When Addie Swartz was shopping with her 9-year-old daughter and friends, one of the girls noticed a scantily clad model at an Abercrombie & Fitch store. “Why do they have to do that?” one of the girls asked.
Lake Rescue offers inspiration to overweight girls.Ms. Swartz describes it as an “aha” moment when the idea for a new book series came to her.
“It made me feel like the world is making them grow up so, so fast,” says Ms. Swartz. “It felt like there were so many messages out there that were bombarding her and her friends and girls her age.”
As a result, Ms. Swartz created the Beacon Street Girls book series. The stories, which revolve around five middle-school girls in Brookline, Mass., are shaped by leading experts in adolescent development, with the goal of helping girls build self-esteem and coping skills. Topics include the problems of an overweight girl and cyber bullying. This month the series will launch its latest book, “Green Algae and Bubblegum Wars,” a novel aimed at encouraging girls in science. The book is the result of a collaboration with Sally Ride, an astronaut who was the first American woman to orbit Earth.
But can expert health advice wrapped up as fiction really make a difference for the books’ young readers? A surprising new study suggests that for some girls, it can. To learn more, read my full Well column here.
And if you don’t know what your daughters are reading, check out this story from Naomi Wolf about the current crop of teen fiction.
What do you think of the current crop of teen literature? Has your child read a book from the Beacon Street Girls series? Please join the discussion and post your comments below.
Healthy living doesn't happen at the doctor's office. The road to better health is paved with the small decisions we make every day. It's about the choices we make when we buy groceries, drive our cars and hang out with our kids. Join columnist Tara Parker-Pope as she sifts through medical research and expert opinions for practical advice to help readers take control of their health and live well every day. You can reach Ms. Parker-Pope at 
The easiest and most pleasurable way to eat well is to cook. Recipes for Health offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. 
From 1 to 25 of 47 Comments
No surprise that fiction can shape minds. However, is it any better than reality presented in the same format?
I think the most important factor here is that teens who read, whether fiction or non-fiction, are more informed and grounded than those who do not.
— jackAs someone who works with teenagers in an urban library setting, I can tell you that the battle is not getting teen girls to read fiction by authors such as Ms. Schwartz, but in getting teen girls to read at all! I work with many teen girls whose reading skills are far below grade level and who do not read for pleasure. Sadly, many girls who grow up with unstable home lives and in underfunded school districts fall behind their peers in reading - these are often the very girls who are most susceptible to messages that objectify women and encourage sexual activity from an age as young as middle school.
Unfortunately, these books might miss their perfect audience because of this disparity.
— bmlI welcome any positive message for girls in this impressionable age group. I hope they also create other books that help young girls cope with female aggression, i.e. exclusion and rumors. Thanks for bringing these to my attention!
— nancyI think it’s great to have a book that sends positive messages and doesn’t encourage young girls to compare themselves with an unattainable ‘older better, thinner, etc self’- because they will and they need fodder to fight back.
Whoever said HS was the best time of your life was full of crap. It sucked and it was a relief to get through it, and I was well liked and pretty and it still sucked.
This book is nothing new however- though it does come in different forms. Growing up, we had the show ‘Saved by the bell’. AS for books, I read Goosebumps a lot, But I also read Dean Koontz and Charlotte Bronte, so who can tell.
My 20-something ‘wisdom’ is this: find out what their interests are and encourage that, unless it’s shooting squirrels. Try to limit exposure to more adult things (I once got my hands on a Nora Roberts Novel!) And provide access to having them engage with their world-volunteering, camping excursions etc. For you middle and upper middle classers out there- if you don’t think you have time- make time. They are your children. And they want your attention.
— Rebecca1. The actual change in BMI is negligible (according to the study) between the kids who read the book with the “health” message and kids who read a “regular” book. And kids go through growth spurts - what’s to say the BMI changes recorded are not caused by a height increase over time, rather than a weight loss? (Or maybe we need to write books with subliminal “grow taller” messages)
2. I HATED these kind of books when I was a tween. I read to escape my reality - where there were mean girls, school cliques, and other frustrating realities. I would have been irritated, to say the least, if someone pushed this book into my hands and told me to read it because it could “help” me. I’d feel like they were taking one thing I had that was good and subverting it. And I’m afraid that’s how this book (and the others like it that will inevitably come) will be used - fat kids will be bullied into reading these books in the thought that somehow it will magically motivate them to slim down.
Look, if you want kids to get slimmer, encourage more activity. Make it friendly for them - no ugly gym clothes, no schoolmates around to taunt them. But don’t take what is, for many unpopular, unloved-feeling fat girls a treasured “escape” and turn it into propaganda.
— rickiHealthful messages? I think not. Books like these will add fuel to the anti-obesity hysteria that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, is NOT healthful, especially for children and teenagers. More than 95% of teenage girls diet. Aside from the fact that diets don’t work (see the UCLA study on the same), for those who are at risk of eating disorders, diets can trigger a descent into the hell of an eating disorder. And for those of you who think, “Maybe a little anorexia isn’t such a bad thing,” please note that anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, bar none. Twenty percent of people with anorexia (mostly girls) die, either from malnutrition or suicide.
Please also note that Americans as a culture began gaining weight in the 1970s and 80s, when the dieting craze really took hold. Not only does dieting not work–it makes people fatter.
The last thing in the world preteen girls need is more pressure to be thin. The last thing anyone needs is bs like these books.
harrietbrown.blogspot.com
— HarrietThe books would be great for my ten year old if only I could get her to read a book. Either way, books are great but it just doesn’t compare to the guidance a parent can give to their child.
— RunningWell, it’s nice to know all those well-meaning “issues” books at the library actually do appeal to some girls out there. I never could get through any myself, and I know my daughters (middle school and high school) loathe what they call “too realistic” books. So I can’t help but wonder if the girls in the study would have lost even more weight doing a Harry Potter marathon reading!
More seriously, I live in an area where writing is actually considered an important creative art, and the idea of turning the writer/reader relationship into a therapy session to build self-esteem and lose weight is really appalling. Just try to imagine the kind of teen music you’d get out of that kind of process (…”I love you just the way you are”… hmm, guess I can imagine it).
— jbiFor a more critical look at the Duke “study” about those books, visit the blog JunkfoodScience:
http://tinyurl.com/4jeb8d
I’d like to think that books could help. But I’m not convinced that assigning a book [which results in exposure to messages for ....how long? ...for how many days?] is quite the same as having children regularly visiting libraries and discovering a wider range of stories and perspectives on life. [In fact, we might compare an assigned book to a 'diet', versus exploratory reading as 'healthy eating'.....]
— RhetRxIt’s great that there are books out for teenage girls which contain positive messages. However, unless they’re extraordinarily subtle and well-written, they are doomed to join all those other mindless “issues” books that languish unread on library shelves. Teenage girls may not be particularly wise or aware of literary merit, but they do always know when they’re being had, and I know that I would have dropped a book with a clear “message” at that age.
— Emma in WonderlandOn the other hand, the mass produced Clique books are really scary. I actually don’t understand the appeal of that particular series, since they just made me feel inadequate and a little freaked out upon reading the opening chapters in a Barnes & Noble at age 13. The dirty, twisty world those girls lived in was utterly incomprehensible to me. The Gossip Girl books, however, are a little less overtly nasty (you only hate about half the characters) and are like reading a slow-motion train wreak. However, it’s a pretty, seductive catastrophe of high living and exquisite fashion, and the total lack of concern with which Blair and Serena live is very exotic and alluring. Teen girls find life to be particularly fraught and complicated (and exhausting if you’re doing homework and exams and fretting about college two years or so before you even apply), and so there’s appeal in reading about two girls who have no cares and no real goals beyond the next sale at Bergdorf’s.
There are a lot of good books out in the world, however, and I suppose you could find “empowerment” messages in a lot of them, but subtly placed. Any literature with an overt agenda ceases to be literature and instead should be classified as propaganda. I stole my parents’ books often, so I guess I balanced out the Gossip Girls with “Anna Karenina” (more sex, violence, and high living) and “Tuva or Bust!” (Feynman) and having parents who are involved enough to know their child’s reading tastes probably would make a big difference in what he or she reads.
My daughter is only 5, so she isn’t in this age group yet, but she is already starting to read some short chapter books, so it is only a matter of time. Given what geeks her parents were, I am sure she is destined for the same. I was overweight in high school and most of college and didn’t clean up my act until the summer before my senior year in college when I realized how heavy I had become. I have been a pretty healthy eater and fairly active ever since and managed to keep my weight under control through two pregnancies. I hope I am a healthy role model for my daughter and that this is enough. I spent years listening to my mother tell me I was fat rather than just modeling healthy behavior. I am not sure a book like this would have made any difference in that situation. I just hope that I can help my kids start off with a healthier attitude than i had rather than having to face reality in their 20s.
On a completely unrelated note, I finally got around to reading my latest issue of Fitness magazine last night. Tara–congratulations on your write up in there as one of the fabulous fit trends or whatever it was. I completely agree with them that you have an awesome health related blog and the kudos are well deserved.
— LisaI strongly recommend the book “Looks” by Madeleine George. It addresses the social and academic challenges girls face in high school in the form of an eloquent and intriguing story. It also includes very vivid and sympathetic portrayals of girls with different types of eating disorders, how they are treated by their peers and the adults in their lives, how they react to that treatment, and how their eating disorders manifest and make them feel. It is also instructive to adults in terms of portraying good and not-so-good teachers and parents and others in positions of role modeling, academic instruction, guidance, and love. This book is written for teens, but I am 38 years old, and I couldn’t put it down. It is a beautiful and informative book.
— KTAs a mother of a 12-year old girl who is quickly approaching 13, I have been disappointed at the quality of the literature being marketed as “girls” or “teen” fiction. The vast majority of these books are nothing but bodice-rippers with teen protagonists. While there is plenty of quality fiction out there for our girls, it is difficult to get them to read it at this age. There is significant peer pressure to read these books, and significant harassment of girls who carry around other books to read. All I can say is thank goodness for required reading in English class. After a summer of nothing but what my daughter calls “reality fiction”, her English teacher has re-introduced her to quality books. She has been reminded of the wonderful feeling of being immersed in a truly good book!
— Virginia momI come from a family of readers. we are all reading something, sometimes have more than one book going at a time. When I was a child I loved getting lost in a story where I could relate to the characters and experience their adventures. Both my sons are avid readers as well. Getting children to read for pleasure is a challenge so I’m not too harsh about the subject matter. Reading expands vocabulary and comprehension. It helps with critical thinking. It makes them more intellectual. It’s better than video games. Harry Potter’s been the best thing to happen for children’s reading habits.
— trudyThanks for the post on this topic. Very interesting.
http://www.carrotsncake.com
— TinaI haven’t read these, so may be wrong in my assumption that their emphasis in on didactic message at the expense of literary quality. As the mother of an 8 yo girl who is becoming an avid reader, I am mainly interested in exposing her to fiction that fuels her desire to keep reading and provides absorbing narratives (ideally centered on interesting female protagonists.) Imagination in children is a powerfully liberating force. As long as my girl isn’t reading about shopping, I’m happy to let her get her health tips from mom and dad and let her fantasize about unicorn wars or whatever she likes!
— BonnieThere’s an extra comma in the following sentence fragment, rendering it meaningless: “Unlike Chelsea, the book’s heroine, Delaney, is a sports lover (she plays softball)”. Please remove the comma after ‘Delaney’.
— CathyHmm…Sitting down to read a book never helped me lose weight, during adolescence or as an adult. I’d be surprised if any book (diet books included) would have that affect, since books generally encourage mental activity without pairing it to physical activity.
Reading does give kids a chance to escape real life and to sharpen their minds, but too often mental activity replaces physical activity (and vice versa). Many kids depend on an adult to find a balance–an adult who cannot be replaced by a fiction series.
Of course reading is very important, and I would recommend Beacon Street Girls to my (average weight) neice before I would ever recommend the Clique books. First, though, I would direct her to the many classics that have led generations through adolescence.
When I consider what Austen may have accomplished in a world of palm pilots and Coach bags, the current literature invading the YA section looks pale and undernourished.
— CARlaI think the key here is whether or not the books are good. It’s a great idea…I’m for anything that gives my daughter tools to deal with difficult situations or that influences her positively. But they have to be good, engaging books that aren’t hammering the girls with messages.
I look forward to investigating (and reading!) these books for my daughter.
— MidWestMamaThis book sounds really awful. It helpfully explains to a possibly chubby child, or maybe not even so chubby, that she is probably being be talked about behind her back because of her weight and excluded. Talk about something negative. Her only way out is apparently to lose weight. If she fails at that, as she may well do, then there is no hope for her. Given that girls tend to feel they are “too fat” anyway almost no matter what they weigh, this just seems like a very negative book that sends the wrong messages.
FROM TPP — Sorry, you’re just off base here. I have read the book. Read the book and then decide.
— KarenI LOVE the line from Naomi Wolf referring to “sloppy cultural parenting.” It’s succinct and insightful. I know a lot of parents who start out idealistic about raising their girls and then over time it just evaporates because they want their daughters to fit in and be popular. As Naomi says in response to one of the questions, girls who actually try to be kind and substantive often find themselves left out.
I also like that Naomi resists agreeing that fiction should deliberately be written to bear an agenda or approved subtext. I noticed when my daughter was younger that we were awash in an age of beautifully illustrated, politically correct, well-meaning children’s books. Although I loved the illustrations, those weren’t the ones that captivated my daughter. I think kids–even young ones– can smell–and resist–an ‘intentional ‘ book a mile away. That’s the hurdle.
But it seems to me that not too long ago the NYTimes had an article in the Book Review section about how a number of authors who had written what they thought were adult books which just happened to have young protagonists were dismayed to find that their books were automatically categorized as “Young Fiction.” There were a number of books listed –the point being they were excellent books missing an adult audience–and this is making me think it would be worthwhile to go back and look at them.
I’m going to get one of the Beacon Street books and see if my daughter (11) likes it. Ultimately, they have to pass the same test as any other good book– be compelling and convincing.
This is a timely topic, thanks for writing about it.
— FrancoisDo children ever really love the didactic books about Kids Dealing With Issues? Judy Blume was the big one when I was growing up. I read a couple of them, and then turned right back to the things that interested me, from Charlotte’s Web to War and Peace (which I read for the first time at 14) to Anne of Green Gables and history books about the Tudor monarchs and John and Abigail Adams.
Give me a book that’s a good story first and may happen to include a Life Lesson or two over a book of Life Lessons that may or may not be readable.
I’m also seriously concerned about turning reading into a way to get kids to slim down. Talk about a way to turn kids even further off reading! Also adolescence is a particularly dangerous time to start dieting. The body and mind are still developing, and those minds are particularly vulnerable to negative messages about those bodies. As another commenter noted, this is the time when it’s easiest to trigger eating disorders, which are extremely dangerous. Offer kids good food and exercise habits, absolutely, but leave it weight neutral.
And for goodness sake, don’t try to connect weight loss with reading!
— TwistieWhen I was a teen I appreciated those books. Nevertheless Let’s be ware of synthetic literature.
To Rebecca
When I was 10 I read Lovecraft, The Metamorphosis of Kafka and Creepy comics… I do not think Nora Roberts would be so terrible
A teenager must also have the opportunity to choose what to read. What we consider crap maybe it’s not so. The best way is to educate them to become critical of their choices.
— AlfonsoLiterature for teen girls, and young women (I generally call them “pink” books because they have pink covers more often than not) is so mindless and pandering to the expected “norms” of that age group it’s not interesting…dating, sex , shopping, partying, drinking, weddings, being “fabulous” and A-list, and melodrama. No wonder so many girls give up reading for pleasure at that age! I know I did. I still have an aversion to reading novels-I prefer current events!
— API haven’t read these books so I don’t know how “preachy” they are, if at all. Perhaps these books will not “speak” to actual teenagers who do have a good radar and low tolerance for “message” literature. But it seems like the target audience is 4th-6th graders who are much more impressionable and less likely to feel like the message is forced. If they can learn some coping skills before they actually hit the big, bad world of teendom, I think that is a positive thing.
— nancy