The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween
by Barbara
Becker Holstein
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Review:
Although I am not a tween or a teen, I really enjoyed this book. Parts of it were like a walk down memory lane. I really stopped and thought back to my teenage years.
I wished I had of had this book when my girls were growing up. Having this book may have made some of the situations with my daughter easier. For both them and me.
This book is written in a diary format, by a nameless 11 year old. It is like a one sided story. All about the situations, thought, and feelings this girl was having, how she felt she should deal with them and how she did deal with them, and the outcomes.
I think this would be a great book if you have a teen or tween daughter. I would have to suggest that you the parent read it first, then give it to your child to read, then discuss it afterwards. It may or may not help you with discussing your childs feeling about real things in her life. Itmay also help you relate better to your childs feelings.
I think this was a great book and give it 5 stars.
My Review:
Although I am not a tween or a teen, I really enjoyed this book. Parts of it were like a walk down memory lane. I really stopped and thought back to my teenage years.
I wished I had of had this book when my girls were growing up. Having this book may have made some of the situations with my daughter easier. For both them and me.
This book is written in a diary format, by a nameless 11 year old. It is like a one sided story. All about the situations, thought, and feelings this girl was having, how she felt she should deal with them and how she did deal with them, and the outcomes.
I think this would be a great book if you have a teen or tween daughter. I would have to suggest that you the parent read it first, then give it to your child to read, then discuss it afterwards. It may or may not help you with discussing your childs feeling about real things in her life. Itmay also help you relate better to your childs feelings.
I think this was a great book and give it 5 stars.
BLURB:
"I
hate Angela and I wish she would move away tomorrow!" "I get so
worried when I hear my parents fighting at night." "My mother thinks
my crush is silly. I know I am in love!" "I have so many questions
about growing up. Who will answer them?" "I feel so awful when Jake
makes fun of me." "When I grow up I going to remember how to have fun
with my kids and never look away." Growing up is tough. Adults don't
always understand you (even though they were once kids), and children today
face increasing pressure to be, look, or act a certain way. Written in the
voice of a girl on the cusp of becoming a teenager, The Truth provides young
girls with an opportunity to see how a girl, who is in many ways like
themselves, handles her toughest problems and most personal thoughts. Each new
page brings forth a discussion to help girls handle everyday problems: How do
you survive a bully? How do you handle a crush on a boy? What can you do about
relentless teasing by your peers? What really matters as you grow older?
In
a positive and supportive diary-entry format, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
encourages tween girls to carry the most precious parts of themselves into
adulthood. A great book for mothers and daughters to read together, The Truth
is aimed to improve communication, understanding, and self-esteem for young
girls as they enter the rocky road of teenager-dom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Date: December 2
Dear Diary,
I have a secret and it’s been eating me up inside, so I have
to tell you. I lied to Angela. I told her I had a terrible sore throat and
couldn’t come for the weekend. She said she was sorry and that she would invite
me again. I felt terrible, and then my throat really began to hurt. But I just
couldn’t go to Springport for a whole weekend_even though I miss being around
Angela.
Now that I have best friends here, I don’t feel the same way
I used to about going back to visit. And I didn’t know how to tell Angela that.
I could tell when we talked on the phone that she really wanted me to come. And
she sent me a new selfie, holding a sign that reads I Miss You! She even told
me that she doesn’t have a new best friend since I left. She really misses me.
She also told me that Paul is in lots of her classes and he asks if she’s
talked to me. How could I tell her I’m in love with Rob and don’t care about
Paul anymore? How could I tell her that I have new best friends and want to
stay here with them?
I did go to Sally’s instead, and we had the best time. Her
mother ordered pizza for us and we drank Coke. We watched television and made
popcorn and did each other’s hair with all of Sally’s older sister’s hair
products we found in the bathroom. I look silly with curly hair. We kept
laughing and falling on the floor and giggling, and we played this fun game
that Jackie learned in camp last summer. We all lay down on the floor and we
each put our head on someone else’s belly. Someone says, “Ha-ha,” and then the
next person says, “Haha- ha,” until everyone is laughing. Then you can’t stop
laughing because the belly you are on is bouncing all around under your head.
Sally’s mom got really angry at all the noise we were making, and we had to
turn off the lights and pretend to go to sleep. I hardly slept a wink, though.
I was so excited and having so much fun with my new friends. I was tired the
next morning and really did have a sore throat when I went home, but I didn’t
care. It was worth it to have so much fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I have been a
positive psychologist in private practice for the past thirty years. In the
course of working with my clients, I originated the idea of THE ENCHANTED
SELF(R), a positive psychology therapy where I teach people how to recognize
and utilize their strengths, talents, skills and even lost potential. I have
developed a number of methods, including using our memories to rediscover what
is right about ourselves and our lives, rather than what went wrong, helping
people to overcome adversity, experience positive emotions and live the good
life!
Since
developing this concept, I've been able to use many tools to bring the
Enchanted Self to everyone, particularly women and girls. I've written many
books, starting with THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy, and then Recipes
for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU!
My books for girls are very popular, as they are great fictional reads
and also help deal with many of the questions that trouble kids as they move into
the tween and teen years. The Truth,
Diary of a Gutsy Tween and Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen are the first two
books in this series.
I really love
to teach and educate about happiness and how to benefit from positive
psychology in ways that let us lead lives of meaning and happiness. You can
find me all over the place on the web. In particular, www.enchantedself.com,
www.thetruthforgirls.com, on Facebook at Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein:
Psychologist & Author, on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/barbarabeckerho/
and on You Tube. Just look for me on You Tube via Barbara Becker Holstein.
