The Secrets Girls Keep & Book Giveaway
Happy book birthday to my friend, colleague, and honorary Smart Girl Carrie Silver-Stock. Carrie’s new book for teen girls, Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence comes out today! I had a chance to check out an advance copy of Secrets Girls Keep a few months ago (you’ll find an endorsement from me on Carrie’s website), and I just lo

Girls Get In The Driver’s Seat
Okay, I just to have say that I love what they’re doing over there at Zest Books! Their books for teens are fun, gorgeous, and original, and their latest title, In The Driver’s Seat: A Girl’s Guide to her First Car by Erika Stalder is no exception. In The Driver’s Seat gives teen girl

25th Anniversary of Turning 15
Today I celebrate the 25th anniversary of my 15th birthday. That’s right… I’m turning 40. (Yikes!) Since I spend much of my time reliving my teens through my work, it’s kind of strange to be hitting this milestone. So, I feel compelled to do some reflecting and write a letter to that 15-year-old girl of the 80s I was 25 years ago…the one with bad hair, an obsession with the hurdles, no boobs, and a need to play Oingo Boingo so loud it would rock the house. There’s just a few things I’d like her t

The Face of Social Change
When I got up this morning, I was thrilled to find an article about Seattle teen Jessica Markowitz on the front page of the Seattle Times. Next month, at 14 years old, Jessica is receiving the 2009 World of Children Founders Award at UNICEF in New York for creating IMPUWE, a charity that sends 22 poor girls in Rwanda to s

What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Rihanna just released a new single called Russian Roulettte from her forthcoming album Rated R. I haven’t hear the song yet, but I did stumble upon this image for the cover art of the single. And I have to ask, what was Rihanna thinking? Seriously, do we really need to see more images of women tied up, wrapped up, injured, suppressed, and dominated? Coming off the heals of being assaulted by her former boyfriend, Chris Brown, I would have thought Rihanna was in the perfect position to portr