Thank you New Harbinger Publications and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This is a fabulous resource for both the middle school student and also parents. It is titled as a survival guide for girls but much of the content is highly relevant to all middle schoolers.

The book begins by acknowledging things that will possibly create stress for a middle schooler commencing a new school. We’ve had a bit of experience with this and yes the points raised such as finding your classrooms, lockers, timetables, making friends has all been very relevant.

This initial section of the book was skipped over a little as we have navigated this milestone and are now confident to find classes, read the timetable etc. Nevertheless this section gives a very reassuring, thorough guide for middle schooler and was really comprehensive. The section contained a number of stress management tools, which were nothing new but really impressive as they gave a number of different options to explore such as simple breathing and mindfulness exercises, self-talk awareness and journalling.

After this initial “how to navigate the physical school” section the book continued to build on likely areas the middle schooler will meet challenges with chapters including peer pressure, friendships, consent and many more. Each chapter gave scenarios relevant to the subject and provided different possible options as solutions. These were fabulous as they weren’t a ‘in this situation say this” rather they showed through two or three different actions possible future outcomes, hopefully encouraging the middle schooler to stop and trust their instincts and have the confidence to walk away or take a different option.

Personal values were an overriding theme in the book, teaching the middle schooler to explore what they value, and to set boundaries based on their values.

Another overarching theme was on emotions and feelings. The book gives a fabulous breakdown on what emotions are and what feelings are. It teaches how to explore where / how emotions are felt in the body and what feeling this elicits, explaining that this differs from person to person (fear vs excitement ) . An exercise called cluster journaling was provided to explore this further.

Thank you so much for this ARC. This is an invaluable resource and well worthy of purchasing a hard copy.

4.5 stars.

The Middle School Survival Guide for Girls is a book that breaks down preteen struggles with their environment, bodies and social interactions. This book was able to take a hard topic and simplify it into more manageable bite size pieces, that would satisfy a range of age groups. I personally enjoyed the visualize and the interactive nature of the book. There was more showing then telling in this book. I think it is a great resource that I would recommend if you have a child in this age range.

A MG nonfiction look at middle school tips for girls.
🏫
Some preteens and young women enter middle school with high hopes, preconceived notions, goals and lots of anxiety and stress. This #book takes a look at coping strategies, advice and tips and tricks for surviving middle school as a girl in today’s society.
👧🏽
This guide is targeted towards 11-13 year old girls who are struggling with the idea of middle school or already in MS and having issues they need to sort through. Lots of practical advice, understanding and thoughtfulness went into this title and I will be purchasing it for my middle school library when it releases April 1.

CW: bullying, anxiety

3.5 ⭐️

My 11 year old daughter previewed this book and here are some of her thoughts:
I think this book as a good book to read before starting middle school! It covers everything you will need to know when you start Middle School. I think this a great book if you are scared or worried about starting middle school, or even if you just are reading the book for more information. I would recommend this book to others! This would make a great gift for a middle schooler or be a great addition to public and school libraries.

Thank you to Net Galley, Gerldine O'Sullivan, and Lucie Hemmen for giving me the opportunity to preview this book. The opinions shared are my own.

This book is expected to be released on May 29th 2025.

Wow! I was really impressed with the cohesiveness and competence of this book. As a child and adolescent therapist, I oftentimes see middle schoolers struggle with adapting to different environment, navigating friendship struggles, along with all the physiological changes in their bodies. This guide is comprehensive and covers topics from what to expect to the first day, feelings, puberty, friendship conflict, bullying, substance use and consent. It is very informative without it reading as a textbook and has interactive guides to keep the reader engaged.

If I were to change anything about this book, I would make it a tad more interactive and recommend this book be completed in tandem with a parent or guardian as I believe topics like these are helpful for parents/guardians to know and use in their conversations with their middle-schoolers. I would love to see a Middle School Survival Guide for Boys as well!

Overall, this will be a book I will be purchasing and using with my middle schoolers in my therapeutic practice, along with recommending to other clinicians and parents as well.