Being a Girl

Gr 7 Up—Long is like a really cool older sister or friend, giving the inside scoop on sexism, friendships and peer pressure, periods, makeup and fashion, hair care (both head and body), romantic relationships, and sex. She interviewed teen girls and boys about many of these topics and offers some of their answers (in their own handwriting). Correll's comic book–style illustrations of girls (and the occasional boy) are silly and funny and fit perfectly with the variety of text styles—from thought bubbles to charts (for example, "The Ohmygosh, I Like My Female Friend Flowchart") to silly footnotes. Although Long points out that most readers will not yet be ready for sex, the work does contain straightforward sexual information, including diagrams of male and female reproductive systems, a warning about the necessity of using condoms, and a brief discussion of emergency contraception and abortion. While the bulk of the material is targeted at straight girls, the work is consciously inclusive, examining LGBTQ issues such as gender identity and same-sex attraction and pointing out that those in heterosexual and same-sex romantic relationships encounter many of the same emotional issues. This volume was originally published in England, and its list of resources—helpful websites (including many .gov sites on bullying, drug abuse, and health) and crisis/hotline phone numbers—has been updated for U.S. readers. Long stresses throughout this guidebook that there is not one right way to be a girl, providing comfort to readers going through the pressures of adolescence.