TRAUMA-RAMA: Life's Most Embarrassing Moments...and How to Deal
by Megan Stine
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0064408736
117 pages
There comes a time in every teenage girl's life when she doesn't need to wear blush
--- because her face is already a dark shade of pink. You may find yourself in one of
these situations soon, but have no fear! Your knight in shining armor has come to help you
out of this disastrous occurrence. (Trumpets blaring.)
TRAUMA-RAMA: Life's Most Embarrassing Moments...and How to Deal can help you solve even
the most trivial dilemma. Take, for example, this horrible happening: You wake up late and
throw on what you think is a cool new outfit, only once at school you realize that it is
totally see-through and your pink undies are now in plain sight! This is rated a 10 out of
10 on the informative trauma-o-meter, but can be solved with some persistence. Simply ask
a friend, teacher, or anybody else willing to help for an oversized T-shirt or jacket. And
voila! Suddenly, you're not only covered up, but you've created a cool layered look with
the help of your extra attire.
TRAUMA-RAMA is full of helpful hints to drain the color from your face. Not only that, it
also gives necessary advice on "how to be a teenage girl." But wait, there's
more...quizzes are an accurate indicator of how prone you are to these awkward situations
and how well you deal with them. After reading this book, the average teenage girl will
have decreased her susceptibility to teenage embarrassments by approximately 50%.
Actually, not really, but TRAUMA-RAMA will help the reader become more aware of possible
chances for embarrassment. In addition, TRAUMA-RAMA will expose you to other peoples'
humiliating moments, assuring you that you are not alone out there. It's a scary world,
but there will always be some poor chap who has it worse than you. So keep aware and
definitely read TRAUMA-RAMA: Life's Most Embarrassing Moments...and How to Deal by Megan
Stine. You'll end up much wiser for it.
--- Reviewed by Lisa Marx
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IF HIGH SCHOOL IS A GAME, HERE'S HOW TO BREAK THE RULES: A Cutting Edge Guide to Becoming Yourself
by Cherie Carter-Scott, Ph.D.
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 038532796X
176 pages
Troubled and confused in school? Then grab a copy of Cherie Carter-Scott's IF HIGH
SCHOOL IS A GAME, HERE'S HOW TO BREAK THE RULES. In 10 informative chapters, Carter-Scott
explores a host of basic "teen truths" --- everything from body image to
lifestyle choices. The topics are addressed through discussion, anecdotal accounts, and
sidebar quotes --- all written in a clear, concise style. Highly readable, without a hint
of preachiness, teens will appreciate the useful advice offered up in this hip, palm-sized
format.
--- Reviewed by Tammy L. Currier
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I WILL REMEMBER YOU: What to Do When Someone You Love Dies
by Laura Dower
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439139619
320 pages
The loss of a loved one is difficult to bear at any age, but teens seem particularly
hard hit when a close friend or family member dies. Perhaps it is because teens walk that
fine and precarious line between being too old to be sheltered from the enormity of what
has transpired and being too young to have the sheltering cloak of adult perspective to
help ease their grief.
Either way, I WILL REMEMBER YOU is the balancing pole that enables teenagers to walk the
tightrope of sadness, loss, and grief without the condescending safety net of clichés and
platitudes spouted by well-meaning but misguided friends, teachers, and family members.
This book is particularly effective because it draws on the real-life experiences of teens
and allows them to voice their opinions and give advice to other teens who may be going
through the same thing; thus imparting a unique context that empowers adolescents to rise
to a new level of emotional understanding and truly own their grief, instead of allowing
it to consume them.
--- Reviewed by Archie Goodfeather
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HE'S NOT ALL THAT!: How to Attract the Good Guys
by Dr. Gilda Carle
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060199245
288 pages
Before you start this review, I must confess that I have hands down the absolute,
no-holds barred, most abominably deplorable taste in men ever known to the history of guys
and girls. No really, just ask my friends. And my family. And my roommates. You can even
ask my unfortunate ex-boyfriends about each other.
There was the potbellied waiter who fancied himself a punk-rock star and who had all the
intelligence of a lettuce leaf. And the balding sculptor who was obsessed with breast
implants and insisted that he was definitely the next Salvador Dali --- and cultivated the
scum-stache to prove it. Don't even get me started on the fundamentalist Christian whose
mission in life was to become the best minister western Kentucky had ever seen. Believe
me, there is nothing more humiliating than being dumped for Jesus. Which is exactly what
happened to me. But, it is exactly what will not happen to you if you read Dr.
Gilda Carle's new book HE'S NOT ALL THAT!: How to Attract the Good Guys.
Finally, a book with practical, applicable advice that doesn't insult the intelligence of
today's teen grrrl! The best parts about this book by far are the puzzles and other
exercises that teach you how to strengthen your Love Muscle (which, of course, is your
brain). And once you learn how to flex the LM, you'll be on your way to uncovering your
Inner Minx. And once you've found IM, you'll find the moxie (fancy word for confidence) to
put that no-good loser who always promises to call but never does and uses lame excuses
like mole surgery and flute auditions as a flimsy cover to hide the fact that he is an
emotionally stunted twit into the half-nelson choke hold he so richly deserves, leaving
him lying on the ground gasping for breath, wishing he had never met you and kicking
himself for letting such a fetching creature as yourself slip between his grubby paws.
In the wise tradition of teaching a man to fish so that he can eat for a lifetime, HE'S
NOT ALL THAT! teaches girls how to think for themselves so that they can love for a
lifetime.
--- Reviewed by Cappy Boitano
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CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE TEENAGE SOUL
by Jack Canfield
Health Communications, Inc.
ISBN: 1558744630
354 pages
This book is made up of several different short stories and excerpts written by those
who experenced the situations. All the stories, however, have one thing in common, they
are all stories of life, love, and learning. This "bowl" of Chicken Soup
contains lessons on: the nature of friendship and love; the importance of belief in the
future; the value of respect for yourself and for others; and dealing with tough issues
like death, suicide, and the loss of love.
This book includes stories by: Bill Cosby, Jennie Garth, Jennifer Love Hewitt, A.J.
Langer, and many many more.
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KISSING: The Complete Guide
by Tamar Schreibman
Aladdin
ISBN: 0689833296
128 pages
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BREAK-UP GIRL TO THE RESCUE: A Superhero's Guide to Love, or Lack Thereof
by Lynn Harris
illustrated by Chris Kalb
Back Bay Books
ISBN: 0316340618
256 pages
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WRITE WHERE YOU ARE: How to Use Writing to Make Sense of Your Life
by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Ph.D.
Free Spirit Publishing
ISBN: 1575420600
224 pages
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