Girl Stuff: A Survival Guide to Growing Up [Paperback]

Margaret Blackstone (Author), Elissa Haden Guest (Author), Barbara Pollak (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Girls approaching puberty have lots of questions: What should they do if their period starts and they aren't prepared? Can they get rid of that zit before tomorrow? Why do they sometimes feel cranky and scared? This comprehensive, reassuring, and compassionate guide will help answer those questions, and many more. Useful sections explain both the physical and psychological changes that adolescence brings and how to cope with them. Written in a no-nonsense style--with quotes from dozens of girls about their own experiences--this essential resource provides practical information about the trials and tribulations of puberty.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"One of the weirdest words in the English language is puberty. Not only does it sound funny--pew-berty or pube-hurty--it also makes us feel funny now and then as we are going through it. Not ha-ha funny--although there is that, too--but scared, awkward, sad, wildly-happy-one-minute-and-utterly-miserable-the-next, gorgeous, ugly, kind, mean, goofy, silly, you-name-it funny." With these down-to-earth and wise words, authors Margaret Blackstone and Elissa Haden Guest begin their wonderfully straightforward, useful, friendly book on girl stuff: you know, menstruation, peer pressure, zits, emotional roller coasters, health, and "what you never wanted anyone to know you want to know about sex." Homey tips about getting bloodstains out of underpants (and reassurances that it happens to everyone) and what clothing to wear during your period ("Keep a dark sweatshirt at school to wrap around your waist in case you leak through") are interspersed with information about self-defense methods, suggestions on how to tell when a friend is truly a good friend, reproductive anatomy lessons, and stress-busting activities. Sexual orientation is addressed openly and with a liberal attitude. Quotations and questions from girls add an even more authentic teen essence: "The cool girls are the sun, and I feel like I'm on Venus." Barbara Pollack's amusing drawings get to the heart of the matter, without ever being overbearing. This book is the big sister you always hoped for: reassuring, informative, matter-of-fact, nonjudgmental. (Ages 9 to 15) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-This resource for girls approaching puberty falls between Mavis Jukes's popular Growing Up (1998) and her It's a Girl Thing (1996, both Knopf), broadly covering female physical, emotional, and social development and sexuality. By covering such a wide range of topics in a compact book, the authors don't go into extensive detail in any particular area, but do an admirable job touching on a plethora of subjects of interest to this audience. Much of the information is shared by pairing frank, realistic questions that readers might ask with accurate, straightforward answers packed with facts. Topics include body hair and odor, nutrition and eating disorders, menstruation, friendship, peer pressure, stress, and alternative medicine. The chapter devoted to acne and skin care is filled with practical, safe, and effective techniques for dealing with related problems. Relationships, sexual identity, and birth control are also discussed but in less detail. Black-and-white spot drawings appear throughout. The accessible format, attractive design, and chatty narrative make this a worthy addition to the girls' development canon.
Katie O'Dell, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152026444
• ISBN-13: 978-0152026448
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,714,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Maturing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Entertaining, May 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Girl Stuff: A Survival Guide to Growing Up (Hardcover)

If you have a daughter currently going through puberty, this isthe book to give her. It's factual and fun, but doesn't talk down tokids. The illustrations are very well done, and go a long way towards making the book "hip" enough for today's kids, while still being informative. A+!

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW IF ITS THE ONLY ONE YOU READ !!! From a Very Satisfied [...]!, June 6, 2006

By 

Krisi "Kristin" (Independence Mo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girl Stuff: A Survival Guide to Growing Up (Paperback)

I just found this book at a thrift store, and started reading it after i bought it, I cant believe anyone would give this book a bad review, I dont think nine is to young AT ALL, when I was 9 all my friends were talking about all this stuff and I knew nothing about it, I felt secluded and not a part of my class at all, anything I did know is what i had heard my friends talk about but I never got to see the whole picture or find out what the missing peices to the puzzle was, until now,my whole life my parents have always kept these things from me and and never exlplained anything, still today I have not ever heard them say any of the words in this book to me or explain any thing in to me even though I knew bits and peices, I was to embarrassed to ask my friends because i had always played along, I didnt want to feel like an outsider because they thought I knew, and I was to embarrassed to ask my parents!! I love this book and will give it to my little sister when shes old enough!! These are some of the things I have never known the definition of until I read this book: Puberty, period, circumsision (even though are bible teacher talks about it,never told us what it was), tampon (how to use it, how old Ihave to be to use one,Ihave always been afraid to ask,) Ihave always wondered how you can put one in and still pee or can you still pee, now I know!! I am so glad I got this book , I think that parents should give this book to there children as soon as possible so they dont have to go through embarrassment, holding back from asking, and feeling left out, and never finding those missing peices to the puzzle that they have been trying to put together, its there body, they have to experience all these things, they look at these things on there body, and dont know what they are, or what they do, like I have done all these years!! They need this book to find out, if you think some of the pages in the back are to horrible then just copy or scan in some of the book and print of the pages at least so they can know these things , dont RIP OUT PAGES, thats just dumb, they can never be put back like they came out, they will have to be taped and if they pass it down the book will be torn up and ugly and any kid thats gets it in that condition might not even read it!! If your kids are doing things with boys unapropriete and you dont know it and they havent read this because you are keeping it from them because you think it is to disturbing and so called unhelpful, they might not know that they could get a deadly disease, or something they might need to know that might affect them when they grow up and TRY or CANT have your grandchildren because there was something in here that could have helped them, like I saidbefore if you dont want them to have the shole book or some sectiond scan it in, print it off,m copy it, buy the ebook , so you can print it off, or if your brave enough and they dont feel embarrassed read it to them, but give them the info on stds and the important stuff so they know!! If you have comments oon my review please dont hesitate to email me at [e-mail] !! If you have taken your time to read this I want to thank you sooo much!! I hope it has done some good in someone!!

Thanks,
Kristin

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars down to earth, April 16, 2000

By 

Diana (NJ,United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girl Stuff: A Survival Guide to Growing Up (Paperback)

This book is very down to earth. I bought this book for my girl who will not read anything that is not clear or to the point. She found it very easy to understand and it helped her through growing up. If your a mother who wants to help your child through growing up without having that nerve recking talk by this book. If you still want to have that talk this is a great guide for both parent and daughter.