10 Books to Raise Stronger Girls

Unfortunately, in society today, young girls can be mean. Middle school has become one of the most important times in the girl world, because this is when girls are turning into young women and defining who they will become in the eyes of their peers. Body image starts to become important, girls move into different social circles, and daughters start to pull away from their mothers. In these difficult years, mothers may need guidance in how to deal with their young daughters, and keep their little girls from going down the wrong path. Here are the best books to raise stronger girls with good character.

Untangled, written by Lisa Damour, is the ultimate parenting guide for parents of teenage girls going through the most difficult years of growing up in the girl world. This book takes parents through the young girls’ seven transitions into adulthood, and helps parents to understand that all these difficult stages are normal, even though they are tumultuous times. Damour encourages parents to read this book and learn about how girls move through each stage as they're growing up. It will help parents feel close to their daughters, and less clueless.

Little Girls Can Be Mean is a guide book written by Reyna Lindert and Michelle Anthony that can help parents prepare their young daughters for bullying in school, and build strong daughters with good self-esteem. This is one of the best books to raise stronger girls, because parents will learn four solid steps to bully-proof their kids before they get into school and experience how harsh some of the "queen-bee" types can be in those early grades. It is better to prepare ahead of time than to have young daughters get traumatized and then learn to heal from the bullying.

So Sexy So Soon, written by two PhD holders, Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne, is one of the best books to raise stronger girls because this book discusses today’s sexualized society in which young girls feel that body image means being sexy is important at such an early age. Young daughters need better role models to look up to as opposed to celebrities who are revealing everything, and consequently, teaching these little girls that it is okay to do the same. In this book, research is discussed on what effect society has on young girls, and how parents can address the issue head on with their daughters.

What I Told My Daughter is one of the best books to raise stronger girls because this book holds the voices of many strong women leaders, and the advice they have given their young daughters as they were growing up, looking for role models in the harsh world of middle school. Young girls need guidance, and parents need guidance as well in how to help their daughters find their way. This book helps parents and their strong daughters through it all, and could be one of the most influential books teenage girls should read.

Parents should read this book in order to better understand the mean girl culture that is introduced in the early years of elementary and middle school. No More Mean Girls is one of the best books to raise stronger girls because it can help parents as their young girls move through these early grades. Little girls have it harder than boys because they must worry about the stresses of the girl world and "queen-bee" bullying. This book can be a guide to help.

The Myth of the Perfect Girl is a great book to raise stronger girls, because it talks about the stress that many young girls face in school to achieve the perfect persona, and do well in every category including sports, academics, social status, and body image. This book guides parents in helping their young daughters to find happiness in their unique form of the perfect persona, so they can achieve happiness in their own way as opposed to trying to conform to other people’s set standards.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is a great book to raise stronger girls because it features 100 stories of heroic and diverse women, such as astronauts, engineers, authors, artists, and others. This book will inspire young girls and strong daughters everywhere. It presents great role models for them to look up to, as opposed to the marginalization of women that some reality TV shows may present. All girls should read this book.

Mothering and Daughtering is one of the best books to raise stronger girls because this book will strengthen the bond that mothers have with their young daughters. All mothers know that the relationship they have with their daughters can be tested through the teen years, and sometimes, a guide is needed to figure out how to approach young girls as they make their way through this hard time.

Enough as She Is is a great book to raise stronger girls, because it teaches parents how to guide their young girls into having a healthy body image, developing self-confidence as they work through their teenage years. These years are very transformative and can be a real struggle for strong daughters who must deal with the pressures of high school, and are dealing with their peers who are constantly judging them. This book can help, and is a must-read feminist book.

Lastly, Odd Girl Out is one of the best books to raise stronger girls, because it deals with aggression found in young girls, both in school and out of school. This book can be read by both parents and young girls to help deal with this culture, and find ways to navigate the mean girl persona that so many girls deal with these days in society.

All these books are helpful in building up stronger daughters, and helping them through their adolescence. Read these books today to guide your young girls as they grow into women.