Customer Reviews

It's a Girl Thing: How to Stay Healthy, Safe and in Charge

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you give your pre-teen daughter one book this year, give her this one. This is the wise older friend, the "aunt" so many of us wished for. In a gentle, friendly, unassuming way, Mavis Jukes tells girls about their maturing bodies and the issues they'll face as they grow up. Jukes tells it like it is, from the trivial-but-important (e.g. how to get that first bra) to the vitally important (sexual assault, harassment, HIV, peer pressure and dangerous choices).

Jukes never talks down or belittles the seriousness of adolescent feelings. At the same time, she never soft-pedals the consequences of making adult choices when you're still a child: "You're a kid: breasts, new body hair and having a period doesn't change that."

Reassuring, well-written and engaging, *It's A Girl Thing* packs a lot of information into a very readable package. Share this book with a girl you love.

Looking back now as a freshman in high school, I realize that I absolutely LOVED this book was I was some around the age of a 5th or 6th grader. I would lie in bed at night, reading it behind the covers with the lights turned down low, taking in every word Jukes had to say. Now why, you may ask, would a girl want to read this book so many times over? The answer: I was immensely curious about all these subjects, and Juke's anecdotes and person stories made the book particularly engaging! Her stories range from a falsies popping out in the swimming pool disaster to the day she got her first period. She covers topics ranging from pubic hair, to fitting a bra, to what to do if you get your period at school.

The only real weakness of this book is the fact that it doesn't have any diagrams, such as what a uterus looks like etc., which I find important in getting a good understanding of exactly what everything looks like. However, this in an excellent book, and I recommend it to all preteen girls curious about puberty, and all mother's with girls reaching their preteens.

I do have to warn you about one thing though, this book also covers topics such as "Know the Facts: Drinking Smoking, and Doing Drugs, Sex and Pregnancy, Condoms, and Unplanned Pregnancy." which could be slightly heavy topics for a 4th, 5th or even immature 6th grader. If you would rather you child learn just the basics, the first four chapters of this book (Beasts and Bras, Introducing...Your Period!, Your Period-How to Handle It, and "General Health-Checkups, Counseling, and Crisis Hotlines") are offered in a separate book, called "Growing Up It's a Girl Thing : Straight Talk About First Bras, First Periods, and Your Changing Body".

This is a fantastic book though, and I would definitely recommend it to any girls wishing to learn more about their pre-puberty bodies or their parents.

This book came at a time of necessity for my daughter whose body is now changing. It is all put in a way as girlfriend-to-girlfriend advice and very helpful for the young. Jukes gives life experience moments, which make the acceptance part of puberty easier. I love the humor and of course that opens you up to talk about your experiences with your daughter. I think it should be included with the fourth and fifth grade school supplies. No surprises! Buy it, you'll be glad you did!

Yowsers!!! How could I not discover this book before? It has everything, and more. I think that every pre-teen chica should read this book. It cleared up a lot of confusion for me! It has information about breasts, pubic hair, your period, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I can't imagine any girl who wouldn't be helped by it. I know it helped me a lot (for example: when I had to ask my mom for my first bra, I had no idea how to, until I read this book.). It's definitley a must-have (just get it out of the way when your dad comes around...)

I thought that this book was rally good. It helped me understand what to do when I go through the growing up stage. It talks about how to handle yourself when you go through that stage. It kinda made me feel better about not being worried about growing up. I thought that the author did a really great jo in making the book comferting to preteens and teens.

Please be aware that this book contains very explicit information about every topic of sexual nature. Read this book yourself before giving it to your child. It discusses oral sex, anal sex, how to use and purchase condoms, masturbation (for girls and boys), etc. When the author discusses Exploring Your Own Sexuality, she says that if she had known about masturbating sooner she would have straighter teeth, as she would have stopped sucking her thumb. The cover of this book gives no clue to the depth of information covered within. It is in no way appropriate for a girl under the age of twelve. For many parents even the age of twelve would be inappropriate.

I have a ten year old and wasn't sure if I should buy this book, or the version of it that is for ages 8 & up. I ended up buying both so I could check them out. I can't say I really find either book perfect for someone in-between 8 and 12. The 12+ book has way too much information for a ten year old (and I am not very conservative) -- condoms, birth control, masturbation, etc. The other book really didn't have enough information on the mechanics of "how a baby is made" but I decided to go with that one for now. I'll hold this book off for at least a year or two. My daughter does have "The Care and Keeping of You" by American Girl Library and I really do prefer that book for explaining changing bodies, but it does not explain sex at all, whereas this series does. PS -- I found the narrative in both Jukes' books to be a bit goofy and weird at times, too, but that may be just my take on it.

I agree with the reviewer who wrote the parental warning. I tried to submit a similar review when I first got this book in December of 2000, but Amazon edited it out because I mentioned some of the chapter headings on various forms of sex covered in the book. I guess in four years' time mentioning oral and anal sex has become more acceptable. I bought the book because I had found Mavis Jukes' first book to be so helpful, wry and well written. While this book is indicated as a book for pre-teens, it is much more advanced in it's sexual content than I felt my then 11 year-old was ready to read about. Now that she is almost 15, I am thinking about bringing it down from the topmost shelf of the cabinet where it has collected dust for the last 4 years. Be warned that it is not really appropriate reading for a pre-teen, at least not in my hosehold, and certainly not without heavy parental input and discussion.

My friend and I read this book together and we both thought it was great. Even though we had already studied human sexuality that year, it still told us some things we would have to know that our teacher didn't tell us, such as bra sizes.

It's a Girl Thing is the best book I have ever read. It explains about the body as well as other things, such as buying your first bra to birth control, in a funny sort of way. It will leave girls feeling safe and in control. Great for both mothers and daughters!