Teen Book Review: Saved By Her Enemy
May 28, 2010
This is not the typical teen book we’ve reviewed at Girls With Dreams before. In fact, Don Teague and Rafraf Barrak’s heroic true story, Saved By Her Enemy, is not one you’ll find in the teen section, but it is definitely worth checking out.
Especially if you are someone who loves suspense, politics, history, foreign affairs, or maybe you’ve just wondered what it might be like to grow up as a teen girl in another country, you will love this book. When I started reading it I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I could hardly put it down. Saved By Her Enemy will touch you in unexpected ways. I know it did for me.
As a child and a teenager can you imagine what it would be like to live with bombs going off around you, to have very different rules when it comes to boys, and to not have much access to the internet? These are just a few of the ways Rafraf’s (a young Iraqi woman) life was very different than most American teens.
This true story of journalist Don Teague and his experience in Iraq and the story of Rafraf Barrak and her life in Iraq, her culture, and her eventual coming to America will open your eyes to the events many Americans and Iraqis have endured during the war. It will inspire you and give you a deeper appreciation for our troops, different cultures, and the thousands of heroes that have worked around the globe for peace, from everyday citizens to journalists, to military.
Rafraf is now in her twenties, but in our eyes, she is a true teen hero and inspiration! You’ll have to read the book to find out why we feel she is so courageous!
If you’ve already read Saved By Her Enemy, or once you do, we’d love to hear what you think!
Have You Read the Body Scoop For Girls?
February 19, 2010
This is a teen book review of Dr. Jennifer Ashton’s The Body Scoop for Girls: A Straight-Talk Guide to a Healthy, Beautiful You by Stevie. I would recommend the book The Body Scoop for Girls by Dr. Jennifer Ashton because I think it has many good things you can learn from it. Pretty much any age could learn something new but I would definitely recommend it for teen girls ages 10-18 because around age ten is when our body is changing and we aren’t sure what’s going on and in this book a lot of the changes are being talked about and you can read about what is normal and what’s not so normal. I think even an 18 year old could get a lot out of it. I’m 17 and I learned plenty of things that I have always wondered about myself.
Body Scoop for Girls covers the majority of things that teen’s have to deal with like drugs, sex, alcohol, boys, puberty, stress and eating disorders. My favorite chapter from the Body Scoop for Girls was chapter three about periods because I think that’s the one I learned the most from. Especially since I don’t have a mom to ask those kinds of questions to and my dad would have no idea what I was talking about.
Body Scoop for Girls helped me answer one of my questions I have always wanted answered. I like this book because it was easy read and if you have a problem with something you can just go straight to that chapter. I think it will help a lot of other girls because when you go to high school and middle school you hear so many rumors about things and you never know what you believe. In this book, teen’s get real information and will know not to believe everything they hear. Peers will tell you anything to get you to smoke, drink, have sex and this book lets you know you’re not alone and that there are a lot of consequences that come from doing those kinds of things.
Its a great book for girls who don’t talk to their mom, who don’t like to talk about this stuff, or who don’t have anyone to talk to. I think girls can be embarrassed about some stuff and sometimes just simply reading about it and knowing you’re not alone make things better.
I think the author did a good job and giving examples of girls she has talked with and not being like a mom and more of “here is what is best, you don’t have to do what I say but this is what I think you should do” It’s not a book all about telling, it’s more about advising. It’s not only a book teens can read, but adults can read it too, I’m sure they can learn something from it, plus they can see exactly what teens are going through. You can get Body Scoop in bookstores, or order it from Amazon today!
We’re also going to be having a contest and giving away one copy of Body Scoop for Girls! Check our home page for more details soon!!!
Stones into Schools Book Review
January 12, 2010
Stones into Schools is a must read book! Greg Mortenson’s exciting and heart felt story about how he is promoting peace with books, not bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan is a story for all ages! I was inspired by the many sacrifices Greg and his team make on a daily basis to help educate children in some of the most remote places in the world.
Education is something so many of us take for granted, while these children and families go to all lengths to study. Children huddle together outside in the cold, in makeshift shelters, and in some of the most difficult situations and locations. Greg shares the details of some of his most dangerous ventures and heroic tales of children.
It’s critical that we all understand the educational plight of people globally and also the direct relationship that educating girls specifically has on promoting peace and increased prosperity in the world. Greg points out that there are still 120 million school age children in the world who are deprived of their right of education!!
I love the action steps that Greg Mortenson suggests, so if you don’t have a chance to read the book, consider taking action!
- Buy Stones into Schools Today!
- Visit http://www.stonesintoschools.com for more information or the Central Asia Institute (the non-profit Greg started that funds the schools and girls education scholarships)
- Suggest the book to a friend, library, bookstore, group, etc..
- Help your school start a Pennies for Peace project. Since 1994, more than 200 million pennies have been raised through this program!
- Make a contribution to the Central Asia Institute. It only costs $1 per month for one child’s education in Pakistan or Afghanistan, a penny to buy a pencil, and a teacher’s salary averages $1.50 a day.
Book Reviews of Secrets Girls Keep
December 2, 2009
Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence by Carrie Silver-Stock, MSW, LCSW, is a self-help book for tweens and teens. Below you will find several book reviews. To get your own copy, check out our special offers here.
Secrets Girls Keep Fan Site
November 4, 2009
Whether you’ve had a chance to pick up Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence by Carrie Silver-Stock, or not, you will still want to visit the new Fan Site! It has extra special things from quizzes to tips that relate to teen girls and Secrets Girls Keep. Plus, you’ll find everything you’ll want to know about the book!
Secrets Girls Keep is a book written for teens. It feautures stories, tips, and advice from other girls as well as fun quizzes.
Only 8 Hours Left to Get Your FREE Stuff!
November 3, 2009
Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence (HCI) by Carrie Silver-Stock is finally here!
Carrie and her supporters want to thank you for your purchase with some very special FREEBIES! Time is almost up to get your FREE stuff with purchase!!! Click here to Purchase and get your FREE Stuff! This offer is only good TODAY, Tuesday November 3!
“As media and commercial culture is putting increasing pressure on girls to conform to standards that can be very harmful to themselves and their relationships with others, Secrets Girls Keep gives teen-age girls down-to-earth, practical, heartfelt advice that will empower them to resist the pressure and take care of themselves and others in these hard to grow up times. Parents will thank Carrie Silver-Stock for giving them this book to give to and discuss with their daughters.”
Diane Levin, Ph.D.,
Professor of Education, Wheelock College,
Author of So Sexy So Soon
“The key to happiness is getting real and finding a way to be okay with who we are…our authentic selves. How great would it be to learn how to tap into this honest and open place as a teenager? When girls follow Carrie’s guidelines for shedding their secrets and taking charge of their lives, the world has no choice but to be a better place!”
Deborah Reber,
Teen advocate, speaker, and author
“Secrets Girls Keep is compelling in its honesty, openness, and just plain good sense. Written for teenage girls, who face pressures that are almost impossible to imagine, it models getting beneath the silence and shame that all too often accompany life problems (e.g., loss, sex, abuse, eating problems, mood disorder) and actively engages them in self-exploration and disclosure. A vitally important book.”
Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D.,
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, UC Berkeley;
author of The Triple Bind: Saving our Teenage Girls from Today’s Pressures
Buy Secrets Girls Keep Today and Get Fun Freebies!
November 3, 2009
Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence (HCI) by Carrie Silver-Stock is finally here!
Carrie and her supporters want to thank you for your purchase with some very special FREEBIES! Click here to Purchase and get your FREE Stuff! This offer is only good TODAY, Tuesday November 3!
“As media and commercial culture is putting increasing pressure on girls to conform to standards that can be very harmful to themselves and their relationships with others, Secrets Girls Keep gives teen-age girls down-to-earth, practical, heartfelt advice that will empower them to resist the pressure and take care of themselves and others in these hard to grow up times. Parents will thank Carrie Silver-Stock for giving them this book to give to and discuss with their daughters.”
Diane Levin, Ph.D.,
Professor of Education, Wheelock College,
Author of So Sexy So Soon
“The key to happiness is getting real and finding a way to be okay with who we are…our authentic selves. How great would it be to learn how to tap into this honest and open place as a teenager? When girls follow Carrie’s guidelines for shedding their secrets and taking charge of their lives, the world has no choice but to be a better place!”
Deborah Reber,
Teen advocate, speaker, and author
“Secrets Girls Keep is compelling in its honesty, openness, and just plain good sense. Written for teenage girls, who face pressures that are almost impossible to imagine, it models getting beneath the silence and shame that all too often accompany life problems (e.g., loss, sex, abuse, eating problems, mood disorder) and actively engages them in self-exploration and disclosure. A vitally important book.”
Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D.,
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, UC Berkeley;
author of The Triple Bind: Saving our Teenage Girls from Today’s Pressures
Teen Memoir Series Looking for Teen Authors
October 29, 2009
If you are an aspiring teen writer or author, you will definitely want to check out the new memoir series Lounder than Words! The cool thing is, editor Deborah Reber, is looking for more teen authors. You can find out more by visiting the Louder Than Words website!
We did our own teen review of one of the books here at Girls With Dreams. We talked with Emily Smucker about her book, Emily.
Interview with Emily Smucker from Louder Than Words
September 21, 2009
Girls With Dreams is so excited about the new teen memoir series, Louder Than Words (HCI), because it gives power to the teen voice. Teens will love hearing the unique stories of Emily, Chelsey, and Marni, the 3 young women who are authors of each of the new memoirs, edited by Deborah Reber. Girls With Dreams is excited to bring you an interview with each of the authors. We hope you enjoy the books as much as we did!
Emily Smucker was an average high school senior, with a very unusual diagnosis. This 160 page novel (including an one page epilogue) is told in a diary or blog like format. It made the book so much more personal and really keeps the readers interest. I found myself privileged enough to interview Emily and get to know her on a more personal level.
This is about shear inner strength, a very positive and empowering story. Emily commented when asked about her continuously positive attitude, “Because of my faith I knew that somehow something good was going to come out of the horror (though I never even came close to imagining that it would be a book), and my family, well, they kept my [life] from getting too boring.” Emily has a large family, which she claims to be her support network. An amazing feature of this book, is that it has so many different dynamics to it. Not only is it about a teen trying to find herself among chaos, but about the close relationships and their impacts on a teens life. When asked about how she could turn such a devastating illness into anything positive, Emily smartly said, ” It wasn’t until the book deal fell into my lap that I was able to feel like the lemons were turning into any sort of lemonade.”
During the beginning part of her Senior year, Emily was diagnosed with the rare West Nile virus. At first she reacts with fear and disbelief, then goes into a state of self denial. But rather than wallowing in self pity she is able to begin to see things differently, and begins to make the best of a horribly impossible situation. I asked Emily what some her biggest concerns were, ” My future was the biggest thing. I felt like I would be sick forever and never have any sort of life. At the beginning of my sickness I worried so much that I could hardly function, and it wasn’t until I prayed about deeply that I was able to deal with it.” Her story is very empowering, a must read for every teen. Emily has shown true strength and courage, by telling her story and sharing it with the teens of the world.
Emily commented when asked if she had one thing she wanted every girl to know, ” I wish I had something profound to say. Something that would make everyone stop and think. But I don’t.
I wish I had advice for sick people. I mean real advice, about making a difference despite being sick. But I don’t.
Well, maybe I do after all. You can blog. Sometimes people could identify with what I was saying, and that felt amazing. And in the end it gave me lots of material to put in a book. If you have a friend who’s chronically sick, my advice would be to go visit them. Take a friend or two along. Watch a movie. Play a game. Being sick is so boring, you long for social interaction. ”
This is the end of my blog post on Emily Smucker and her book in the Louder Than Words series. I recommend this book to EVERYONE! And don’t worry to those of you who have already read this and are looking forward to any new novel’s by this courageous teen. Emily is working on a story about an adventurous teen Named Lola, and how she is trying to build a new life on top of the old life she was running away from. I think I speak for all of us girls when I say, I’m excited and ready to read more!
Book Review: The Perks On Being A Wallflower
August 26, 2009
I am a total bookworm. I love getting lost in books, because I can see other aspects of life. Someone recommended the book called The Perks On Being A Wallflower by by Stephen Chbosky. It was a short read about a boy named Charlie who felt unique. He never fit in, but he was incredibly intelligent. The book is written in diary form, and it’s interesting to see his ups and downs. Reading the book made me feel peaceful. I feel like there are people who just sit back and watch as life happens to others. They’re there to protect others and are usually some of the nicest people. So when you’re feeling down or need something new, pick up this nice book. It’ll make you feel like you’re not the only one in the world.
P.S. I read it all in one night. It kept me glued!
