Growing Up - NON FICTION
Puberty is something humans have gone through, quite literally, forever. But that doesn't mean the experience has stayed the same or that there's nothing new to say about the topic. Statistically, kids are hitting puberty earlier than ever. Current attitudes toward sexual behaviour or orientation, body image, bullying, mental health, and a host of other related subjects are linked to the changes going on in kids' heads, hearts, and bodies. While bodily changes are the most obvious signs that a kid is growing up, they're not always the first (or most stressful) signs. Why does it feel so weird to cry now? How can you tell if someone is really your friend? Is it okay to have a crush on someone who's the same sex as you? These kinds of questions (and answers) are what separates Growing Up, Inside and Out from other books — it tackles how boys' and girls' emotions change during puberty rather than just what happens to body parts (although that's in here, too). And though puberty can often look different for boys and girls (growing facial hair versus getting a period), kids may be surprised by what all their classmates have in common: crushes, acne, anxiety, getting mad at their parents.
Crystal 8F
ReplyDelete'Growing up' by Kira Vermond was an interesting book. I'd rate it a 7/10. Like most books about growing up, there were the bits about physical changes. That wasn't too interesting, since we already learn about in school. But, then it dove deeper into thing like bullying, self-esteem and depression. For example, there's a tip that tells us that people only stress about the past, or the future and if we focus on our lives right now, we might be able to relax. The book is very educational and I could relate to some of the issues they spoke about (ex. Friends, stress, etc). The author illustrated it a way, where they didn't seem like a know-it-all, but they gave advice and facts to support their claims. They talk about everything people encounter when growing up (ex. Crushes, self-consciousness, etc) and how to deal with it. The book teaches us how the little things could impact the rest of everyone's day and how many bullies are actually very insecure. It teaches us the truth about plastic surgery, why teens' brains lag, how everyone has their own negative/positive traits. I think they did a good job. They don't tell us the generic, 'be yourself', but they tell us 'be who you want to be'. The only reason I didn't like the book, because there were some...awkward parts. It made me feel a little uncomfortable reading things I didn't and didn't want to really understand. In conclusion, this book taught me to understand growing up doesn't happen overnight and that I need to accept myself, because no one in the entire world is just like me.