Being a Girl: Navigating the Ups and Downs of Teen Life

I was so pleased to find this book! I mentor a young teen girl and read this book aloud to her during our weekly sessions over a period of several weeks. She loved it and it was a great way to start some good conversations on some subjects that sometimes confuse or intimidate girls entering womanhood. Several other mentors are being encouraged to use it with their girls. A great find.

I bought this book for my 11 year old granddaughter. All of the book was fitting for her except the last section on sex. Her mother and I both felt she was too young to read that section. So, we have not given her the book yet. Will probably wait another 12 months or so.

Kim Cattrall, who left home at sixteen to go to acting school in New York City, won a Golden Globe for her role as Samantha in the Sex and the City television show. Cattrals writes in a chatty style for late tween and teenage girls about sex, bodily changes, boys, parents, school, self-esteem and a whole lot more in this frank, down-to-earth book. The book is easy to navigate, well laid out with pictures of herself as a child and adult as well as gloriously done illustrations. Quotes and nuggets of wisdom from Cattrall, such as, "I kind of wish dating could be renamed "getting to know you." That would take a lot of the pressure off." help make this book a handy roadmap for navigating adolescence and puberty. Girls can identify with the author because she writes in a conversational style that draws you in and speaks openly about her own challenges and feelings during her teen years from her fifty-year-old perspective. Most women will appreciate the autobiographical information and remember their own teen years with joy and some sadness. The writing is easy-to-understand, thoughtful, intelligent and sometimes quirkily funny. Glossy, thick pages and a wide 8" x 8" layout make this a simply gorgeous book. Coupled with Cattrall's writing style and Martha Richler's illustrations, this is a book that every young girl would enjoy having in her bookcase for years of candid support and advice from a driven, successful woman. Armchair Interviews says: A must-have for girls twelve and up. It augments a mother's or other female role model's advice for girls and even young women.