Being a Girl, Hayley Long

Illustrated by Gemma Correll

Pages: 221

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Release Date: 4^th June 2015

Edition: UK paperback, review copy

Other Titles by this Author: Lottie Biggs is (Not) Mad, Lottie Biggs is (Not) Desperate, Lottie Biggs is (Not) Tragic, What’s Up With Jodie Barton?, Downside Up

From friendships to relationships, periods to body matters, this warm and wise book tells it like it is. Being a Girl is not all sugar and spice and everything nice. How can you possible survive school and even think about talking to your crush when you have spots in places you didn’t even know you had, your boobs are too big (or too small) and the friend drama is off the charts.

Luckily, bestselling YA author and sixth-form teacher Hayley long provides a straight-talking guide to puberty – from cattiness to kisses, being a girlfriend and everything in between.

With witty and black-and-white illustrations by Gemma Correll throughout, Being a Girl gives girls everything they need to know about surviving puberty, in an honest and humorous way.

Being a teenager is tough, put particularly for a teenage girl, and in Being a Girl Hayley Long has gathered everything she learnt on her journey to adulthood.

The subjects of puberty, hormones and how to deal with them and everything that gets dragged alongside them can be a dry (and rather depressing subject) but in Being a Girl everything is delivered with humour and through a myriad of ways. Along with regular text, there are brilliant illustrations by Gemma Correll, tables, diagrams, lists and crazy typography. It ties in perfectly with Hayley’s easy, conversational tone and humour and kept me entertained throughout. Hayley’s personality shines through so strongly that I heard her voice in my head as I was reading!

As well as the usual subjects of periods, unwanted hair, hormones, hair and make-up, Being a Girl does a good job of highlighting gender identity early on in the book and has lots of contact numbers and websites at the back for anyone in need of them. In a book that deals with the biological, social and emotional sides of being a girl, I think that it’s really important for transgender teens to be covered as well – being a girl isn’t just about what’s downstairs and the earlier that teens and pre-teens realise that, the easier the road to diversity will be.

In Being a Girl, Hayley Long delivers everything a girl needs to know about growing up in her trademark humour and a whole host of style. Educational, empowering and important.

Thanks to Hot Key Books for the review copy.

Sophie