Product Description

From Barbies to your first bra, from holding your teddy bear to slowdancing with your first boyfriend, from knowing everyone in elementary school to trying to make new friends in middle school. . . . When dealing with these changes, it's no wonder preteen girls can freak out from time to time.

Consider Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul your survival guide! From reading the true experiences of other preteen girls, as well as women who've been there, you'll see that you're not the only one who feels clueless and insecure sometimes. You'll read about tough subjects, such as peer pressure, cliques, divorce and loss, as well as fun “girls only” stories about friendship, embarrassing moments (these could take up an entire book!), body changes and first crushes. These stories will make you laugh, cry and realize that girl power is truly something to celebrate. You'll turn to this book again and again, whenever you need the advice only girls can give.

Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul is sure to be what a girl wants!

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55863 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 350 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6–Readers are served up a helping of inspirational stories from girls who are relating their current experiences and from women who are recounting their pasts. It can be reassuring to realize that everyone feels inadequate and/or awkward sometimes and that even popular girls have moments of insecurity and doubt. These stories cover a wide range of topics from surviving middle school and parents divorce to peer pressure and cliques as well as friendship, first boyfriends, and puberty. The collection has a nice balance of poignancy, silliness, and straight talk. Empowering and motivating, these selections will warm the spirits and help boost girls confidence. Though theres nothing particularly new here, this book is a good fit for most libraries.–Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are the #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are the #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Patty Hansen and Irene Dunlap coauthored Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul, one of the most successful Chicken Soup titles. It was awarded the 1999 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice for 'Favorite Book of the Year.' They live in California.

Patty Hansen and Irene Dunlap coauthored Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul, one of the most successful Chicken Soup titles. It was awarded the 1999 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice for 'Favorite Book of the Year.' They live in California.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"One Day You'll Look Back on This . . ."

I've learned to take time for myself and to treat myself with a great deal of love and respect 'cause I like me. . . . I think I'm kind of cool.
- Whoopi Goldberg

"I can't go to school like this!" I wailed as I stared into my mirror, hating my face, my body and life in general. A river of salty tears traced a path down my cheeks. Summoned from the kitchen by my shrieking, my mother appeared at my side a second later.

"What's the problem?" she asked patiently.

"Everything . . . just everything!" I complained and continued to stare horrified into the mirror.

At almost thirteen, the problems that I felt I had were overwhelming. I had a hideous new crop of angry, red pimples that had erupted on my forehead and chin overnight—every night. My hair suddenly looked greasy all the time, even though I washed it every second day. My aching tummy signaled that my newfound "friend" was about to visit once again, causing my jeans to fit too snugly and make me appear as though I had been eating nothing but hot fudge sundaes. And to top it off, my chewed-up fingernails were torn and bloody, since biting them seemed to go along with the way I worried about how other people perceived me. But everything that was bothering me wasn't just on the surface—I also had a broken heart.

The guy I had been going out with had recently dumped me in favor of an older, more developed girl. Everything combined, I was a physical and emotional wreck.

"Come on, now, Honey. Try not to cry," my mother said with a smile. "I remember what it was like to be your age. It was awkward and frustrating, and I got my heart stomped on, too, but I came through it—and so will you! It's not as bad as you think, and once you get to school with all your friends, you'll forget all about your pimples and what's-his-name, and one day you'll look back on this and wonder why you were ever so upset."

Convinced that she didn't know what she was talking about, I gave her a dirty look and headed off for school, greeting my girlfriends on the sidewalk while my mother waved encouragingly from the front door. Later, as much as I hated to admit it, I found out that my mother was right. As I spent time with my friends who were going through the same things that I was, my mind wasn't on my troubles anymore, and soon I was laughing.

When I returned home later that day, I was in a much better mood and because I had put my best foot forward, my mother rewarded me with a bag of goodies she had purchased from the drugstore. On my bed was a bag that included shampoo and conditioner, some acne medication, a gift certificate to a hair salon and, surprisingly, some hot, new shades of nail polish.

"What on earth is this?" I asked bewildered, thinking that my mother had to be out of her mind if she thought I was going to flaunt my gnarled nails.

As it turned out, she had a plan. I thought that it was cruel at the time, yet it turned out to be highly effective. I wasn't allowed to have any of the stuff in the bag, nor was I allowed to keep my ever-so-important stick of concealer. The deal was that for each week that I didn't bite my fingernails, one item of my choice would be returned to me. Desperate to retrieve my makeup and to get my hands on everything in the drugstore bag, I concentrated heavily on my schoolwork, instead of biting my nails and worrying about what people thought of me. Over the next few weeks, I was thrilled to watch my nails grow. By the time I earned the certificate to have my hair cut and restyled, my nails were so long that my mother also treated me to a manicure while we were at the salon. And as time wore on, I began to see that I was getting through the rough spot, just as she had promised I would. I liked that I received so many compliments on my hands and hair, but more than that, I was proud of myself for sticking with the deal and improving myself in the process—so proud, as a matter of fact, that I failed to notice my acne slowly clearing up. And I couldn't have cared less about what's-his-name. He quickly became a distant memory as I began to date many different boys, some of whom broke my heart and others whose hearts I broke.

Though it certainly wasn't my last acne outbreak, bad hair day or crushed spirit, I did learn something. I will hold with me forever my mother's words of wisdom: "One day you'll look back on this and wonder why you were ever so upset."

Years later, after several ups and downs in my life, I look back and realize that I did come through it all and I am the better for it. I only hope that if one day I have a daughter who is experiencing the struggles of adolescence, I will be as understanding, helpful and creative as my mother was with me.

-Laurie Lonsdale

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Customer Reviews

Another Serving of Good Chicken Soup!
The Truth: I'm a Girl, I'm Smart and I Know EverythingAs a positive psychologist and the author of a book for kids and their moms, I am always looking for uplifting reading material for the 9-12 year old. And once again, the Chicken Soup series has come through. Here is the perfect book for your daughter or neice. She will love the moving and inspirational stories in this book. And I'm sure it will trigger in her some uplifting feelings and thoughts about her own life. For example, the story Miracle Babies is a winner. The girl who wrote it had a chance to prove to herself that she had really witnessed a miracle-the birth of twins, Booke and Brianne. She no longer had to wait for a miracle, it had happened and she loved being part of it. This story is not only uplifting but will remind kids that miracles have already happened in their lives, too. They just have to notice and enjoy. As a matter of fact, that is true for all of us! So once more we see, that any of the Chicken Soup books can be read by all of us. They are universal bowls of restorative soup for the soul.

A Tweens Review
I have heard so many great things about this book and very few that were bad comments. Many girls are really experiencing these things like getting bras for instance. I read a very funny chapter about a girl who needs a bra but is not at all wanting one and she thinks she needs a training bra but really needs an A cup! I would recommend this book for kids 10 and up because it has some parts that wouldn't be appropriate for kids 9, 8, 7 etc. They are REAL stories about REAL girls that REALLY happened! I recommend that you have you parents read about the parts about stuff like suicide and stuff like that. I love the book so far and even though I'm not done with it I am enjoying it very much! I hope this reveiw was helpful!

a worthwhile read
This book was great! I honestly think that the reviews from concerned parents were ridiculous. You're not always going to be there holding their hand, and protecting them, so let them go a little and let them learn, they will get a lot out of this book if you don't make a big deal about it. If they know right from wrong, then, they know right from wrong, and this book won't change that. It will teach them lessons that can't be learned in school, just through life experiences, and through hearing others life experiences, (this book!!!) So, there's nothing to worry about, this book is perfect for girls of any age, and I can guarentee that any girl reading this book will get a lot more good out of it than bad.