Tag: young adult reading

What Books Would I Buy for Teens this Christmas?

If I had to buy a teenager a book this Christmas, I would have to select one of the Girlosophy books by Anthea Paul. Give the gift of self-esteem. I would purchase J. C Burke’s ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’, any of James Moloney or Michael Gerard Bauers recent books such as ‘Don’t Call Me Ishmael’ or ‘Lost Property’ are great novels. Maureen McCarthy and Brigid Lowrys’ latest releases were also great this year.

I have reviewed briefly all the books I have mentioned above and if you click on the young adult reading tag, you can browse through to find something that might interest your loved one. If you have a specific child in mind, email me with some info about them and I might be able to suggest something more specific. I would need age, interests, reading habits to make a really good choice. I am heading off on an adventure Saturday so better be quick!

I usually buy my kids a book at Christmas. I have been doing it for so long, they would miss it if I didn’t. In fact I buy every kid I buy gifts for, books. One year I thought I’d do something different and get beach towels, I felt I was being a bit selfish, because I love books so much and actually enjoy selecting them for the kids. Several complained that they were relying on my present for their summer reading, so I went back to my original strategy.

A book often doesn’t seem much to a kid when they first open it. So don’t expect too much instant gratitude. It’s often weeks or months later that you get the phone call or email to say what a great present it was and how much they loved it. I’ve never had that kind of feedback with other toys.

Girlosophy: The Breakup Survival Kit by Anthea Paul

‘The Breakup Survival Kit’ gives a well balanced action plan for girls who have split up, whatever the circumstances. It contains some good, common-sense advice for young women and lays a positive path for moving forward into a new future.

As with the other Girlosophy books by Anthea Paul, it has healthy suggestions and gentle messages about keeping your self-esteem in tact and building on it in a situation that can be demanding. It has beautiful images and although a smaller format than the other Girlosophy books remains true to the uplifting philosophy and beauty of the series.
I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for both young women and men to help to gain perspective during one of those trying times in life. Breaking-up is a big life challenge and most people experience it at least once in their life, this little book contains many wisdom’s that can ease that passage.

Girlosophy: A Soul Survival Kit, by Anthea Paul


Get ‘Girlosophy: A Soul Survival Kit‘ for your girls, you’ll be glad you did.
When you open this book, vibrant images, colours and words almost bounce off the pages. In the style of billboards or large stunning posters, the sound messages of this book are delivered in a very asthetically pleasing way. It’s like flicking through a glossy magazine, yet instead of false images, the truth is revealed.
The messages in this book are nourishing and good. If you have a daughter, this would be an amazing gift. I thoroughly enjoyed it myself and thought several times as I was reading it from cover to cover, I wish someone had told me that info at an earlier age. For me it was everything I want my daughter to know about being the best she can be.
I have taken this book (as well as some others), to school this week and the teens I work with have all flicked through them and shared with each other the bits they found particularly interesting. Many of them asked me where they could buy them and how much. So it’s not just my older eyes that saw the beauty in it. The boys too were quite interested and much of the information is human rather than female.