SECRETS,
DIARY OF A GUTSY TEEN
by Barbara Becker Holstein
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Following in the footsteps of The Truth, Secrets:
Diary of a Gutsy Teen begins as the thirteen-year-old protagonist makes a move
with her family to a new town. She has grown up a lot over the past year—and
has made a list of everything that’s important to her now that she doesn’t want
to forget when she gets older. But now, as she enters her early teen years, she
begins to write down the secrets she wants to keep—and the ones she has no one
to tell about. From new school experiences to a new baby in the family to a new
crush, this new teen finally feels empowered on making her own decisions with
confidence and keeping those secrets she holds dearest for herself.
In a positive and
supportive diary-entry format, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein encourages tween and
early teen girls to carry the most precious parts of themselves into adulthood.
A great book for mothers and daughters to read together, Secrets is aimed to
improve communication, understanding, and self-esteem for young girls as they
enter the rocky road of teenager-dom.
Excerpt:
Date: July 7
Dear Diary:
I feel so lonely.
I can’t believe my parents made us move. Don’t they understand how
awful it is for
me? I don’t have anyone to share secrets
with. I talk to Angela on the phone, but it isn’t the same. Sometimes when I’m
on the phone with her I get the feeling that she is on her computer at the same
time or maybe just thinking about other stuff. I don’t feel that closeness with
her anymore. I want to feel it, but I don’t know how. I’m afraid to ask her if she
is playing a game on the computer or chatting on Facebook at the same time as
she’s on the phone with me.
The only good
thing that happened is I asked Angela if she wants to send selfies back and
forth to each other. My phone is old and I don’t have FaceTime, but I can still
take pictures and send them to her. She loved the idea, so I spent hours
yesterday sending her pictures of me in different rooms in my house and in the
backyard, too. It was a lot of fun. I dressed up as if I was putting on a play and
each room was a new scene. I wore a velvet scarf and one of my mom’s fancy hats
and put on an old long petticoat I used to dress up in as a kid and then I went
outside and stood on the swing that is hanging from a tree. It was hard to keep
the swing still enough to get a good Selfie, but finally I did, and I sent it
to Angela.
She sent back a
selfie of herself dressed up like a Flapper girl from the 1920s, posing with a
long stick as if it was a cigarette in a holder.
We laughed and
laughed on the phone, and it was the best I have felt since we moved. The best
part was that if felt like we were together again even though we are
apart!
MOTHER/DAUGHTER
RELATIONSHIPS by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Here is an excerpt from Secrets,
Diary of a Gutsy Teen that gets right to the guts of a young teen and
her mom being successful in relating:
"Dear Diary,
The other day Mom and I were home alone. Gloria
was over Grandma’s for the day, to give Mom a break. My brother was at school,
and I was home with a cold. But despite the cold, actually the day turned out
to be perfect. For the first time in months Mom and I had a chance to talk. I
told her how sometimes I feel so confused and concerned about things. After she
gave me a big, long hug, which already really helped, she said that was so
normal for my age. Growing up is tough. There are so many changes and lots of
things that we have to get used to. Like getting your period, having more
responsibilities, even starting a part-time job or doing other chores. She also
told me about some of her best friends at my age and what they did together.
They laughed and danced and stayed up late and flirted with boys. She was in
love at fourteen. I was so shocked. Why hadn’t she ever told me before? His
name was Steve, and his father owned the local gas station. She started to tell
me about kissing him under the back porch, but the phone rang!
I
was so mad. She promised to tell me more. I want to know what happened!
We
talked a lot about what can be helpful to a kid growing up. She told me that no
matter how busy she looks or acts, I should always tell her when I need to talk
or be with her. I told her I need her to still tuck me into bed sometimes, just
so we can talk and cuddle. She promised she’d do that more.
I
also told her how I love to look at cute videos on YouTube that have dogs
playing the piano and singing and stuff like that. When I see those videos I
feel happy inside.
She
said she wants me to share cute stuff like that with her. I promised I would.
It was such a good day! I
was almost sorry my cold got better and I had to go back to school. It was a
secret day for just the two of us."
About the Author:
I have been a positive psychologist in private
practice for the past thirty years. In the course of working with my clients, I
originated the idea of THE ENCHANTED SELF(R), a positive psychology therapy
where I teach people how to recognize and utilize their strengths, talents, skills
and even lost potential. I have developed a number of methods, including using
our memories to rediscover what is right about ourselves and our lives, rather
than what went wrong, helping people to overcome adversity, experience positive
emotions and live the good life!
Since developing this concept, I've been able to
use many tools to bring the Enchanted Self to everyone, particularly women and
girls. I've written many books, starting with THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive
Therapy, and then Recipes for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU! My books for girls are very popular, as they
are great fictional reads and also help deal with many of the questions that
trouble kids as they move into the tween and teen years. The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween and
Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen are the first two books in this series.
I really love to teach and educate about happiness
and how to benefit from positive psychology in ways that let us lead lives of
meaning and happiness. You can find me all over the place on the web.
Author Links:
Giveaway:
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of this post is the excerpt. My daughter would LOVE this book!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed reading the blurb, thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt..thanks for sharing! I'll be recommending this to my sister :)
ReplyDelete