Reviews: Catherine Dee Girls

What do Jennifer Love Hewitt and Martin Luther King, Jr. have in common? Author Dee has selected their words of wisdom—as well as advice from the likes of Maya Angelou, Madonna, and Brad Pitt—for feature spots in The Girls' Book of Love. The book . . . offers teens a peek at the years ahead (and might help parents to better communicate with their budding offspring).—Linda M. Castellitto, BookSense.com

Catherine Dee's brilliant blend of quotes, poetry, stories, advice and honest questions are a must-read for every girl falling in or out of love. Everyone's heart is different—yet each can be touched by these pages. Just reading this book brought me on a journey through every emotion and love that I've ever felt. This is the big sister that you always wish you had when it comes to matters of the heart.—Girlposse.com

If your love life is in the dumps, this book will cheer you up with advice on how to keep it together or, for the worse case, how to break it off easy. . . . Give this book to someone you love, whether young or old. While it is targeted towards teenagers, it is good for all ages.—YA Books Central

The Girls’ Book of Love balances the cultural hype about love with reality, presenting quotes, facts, and opinions that will help girls who (like most adults) are trying to figure out how to stay true to themselves while loving someone else. A truly fun, informative, and enlightening read for preteens and young women.—Nancy Gruver, founder, New Moon: The Magazine for and Their Dreams

This book has everything a girl could want to keep herself focused and empowered—whether she’s in love, out of love, or just in between.—Dr. Gilda Carle, pH.D, media personality

Takes a practical approach to a subject that’s one of the most elusive and critical to girls: love. The Girls’ Book of Love is what today's teens are searching for to answer the questions they're afraid to ask. . .This book rocks!—Karen DeMars, CEO, eCrush

The Girls’ Book of Friendship

An inspiring, fun book celebrating girlfriends. . . . The brief text offers plenty of information enhanced by graphics and sidebars. This is a book that preteens and teens will pick up and thumb through rather than read from cover to cover. The author uses many humorous and inspiring quotes and stories, so the advice in not “preachy” or “parental.”—Parent Council

Women as diverse as Madonna, Helen Keller and hospital coordinator Wini Scott weigh in on what it takes to make and keep friends. An inspiring collection.—Publishers Weekly

This well-put-together collection makes a nice pick-me-up for a friend in need or a good resource for one’s personal reference shelf. A serviceable addition to popular paperback shelves.—School Library Journal

The Girls’ Book of Wisdom

The Girls’ Book of Wisdom is loaded with motivational and witty quotes on just about everything -- leadership, romance, beauty, success, friends, adventure and much more. . . . The next time you need some advice, turn to Gwyneth Paltrow, Maya Angelou, Lauryn Hill, Miss Piggy, Whoopi Goldberg, Eleanor Roosevelt, Kerri Strug or whoever else floats your boat.—Karen Bokram, publisher, Girls’ Life

The Girls’ Book of Success

"Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping- stone to greatness," says Oprah Winfrey. That quote alone has me hooked on this book, and it's only one of the many phenomenal others in this great page turner. Page after page is filled with inspiration and great words to live by and selections from the coolest females around. I would recommend this book for any age. It helps girls figure out how to strive for greatness no matter who they are or how they see themselves. —Joi, SmartGirl.org

In an age that encourages young girls to act older than their years and demeans women in popular videos, how wonderful it is to find a book that celebrates women in such a way that will reach young ears. . . . This little book is filled with gorgeous gems.—Heather Robertson, Children's Literature

All girls have the power to achieve their dreams and goals, and this book is an inspiration for them to begin their journey with. As the mother of two girls, this book will have a long shelf life at our house! —Christina Lewis, Kidsbookshelf.com

The down-to-earth writing will connect with girls, and several of the stories feature girls or women who have had success in non-traditional areas, giving readers the knowledge that they can expand their horizons. The book also has practical advice on issues such as higher education, mentoring, and choosing a career. . . . The Girls’ Book of Success will be a great inspiration to any girl or young woman determined to reach her dreams.—NOW San Francisco

An inspirational book that will lead young women down the path of career success. The perfect stocking stuffer . . .young and old will appreciate this book.—Dorrie Wheeler, Bella Online

The Girls’ Guide to Life

An excellent book for young women, this touches on many aspects of life today. . . . My daughter and her fellow fifth-grade girls rated this book highly, but I think it’s good for all ages.—Gail E. Roberts, KLIATT Reviews

Want to help a middle school girl be proud to be female, yet not deny the hard issues of becoming a woman? . . . .there's enough laughter and community involvement for any young woman to have a ball.—American Association of University Women

This savvy handbook is more than just the “how-to” guide its title suggests. In a provocative and friendly style, Dee demonstrates that typical feminine characteristics such as silence in the classroom, insecurity about appearance, and intimidation about sports or science are not the irrevocable fate of being female but simply the result of growing up in a society that maintains a deep-seated bias against girls and women. She uses snappy, teen-magazine-style chapters to illuminate these biases: what they are, how to recognize them, and how to change them. . . . Go, girls! —Horn Book

A fact-packed and thought-provoking information and activity book . . . . a pleasing and valuable guide. —Kirkus Reviews

With an emphasis on empowerment, The Girls’ Guide to Life by Catherine Dee is all action.—Publishers Weekly

An accessible, refreshingly nonstrident means of introducing young women to feminist issues of today.—Booklist

Dee ambitiously touches on a wide range of salient issues from self-esteem to working women . . . . She easily moves back and forth between two poles, noting both the progress made by women and girls to date and the gender bias still in place . . . . Dee’s book is full of challenging ideas, neatly packaged so as to spur girls to think of themselves as players in the game of life.—San Francisco Chronicle

This book is such a good idea it’s a wonder no one did it before. . . . a world of facts, information and resources and produced a lively, magazine-style book . . . instructive and informative without ever becoming patronizing.—Palo Alto Weekly

Smart, fun, feminist advice for girls 10-16 in an eye-catching format.—Ms.

Here’s a concept: Why not try to give teen girls a supportive, informative guide for coping with life and preparing for adulthood, and put it in a form that will (gasp) actually appeal to them in the way Sassy or Seventeen does. Far from a boring self-help tome, Catherine Dee’s new Girls’ Guide to Life patterns itself after the teeny-bop mags, from the bright, stylin’ cover straight on through. But when the cover teasers—you know, the ones that normally read “50 Ways to Make Him Notice You” and “How Anorexia Can Help You Beat Split Ends”—say “Discover Your Political Power” and “Learn the Secret of Self-Esteem,” you know you're in for something completely different. . . . I’ll bet it leaves more than one 13-year-old with her head spinning . . . . Dee is clearly onto something here. —Santa Cruz Good Times