Doable

November 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-Author and life coach Reber brings her impressive mentoring expertise to tween and teen girls. The step-by-step self-help guide shows readers how to maximize their potential by setting-and achieving-realistic goals. Through a no-nonsense instruction and do-it-yourself coaching advice, Reber presents a well-thought-out plan for all readers to personalize and execute. Logically ordered, the book opens with an overview of the eight steps in Reber's doable philosophy: define your do, detail the little tasks, defend against obstacles, develop support systems, determine what success looks like, do the work, deal with setbacks, and deliver the goods. Each successive chapter expands on one of the steps and includes concrete instructions and questions for readers to ask themselves in shaded coaching boxes. Success stories (a teen who created her own fashion blog, an author who overcame procrastination to publish her first novel at age 19) are sprinkled throughout. The book addresses lofty successes and everyday victories, providing examples and insight for those wishing to achieve any goal, no matter how small. Reber instructs without preaching, and her suggestions are precise and comprehensible. It's unclear why this useful title is limited to girls. With a little editing, the book could easily have been gender neutral. Highly recommended.-Cindy Wall, Southington Library & Museum, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2014
Grades 8-12 Today's girls, often overwhelmed by the amount of stuff on their plate, might feel a bit better after reading this can-do empowerment titlesuccess, perhaps, is close at hand. Writing in a clear, accessible style, Reber demonstrates the importance of creating a plan to clearly articulate reasonable and achievable goals, break down projects into smaller chunks, and avoid being derailed by setbacks and obstacles. Chapter titles such as Develop Support Systems, Deal with Setbacks, and Deliver the Goods are self-descriptive of the straightforward advice. Anecdotes from famous leaders and high achievers of both genders are neatly tucked into the spaces between tips, adding to the material that sharp-eyed readers can use. With plenty of examples from the lives of actual teens and twentysomethings, this guide has the potential to help excelling girls turn that corner into superstardom. A nice resource for adult mentors to keep on hand, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)