'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Thursday 23 May 2013

Review: How to Boost Your Profile (Girl v the World)

Anya needs some serious cheering up. She’s been dumped by a nerd (by text, no less), her parents are splitting up, her older sister never has time for her because of her boyfriend, and her mum’s idea of a first bra is going to ruin her life.

Feeling overlooked by her family, this very normal, everyday girl is about to make some very bad choices in an attempt to make herself feel special and significant. It might be bending the rules, but if no-one gets hurt, how wrong can it really be?

Anya is feeling overlooked and unimportant. She discovers that accidentally shoplifting gives her a buzz and makes her feel daring and special. As the buzz wears off, she is faced with the opportunity to take something else, but this time it won’t be an accident. It’s hard to resist the chance to make herself feel good when everything else in her life seems to be falling apart.

How to Boost Your Profile is part of the Girl v the World series, a great new series written by various authors focusing on the kinds of challenges facing preteen and young teen girls including family issues, dating, friendships, peer pressure and puberty. The central characters are girls in Year 7 who are trying to navigate that tricky time between childhood and teenage years.

Aimed at girls aged 11 – 14, the Girl v the World books are sweet and funny, but also raise the kinds of issues that girls face in modern society. Big issues such as family breakdowns and bullying are interwoven with the issues that seem big to a young girl, such as the trauma of being grounded for the week of the school dance and the embarrassment of having a boy you like walk by while your mother is trying to force you to buy the world’s ugliest ‘training’ bra.

My 12-year-old daughter loves these books, reading and re-reading them when we get the latest titles. Thanks to the issues raised in the books, we have had some great conversations about dating, friendships, bullying, peer pressure, school issues and relationships that have given me some wonderful opportunities to hear her talk about what is really important in her life, as well as what issues confuse or concern her.

A highly recommended series for tween girls.

Title: How to Boost Your Profile (Girl v the World)
Author: Meredith Badger
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont, $12.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 March 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781742973630
For ages: 11 - 14
Type: Middle Fiction, Young Adult Fiction