A Secret Valentine Sent by The Girl in The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)

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Dear Diary,

Last year I wrote my secret entry about Paul on Valentine’s Day.  Do you remember?  I sent him a Valentine and I was so desperate to see if he sent me one.  I had to open Valentines from everyone in the class until I found his.  Do you remember what it said?  It said, “Be my Valentine.”38a  I was so happy.  I could hardly sleep that night.

This year I will of course be sending Paul a Valentine.  Even though I don’t feel quite the same about him.  I’m not sure why, but I know one reason is that he looks away a lot when I look at him.  I think he might think I’m staring at him.

Anyway, I decided to do something else this year.  I read about the idea in one of my mother’s magazines.  It was  in an article  called BE YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND.  There was a  long list of things you could do to be nice to yourself.

Some were stuff like skip the laundry this week ,  buy yourself a new nightgown and get a new hairstyle.   Some of  the list sounded stupid.   Anyway it was for women, not girls.  But the one thing I liked was Send a Valentine  to Yourself.  So I’m doing that this year.  I have almost finished it.  I made it out of construction paper and lace and it is very beautiful.  And you know what I’m saying?

“I love you very much and I’ll never forget you!”  I am very excited.  I’m even going to glue little candy hearts on it.

Don’t tell anyone.  They would think I was silly.   Remember, it’s a secret.

The Girl in The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) goes to Washington for Inauguration in Secret Diary Entry

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Dear Diary,

I can’t believe I am actually in Washington. When my dad told us that he had a friend who invited us to stay with them for the inauguration 36aand that it wouldn’t cost too much to go and that we could go I thought I was in a dream!  No one else in my class is going. We were all going to watch in on TV together in the auditorium. Now, I don’t have to be with everyone else.

I’m here in Washington. The drive was awful though. It took at least 10 hours and my brother was soooo bad. He was crying and fussing and hungry and had to go to the bathroom.

But I was so excited I could just not think about the racket he was making. I was busy imagining if I was one of the girls that was goint to move into the White House. I designed in my head a lot of my clothes that I would wear as we were driving to D.C. Most of my clothes would be pink or have some pink on them, ’cause that is my favorite color.  And my hair would be real long, much longer than it is now. Like half way down my back. And my room would be all pink with ballet dancers in a border on the walls. Oh, I loved imagining living in the White House.

I’ll be back, Diary. I have to stop now. We just pulled up to my father’s friend’s apartment building. I can see the Washington Monument from here, just a little bit.

We have to go to sleep now so we can get up really early. Daddy said like 4:00 AM. I would never do that for any other reason, unless I got sick and hand to throw up at 4:00 in the morning. But to see the Inauguration I’ll do it! I’m so excited. I’m really having my very first adventure in my whole life and that’s the truth.

I CAN READ THE TRUTH (I’m girl, I’m smart and I know everything) AS A 22 YEAR-OLD,…

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I found this excerpt from a review that Vanessa Van Patten did on anThe Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) yesterday.  “At the end of the book (I am not going to tell you what happens with Paul), there are a series of questions parents can ask kid readers to talk to their kids about the issues in the book. I LOVE this, the fact that I can read it as a 22 year-old, my mom could read it, my little sister can read it and we could all take away a great message and have something to talk about.”

Vanessa Van Patten

Review of The Truth (I'm a girl, I'm smart and I know everything) by a ten year old girl.

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A Kid”s Review

“I thought the book and discussion really went deep into a girl”s life; boys, crushes and dealing with yourself. I learned that people should express what they feel inside and always be truthful.” 5th Grader (posted on Amazon)

The Book Connection blog named The Truth as a favorite book for 2008!

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Google Blogs Alert for: Barbara Becker Holstein

The Book Connection…: My Favorite Books from 2008!
By Cheryl
by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein My favorite book across all genres for 2008! Posted by Cheryl at 12:01 AM. Labels: adult non-fiction, Amazon, book review, children’s fiction, …
The Book Connection… – thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com

The push for creative process.: International news – Radio …
Leonardo DiCaprio: Interview over Body of Lies – W… Self-Acceptance Can Change the World • Interview with Paranormal Historical Romance Autho… Interview with Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, Author… ? October (26) …
The push for creative process. – mikerussia.blogspot.com

Love You Forever | Be Books
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, www.thetruthforgirls.com. Product Information and Prices stored: December 27 , 2008, 18:19. All Information about products including images, descriptions, editorial reviews and customer reviews © Amazon.com, …
Be Books – www.bebooks.co.cc

Finding Joy after Relationships Fail

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Maureen states, “I didn’t want the book to end. I want to find to what happens to the girl!”

Come and listen to this lively conversation about the psychology behind The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything).

Archives: Finding Joy after Relationships Fail with Maureen Staiano – Contact Talk Radio

The Truth is resiliency is important. Dr. Sandra Prince-Embury Discusses resiliency with Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, author of The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)

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Dr. Sandra Prince Embury, nationally know expert on resiliency had this to say to Dr. Holstein:33a

The definition of resiliency is the qualities in the child, teenager or adult that allow them to face adversities and social pressures in a way that they can recover from, ride through, maintain functioning, and in some cases, grow, and function even better.  And what I consider the underpinnings of resiliency are basically core aspects of development. 

 The reason that I’m focusing on that right now, especially in children and adolescents, is that in society, we have had to face a lot of adversity, perhaps more adversity than in the past, and there is more of a focus on preparing our youth for adversity.  Of course, women are a special group in that there are special forces on girls and women that need to be dealt with.

 

But basically, it’s about surviving and dealing with adversity and maintaining your functioning and growing, even in the face of adversity.

One reason I wrote The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) is to show girls how resilient they naturally are.  To learn to recognize their coping powers and their abilities to overcome obstacles and have fun in the process, by identifying with the girl in the book.  As she says on page 19: “I know a million ways to have fun.  I better know they because I feel so rotten when I’m picked last for kickball…”

 

What do you want in the next edition of The Truth(I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)?

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19aThe book is selling so fast that I am already thinking about reprinting.   The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) was #6 in the top 100 on Amazon today in the category of BEING A TEEN.  Thanks to everyone who helped with that rank by buying the book!  And thanks for telling me that yes, there is a place for the world of positive psychology and fiction to merge!

So, I thought you might want to share some ideas with me.  In the next edition, would you like: 1. more secret diary entries that have never been public before?  2. Pages from the second book in the series where the girl is a year older?  and/or 3. More questions and activities you can do after you read the book?  Please let me know what you would prefer!

The Truth is: We have all had a crush! Dr. Holstein talks about crushes, and so does the girl in The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)

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32aOn p.43 of The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) the girl says: “Paul and I are the same height now.  I grew this year and he didn’t.  My mother says that is common at my age.”

“I liked it when he was taller than me.  But I still love him.”

Yes, we have all had crushes.  I remember how in love I was with a fellow who took me to the movies when I was 13 and my family met up with his family at a summer resort.  I barely knew him but just sitting in a summer movie house for two hours with him and wow! holding his hand was enough.  All summer I waited for his letter that he had promised to write.  Day after day.  I carried the torch for two full months.  I couldn’t believe he hadn’t written.  After all, he had said he would!

My mother tried to console me and told me there would be lots of other boys.  Her kindness only partly helped.  I had to live through the esctasy and the agony myself.  Good news, by September, he was but a vague shadow in my past.  Someone else had my eye .  But that is another crush story!

How about you?  Who did you have a crush on?  What happened?  Was your mom helpful? 

And what about your daughter?  Does she share crush information with you?  Do you think she should?  Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) is #11 in top 100 on Amazon for BEING A TEEN

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I would think the girl in The Truth would enjoy knowing that she is captivating the hearts of girls and moms in lots of different places.  She loves to travel, but so far has only traveled to one place that wasn’t where she lived.  That was the time she got to take a ride in a small plane, sitting alone in the tiny cockpit, with the pilot directly in front of her.  What a ride that was.  Going up, up, up into the sky, seeing all the houses and then neighborhoods below her, and realzing that her very own parents had become tiny specks.  It was an amazing adventure for her, filled with a little fear, offset by holding the pilot’s hand.  Of course, he was handsome and dashing and that helped quiet her fears.  She came down all too soon, back to the somewhat dull reality of visiting her relatives.  That episode is on p.53 of the book.  (She tells it better than I can).

She would be amazed to hear that people are sitting at what looks something like a typewriter and ordering her book from a place called Amazon.  She does know about THE amazon from her geography class, but what is this?  Is her book being stored in the jungle somewhere? 

What I do know for certain is that she wants to hear from you.  So please write to her after you read The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything).  Tell her what your greatest adventure has been or have fun explaining what a computer is.  Be pen pals.