Tangles, Growth Spurts, and Being You

April 1, 2015

Gr 4-8-This series strives to act as a resource for advice about common issues and problems faced during those difficult preteen years. The books, which employ an eye-catching and engaging layout, are not presented in a straight narrative. Rather, four diverse female tween characters provide responses to queries in a Q&A format. A wide variety of topics are covered: everything from fighting with siblings to navigating the cafeteria. Subjects are loosely grouped into chapters, so the books are more for browsing than searching (although a subject index is included if readers want to get more specific). Cartoon drawings and photographs of real girls supplement the text. "Tip Clips" sprinkled throughout offer additional tidbits of advice from the different protagonists. The suggestions to coping with these tricky situations are solid, never veering on the saccharine or didactic. VERDICT Recommended for general collections.

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