Help!: A Girl's Guide to Divorce and Stepfamilies (American Girl Library)
Grade 4-8-This excellent self-help book draws on letters that have been sent to American Girl magazine over the years. The readable, general text includes advice from girls who have experienced parents' divorce, their dating and remarrying, and living with stepfamilies. In addition to offering words of encouragement to youngsters in these same situations, some of the letters pose questions or ask for help. This inquiry-and-response format and the inclusion of multiple-choice quizzes and peer input result in a reader-friendly nonfiction title. Yet there is plenty of solid information here. The upbeat and lively presentation stresses that divorce is never the child's fault and emphasizes that it is usually the best solution to the parents' problems. Plentiful full-color and black-and-white cartoons further enhance the book's appeal. Jane Hurwitz's Coping in a Blended Family (Rosen, 1997) includes a resource list of books, Web sites, newsletters, hot lines, and even a board game. Zoe, Evan, and Ellen Sue Stern's Divorce Is Not the End of the World (Tricycle, 1997), written by teenage siblings, takes a more in-depth approach. Nonetheless, Help! offers just that-help-and should be added to most collections.Barb Lawler, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.