The Drama Years: Real Girls Talk About Surviving Middle School -- Bullies, Brands, Body Image, and More [Paperback]

Haley Kilpatrick (Author), Whitney Joiner (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 3, 2012

TODAY’S MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS HAVE IT ROUGH.

In a few short years, they go through an incredible number of biological and emotional changes, making this the most formative—and riskiest—time in their lives. Groups turn on each other, a trusted childhood friend can reveal secrets by sending a text message or updating a Facebook status, and deciding where to sit in the cafeteria can be a daily struggle. As any tween will tell you, life for a middle school girl can be summed up in one word: drama.

Haley Kilpatrick’s own turbulent middle school experience inspired Girl Talk, a nonprofit organization in which high school mentors offer a “just been there” perspective to tween girls, helping them build self-esteem and develop leadership skills. Here, Haley delivers the definitive guidebook, packed with anecdotes from real girls around the country, who offer their insight into:

Why her friends’ approval is suddenly vitally important

Why she feels pressured to be perfect

 Why she’s no longer telling her parents everything

What three vital things adults can offer to the girls in their lives to downplay the drama

Filled with practical strategies from tweens and teen mentors to help adults understand what girls today are facing, The Drama Years is a must-read for anyone struggling to help girls navigate the often difficult transition into adolescence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Drama Years is a great overall primer for anyone with a young teen girl in her life. And the girls will love reading it too! I will highly recommend it to the parents, teachers, and girls I work with.”

—Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes

“The Drama Years is a wonderful, compassionate, and extremely helpful book. It is a must for any parent with a middle-school-age daughter. Haley Kilpatrick tells it exactly – word for word – as it is. She understands what they are going through, and she gives truly helpful and specific advice. The book is upbeat while at the same time it deals with all of the toughest issues that young teenage girls must face. All parents of young teen girls will love it.”

—Anthony E. Wolf, Ph.D., author of Get Out of My Life, But First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall?

“Even the closest of parent-child relationships can benefit from this book. The more we listen, the more we help to raise a generation of self-empowered, confident women.”

—Lucy Danziger, SELF Magazine editor-in-chief and author of The Drop 10 Diet and The Nine Rooms of Happiness

“The Drama Years is filled with heart-stirring stories, just-been-there advice from recent teens, and practical, actionable tips for parents. It's full of real girls talking about everything from stress and body image to love and materialism. Reading this book, I cringed in recognition of my own drama years, just wishing this book had been around back then and so grateful I'll have it as a guide for my own daughter.”

—Melissa Walker, cofounder of I Heart Daily and author of Small Town Sinners

“A must-read for any parent struggling to understand her tween daughter and all the ‘drama’ in her life. Haley Kilpatrick tells it from a girl's perspective with real solutions for grownups.”

—Chandra Turner, executive editor, Parents magazine 

"Pre-teen years are so tough for girls, and adults often aren't sure how best to help. Thankfully, we have the middle school and high school girls who share their hearts and minds in these pages to guide us, telling parents exactly what will help them survive The Drama Years."

—Julie Foudy, former captain US Women's Soccer Team and Founder of Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy

About the Author

Haley Kilpatrick started Girl Talk, a program to help middle school girls deal with the pressures and anxieties of being a young teen. Haley graduated from Kennesaw State University with her B.S. in communication. She travels the country speaking and motivating youth, teachers, and administrators on the importance of mentoring.

Whitney Joiner is a former features editor at Seventeen and has contributed to a number of newspapers and magazines, including Teen Vogue, Glamour, Redbook, The New York Times, TIME, and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; Original edition (April 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451627912
• ISBN-13: 978-1451627916
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Counseling
  • #99 in Books > Teens > Social Issues

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read April 4, 2012

By Lodro

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just received this book today and upon first read, I'm blown away. The authors clearly have taken the time to deeply sympathize with the young women they have spoken with, and are telling incredible stories using their voices. I myself was never a middle school girl (I'm male), but I feel like I have been given insight into that painful, awkward world not just through these wonderfully articulate authors but perhaps more importantly, the words of these young women themselves.

With insightful yet heart-breaking quotes from the tweens and teens ("Every girl in this school wants to be someone else") I got a sense that middle school has become much harder than when I was a kid. I don't think the term "frenemy" even existed then and you certainly couldn't google "how to kiss"! The good news is that the girls (and the authors) give practical advice for how to help your daughter through this difficult period of her life. A great read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read !! April 7, 2012

By Hammering

Format:Paperback

I am the father of a sixth grade girl just starting into these years and needed some extra guidance on this subject. I must say that Haley provides not only the answers to the questions I had; but also covers areas that I had not thought about myself. The book is a must read for anyone who has a daughter dealing with these sometimes difficult times in her life. I thoroughly enjoyed the authors real life experiences and could not put the book down, finding it fascinating to hear "dead on" what she is currently going through in her life. Loved It!!! 5 Stars*****

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, even for actual middle schoolers! May 23, 2012

By Eliza

Format:Kindle Edition

I am an actual middle schooler.The book gave me loads of advice!The sad thing was I read most of it in the summer.It had more detailed explainations that other books.I (and most pre-teens) could not talk about our lives ,like the author does in Girl Talk.