Book Review: Girl Power Series

1/9/2015

I recently read a book series by Erainna Winnett, founder of Counseling with Heart. The books focus on issues that girls often face, such as comparing yourself to others, dealing with cyberbullying, feeling pulled between two friends, and navigating the confusing world of back-handed compliments.

What I loved about all of these books is that the solutions weren't always easy. We tend to give students blanket suggestions for how to solve their problems, but most of the time, it's not a quick fix. The girls in these stories have to try a few things before they find a good solution, and even then, that solution might not be the fairytale ending that we crave. Sometimes, we lose friends who treat us badly. Sometimes, we have to focus on what we can do rather than how to change someone else's behavior.

Erainna's books also include follow-up activities on the last few pages, which is great for the school counselor on-the-go. It's Good to be Me even has an activity built into the story - how perfect is that?!

I would definitely recommend these books for your elementary school counseling programs. I would most likely use them in a small group setting and focus on one book per week. We'd discuss the topic and overall story, then complete a follow-up activity to check for understanding. I think these are great for 3rd-4th grade students, but you may find them beneficial for 5th and 6th graders as well.

Post a comment below to be entered into a drawing for your own autographed Girl Power book set. The deadline is January 16, 2015 and the winner will be selected at random (with a computerized tool). I'd love to hear how you'd use these books in your own school counseling program and/or the types of activities you've tried in your girl groups.

Are you an author? Do you have a book that you would like me to review on my blog? If so, contact me at marissa@elementaryschoolcounseling.org. I'd be happy to check out your work and spread the word to my readers.

39 Comments

D Donaldson

1/9/2015 12:24:31 am

I have had a lot of girl drama issues lately and am scheduling a group. Would love to try this series in a small group setting.

Julia

1/9/2015 01:37:31 am

I would love to use these books with girls groups in my intermediate (grades 4-6) school!

Kathy

1/9/2015 02:40:53 am

Hi Marissa,

I have been looking for more age appropriate ways to work with girls and friendship lunchgroups...Our Sole to Soul groups as I call them..I would love to read these and do a craft activity and issue challenges each week that the girls could come up with. So much of our culture runs against what a true friendship is really about. I like the idea of creating something too...with each story that is.

Megan Engler

1/9/2015 04:15:10 am

I completely agree with friendship issues not being a quick fix. There are so many complexities to girl relationships, especially at a young age! I am excited to learn more about this book series!

Kate link

1/9/2015 04:23:54 am

I would love to use this girl power set both in my classroom and with counseling groups! My 2nd grade girls really struggle with friendship tug-of-war every spring. Although we talk through their friendship problems, I have found that books are one of the best tools to help them analyze the problem from an outside perspective. Hope you've been enjoying your extra days off this week!! :)

Jordyn

1/9/2015 08:07:23 am

What a great series to use with the girls at my school!

Chris G.

1/10/2015 03:55:02 am

I'd love to win these! They'd be great to use in a group! Thanks for the chance!

Sara

1/10/2015 06:22:36 am

Thanks for introducing me to a new resource! I checked out her website and got a lot of good ideas, just from browsing. I am currently preparing a presentation for my state's school counselor association conference. I will be suggesting this series as it relates to my topic of using art techniques in school counseling. Thanks again!

Carla LaBombard

1/10/2015 09:29:33 am

These books look great for the groups I run for 4-5 grade girls. I currently use the Weird series, which the girls love and these look like nice additions to my collection. I love books with activities at the end!

Rachel

1/11/2015 04:05:41 am

I would love to use these books in my small groups. I recently conducted a survey and several of the girls in our school struggle with self-concept. I see a lot of individual students in my office because of friendship issues and low self-esteem. These books would be a great resource for me to use with several groups of students.

Megan link

1/11/2015 04:12:53 am

Wow! I would love this collection! This is my first year in a elementary counseling position. I'm building up my collections so anything to add would be greatly appreciated! Marissa this website has been very helpful!

Elaine Johnson

1/11/2015 11:13:56 am

I can't wait to try these books in lessons for our girls (K-5 school)!

Monica Carr

1/11/2015 10:49:27 pm

Is there a certain grade level(s) that you feel that these books are better for?

Melissa Theis

1/11/2015 11:13:32 pm

I would love to try these books out with in a small group with my elementary students. We tend to have friendship issues every year at the 4th grade level. I am always looking for helpful resources on this topic!

Alicia

1/11/2015 11:43:13 pm

First I want to say that your blog has been such an inspiration and a great resource for me! I am a semi-new elementary school counselor, this is my second year. It's my dream and am beyond happy that I am at my school. It had taken me a good 4 years before I found and was hired at my school. My superintendent and elementary principal are truly wonderful for giving me a chance.
Second, okay sorry that was long! What a great giveaway! I have never heard of this book series but will definitely check it out. I would love to use this with a group of 4th grade girls that have difficulty overcoming the challenges of friendships. I would most likely use this with 5th grade girls as well!

Marla

1/12/2015 12:51:45 am

I would love to use this set with my fourth grade girls. This is the age when these things come to surface, and having these tools would be great! I would use them in a small group setting.

Laura Roman link

1/12/2015 04:03:05 am

I am an elementary school counselor - and have had several "girl groups" to solve friendship concerns/help empower the girls so far this year. I would love these books to help me as we continue to work on our goals!

Tanya

1/12/2015 01:10:37 pm

These books look like a treasure! I can think of several groups of girls that request to see me regularly for help with navigating relationships with peers. I would definitely be getting the appriopriate book out during those meetings to encourage the girls to continue to seek alternate solutions (even after they'd "tried everything"). They look like they'd be great for individual counseling, too, and if I ever ran a girls group, there would be a book for at least 4 of our meetings!

Angela

1/12/2015 11:29:54 pm

These sound like great books! I am in the process of planning a small group for girls in 5th grade (which is why I actually came to check out your blog in the first place) and these sound like they could be an excellent tool for me to use with them. I can't wait to check them out. Thanks for sharing!

Ryan

1/13/2015 02:41:47 am

This is such an important and relevant topic to discuss with girls today. I feel like I have been constantly faced with negative interactions between girls this year. I think running small groups to discuss some of these issues would be a great idea!

della jones

1/13/2015 03:34:20 am

These books would be a great addition to the curriculum I will be using with a 5th grade girls group in February!

Amber

1/13/2015 06:57:07 am

I would love these books to use in my program. I love that they have solutions but not always easy, because it really isn't usually easy. Getting students to focus on what they can do is a big goal of mine.

Sara

1/13/2015 07:05:54 am

I love using books in small groups at the two elementary schools I work at. I run a lot of recess groups and help kids talk with each other and problem solve topics like these. I love finding ways to use the books to make a creative art project, too. Thanks for telling us about this series!

Amanda Willis link

1/13/2015 09:23:12 am

Thanks for the review! This looks like a great series and I am always looking for new ideas for my girls groups! My favorite resource for elementary girls groups is Girls In Real Life Situations by Trice-Black and Taylor!

Lindsey Schaefer

1/14/2015 12:21:08 am

I love this! I am always looking for good books/lessons for these common girl issues and these seem to be exactly what I need!

Marissa Rex link

1/17/2015 03:05:20 am

Congrats! You won!

I'll send you an email shortly so I can get your mailing address. If you don't see an email within a couple of hours, check your SPAM folder. If you still don't see anything, email me at: marissa@elementaryschoolcounseling.org

Heather Craig

1/14/2015 02:39:49 am

I would love to use these girl book for my 3rd/4th gr. girls groups! I am a new counselor this year and struggle with what to talk about for my girls groups. And there are always issues in these grades with girls! These would be great to use weekly! Thanks so much for your great blog, I have used tons of your lessons!

Ashly B

1/14/2015 03:45:57 am

Marissa, I love the sound of these books! I agree that using them in the small group setting would be beneficial. I would love to even share them with parents who are looking for resources to use when their girls are struggling with friendships, or to host a parent night centered on some of these issues and use these as a resource. Having a book club is one of my long-term goals as a school counselor, and these may work for that too. Thanks for sharing this resource!

Jessica Satterlee

1/15/2015 12:01:33 am

I would like to start a girls group with my 5th graders. We are a very small district (only 900 students) so students are with each other in the same school, and sometimes the same class, for their entire educational career. This causes a lot of "girl drama" because they only have a small group of friends to interact with. I would love to start a girls group to proactively teach the girls how to deal with this "girl drama," and these books look like a perfect way to do that.

Heather

1/15/2015 12:29:52 am

I would LOVE to use these books with 5th grade friendship groups. I think they'd be a great resource to help kids prepare to transition to middle school and to help them develop coping skills to deal with possible friendship issues.

melissa sluka

1/15/2015 12:47:53 am

I'm a school social worker in Florida and stumbled upon your website- thanks for all the tips. I am getting ready to facilitate a girls group using Girls in Real Life Situations and am always looking for great resources to use.

Alison

1/15/2015 10:26:48 am

Would love to look at this series more closely. I'm sure my elementary girls would benefit greatly!

Brianna link

1/15/2015 11:42:23 pm

I spend so much time with my 3rd grade girls (oldest grade I have) on these issues! Especially the tug of war between friends. We often have to strategize multiple times to help with the situation. I find it hard with older girls because they want me to fix the situation immediately and a tool to help explain that it isn't easy would be great!

Brittany

1/16/2015 12:29:52 am

I would love to use these books with my 3rd and 4th grade girls lunch groups! It is often so hard to work with and help some kids through these problems, knowing that it's not all rainbows and butterflies. Our groups constantly work through things not always being easy, but what will help us and what can make us happy in the future! These books would be great! Thanks for sharing!

Jamie

1/16/2015 01:02:19 am

I am an elementary counselor in a K-5 building and I am always looking for new materials to use with my students. These books look like they would be great to use with my fourth and fifth grade girls "friendship groups." I am currently using the American Girl series, but like I said I am always looking for something fresh :)

Ashley Trezza

1/16/2015 03:59:34 am

I would love to have these books to use in my girls groups! I run groups specific for girls in my school. We focus on self-esteem, friendship, and peer pressure. These would be a great addition!

Kim Smith

1/16/2015 04:13:54 am

I think these books would be great to use with a girls lunch bunch. I am always looking for new ideas for my 4-5 grade girls that are starting to experience friendship issues.

Johanna C

10/20/2015 09:19:56 am

This series would be an excellent resource to use when working with girls in 3-5th grade.

Pam Willis

10/30/2015 02:45:56 pm

These books would really be great tools to use with a middle school group session.

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Book Review: Girl Power Series

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