What a smashing guide for young girls! This handbook should be handed out to girls everywhere. The title says it all - growing up powerful. This beautifully illustrated, bright, and bold handbook is jam-packed with advice and tips on growing up into a knowledgeable and powerful young woman. It covers every topic to help with changes to the body and mind, to living in your home, community, and the planet. There are expert opinions and qr codes to scan to retrieve video information. This book helps young women get to know themselves better and find their superpower. At almost 300 pages this book is separated into lots of easy to locate topics for future reference and is pitched perfectly for readers aged 9 years plus, hitting puberty. A must-read for girls turning into young women #rebelgirls #growinguppowerful #netgalley

I really like this book. I think it's great that it's so informal and doesn't at all read like a textbook. It has language that is familiar to children and isn't daunting to read because of how it's broken up. I also really like the quizzes it has throughout to get kids thinking and give them a break from the information dumping. At the end is a multimedia list of resources to look into for further reading and advice. It reminds me of the American Girl "The Care and Keeping of You" series, but obviously updated and from a different perspective (and actually a lot more in-depth if I'm remembering the AG series correctly!).

It's wonderful how in detail much of the information and advice is in this book. From how the brain is still forming at this targeted age to the appropriateness of therapy for handling emotions, how the body changes to navigating relationships, career decisions to making a difference in the world--it's a very in-depth guide with expert knowledge to all the confusing and sometimes very embarrassing stuff going on at this age, all from a place of positivity and care. It's never patronizing. There are also sections dedicated to helping the reader build media literacy! That's so awesome. I appreciate that there is no beating around the bush and the pros and cons of certain things are laid out so that the reader can make the best decision for themselves.

That said, while I do love and appreciate the language in this book, I must point out that trans identities and intersex people are mentioned way after the body section. During that section, and especially the menstruation part, I don't see any instance of recognizing that not every girl who picks up this book is going to have breasts or a vagina. It sincerely had me worried for a bit that this wasn't as inclusive as other Rebel Girls books are! I was relieved when the LGBTQ+ community was finally mentioned (at nearly the end of the book, however, in the relationships chapter), but language matters during a chapter devoted to bodily functions and changes, especially to young girls who will not be going through those same changes. There will 100% be girls picking up this book who ARE trans and may feel like their body is wrong.

Despite this, this was an excellent book. I'm absolutely recommending it to kids who need it.

I received an electronic ARC from Rebel Girls through NetGalley.
A different style book for this brand. The entire volume focuses on the young women who read it. The authors take readers through how much will happen in their lives during the middle grade and early high school years. Each chapter begins with an affirmation and offers facts and personal stories to reinforce how important each girl is. As we've come to expect, the range of topics covered is broad and inclusive. This is one families should have on hand for when their daughters turn eight or nine to share together. It's also one for girls to read alone for encouragement and support.

Girls need this book. I'm less partial to the illustrations than I am to the text, but that's likely a matter of personal preference. Parents (especially moms) reading this book with their kids will also be inspired to remember that loving yourself is a necessity that doesn't go away and that we're all works in progress. A "Care and Keeping of You" for the modern age. Extra applause for the sections on crushes and social media - older books specified that new feelings about "boys" might come up, and this book is a little more inclusive; also, middle-grade girls need a lot of guidance around social media. There's a decent amount of back matter too - an index, further reading, podcasts, and so forth. Wish there had been more specificity for subcategories in the bibliography (puberty, social media, supporting a cause), but there's at least a healthy number of resources.

The text on the cover lets readers know what will be found inside. This is a guide to “keeping confident when your body is changing, your mind is racing and the world is…complicated.” Here is a tall order but the Rebel Girls are as ever able to help.

There are chapters in this title on the brain, the body, being a valuable person in one’s family, the strength in connection and, hope for making the world a better place. There are also additional resources and sections on the book’s creators and experts.

To give a better sense of the book’s contents, the brain chapter has, among other things, a quiz asking about perfectionism and entries on stress, the blues and loss. Readers are told that therapy can help. The chapter ends with an ask the experts section. Each additional chapter is equally well set out.

This is a terrific resource for girls of ages roughly 8 to 14. Buy it for kids that you know. They will thank you! I give it my very highest recommendation.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rebel Girls for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book is not that surprising, really. Knowing that it comes from the Rebel Girls, I really did not expect it to be anything else but just perfect. Another perfect book. Excellent, I’d say even.
This one is like a tween/teen-sized self-help/chicken soup/best friend/guide. A mix of it all. To help girls grow up strong, and smart, know their worth, be aware of all the endless possibilities they have, believe in themselves, be their true selves, and not shrink for anyone or anything. You are allowed to feel, to live, to enjoy, to grieve, to have a body that works the way it does – you are allowed to go through life and still be you. Makeup, periods, health, emotions, school, family, friends – it is all covered, and it is done in a very loving way too.
Yet the book does not feel like a pep talk, no, not at all. It feels more like a conversation with a wiser, older, and super open-minded best friend. A friend we all actually need in our lives.
Forget all the old-school books “for girls”. Nope. Throw them all away or at least stash them away for a while. No more books for “how to be a good girl”. Be loud, be proud, be who you are, be happy, live your true potential, and dream big – this is what this book really is about. Replace all the “good girls” books with this one, and replace all the vague (and super neutral) health info books with this one also.
Rebel Girls books are just so awesome. Each of those books is a step closer to a better world for girls and women everywhere. The more girls grow up empowered and know that they are allowed to be – and to be themselves, the better the world is going to be. This book takes it one step closer to reaching that better world.

Thank you to Rebel Girls for inviting me to read this book.

The audience for this book feels a little older than previous Rebel Girls books. This time, it feels more like a pre-teen audience than about 9-10 year olds (that may be considered pre-teen but I’m thinking 11-13 year olds for the audience). There were age appropriate (aka simple) explanations as opposed to complex ones that fit with that 11-13 year old audience.

WHAT I LIKED:
- The topics mentioned were amazing! Neurodiversity, consent, disordered eating, and a lot more were brought up and given really simple explanations. This isn’t a book for nuanced takes so you would have to go elsewhere, but a basic “here’s some vocabulary”? I think it works well.
- There was an acknowledgment of friendship breakups. This is so important since it feels like a lot of friends breakup around the audience's age. It would be beneficial to know what is happening, why it hurts, and how to get through it. It’s a difficult time and it’s not spoken about a lot.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
- I wish there was more outright mention of disabilities. Half of a page was given to talk about physical disabilities, but that’s all. Also, a lot of the activities/suggestions/ideas mentioned didn’t take into account even a basic disability lens.
- Along with disability, I can’t recall poverty and/or racism being discussed. These are topics that hit the audience's age in different ways than adults and it would have been nice to see someone explain what’s going on. Writing “It’s not your fault” won’t get you out of racist environments or dealing with poverty so something with a little more impact would have helped. Perhaps this requires a more nuanced discussion but a quick primer would have been nice.

Overall, I don’t think it’s a bad book. It’s almost 300 pages and there’s a lot of useful information. I just wanted a little more, specifically on the “What I Didn’t Like” topics since those are super important.

*Thank you to Rebel Girls and NetGalley for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review*

You know, I imagine, by now that I'm a big fan of Rebel Girls. Well, they done it YET AGAIN! This book is a hymn to how to be powerful and awesome. To be a teenager is really difficult. BUT to be a teenage girl is so much more difficult. A teenage girl first and foremost has to deal with a lot. Hormones are all over the place, external appearance (including eating disorders which a lot of young girls are falling into this trap). And don't get me started on LGBTQ+ issues, ok? This book covered pretty much everything. It's the perfect guide for a teenage girl. I wish it was written when I was a teenager, it would make my life so easier.

The problem with growing up is that there are no good guides to doing so. In my day we had Our Bodies, Ourselves, but that was a huge book to get through.

The nice thing about Growing Up Powerful is that it focuses on all the things that girls growing up worry about, and covers them. I kept looking to see if it covered everything I could think I would have had questions about, and yes, it pretty much does. Eating Disorders, check, LGBTQ, check, Anxiety, check, Period, oh hell yeah, check.

Each sections goes over things such as your brain (and the various ways we learn), Your body (and all things related to your body.) Family (both good and bad). Stronger together (being friends and making friends), and How to make the world a better place (what it says on the tin.)

Experts answer questions. Kids ask questions. Sound advice and examples are given.

A *very* easy to read book, where you can learn all the basic stuff that you need to know as you navigate through Middle and High School. Love all the Rebel Girl branded books, although usually they are biographies of famous and not-s0-famous women. This is solely about girls and what they need.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book comes out the 9th of May, 2023. If you have a pre-teen or teenage girl in your life, you would be good to offer her this book.

Author Nona Willis Aronowitz, illustrations by Caribay Marquina

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Wish I'd had this manual handy when I was the age of the target audience. While it's often hard to tread that fine line between a book containing tons of insightful, meaningful information and still keep it fun, Rebel Girls does their usual excellent job. The colors are bright and vivid, while the illustrations show diversity, movement, and emotion while still somehow retaining their direct simplicity. The info itself is nicely organized, frequently broken down into smaller bits via boxed text and captions. Thus, easy to read and navigate while maintaining it's goal of being there for pre-teen girls. As I said, where was this book when I needed it?

As I've become more familiar with the Rebel Girls world, I've found that I rarely simply sit down and read straight through. That was the case again this time. After settling in with much of the first chapter, which deals with girls as emotional human beings, talking about ways to deal with new friends, stress and the blues, it also delves with coping with the loss of a loved one. That's one topic often neglected and remembering my own adult emotions of dealing with death, one I was glad to see included.

I found myself drawn to chapter five, however, as I flipped around using the contents and index as my guide. Given the uncertainties and fears even adults have felt over the last few years or turmoil and a worldwide pandemic, how could I not jump into that chapter's first section on coping with a scary world? The advice was targeted and while it offered no easy solutions, provided solid advice that can be used. That chapter also reminded us that epic fails along the way don't mean we're losers. Quite the contrary. It reminds young girls of the courage it took to simply try, building them up. You'll love the short scenarios throughout the book, btw, dealing with not just this topic but others.

Bottom line, I recommend this book without hesitation. Even if you don't have a growing, ever changing pre-teen girl in your realm, it would make an excellent gift for those who might. Thank you so much #NetGalley and #RebelGirls for reminding me what it was like to navigate those scary years as an "almost teenager". I haven't clicked on all the QR codes yet but will definitely be doing so to see what other great advice is available.

This reminds me of American Girl's Care & Keeping of You book that I read growing up! I think that this is a great guide and has so much good info, with a very modern feel to it. I like the different ways that it addresses situations that are something that other books kind of leave out a little.

THIS IS THE BOOK I WISH TO READ WHEN I WAS YOUNGER:( OMG THE MANUAL IS SO HELPFUL!!!
It explains clearly the stages of puberty and the changes in our body and mind. It starts with the changes in your brain, how you think, how you deal with emotion. Than your bones, hormones. It also talks about your stress, anxiety. How you deal with menstruation for the first time. What it means. If you're having a girl who's about to grow to be a teenager, this book helps a lot!!! It validates their feeling and make it easier for them to open up and understand their mind and body~

The best from the Rebel Girls so far! I adored this book. It is a wonderful guide for the young girl as she starts her journey into her teen years. It covers heath body and mind, family and friendship issues, and so much more. It will help your preteen to be prepared for challenges she will soon face for herself as well as helping to guide her through relationships with friends and family. There are qr codes throughout the book for even more fun and learning.

This book is gold! Growing Up Powerful is perfect for any girl!

As a mother of a little girl- this book is a gift to parents everywhere. It almost reminds me of the American Girl books about friendships, your body, etc but now updated.

This book is colorful and attractive. I can see it flawlessly grabbing the attention of a young girl. There’s so much great info but it’s all broken into bits & with clear headings. This style of book can be challenging to feel “fun” while still providing valuable information. But of course, Rebel Girls knocked it out of the park!

Topics such as body, families, school, friends, feelings, internet safety, etc are covered. There’s various quizzes throughout (which I would’ve just eaten up as a kid!) There’s various QR codes thought out. I love the list of resources and podcasts at the end!

There’s not many things more important than setting up young girls to feel powerful & good about themselves. We live in a male centered world and I’d love to see that change. This book will definitely help young girls with all their big feelings & challenges they’re going to face. The least we can do is provide them with the resources to be themselves and get through the things life will through at them. Puberty is such a confusing time. The easier we can make it on young girls- the better:

I will be purchasing this ASAP and stashing it until my daughter is ready- which may be soon!

Rebel Girl series can do no wrong!

The usual beautiful touch with the colours and pictures that I have grown to expect and continue to love. Diverse and welcoming language and imagery as well as examples.
The text is interspersed with quizzes, things to read and differing activities. The section looking at emotions was particularly impactful in our household and led to good discussions on confidence, bravery and even stress and anxiety. There is something of a manual about family life in a later section and there was a good part on speaking to parents or carers, how to ask for something you want or need and the importance of compromise.
There are some real life questions for teens which are sensitively answered and relevant for today.

This book is a powerful read for young women. It reads easily for those who may not have an adult in their lives they are comfortable discussing these topics with. The tidbits on how their brain works is fascinating and helpful as they navigate through their teen years.

I LOVE the Rebel Girls series so much! This one doesn’t disappoint either!

The cover, the content and the concept: everything works perfectly!

The first chapter discusses on our brain, our perceptions; how we are all different and how to handle the idea of perfectionism. Also, it includes the discussion on risks - the good and the bad, how to identify them and what the young girls can do about it. I appreciate how the book talks on failure.

My most favourite part comes with the talk on different emotions- how we should identify each emotion, deal with the ones we can’t handle and when it’s okay to take help.

The second chapter discusses in details about the changes while growing up. This chapter is so important and helpful I feel. This can be an entire book in itself.

The third chapter deals in connection with families - what family means, family traditions sibling troubles, how to deal with disagreements and various family activities.
The fourth chapter shows how it’s important to stand together, be stronger together - friendship and sisterhood; what possible scenarios we would face in life and how to deal with them.

The final chapter shows how we can make a difference and how our voices can be made heard!

This collection is so good! The illustrations are mind blowing!

Such a great publication.

Thank you, Rebel Girls, for the advance reading copy.