Bunk 9's Guide to Growing Up
Secrets, Tips, and Expert Advice on the Good, the Bad, and the Awkward
The girls of Bunk 9 are fun and informative as they explain the mysteries—and debunk the myths—of growing from a girl to a woman.
Girls on the cusp of puberty will find a wealth of information and answers to top-of-mind questions in Adah Nuchi’s fresh and informative Bunk 9’s Guide to Growing Up.
Aimed at prepubescent girls, this book departs from the usual clinical format by creating a fictional collective of summer camp girls who welcome the reader to their sisterhood.
Chapter by chapter, the girls of Bunk 9 explain the mysteries—and debunk the myths— of maturing from a girl to a woman. Chapters cover physical topics like developing breasts, menstruation, and healthy eating, but social topics like friendship and boys are not left out. Because the book is aimed at the tween market, it does not cover sexual relationships or birth control. This is to its credit: it leaves room for girls to grow at their own pace, rather than rushing on to dating and serious relationships.
The narrative tone captures girls talking to girls, in a refreshing switch from textbook-like guides to teen development. Because it refuses to talk down to its audience or use euphemistic names for body parts, it’s also easy to read and absorb. Most of all, it answers questions and addresses anxieties that most adults have long since forgotten about. Can exercises and creams actually make breasts bigger? How do you use tampons? Is it normal not to have a crush on anyone?
Design and layout make this book highly appealing. Pages are ruled in blue, giving the look of a notebook, and headers and subheads in hand-lettered fonts further the look. Sidebars, dialog boxes, and thought bubbles add visual interest, and illustrations from Meg Hunt strike just the right note. The lavish use of girl-friendly colors like rose, soft lime, lavender, and yellow make the book especially appealing.
Bunk 9’s Guide to Growing Up combines an imaginative format, appealing style and color, and sound information to help girls negotiate the sometimes intimidating transition from child to young woman, and deserves high recommendations for girls and their parents.
Reviewed by
Susan Waggoner
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
