A Smart Girl's Guide: Friendship Troubles: Dealing with Fights, Being Left Out & the Whole Popularity Thing (American Girl(r) Wellbeing)

These are a good set of books for girls growing up and needing some expert (but not bossy parent) advice. WE have 3 of these now, and whilst my 10YO and 8YO both say they've never read them for fear of admitting a problem, I've found them both secretly absorbed on several occasions. An important parenting thing for me. Sometimes not forcing the issue and providing the assistance is enough. As a 43YO Dad I have NO IDEA over the intricacies of girls friendship groups, the politics, the cliques, the expectations, the psychological bullying (to be frank). We've seen this starting to creep into our daughters lives, and bought this book as a way to allow them to read a little without having to ask for help. We constantly check in but it's clear that aren't always comfortable opening up. The content is set out in a plain, well illustrated way that takes you through the problem, why it happens, how to manage it, and ways to cope. Some solid advice provided in a lovely, empathetic way. It wasn't till they arrived and I was perusing that I realised these books were published by American Girl. If you have girls, they are the holy grail of 18 inch dolls. We have the cheaper version in our house BUT importantly that link made sure that my daughters trusted the content that little bit more.

I rarely write good reviews but felt it was worth putting this out there. These books (we got all 3.. stand up, friendship troubles and rumours) have really hit them right spot and are exactly what we needed. My 8 year daughter has taken to them really well and they are helping her to understand some problems with a friend circle. Will be recommending these onwards. My daughter reads very well but there books feel like they are at the right level and are a good reference source for several years to come. Might look into getting the others..

This book is great if your daughter has any issues with friendships and needs some ideas about how to deal with them. It's written in an engaging way and they both read it through and kept referring back to it. There are some fun quizzes which we went through together and gave me a chance to discuss some real life situations with them too. I think this is a book they will go back to again and again.

My granddaughter immigrated to uk from South Africa, and was not easily accepted as a “different” type. She desperately craved friends, and this book gave her very good guidance

This was recommended to me by a friend when my daughter was having some friendship difficulties in Year 6. My daughter found it really useful and has read it both on her own and with me. She refers to it when she is worried about anything that's going on in her friendship group, and it's helped her gain better perspective on what's happening and has also encouraged her to be more assertive. It's obviously written for an American audience but that's not been a problem, the advice translates well - and my daughter speaks fluent American anyway thanks to the Disney Channel ;) I'd definitely recommend this to anyone with a daughter between the ages of 8-12 having problems with her friendship groups.

Both my 8yr old and 10 yr old have found these books really helpful. There is only so much advice a mom can give before kids start to roll their eyes or glaze over. This book says it better/differently than I do, and so it makes a great "reference" guide for girls who are starting to deal with friendship issues at school. We have several in the series and have been happy with all of them.

My daughter is in Year 7 and having to contend with friends moving on and trying to make new ones. She quiet and not confident socially and this book is spot-on for the issues she's having to deal with - it's helped us deal with 3 problems during the first week. We're keeping it on the kitchen table to talk about those little (and bigger) things that crop up at school every day. The American spelling and terminology is there but not overwhelming. I never write reviews on anything, but this book is an exception!

my 9 yr old daughter says that she really enjoyed reading this and got lots of tips, however she tends to forget the tips and needs to keep coming back to it every few weeks, therefore its an excellent buy!

Good for a beginning but not enough

Daughter has read many of these she absolutely loves them

My daughter enjoyed the book and found the advice useful and relevant. I loaned it to a friend’s daughter who also found it relatable and helpful.

Bought this for a ten-year-old who doesn't yet have to deal with this (but it's probably on it's way)...she loved it, read it cover to cover and could really relate to the way kid friends sometimes grow apart and that it can be painful, but it's okay and that things will adjust. That new friends can be as good as that old relationship, even if they are not with the same person. If I remember correctly, the book deals with not only "what happens if your friend wants to move on from the friendship" but "what if you want to move on from the friendship." It offers ways to understand both sides and to encourage empathy for the one who might be getting hurt by the way things are going. I'm not an American Girl fan: I think their products are over-priced and elitist, but their books offer an astoundingly grounded viewpoint that reinforces the "it's okay to be you, even if everyone is different" mantra that I can only respect and support. The book is not too thick, has pictures, and bright colours. There is a lot of empathy encouraged. I bought this in conjunction with the America Girl's "A Smart Girl's Guide: Drama, Rumors & Secrets"

A ready reckoner for the girls growing up. My daughter loved the book & finds it quite handy dealind with friends. The import charges was quite high. Almost ended up paying Rs. 1550 to get the book home.