Respect: A Girl's Guide to Getting Respect and Dealing When Your Line Is Crossed

Respect was written by Courtney Macavinta and Andrea Vander Pluym for teen and preteen girls. The book is divided into three parts: Respect on the Inside, Getting and Giving Respect and Taking Action. It focuses on all different types of relationships: relationships with yourself, family, friends, and the media. Respect also discusses abusive, intimate and respectful relationships. The authors teach that the basic building blocks of healthy relationships, such as communication, trust and honesty, come from respect.

This is a great book to read with your parents because it will help you learn to respect each other. An important theme of this book is that respecting yourself is the first step in getting others to respect you. The book has stories from real girls and describes situations that teens and preteens can relate to. It also has helpful ideas for keeping a journal, accomplishing tasks, making peace with your siblings, and finding role models. Fun features in this book include the problem solving sections. In these sections, the authors give solutions to dilemmas that you have probably experienced yourself. The solutions teach you how to keep a relationship intact when solving a problem.

One negative aspect of the book is that some of the problem solving ideas are unrealistic. The dialogue illustrated in the book does not depict what most teens and preteens would comfortably say in real life. In fact, most of the dialogue consists of things we wish we could say, but don't know how to in the moment.

Another negative aspect of the book is that the section on sex and intimate relationships is too advanced for preteens. I would recommend that preteens read this book with their parents so they can choose together which sections are appropriate. However, all of the content is appropriate for teenage girls to read alone.

Positive parts of the book include sections on dealing with harassment at school or in public and spreading the word about girls and respect. There is also a guide to how you can help girls get the respect they deserve. This guide includes tips for writing proactive letters, organizing meetings, effective public speaking, and promoting your project. The resource section at the end of the book is very complete and is divided into user-friendly sections. These sections include websites, books, magazines and telephone numbers for teens, preteens and parents.

The layout of the book is reader-friendly with big pages, fun graphics and colorful text. I would recommend this book to all teen and preteen girls and their parents. This book contains information that you will not find anywhere else. It can be a resource for anyone because of the wide range of topics that it covers. On a scale of one to four, with four being the best, I would rate this book a four because it is complete and useful. Check it out—it will be a great tool for you and the perfect conversation starter for you and your parents.