Mean Girls: Facing Your Beauty Turned Beast

Some aspects of it were good—for example, the armor of God and the prayers accompanying them were really good. However her advice weighed out the good things in the book.My biggest problem with the book is the author’s repeated emphasis on “not involving adults” in situations of bullying. Basically, you shouldn’t tell adults anything and cause trouble because you might make the situation worse. You should only say something if your life is in danger: If you run on and tell a teacher or someone in authority, you run the risk of keeping the revenge cycle going. […] So if she hasn’t threatened your life or your security at home or work and hasn’t hurt you physically, try to lay low.”When I got some nasty notes from bullies in mid school, I told the teacher, who then called the office and the parents. Never had issue with them again.Now, telling adults is not a silver bullet for all bullying, but it sure beats telling a child they have to deal with a toxic situation all on their own. I knew someone who did that and they swallowed a bottle of pills. Thankfully they got to the hospital in time.For whatever reason, telling an adult about a bully is considered sinful retaliation.Also, if you are shy and they are bullying you because of that, then it’s your fault that you are being bullied. Shyness apparently is a sin: “Consider shyness an obstacle between you and obedience.”Absolutely would not recommend to anyone trying to teach their kids about bullying.

Mean Girls by DiMarco has some great points to offer and she helps spell out what different kinds of mean look like. Unfortunately, she repeats a lot of the same information in different formats and the book becomes redundant. I have been using this book for a junior high small group and it became difficult to really get into any meat after the first 3-4 weeks. For an individual girl, I think it can be helpful to label the subtle ways girls can be mean and ways they can move beyond mean to live a life committed to God first. I appreciate the way she calls it what it is and challenges teens to raise the bar in how they are living. I think watching the movie, Mean Girls, adds more to the book, even though the two are unrelated. Overall, it is a decent book.

I was hesitant to get this book, as with so many out there for teen girls today. But I'm glad I took the plunge since it turned out to be read (and positively commented on!) but more than one of the granddaughters (and one young friend of theirs, to boot!) Evidently it really "hit home" with the critical topic that is all too often overlooked or ignored in today's overwhelming world of girlhood.

Our Jr. high starts at 6th grade, and I guess I thought that was normal in most places since it has always been that way where we are in Michigan. Thinking this was geared toward Jr high and high school aged girls I picked this up for my middle school age daughter. We read together every night, and since the mean girl issues have come up since the 4th grade, I figured summer was a good time to read this together and have discussions as we go (headed to M.S. in the fall). While I think this will be valuable later on, we just weren't ready for some of the discussions yet. Putting this one on the shelf till later.

This is by far the best book I've read on the subject. Hayley DiMarco presents the subject from all angles, with a solid biblical perspective, in a way that girls can relate to. She asks the hard questions like "Why might I be the victim?" challenging girls to look at themselves and what they might be doing to provoke the aggression. She discusses what to do when girls do find themselves under attack, as well as presenting a life-changing perspective on how God can use this to develop their spiritual walk. If you only buy one book on the subject, this is the one to get!

This short book is a valuable tool in fighting the 6th grade meanies....no matter how sweet the girl, these meanies attack at this age.Parents, particularly mothers, can be of so much help if they are on top of this to begin with and work through the issues with not only their own daughter, but their friends. This book is a wonderful basis for a girls'group bible study, with different moms helping lead if possible. We ALL need help in this area and everyone benefits from confronting the issue and dealing with it in this comprehensive way as presented by the author.

I love these books - this one, Idol Girls, and Sexy Girls - they are aimed at teenagers and yet are full of things that help older women as well. I loved reading this and having it help me understand some parts of me as well as helping me better relate to one of the teen girls I work with. This is a must-read for anyone working with teens. Sometimes you forget about the mean girls in high school and this book will help you get back to remembering that they are there and how to help teen girls around you deal with them.

Excellent work! Biblically based with specific ideas and strategies of how to deal with difficult and mean people (and not just kids!). But it also challenges the reader to look into their own hearts and examine their attitudes and behaviors as well, to be sure the reader isn't also acting as a mean person. Hayley has a skilled way of communicating, with humor, directness when needed, and undergirded with encouragement and hope. Really helpful! Thank you, Hayley!

Great book for older kids. It's so hard to find the right book for kids these days with positive and healthy contents. Hayley DiMarco's book is highly recommended.

I bought this book for my teen daughter. She love it!