The Drama Years: Real Girls Talk About Surviving Middle School -- Bullies, Brands, Body Image, And More (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
A really helpful read. Would recommend to anyone with a middle school girl or one soon approaching those years. Easy, informative read with lots of input from middle school girls, high school girls(about what helped them), and parents. Kilpatrick shares her story about her middle school challenges and what led to the creation of Girl Talk. She really has useful ideas for parents to consider to help their girls navigate the tricky world of middle school. A little repetitive about the three core ideas by the end, but you know can hardly fault that. It makes good sense. Since I have two daughters, ages 12 & 14, this book immediately appealed to me with just its title. Anyone who has raised a daughter knows it's all about drama when they get to the tween years. I've spent the past 4 years reading different books for parents of girls and selecting books to give to my daughters to help them deal with the drama in their life. This book is by far the BEST book I have found for parents. It gives real life examples from real kids so you can see their point of view and it gives suggestions from teens as to how they wish their parents had handled their drama situations when they were younger. It is very easy to read and understand and stays on topic to keep your interest without going into too much detail or offering unrealistic advice. It's a book to read cover to cover and then keep it on your nightstand so you can refer to it as different dramas pop up in your daughter's life. Reading viewpoints from real tweens helps you realize as a parent how the drama can affect your daughter's life and it's a great reminder that even if you think she is upset about something that seems trivial to you - it is real to her. This book is written by the founder of the Girl Talk program and encourages parents to involve their daughter with three life changing "activities" to help them get through these years: have an ANCHOR ACTIVITY outside of school for girls to focus on; a HELPING HAND to volunteer in the community that helps keep her outlook of life in perspective; and an ADOPTED OLDER SISTER so she has someone other than a parent to confide in and talk to. At the end of each chapter these three aspects are discussed as to how they can help a girl deal with the issue at hand - from bullying to friend problems to body issues. I feel very fortunate that I was able to read an advanced copy of this book and my only regret is that I wasn't able to read it years ago. I recommend this book to parents of tweens and, if possible, encourage them to read it before their daughter reaches middle school. The more information you have in advance the better your parenting will be.
What do You think about The Drama Years: Real Girls Talk About Surviving Middle School -- Bullies, Brands, Body Image, And More (2012)?
This book was practical and helped remind me of how it feels to be a tween girl.
—rachael
Great read. Author has an amazing perspective.
—Stu
