I frequently work with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorders so I was very pleased to review this book as an ARC. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher! Overall I think this book will be very helpful for children with social skills deficits. There are many things I appreciated about this book, including the use of inclusive language and recognition of gender identity and LGBTQ+ identity. The author normalizes so many of the awkward situations we can find ourselves in, even as adults! The book is written in a very conversational manner with appropriate humor. I also appreciate the author’s recognition of the many modes with which we communicate and the included example text messages and emails. The drawings are relatable and represent people of diverse ethnicity and disability category. While I, personally, very much appreciated the social justice and activism chapters, I do wonder if, maddeningly, those chapters might make the book less appealing to less progressive school districts. Another slight negative is that some of the things the author suggests kids should say are a bit long, formal, and don’t necessarily match how many kids talk. Some adaptation is likely to be needed when teaching the scripts to others. I believe this book is ideal for students with average or better cognitive skills and later elementary age to teenagers. The book reads almost like an older sibling teaching the younger one. I think children will enjoy it and will learn some good information about communication and maintaining relationships.

This book is a really great guide for kids because it teaches them exactly what they can say in situations to stand up for themselves and others. I liked that it not only focused on respectful communication, but making sure that they know they don’t have to just be respectful, they can stand up for themselves and be clear about what they want.

It is an inclusive book that encourages kids to get to know others who are different and teaches them how to stand up for marginalized communities in several different ways. I also LOVED that it gave clear examples of how to disrupt things like racism, homophobia, and ableism when it comes in the form of a “joke” or comes from a friend or family that we love. I think even as an adult it can be hardest to speak up to people we know rather than strangers, and this makes such a big difference for kids to know what to say to disrupt these ideas without straining a relationship. This is just as important as any other activism so I’m glad it was included in more than one example.

This book has a very wide range of topics, and I wish it was more focused. Some of the topics were quickly breezed over because there were so many different things to talk about. I think it could have been better if it cut down on the amount of topics and delved in deeper to some, because some were so brief they could have easily been cut out. Some topics I read and then was thinking “oh that’s over?” while others included plenty of information.

Overall a good book, one I would definitely share with students!

I really liked this! I don't think it's for any specific age, making it possible to break the book up by what you think is age appropriate for your child. It's also very funny in parts, and I def shared those with my friends.

This was a great book that discussed social topics and how to interact properly. This is a must-read for teens and tweens!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

One would think that this book is essential mainly for introverts (such as myself) who freeze at the mention of intermingling with strangers or going to a party alone. But the book is aimed not just at those who are reserved but also to those who are comfortable speaking in public but want to know how to interact better.

Communication is important, everyone already knows this. But to many people, communication involves merely talking. Effective communication needs be so much more than that. Furthermore, you have the social difficulties of establishing right communication with school peers or office colleagues or neighbours or strangers. This book helps youngsters to handle all their problems regarding the right way to communicate.

The book covers a vast range of topics; from basic hellos and goodbyes to having a conversation, from simply getting along to handling difficult topics such as apologies or gossip. It even includes a section on handling a romantic relationship (with an addendum saying that the section may be skipped and read at the right time) and a section on caring for the community (though I did feel that including content on activism stretched the idea of better communication a bit too far.) To suit the need of the day, there’s also a whole section dedicated to contemporary topics such as using the right pronouns, responding to someone who is coming out, how to respond to offensive jokes, sticking up against prejudice, and so on. Every section is handled in a very practical way such that children will be able to implement the ideas easily. There is a lot of humour in the content, making it further accessible to this young age group.

There is an abundance of illustrations exemplifying every advice in the book, which makes the advice easier to visualise and follow. The illustrations are inclusive too, huge bonus points for that.

Heartily recommended to all youngsters, parents, teachers, schools and libraries.

4.25 stars from me.


My thanks to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was first introduced to Catherine Newman's writing when I read and reviewed her May 2020 book release, How to be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up.

I loved that these simple yet important life skills. were covered in a simple and easy to consume manner, something that is not that easy to find these days! The first few years of parenthood really are all about survival- and then you come out on the other side and realize you are also raising a real live HUMAN who, under your supervision will need to learn how to be a competent and functional adult!

So, How to be A Person is a much needed gem of a tool, and is filled with tips and tricks while also having a perfect balance of information and humor. I read it with our then 9 year old son and we both found that the writing was accessible and relatable. So when I saw "What Can I Say?" I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough!

Just like how teaching our kids all the logistics of daily life can be trickier than we ever imagined, knowing the right things to say can be just as complex, if not more so.

In a world where we are connected in so many ways, our words can be more powerful than ever before. Shown through engaging graphics and relatable narration, Newman walks us through dozens of social situations, from navigating peer interactions to how to be an ally. Her writing is compassionate and sparked so many great discussions with our pre-teen.

Thank you to Storey Publishing for my gifted review copy.

The author does a great job of explaining soft skills and other social skills for tweens and teens in a very relatable way. Using graphic novel illustrations, and covering a range of situations such as how to initiate a conversation to how to handle bullying and how to be an ally. There are how-to sections for comforting someone or giving advice. The author points out universal experiences, such as how we all feel awkward at times, and also discusses how some topics don't have one right way to be handled.

The cover art did not look as attractive as the illustrations within. I was worried the book would be too juvenile based on the cover. Fortunately, the content within was well worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley for an e-ARC of the book.

This book was absolutely amazing and truly needs to be on every child’s shelf!! It is introspective and even adults can get wonderful information.

This book is a guideline to improve social communications no matter how difficult the conversation can be. Communicating  expressively, with compassion,  and responsibly can be vital for effective conversation because it makes the world a better place.  I like how the situations are explained in a simple manner  with  pre teen/ teen - level humor for the target audience to comprehend.
I wished that I had come across this book years before, because this could have saved my embarrassing teenage moments . Although this book was targeted for preteen and  teen audience, the adults can learn a few things from this book.
This book is definitely ideal for older children and teens to help take few tips for effective conversation. Although the book is meant for older children and teens, the teachers , however can take few tips to teach their young students for communicational benefit. Overall, this is a great tool!

I wish I had this book when I was a kid! It goes over many social conventions that we take for granted, and it lays out why the way to do things are the best way to handle social issues. For example, it talks about how to handle interactions with a sad friend or family member using empathy. I think the graphic nature of the explanations will appeal to kids more than simple type would.

I like that includes how to use gender neutral phrases to be inclusive, though this would be enhanced with some examples of how to use gender neutral language to avoid assumptions until a persons gender has been confirmed. For example, you can say “did you have fun with Marcie and their parents” and when you get the response “yes, her moms took us to the zoo” then now you know the gender pronouns to use and can reply “Great! I’m glad you had fun with marcie and her moms”. Or asking about someone’s partner until they confirm the language they use to refer to their partner “husband, girlfriend, wife, partner” etc and then using what they said. I didn’t learn that until adulthood and it’s really helpful language.

I would have loved to see a section on handling conversation in a group rather than just 1-on-1. You know how you’ll be in a big group conversation and can’t decide the best time to interject with something, and then by the time a space in the conversation opens up, your addition isn’t relevant any more? Or how best to include someone in a group conversation who is being quiet. This might be more advanced fare for a sequel.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend the book. I think it’s a great way to outline social etiquette that we assume people pick up naturally or learn from others, but not everyone does. I know plenty of adults that could use some of the knowledge in this book.

What a perfect book for preteens and teens and honestly has great advice for all ages! Really enjoyed reading this with my son and we both learned a lot. So grateful for the opportunity to review this!

The concepts and ideas in this book are good but I have a few suggestions. The title made me believe the book was going to be about how to handle social situations and give tips and tricks for that type of stuff. While the book briefly does this, it continues on and covers a wide range of topics. For me personally I would have preferred if the book focused on what the title suggested. I wanted more information on those topics and not information about how to make a poster for a protest. I wish the author had given more examples for each topic and gone into greater depth. The book felt a little all over the place with the wide range of topics.

What Can I Say? A Kid’s Guide to Super-Useful Social Skills That Will Help You Get Along and Express Yourself written by Catherine Newman & illustrated by Debbie Fong is an amazing resource!

The intended audience is middle grade to young adult readers but really any one of any age who could use a refresher in social skills should read this! Any one who has kids or teaches kids should read & share this! The range of topics discussed in this book are absolutely fantastic. From how to be a good friend, how to listen, stand up for yourself, how to respond to bullying, how to be an ally, express sympathy, understand empathy, how to date or not date, how to be inclusive, how to use pronouns, and much more!

There are illustrated examples given under each topic to help kids make the connection between what it means to be x and what that may look like in their own lives. There is also a little pop quiz at the end of each chapter on what would be the most appropriate response or action based on a given situation. It’s light, at times funny, and always non-judgemental.

I wish this book existed when I was younger. It is a useful compass for how to navigate emotions, friends, relationships, understanding others and yourself at a very confusing time in life when a child or young adult may not have the best role models equipped to practice or share these social skills with them.

These social skills are essential to learn and what a wonderful book to share with our youth today. I would recommend this for middle grade and YA readers and really for any one who has ever struggled with social skills. This would make a great classroom, library, and homeschool addition and I will be recommending this one to any one with kids and teachers. I will definitely purchase a copy for my own children as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Catherine Newman for making this book!

This book was a good primer for kids on being a good friend and supporting others and speaking up for their needs. I think that it could have dived in more on allyship and what privilege means and how that can often shape the way we show up in our relationships.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for giving me a chance to read this.

For someone who is socially awkward and often thinks herself of as having autism (not sure if I am. Being undiagnosed is hard because you can never figure out yourself ), this book is pleasing and playful to read. It offers a helping hand in a form of comical scenarios to solve many social interactions.

Just like the author says, I can stroll the pages if I found myself unable to relate to some of the contents, I did not. But I go through some with mixed feelings. Overall, it's one helpful book.

This book is fantastic. It covers so many different topics and explains the different ways to have various conversations with others. The book takes into account, that not everyone is comfortable communicating in the same way and offers additional support for this. We already have How to Be a Person at school. It was one of my first choices for our newly-created Wellbeing Library and I will be adding this as soon as it comes out. Both books break down some difficult social situations into manageable chunks and provide practical tips alongside engaging illustrations and great humour.

This was such a cute and charming book. Catherine Newman's writing and Debbie Fong's illustrations were clear and concise. I especially see this being a great addition to a classroom or school library.

Some kids just kinda Get It socially-- some (my younger self included) Do Not. While a read-through of this cute book might not make an awkward tween into a social whiz immediately, I feel like if I had read this when I was floundering at 11 it would have made me feel a lot better. Just having some kind of textbook to lean on can help a lot for a kid who is comfortable reading and learning, and less comfortable experimenting in the real world.

I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of topics this book covered, although some of them were breezed through more quickly than I thought they warranted. Very cute illustrations, and the book took efforts to be (and succeeds at being) inclusive.

I am the mom of a sweet middle schooler with autism. This was a great book to give him a few tips! Well done!