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I glanced through this book from my son's fifth grade classroom library one day while I was volunteering with reading groups. It was awesome -- I ended up buying a copy for him to read (that I've since lent to his best friend's mom, who has both an 11yo boy and a 9yo girl), and copies for the daughters (one 9, one 11) of my two good friends. I wish there was a boy's version, so I didn't have to explain tampons. ;-)
My eight year-old daughter was being verbally bullied daily by a girl at school. I look at this book as a vital piece of that puzzle. I role-played with my daughter to get her comfortable with responding to nasty people, and I really think it helped overall.
It is simple to read, and you can focus on just one area that applies to your problem if you like. With that, she hasn't had to use those skills with this girl (and I hope she never does have to), but I think this book really let her know that she is not alone and that there are just some people out there who can be mean to you through no fault of your own. We went to a child psychologist as one part of working on this problem and she recommended this book.
The school has the two girls separated, and when they are together for some reason they are not to interact. In our case, it was how to handle people who can just be mean to you for no apparant reason. Simple come-back lines and the like.
That's a tough lesson to learn, and it stinks that my eight year-old had to learn it, but overall I have seen her mature through this process and she doesn't take everything so personally and that is huge for a sensitive girl. By the way, the psychologist also recommended the other American Girl books of this type (not the storybook ones) for helping girls get through life's inevitable challenges.
My 9 y.o. really likes this book. Even though she hasnt gone through this, it gives her a heads up on how to chose friends that like you for you, wont make you feel inadequate etc. Really good read for girls.
When she received this book she retreated to her room and read it cover to cover. I bought this book for my 10 yr old grandaughter. This year she has encountered some 10 yr old "mean girl" behaviors at school. She was able to identify and focus in on the whys and the how to's, of "tween girls" and realizing how hard it can be being friends. Great Book.
It was last minute gift from my niece, and you happened to have it when not one book store around did,,,thank you.
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