SECRETS, DIARY OF A GUTSY TEEN
by Barbara Becker
Holstein
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Following in the footsteps of The Truth,
Secrets: Diary of a Gutsy Teen begins as the thirteen-year-old protagonist
makes a move with her family to a new town. She has grown up a lot over the
past year—and has made a list of everything that’s important to her now that
she doesn’t want to forget when she gets older. But now, as she enters her
early teen years, she begins to write down the secrets she wants to keep—and
the ones she has no one to tell about. From new school experiences to a new
baby in the family to a new crush, this new teen finally feels empowered on
making her own decisions with confidence and keeping those secrets she holds
dearest for herself.
In
a positive and supportive diary-entry format, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
encourages tween and early teen girls to carry the most precious parts of
themselves into adulthood. A great book for mothers and daughters to read
together, Secrets is aimed to improve communication, understanding, and
self-esteem for young girls as they enter the rocky road of teenager-dom.
EXCERPT:
Date:
December 2
Dear Diary,
I have a secret and it’s been eating me up inside,
so I have to tell you. I lied to Angela. I told her I had a terrible sore
throat and couldn’t come for the weekend. She said she was sorry and that she
would invite me again.
I felt terrible, and then my throat really began
to hurt. But I just couldn’t go to Springport for a whole weekend_even though I
miss being around Angela.
Now that I have best friends here, I don’t feel
the same way I used to about going back to visit. And I didn’t know how to tell
Angela that. I could tell when we talked on the phone that she really wanted me
to come. And she sent me a new selfie, holding a sign that reads I Miss You! She even told me that she doesn’t have a new
best friend since I left. She really misses me. She also told me that Paul is
in lots of her classes and he asks if she’s talked to me. How could I tell her
I’m in love with Rob and don’t care about Paul anymore?
How could I tell her that I
have new best friends and want to stay here with them?
I did go to Sally’s instead, and we had the best
time. Her mother ordered pizza for us and we drank Coke. We watched television
and made popcorn and did each other’s hair with all of Sally’s older sister’s
hair products we found in the bathroom. I look silly with curly hair. We kept
laughing and falling on the floor and giggling, and we played this fun game
that Jackie learned in camp last summer. We all lay down on the floor and we
each put our head on someone else’s belly. Someone says, “Ha-ha,” and then the
next person says, “Haha-ha,” until everyone is laughing. Then you can’t stop
laughing because the belly you are on is bouncing all around under your head.
Sally’s mom got really angry at all the noise we
were making, and we had to turn off the lights and pretend to go to sleep. I
hardly slept a wink, though. I was so excited and having so much fun with my
new friends. I was tired the next morning and really did have a sore throat
when I went home, but I didn’t care. It was worth it to have so much fun.
A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR:
A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR:
1.What's the
best and worst part of being an author?
The best part of being an author is in
two parts. The first is the creative push as I write and the sense of
involvement with the book I am creating. It is a real rush. The
second is the rush I get when someone reacts to my book. Obviously, if
the book has been enjoyed and/or meaningful then that is the best. But
even criticism is better than no response as a book with a closed cover is not
alive!
2.Which book
of yours is your favorite? Why
Actually both The Truth, Diary of a
Gutsy Tween and Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen are my favorites,
but for slightly different reasons. I loved writing The Truth
because it fell into place as almost a poem or a song falls into place. Everything
about it melts together into one essence of coming to beautiful terms with
going from childhood to being a tween. Secrets is more complex, as the
girl is older and life is more complex as well as her feelings. But
eventually as I reworked the book one more time it became totally chohesive and
a real novel in diary form. So how can I not love it also?
3.What are
your favorite authors in the genre that you write?
There are very few
novels for tweens and teens in diary form. I don't have another
author who is a favorite in that genre as the famous diaries, like Diary of a
Wimpy Kid, are different in tone from my books. I would say my favorite
author is Judy Bloom who does incorporate a lot of the pain and pleasure and
insights of growing up that I also incorporate.
4.Which of
your characters is most like you?
As far as the characters in The Truth
and Secrets, there is one main character, The Girl. She is like me in
some ways, but very different from me in others. Her parents are not
always very receptive or aware of her needs. That is very different from
the way I was brought up. However, she does incorporate parts of my
clients, and other people who have come into my life. She does
incorporate one trait that is mine, a trait that my parents encouraged.
She is persistent and deligent. She doesn't give up and finds a way to a
solution. I like to think of myself as that way and I think it is a very
important trait to encourage in youngsters.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I have been a positive psychologist
in private practice for the past thirty years. In the course of working with my
clients, I originated the idea of THE ENCHANTED SELF(R), a positive psychology
therapy where I teach people how to recognize and utilize their strengths,
talents, skills and even lost potential. I have developed a number of methods,
including using our memories to rediscover what is right about ourselves and
our lives, rather than what went wrong, helping people to overcome adversity,
experience positive emotions and live the good life!
Since developing this
concept, I've been able to use many tools to bring the Enchanted Self to
everyone, particularly women and girls. I've written many books, starting with
THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy, and then Recipes for Enchantment, The
Secret Ingredient is YOU! My books for
girls are very popular, as they are great fictional reads and also help deal
with many of the questions that trouble kids as they move into the tween and
teen years. The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy
Tween and Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen are the first two books in this
series.
I really love to teach and
educate about happiness and how to benefit from positive psychology in ways
that let us lead lives of meaning and happiness. You can find me all over the
place on the web.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteLove the excerpt! The diary post is amazing!
ReplyDeleteI really loved the excerpt
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading the interview, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe beautiful cover is my favorite part of the post today.
ReplyDelete