A Smart Girl's Guide to Boys: Surviving Crushes, Staying True to Yourself and Other Stuff by Nancy Holyoke, Bonnie Timmons (Illustrator)

From Barnes & Noble

How do you survive crushes? How do you know a boy likes you? What if he likes your best friend, too? With questions, answers, tips, and quotes, Nancy Holyoke dispenses sound advice for today's tween.

From the Publisher

From the editors of the best-selling book The Care and Keeping of You comes an insightful, age-appropriate guide to boys, the number one topic of conversation for girls 8 to 12. Here's straight talk on what to do when everyone's wondering "who likes who?" The book explores being friends, going out, getting dumped, being yourself, and much more. Letters from girls and advice from boys, along with quizzes and tips, help a girl get her brain back on track when her heart's in a wreck.

Publishers Weekly

A Smart Girl's Guide to Boys: Surviving Crushes, Staying True to Yourself, & Other Love Stuff! by Nancy Holyoke, illus. by Bonnie Timmons, gives advice in sections called "How to tell him you like him," "Competition & jealousy" and "How to break up." Teens can read letters from girls and advice from boys as well as trying the "pop" quizzes sprinkled throughout. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Large type, multiple fonts and colors, ample illustrations and succinct presentation will draw girls to this small, information-packed guide to dealing with friends, both girl and boy, as they enter middle school. Using personal statements of teens and question and answer segments, the book covers topics including physical changes of the age group, crushes, coping with the fishbowl environment of school, and "going out," concluding with a short segment about taking care of yourself. Sage advice given to us by our own mothers many years ago (don't write what you don't want the world to know, always use your manners, be honest, once you tell a secret it is no longer one) still applies here but does not come off sounding preachy. Conversation starters, talking to parents, popularity, dances and parties, using the Internet, peer pressure, solving problems and handling getting dumped are just a few of the short topics covered. A great gift idea for a girl entering the adolescent stage. From the American Girl Library. 2001, Pleasant Company, $9.95. Ages 10 to 12. Reviewer: Mary Sue Preissner

VOYA

Peppered with humorous cartoon illustrations and various kinds and colors of typeface, this small paperback is designed to catch the reader's eye and entertain while imparting sound and useful information. Questions that hardly occur to adults but that loom large in a young girl's mind are thoroughly discussed:How do you talk to a boy? What do boys think? Should you tell him you like him? What if he likes you more than you like him? What if you like him more than he likes you? What about getting dumped? Quotations from real kids including boys and scenario quizzes followed by practical advice make for quick reading. The book is so short and has so many drawings that the slowest reader probably could finish it in a few hours. Parents and teachers should know that sex is not a topic here;social aspects of first relationships are the sole subject of the book. Although the Smart Girl's Guide will have adults laughing, preteen and young teen readers will find it absorbing and conceivably might use it as a reference on the road to maturity. Illus. VOYA CODES:3Q 4P M (Readable without serious defects;Broad general YA appeal;Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2001, The Pleasant Company, 112p, $9.95 Trade pb. Ages 11 to 14. Reviewer:Laura Woodruff—VOYA, December 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 5)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-This upbeat title travels familiar ground, dispensing good advice to girls who are experiencing the first twinges of romance. The book is organized into five main sections: "Brave New World," covering crushes; "Who Likes Who" or how to let a boy know you are interested; "Life in the Fishbowl" on balancing friends and boyfriends; and "Going Together," which offers some ideas for hanging out and advice on the first kiss. The final topic, "Taking Care of You," features a quiz aimed at evaluating how girls are handling themselves in the arena of life with boys. The lively text is interspersed with quick tests and letters from girls. The overall theme, that of developing self-confidence, comes through loud and clear. The comic-book graphics, friendly fonts, and use of color will be appreciated by teens. While none of the information presented here is new, the book does a good job of covering the basics, and readers who are searching for an answer to "Does he like me?" will find help in this text.-Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Product Details

• ISBN: 1584853689
  
• ISBN-13: 9781584853688
• Format: Hardcover, 112pp
• Publisher: American Girl Publishing
• Pub. Date: September 2001
• Sales Rank: 6,088
• Age Range: 8 to 12