Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ The Truth: Diary of a Gutsy Tween by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

Welcome to my tour stop for The Truth: Diary of a Gutsy Tween by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein! In a positive and supportive diary-entry format, Dr. Holstein encourages tween girls to carry the most precious parts of themselves into adulthood. This tour runs from March 27th - July 17th and includes reviews, interviews, excerpts and an awesome giveaway! Check out all the details on the tour page

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Author: Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Available Formats: eBook, Hardback
Publisher: Sky Pony Press 
Publication Date: 07-01-14              Pages: 176 
Purchase ~ Amazon              Add ~ Goodreads

"I hate Angela and I wish she would move away tomorrow!" "I get so worried when I hear my parents fighting at night." "My mother thinks my crush is silly. I know I am in love!" "I have so many questions about growing up. Who will answer them?" "I feel so awful when Jake makes fun of me." "When I grow up I going to remember how to have fun with my kids and never look away."

Growing up is tough. Adults don't always understand you (even though they were once kids), and children today face increasing pressure to be, look, or act a certain way. Written in the voice of a girl on the cusp of becoming a teenager, The Truth provides young girls with an opportunity to see how a girl, who is in many ways like themselves, handles her toughest problems and most personal thoughts. Each new page brings forth a discussion to help girls handle everyday problems: How do you survive a bully? How do you handle a crush on a boy? What can you do about relentless teasing by your peers? What really matters as you grow older?

In a positive and supportive diary-entry format, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein encourages tween girls to carry the most precious parts of themselves into adulthood. A great book for mothers and daughters to read together, The Truth is aimed to improve communication, understanding, and self-esteem for young girls as they enter the rocky road of teenager-dom.

 
My So-Called Review:

This is my first book by author Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein and I jumped at the chance to review it due to its subject matter and target audience. I'm always on the lookout for great, positive books for middle school aged kids that we can add to our school library and this is one I would definitely recommend! It’s actually one I wish had been written about five years ago when I could have given it to my own daughter to read, she would have loved it!

The Truth: Diary of a Gutsy Tween is written as a series of diary entries which follow the life of a young girl over the course of several years as she experiences all the highs and lows of adolescence. She confides in her diary as she deals with family issues, falls for her first crush, tries to fit in and make friends at school, and the struggles she faces with her every changing body. Holstein does a remarkable job giving a voice to some sensitive and often times embarrassing subjects for young girls, letting them know that they are not alone and reminding them of their own power, inner strength and beauty.

Paced perfectly at 176 pages this story will keep the attention of its tween audience. It’s a great book for both Mothers and their daughters to read either together or even separately as a way to spark conversation and to discuss the issues brought up in the book. I would highly recommend this book for tween girls between the ages of 10-14 and this would be a perfect addition for middle school libraries and classrooms.

Thank you to author, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein and to Goddess Fish Promotions for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

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!

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. In particular, www.enchantedself.com, www.thetruthforgirls.com, on Facebook at Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein: Psychologist & Author, on Pinterest at  http://www.pinterest.com/barbarabeckerho/ and on You Tube. Just look for me on You Tube via Barbara Becker Holstein.

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Barbara-Becker-Holstein/e/B001JXEZ8U/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/barbara-becker-holstein/2493846

GIVEAWAY!!!!!

$20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Giftcard

Ends July 27th, 2015 
Fill out rafflecopter to enter ~ prize provided by the author
a Rafflecopter giveaway This event was brought to you by Goddess Fish Promotions