You don't have to be into Dance Moms or Dance to enjoy this book by Chloe Lukasiak. Fifteen year old Chloe talks about dancing, Dance Moms, bullying, medical issues, anxiety, family and friends and life in general in this book. There are recollections from her family and dance life as well as advice for other teen girls. My favourite chapter was, Kindness is a Superpower - she said her most important personal goal is to practise kindness. I also like her concept of life-changing showers. I like to take life-changing  showers too when I'm feeling tired, down, grumpy etc.  They are transformational.

Psychology graduate, Jess Holsman, wrote a book called How to Survive High School - she talks about it here. You can order the e-book here or buy it at your local bookstore.

A new magazine hit the shelves last month called Teen Breathe. I finally managed to get my hands on a copy and read it from cover to cover. This magazine was a breath of fresh air - it included articles about Yoga for beginners, sugar, meditation, journaling and an origami project with paper. For a sneak peak inside, check out their website here. Issue 2 will be on sale on 1st March. You can also subscribe. 

David Hamilton's book, The Five Side Effects of Kindness, is a very interesting read. Being kind makes you happier. The science behind this is that, when we are kind it boosts our levels of oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin which are the body's happy chemicals. It even produces endorphins which are the brain's natural versions of morphine and heroin. So you can get a totally legal high by being kind. The book is full of examples of acts of kindness too. ​If you don't have time to read the whole book, you can check out his blog post here.

If you only see one movie this Summer, make it this one. Wonder is in my top ten children's books of all time and now the movie is one of my favourites too. The theme is kindness, and in a world that's full of so much cruelty, it's refreshing to see an uplifting film about being kind.

I've just finished reading Mastering Your Mean Girl by self-help guru, Melissa Ambrosini. Let's face it, we've all got a mean girl, that nasty voice in your head that tells you you're not good enough, not pretty enough, not worthy enough... In her book, Melissa explains how you can defeat your inner mean girl. She says that at any moment you can choose love or fear. For example, 
LOVE - I exercise because I love my body; or
FEAR - I exercise because I hate the size of my bum and thighs.
Throughout the book there are opportunities for you to write down actions you can take to change the way you think.  It is not specifically written for teen girls but it would be really useful to know this stuff while you're in your teens. I wish I'd known this stuff in high school. You can visit her website here.

I've been reading Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and I love it. The book is full of short stories of women through history who have rewritten the rules about what girls can do. From queens to pirates, and nurses to ballerinas - you'll find them all in the pages of this book. There are 100 stories, each one just a page long and illustrated. It is an easy and inspiring read. Rebel Girls has it's own webpage at https://www.rebelgirls.co.

I love the idea of being able to reach back into the past and offer advice to your teenage self - not the lotto numbers but advice about life issues.  This book was the brainchild of Grace Halphen, a Melbourne teenager who realised that her teen issues were common to most of her peers.  The proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Reach Foundation which helps teens reach their full potential.  The contributors include, Dannii Minogue, Stephanie Rice, Peter Alexander and Guy Sebastian.  It is obvious from reading the book that insecurity is a common theme in your teenage years.  The common message is to believe in yourself.  Find out more here.