Title: Queen Bees & Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boys, and the New Realities of Girl World

Author: Rosalind Wiseman

Publisher: Harmony

Pub. Date: 26 July 2016

Genre: Nonfiction, Family, Parenting

My thoughts:

This book is a wonderfully readable and rigorous resource for parents. Wiseman is a formidable source of comfort and reason, and the direct discussion the often difficult to understand world of growing girls reveals how much she loves her work with young people as well as the depth of her expertise. I was relieved that this book was not just another series of complaints about teenage angst, but instead was a book that put what seem to be crazy teen behaviors into perspective and framed them in their purpose. The acknowledgement of the cycle of growth and quest for independence makes girls suddenly and absolutely reasonable, even when they are aggravating.  There is no longer any reason to engage in battle! Read the book, you’ll see!

Publisher notes:

“My daughter used to be so wonderful. Now I can barely stand her and she won’t tell me anything. How can I find out what’s going on?”

“There’s a clique in my daughter’s grade that’s making her life miserable. She doesn’t want to go to school anymore. Her own supposed friends are turning on her, and she’s too afraid to do anything. What can I do?”

Welcome to the wonderful world of your daughter’s adolescence. A world in which she comes to school one day to find that her friends have suddenly decided that she no longer belongs. Or she’s teased mercilessly for wearing the wrong outfit or having the wrong friend. Or branded with a reputation she can’t shake. Or pressured into conforming so she won’t be kicked out of the group. For better or worse, your daughter’s friendships are the key to enduring adolescence—as well as the biggest threat to her well-being.

About the Author:

Rosalind Wiseman is an internationally recognized expert on children, teens, parenting, bullying, social justice, and ethical leadership.

Wiseman’s other publications include Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads, that address the social hierarchies and conflicts among parents, and the young adult novel Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials. She is the author of the Owning Up Curriculum, a comprehensive social justice program for grades 6-12 which is in widespread use across the country. She also writes the monthly “Ask Rosalind” column in Family Circle magazine, and is a regular contributor to several blogs and websites.

Each year Wiseman works with tens of thousands of students, educators, parents, counselors, coaches, and administrators to create communities based on the belief that each person has a responsibility to treat themselves and others with dignity. In 2011, she was one of the principal speakers at the White House Summit on Bullying. Other audiences have included the American School Counselors Association, International Chiefs of Police, American Association of School Administrators, and countless schools throughout the US and abroad.
A review copy was received from the publisher through Blogging for Books in return for an honest review.