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: June 27
Dear Diary,
I can’t believe it. Today we moved, and
I feel like I’m in a dream. I just keep walking around our new house and
wondering when we will go home. It feels so different and strange.
Everything is on one floor (that’s
called a ranch house). The floors are all bare wood. My mom said our rugs would
look terrible here so she let the people who bought our old house keep them. I
think she was probably right. They were a dark maroon and the walls here are a
light cream. I don’t think that would look good.
I went to the bathroom three times
since we got here and every time I used a different
bathroom. I can’t believe it. Three
different toilets in the same house! Only my friend
Susan, my rich friend, had more than
two bathrooms in her house. And four bedrooms!
And a family room. I can’t believe we
have this much space now.
When I look out of the windows I
expect to see the shrubs and the Hudson’s house who were next to us on the
left, but I don’t. Instead, I see a big open field that will probably have
houses built on it by next year. That’s what my dad said anyway. And when I
look out to the right I expect to see our clothesline and the Dixon’s driveway,
but instead I see rose bushes and a wooden bench under a tree that the last
owners said we
could have.
Tonight, we had to eat supper off
paper plates and use plastic forks, knives, and
spoons because our boxes are still
packed. My aunt made us a big picnic basket full of
food and that’s what we ate for
supper. It was delicious. There was fried chicken, potato salad and potato
chips, cupcakes for dessert, and fruit salad. And at the bottom of the basket
under the ice was a whole package of Hershey Kisses. Yum!
My brother already started to play
with a kid next door who’s about a year older than he
is. He’s so lucky. I have no new
friends yet and that’s the truth!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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.
