A Book Review

by Julia Ransohoff, high school student writer

12 Strategies That Will End Female Bullying: Girl Wars, written by Cheryl Dellasaga and Charisse Nixon, focuses on relational aggression (RA), also known as female bullying. The authors stress that though girls might not physically bully others, words and actions can hurt just as much, if not more. The book is actually written for parents of preteen and teen girls, but really it can also be read by kids alone or together with adults.

There are many personal stories by kids and parents about struggles with RA and how people overcame their problems. In some cases, the girls were able to repair friendships, but in others, the situations were so bad that girls opted for home schooling. The personal stories are sad to read, but they allow girls to realize they are not alone and that there are ways to get help. The authors cover all kinds of bullying, from not being invited to parties, to online bullying, to destroying friendships by trying to be popular.

I would rate this book a 4 out of 4, because it does not leave anything out and shows many outlets for help. In the back of the book, there are appendices that include Web sites, movies and other books for kids and adults that cover topics from the book. I would recommend this book for preteens, teens or adults, even those who are not experiencing RA right now. Girls Wars is a very informative book and it has many solutions, so everyone can find one that will work for them.