Stand Up for Yourself & Your Friends: Dealing with Bullies and Bossiness, and Finding a Better Way

This book was wonderful in helping my 6 year old daughter through a difficult time with a child she deemed a friend. She could not understand her friend's on-again, off-again behavior. This book was valuable to my daughter as it was clear cut, easy to read and chock full of different examples on how to handle situations that hurt her feelings. It also taught my daughter that the kids that say or do hurtful things may be dealing with their own issues at home or in school. The book talks about not letting others take your power/self-esteem away...and how to hold on to it when you feel sad and powerless in the "moment". It talks about strategies, who to talk to, how to react, how to help and when to bring in an adult. This covers mean kids all the way to bullying. We read the whole book in one sitting and she paid close attention. Really well written, layout is very clear and I would recommend to any parent dealing with the social arena at school.

My daughter loves this book. It's very straightforward and supportive. And it's been helpful to her in trying to sort out the scary and confusing phenomena of cliques, exclusion, taunting, teasing and other social problems. It's affirmed her in trying to be the kind of loyal and fair friend she wants to be.

I bought this for my 12-year-old daughter as she has been having problems with bullying at school. I've been reading "Queen Bees & Wannabees" by Rosalind Wiseman. Good, but not really practical for a 12-year-old to read. I wanted my daughter to have a book that will give her ideas and help. I've read through this book and find that it has just what I was looking for. It teaches what bullying is, how to stand up for yourself in the right way, when ignoring a bully works and when it doesn't, when to seek help from adults and how to stand up for other people, which I think is so important. It has real experiences from girls that she can relate to. This would be an excellent book for girls ages 8-14.

I also bought this book for and read it with my 6-year old, and it was written in simple enough language for her to understand and appreciate. I found many of the definitions in the book useful, not just for her 'mean girl issues' (and we have many) but also for everyday. The book defines bullying as pretty much any behavior that's intended to make you feel bad, tattling as talk that's intended to make someone look bad, and telling as a solution or a way to get help. We use these definitions frequently as a way of encouraging kind behavior with her friends and sister. And because it's from American Girl, to her the source is just so much more credible than her parents! I really recommend this for pretty much any girl, regardless of her circumstances, from age 5 to probably 12 or 13.

My daughter was being bullied at school, and we were having a difficult time in finding the right words for her to use to stand up for herself. This book helps the victim use assertive words, but not words that would get her into trouble or add to the problem. It reinforces worth and self-esteem, and features realistic advice (not just "walk away," but when to talk to parents and teachers). Also, it talks about standing up for when someone else is the victim, which further empowers young girls. There is a parent's guide in the back. Also, it is recommended for 9 and up, but my daughter is 6. Unfortunately, "mean girls" are getting younger and younger.