rather than Superdisciple.

I would recommend this book to any teenage girl, especially those who will be entering college in the next few years.

Off To College.......2005-11-23

On my own is mainly about Caitlin O'Conner going off to college and she doesn't know anyone there. She gets stuck with a roommate, Liz, who is not very nice. Caitlin got in a lot of fights arguments with Liz because Liz is more of a party girl, and they just don't get along. Caitlin met some friends that are religious, and had a youth group. When Caitlin finally went home college it was like a vacation for her. She would talk to Chloe, Josh Millers sister, often. Once she got back to college, Caitlin didn't know if she was going to stay with Liz or after term, change roommates. Is Liz going to follow through with college because of troubles with she is having with Liz? What are all the things Caitlin is going to have come into her life?
Overall this book was a pretty good book. This wasn't the best one that I have read out of this series, but it was still good. The book started out boring because nothing was going on except for things happening with her and Liz, but it get good once you get farther into the book.
I would recommend this book to all girls for grades 7 onto any adults. Girls that like diary books or books about teenage girl's life would really like these books. This book is the forth book in the series so if you want to read this book you might want to read the first three first or you will be lost. This book is kind of similar to the books P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More.

Can She Handle It?.......2005-11-22

Caitlin O'Conner is off to college to see what's out there for her. Her roommate, Elizabeth Banks or Liz, is Caitlin's first problem. Liz does not like Caitlin at all and tells Caitlin that right away. Before Caitlin leaves for Christmas she gets Liz a Christmas gift that makes Liz tell about the way she is. After Liz spilling about why she is Caitlin goes home to find another surprise. Josh Miller, Caitlin's ex-boyfriend from high school, gives her a Christmas present. Caitlin is so surprised by this gift she doesn't know what to do. The gift throws Caitlin for a whirlwind of emotions and she has to conquer all of them. Caitlin does get through these emotions but what happens to her and Josh is surprising. At the end of the book Caitlin's life seems to be looking up again. Everything seems as if it's all going to be all right.
I really enjoyed this book. I think that it is my favorite out of the other books in the series. On My Own keeps you guessing on what's going to happen next. It keeps you wondering if Caitlin will ever make it through this tough time. I had no dislikes about this book at all. I could hardly put the book down.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has already started the series. If you thought that book three wasn't the greatest or you thought that it was awesome and none of the other books could get better think again. Any teenage girl would enjoy this book. What Melody Carlson talks about in these books are true things that happen to every day girls like me. An average girl can pick up this series of books and relate to at least one thing if not more. I defiantly recommend this book, On My Own, to any girl from the age of tweleve to eighteen. Everyone I think will have no regrets of reading this book!

A Life Changing Experience.......2005-11-22

Caitlin O' Conner has just started college. She's on her own, with none of her Christian friends. Second thoughts run through her mind; should she have chosen a Bible college like her friend Josh? Between her school work and her roommate's bad attitude, Caitlin somehow found time to go to church. She meets a group of girls, and even a guy named Bryce. All this is making Caitlin feel great, but is it enough to keep her from loosing it?
Caitlin has college work which is pretty tough, but to make matters worse, her roommate has a bad attitude. Caitlin can still keep her cool, which would be really hard to do. Liz (her roommate) is always getting Caitlin frustrated, but Caitlin always knows how to do the right thing, which I like about her. My dislikes of the book is how the author makes Liz a bad person right at the beginning of the book. I think the author should have taken some time to show background on Liz, and show why she is always acting like she does.
I think teenage girls looking for something that will give them proof that things can turn out ok, should read this book. Girls who need advice on what to do about college situations, or pretty much any girl who is looking for a really good book to read, could read this book. Overall I think this book was a really good one, I recommend you to read it!

Turtle Summer: A Journal for My Daughter

Average customer rating:

Children love it
Teach the Children
A spectacular book for outdoor education!
A delightful idea - scrapbooking at the seashore!
Loggerhead Sea Turtles

Turtle Summer: A Journal for My Daughter
Mary Alice Monroe
Manufacturer: Sylvan Dell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0977742350

Book Description

This is a companion book to Mary Alice Monroe's adult novel, Swimming Lessons, (Mira), the sequel to The Beach House. In the novel, the readers witness a young mother, Toy, writing a journal for her daughter, Little Lovie. Turtle Summer: A Journal for my Daughter is the journal Toy is writing. Using original photographs, this scrapbook journal explains the nesting cycle of sea turtles and the natural life along the southeastern coast, including local shore birds, shells, and the sea turtle hospital. Adults and children will enjoy the images, information and journal with or without the novel.

Customer Reviews:

Children love it.......2007-10-09

We gave the book to our Grandaughter, who is a first-grade teacher, and the children absolutely loved it.
It was an excellent introduction to conservancy of species.

Teach the Children.......2007-08-24

Turtle Summer is an excellent book for teaching children about the great loggerhead turtles and the people who care about the turtles and help take care of them.

A spectacular book for outdoor education!.......2007-06-05

The perfect "nature awareness" book! The format of appearing like a scrapbook is captivating. I used this in my 4th grade classroom... much to my students' delight. They loved it! If you plan on going to the beach this summer, especially in the southeast, it is a must!
Ms. Monroe also has some adult novels that are terrific! The Beach House

A delightful idea - scrapbooking at the seashore!.......2007-05-23

Turtle Summer, a Journal for my Daughter

This book presents a charming idea for a parent and child: to keep a nature scrapbook. Mary Alice Monroe has written and illustrated this enchanting journal of a mother and daughter's summer surveillance for loggerhead sea turtles on their beach. While watching the turtle nests, they observe and sketch nature's other offerings at the seashore. Like a family photo album, it is an intimate book.

Photographer Barbara J. Bergwerf teamed with Mary Alice Monroe to add exceptional and informative photos, including one of Carolina from the previous Sylvan Dell book, Carolina's Story: Sea Turtle's Get Sick Too! This is a splendid mixture of photos, drawing, and text. Children, ages 4 - 9 will relate to this book and its activities, hopefully clamoring to create a similar journal with their siblings and parents.

Loggerhead Sea Turtles.......2007-05-10

Turtle Summer is an outstanding book which can be enjoyed by all ages, even though it is geared for children. The text is very accurate having been written by bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe and the pictures are something to behold. Barb Bergwerf is a superb photographer. Turtle Summer will be a book you will treasure and one you will want to give to all your friends who are interested in nature and our environment. It is a wonderful learning tool for children, too!

Average customer rating:

Great Book!
Krazy About Kaitlyn
GREAT BOOK!!!!
Love Kait, but flat writing
Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce

Secrets of My Hollywood Life
Jen Calonita
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0316154423

Book Description

DESCRIPTION: What if... Your picture was taped inside lockers across America, your closets were bursting with designer clothing, and the tabloids constantly asked whether you were losing your "good girl" status? It's a glamorous life, but Kaitlin Burke, co-star of one of the hottest shows on TV, is exhausted from the pressures of her fame. So she decides to spend a few months undercover as an ordinary high school student. But could it be that real-life high school is just as harsh as cutthroat Hollywood...? Combining the vicarious star-studded glamour of the bestselling A-List series with the innocence of The Princess Diaries, this is an engrossing look behind the velvet curtains of stardom.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2007-09-07

This is a great book! I hope to see more from Jen in the future! This is a story about a girl who just wants to fit in with regular teens, which she can't do, because she's famous. She and her best friend hatch up a plan to get her to go to a regular high school. I would recommend this book, espically to young girls or even young adults.

Krazy About Kaitlyn.......2007-08-21

What a refreshing change of pace in the world of "tween" novels!
The author is wonderfully descriptive and the characters come alive, making you feel as if you've jumped right into the pages and have become part of the story yourself. This book is difficult to put down and always keeps you wondering what will happen to Kaitlyn next. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series! For those parents that are leery of the content, I can assure you this book is good clean fun! You will thoroughly enjoy it from beginning to end!

GREAT BOOK!!!!.......2007-08-12

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK! Kaitlin is a great character in the Hollywood lifestyle! An awesome read for anyone! I coud not put this book down! I recomend this book with a big thumbs up! A definately intresting story and page turner! Jen Calonita did a great job with this book and I loved Kaitlins journey!

Love Kait, but flat writing.......2007-05-05

After reading an excerpt of the book - the first chapter, I had high hopes. Kaitlyn seemed like a real person, not some stereotypical, contrived "it girl" that fills so many other YA books nowadays. (And I'm not just talking about the 'Gossip Girls')

I was dissapointed.
Not with Kait's character, which was awesome, but with the writing. It seemed flat. Good enough to hold my interest for a short story, but relying heavily on suspended belief for an entire novel. In short, the writing was dry. Flat.

But I can overlook almost anything if I love the character(s) enough, and Kaitlyn is awesome.

Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce.......2007-01-26

Kaitlin Burke is a star. In Jen Calonita's novel Secrets of My Hollywood Life, everyone in America knows Kaitlin's name; she's been playing the character of Sam on the soap Family Affairs since she was four years old. But while her picture is on the walls of teenagers' bedrooms across America, when does she get to just be Kaitlin? After brainstorming with her best friend, Liz, at their favorite pizza place, she comes up with a plan. She wants to be ordinary and inconspicuous for awhile ,and what better way to do it than live her best friend's life? Or at least go to her school.

For Kaitlin's break from the life of a starlet, she enrolls at Clark Hall as Rachel Rogers, a mousy British girl visiting America for a few months. It's the perfect disguise--between the accent, the short brown hair, the brown contacts, the glasses, and the very un-superstar clothes, nobody will ever recognize Kaitlin for the Hollywood star she is. She's thrilled to have new friends and a cute guy who like her for who she is, and being free of her jealous Family Affairs co-star (at least during school hours), Skye, is definitely a bonus.

When her two lives begin to collide, however, and the possibility of being found out and exposed (the tabloids aren't helping with that one), Kaitlin has to figure her life out, fast.

Jen Calonita's novel is a quick, entertaining read that will have the attention of readers from the beginning to the end, eager to find out what will happen to Kaitlin. Kaitlin's voice, which certainly echoes that of a real teenager, is fresh and funny, and helps to make Secrets of My Hollywood Life a fun page-turner.

The characters are all very realistic, especially Kaitlin, who, despite the very extraordinary life she leads (when she's not playing Rachel Rogers), is a very grounded and ordinary teenage girl. The colorful characters in Kaitlin's life seem just as real, from her overbearing publicist Laney to her cocky thirteen-year-old brother, Matt. Jen Calonita really brings them all to life!

The whole idea of Secrets Of My Hollywood Life is a good one as well. Every girl likes to imagine herself as famous, and Kaitlin really is--but it's not all it's cracked up to be. The inside look at the life of a celebrity will hook readers, and Kaitlin's desire to be more ordinary will only keep them interested! It's an entertaining idea, but also one that teenagers will be able to relate to--who hasn't wanted to be something they're not? Perhaps for most people, they are ordinary (like Rachel Rogers) wanting to be a star (like Kaitlin Burke), and Kaitlin is the opposite, but it's still a feeling people will be able to relate to while reading this novel.

Jen Calonita's novel is one that teenage girls will love. Kaitlin is a celebrity who regular teenagers will still be able to relate to, which makes her a great main character. An insider's look at Hollywood is something that people are always looking for in the magazines, and here it is, with a fabulous story to go with it! Secrets Of My Hollywood Life is an entertaining debut novel from Jen Calonita, and readers will be eagerly awaiting her second book about Kaitlin!

The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky

Average customer rating:

This book will change the way you look at your life.
An extraordinary story
A deeply, moving story from a country of war
Great and fascinating read!
This is a book that everyone should read!!!

The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky
Farah Ahmedi , and Tamim Ansary
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0743545346

Book Description

"I was late to school, and that's all I could think about. I started across the field. And then suddenly a fire flashed in my face and the earth seemed to move beneath my feet. I remember a shower of soil and then nothing. I woke up on the ground, surrounded by a crowd, men and boys...no women. They were all staring down at me with huge eyes. Their lips were moving, but I could hear no voices. All I heard was a loud ringing in my ears."

Farah Ahmedi is born into the world just as the war between the mujahideen and the Soviets reaches its peak in Afghanistan. Bombs are falling all over her country, and her native Kabul is swelling with hundreds of thousands of people looking for homes and jobs. The sounds of gunfire and fighter planes are as normal to Farah as the sounds of traffic or children playing are to a schoolgirl in America. When Farah steps on a land mine on her way to school, her world becomes much smaller than the dreams and hopes in her heart. She begins to learn--slowly--that ordinary people, often strangers, have immense power to save lives and restore hope.

The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky recounts an epic journey. It deftly interweaves a childhood in Afghanistan, where the classrooms are naked chambers with only chalkboards on the walls and are filled with more students than seats (and no books), with an American adolescence, where teenagers struggle to decide whether to try out for school plays, whom to take to the homecoming dance, and where to go to college. In Kabul, they cancel school because of rockets and bombings; in Chicago, Farah might have a snow day. In Kabul, a schoolgirl wears a black dress and a white headscarf; in America, girls need the right jeans and trendy tops.

Thanks to a number of good people who crossed her path at critical moments, Farah is thriving. She may be haunted by her past, but she is no longer enslaved by it. She is actively enjoying the realization of her childhood dreams; she's an Afghan American, free to learn, work, support herself, and choose her own path. She'll graduate from high school soon and is being recruited by some of the best colleges in the world.

Farah is living proof that not only can the human heart endure, it can also thrive. Even in war, there are miracles. Even when limbs are amputated, we are whole. Even in refugee camps, dreams come true. Even when fathers and siblings die young, there is love. The Story of My Life is our new great American memoir.

Customer Reviews:

This book will change the way you look at your life........2007-09-15

I am reading this book with my class at school. I love it! I look forward to it everyday. This is a story that every American needs to hear because it is living proof of how much we have been given. When you realize that many people in the world have had to deal with the things that Farah did, the everyday dramas in your life are put into a totally new perspective. This book is real. It happened to real people, it teaches real lessons, and that is why it leaves any hollow fiction or fantasy behind.

An extraordinary story.......2007-05-16

When seven-year-old Farah Ahmedi stepped on a landmine in her native Afghanistan, she thought her life was over. The hospital in her war-torn city only tried to keep her alive until German doctors made their regular monthly visit, airlifting the most crucial cases to heal in their own country.

Away from her family and culture, Farah fell apart.

Then, as she began to heal, she made friends with a German woman, who informally adopted Farah like one of her own. Gradually, Farah began to learn the language and enjoy the peaceful, beautiful country -- making it just as shocking when she was returned to her family two years later.

Suddenly, nothing Farah's family or country can offer her seems good enough. The little girl had become used to a better life, and she was determined to live it again.

That wish kept her determination driven over the next few years, when war ravaged her family and her home. Left with nothing but a crippled daughter, Farah's mother hovered on the brink of madness and wanted to give up. But Farah, who had had a peek of what life could be, believed the two were destined to live in America through a special program for Afghan widows and orphans.

After numerous obstacles - including 9/11 - the two finally get their wish. But their struggle is far from over, as they find themselves in the midst of a culture clash with the general American public. Farah's mother is still battling mental demons, and Farah herself not only has to learn to speak and read English, but read altogether, as her Afghan education had fallen apart during wartime.

Above all, Farah learns, there is always a higher power out there, willing to help you during your most desperate times, sending relief in the form of a person destined to cross your life's path.

This simply told story is a powerful testament to the atrocities that can be endured without breaking. Farah Ahmedi is one extraordinary teenager, destined to do great things.

A deeply, moving story from a country of war.......2007-04-09

I got Farad's audio book because we have been working in relief and development in Afganistan since 1984. It is a well narrated book, an uplifting account the suffering of a child and of people who come into our lives and believe in us, love us and walk with us through the difficulties of life in Afghanistan, Pakistan and in America.

Farad, a young, Hazara girl, has lived an unbelievable life before reaching the age of 15. Her story is a first hand picture of the devastation of a beautiful country destroyed by war and ethnic conflict. She and her family were caught in the middle. She stepped on a landmine as she was going to school in Kabul. She was in the second grade and things went downhill from there.

This is a story of suffering and pain but finding strength to respond when it seemed impossible. This is a story of faith and people practically living out their faith. It is the story of a young girl who has a dream.

Great and fascinating read!.......2007-01-15

This book is great reading for teeens through adults. It is an easy read - can be read in 1-2 days. The story is gripping and suspenseful and really gives one an understanding of life in turbulent Afghanistan and the difficulty refugees encountered to make their way out. My husband and I read the book and enjoyed it as did my daughters, ages 19 and 17.

This is a book that everyone should read!!!.......2007-01-04

I personally know the girl who wrote this book. She is an amazing person and has so many stories to tell. She was given the opportunity to share her story because she has gone experienced so many things. This really is a must read for everyone. For such a young person, she has gone through more than most will go through before they are middle aged and yet, she still thrives and lives for each day doing the best she can at everything she does. Enough said...buy this book!

"Mom, I Hate My Life!": Becoming Your Daughter's Ally Through the Emotional Ups and Downs of Adolescence (A Hand-in-Hand Book)

Average customer rating:

I like this book because it's NOT pop-psych mush
pop psychology mush
DAD'S CAN READ THIS TOO!
I give this to all of my friends
hope for "guilty" moms

"Mom, I Hate My Life!": Becoming Your Daughter's Ally Through the Emotional Ups and Downs of Adolescence (A Hand-in-Hand Book)
Sharon Hersh
Manufacturer: Shaw
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

ASIN: 0877880239
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Book Description

“I don’t know why my daughter is so angry. She yells at me all the time!”

“Our daughter comes home, goes straight to her room, turns on her CD player and won’t talk to anyone–especially me.”

“The emotional ups and downs of our daughter’s life make us all feel like we’re on a roller coaster.”

Navigating an adolescent daughter’s emotional life is one of a mom’s toughest challenges. A teenage girl’s volatile emotions can seemingly toss her–and you–like a hurricane. When a scary external world and a turbulent internal world collide, the result is sometimes overwhelming and confusing. What can you do to protect your relationship with your daughter, guide her through this chaotic time, and assure her you are truly on her side?

Your Adolescent Daughter’s Struggles Can Help Her–and You–to Grow and Thrive.

The good news is you are equipped with the most powerful resource available for maintaining and developing connection with your daughter: a mother’s heart. Learn how you can use hand-in-hand mothering skills to become the ally your daughter needs–parenting out of love, not fear–and find out how you both can experience dramatic, life-changing growth in the process.

Customer Reviews:

I like this book because it's NOT pop-psych mush.......2007-09-01

I'm a clinical mental health therapist who works with teens, and I have bought many copies of this book on Amazon to loan and give away to patients' families. This is easily one of my all-time favorite books for parents of teen girls, right up there with the works of Mary Piper. I've found that this is one of the more sensible and helpful books I've used with families, and some of my teen patients ask to read it (so they can keep tabs on what I'm asking their moms to read, maybe?). Anyway, my teen patients agree that this book is dead-on in its descriptions of depression, body image feelings, and conflicted mother-daughter relationships. The chapter on cutting and self-injury is particularly well-done.

I deducted one star because of the book's title: "MOM, I hate my life." Dads are barely mentioned, and this book presents this material as if it is ONLY relevant to a mother's understanding of a daughter. Ever notice how often books, articles, TV commercials, etc. simply assume that only MOTHERS are connected to their kids? As a male therapist and father of two, there is not one thing in this book that isn't equally applicable to an involved and struggling father. But a lot of great information is politely declined by the fathers I work with, simply because of the off-putting title. Unfortunately, Sharon Hersh's entire "line" of books use the "Mom..." titling gimmick, and the only prominent book for Dads and daughters (literally, "Dads and Daughters") is geared toward fathers of pre-teen girls.

Consider this a plea for better publications that offer clinically-valid tips for fathers AND mothers of teen girls.

I found this book to be less "preachy" (in a religious sense) than some of the author's other books; while a spiritual foundation is apparent, it doesn't feel like a "Dr. Dobson" evangelical appeal to regressive traditions. On the contrary, Sharon Hersh has some very progressive and well-informed ideas, soundly based in clinical research and her own experience as a psychotherapist.

Of all the books I loan to parents, this is the single one which is least often returned (because they like it), or the book that parents most frequently track down and buy for themselves.

pop psychology mush.......2005-11-05

I got this book hoping it would be helpful. It was very heavy on the side of psychology, which is of very little help in parenting or life. If a reader feels the field of psychology is worth while, they will probably find this book to be of use. While there were some good points they were few and far between. While readers of books can eat the meat and spit out the bones, this was something like trying to eat tilapia.

DAD'S CAN READ THIS TOO!.......2005-09-10

This is a marvelous parenting book - for moms and dads.
And as a father of sons I want to also understand the psyche of young women that ultimately will enter my world through my boys. Thank you Sharon for an insightful, encouraging book!

I give this to all of my friends.......2005-05-18

I loved this book. I have read practically every book that has been written on parenting teenaged daughters and this one is far and away the best. It is hopeful, helpful and realistic. I buy it for all of my friends with teenaged daughters.

hope for "guilty" moms.......2004-08-20

We're all guilty of failing our daughters at points - what I loved about Sharon Hersh's book, is that she encourages us not to sit in self-condemnation or to jump to condemning our daughters, but to mother from a better place. Hersh's book acts as a guide, walking before us, as we seek to walk alongside our daughters. Instead of fearing, we can look forward to what we both can attain together. It is a gracious approach to parenting that left me with the desire to love my girls with a hopeful heart. And her practical suggestions for thought and discussion are most welcome. We even took the book on a mother-daughter road trip, and had dear talks that I believe will be rattling around in their brains for awhile. Thank you Ms. Hersh for giving your heart to the mother-daughter relationship.

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