Book Review
A short overview of this book
A Smart Girl’s Guide: Digital World by Carrie Anton is an American Girl book that prepares tween girls for social media and their first phone.
This is the sort of book that all girls should be given before they are allowed onto social media or are given their first phone. It gives advice on how to behave online, what to do about bullying and how to not be a bully themselves. The quizzes are relevant and designed to get girls thinking about safe and responsible behaviour online. A great little book!
Video Transcription
A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener
Hey there! I’m Cath Hak from Sex Ed Rescue, and I wanted to chat with you about this awesome book called A Smart Girl’s Guide to the Digital World: How to Connect, Share, Play, and Keep Yourself Safe by American Girl. Now, American Girl is not just a doll company, they also create books, magazines, and more.
I picked up this book because my kids are growing up, and I want to make sure they’re prepared and safe when they’re online. This book is a great introduction for kids on how to stay safe online. It doesn’t dive into topics like pornography or explicit stuff, but it covers important things like bullying and thinking before posting.
First off, visually, this book is stunning! I love how they’ve designed it. It’s not just a bunch of words slapped on a page. Books like this are so much more engaging for kids when they’re visually appealing.
Another thing I love about this book is that it includes little activities and quizzes. My almost twelve-year-old daughter was actually sitting there doing the quizzes. Kids at that age love ticking boxes and answering questions, so it’s great to see that interest being utilized.
This is the kind of book I think every kid should read before they get a phone or start joining online groups like Instagram or playing games like Animal Jam or Minecraft. People can enter their world, and as parents, we might not always be aware of it, especially if we don’t play those games ourselves. So, having a book like this is really helpful.
Overall, it’s a fantastic little book that covers a wide range of topics. It’s safe and doesn’t discuss explicit content like pornography. It talks about important things like bullying, trolling, posture, and the importance of not letting your life revolve around being online.
I think it’s one of the best books I’ve come across that specifically focuses on empowering girls. American Girl seems to be doing a great job with that. It’ll be interesting to see if they start creating similar resources for boys too. By the way, they recently released a book for boys on changing bodies during puberty. Pretty cool, right?
Alright, that’s all for now. Take care and stay safe online! Bye!
