The Big Book of Girl Stuff

by Bart King, Jennifer Kalis

<!-- #pd-fixedwrapper1 { auto;} .pd-img1 { solid; 0px; #B8B8B8; left; 10px; } .pd-content1 {} .pd-content2 { left; 15px; 45px;} --> The Big Book of Girl Stuff shares everything a girl needs to know—from sleepovers to diaries to makeup to boys to shopping, and everything in between! It's the ultimate guide to unlocking the delightful mysteries of being a girl. Dozens of girls, young women, teachers, and mothers collaborated on this book to make it the most comprehensive guide to being a girl that has ever existed! Perfect for pre-teen, 'tween, and teenage girls, The Big book of Girl Stuff shares inspiration, empowerment, and some seriously silly laughs just when girls need it the most! It's filled with information, activities, quotes, and games, as well as lists for favorite books, movies, and music. Smart asides, fascinating facts, an enlightened outlook, and a uniquely feminine perspective make this a must have for every girl. Though it's written for girls from 9 to 14, it will certainly delight moms, aunts, and big sisters everywhere! Find answers to a girl's most important

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Middle Grade

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

I write funny and educational books for kids and immature adults. In 2026, two of my projects will hit shelves: FATHER HUMOR (a new edition of THAT'S HOW EYE ROLL), and a new Choose Your Own Adventure title that is still untitled.

Jeff Kinney described my CYOA tales in TIME TRAVEL INN as being full of "mind-blowing adventure and heart-stopping thrills!", so I have that going for me.

Back in 2016, Disney-Hyperion published my funny science-fiction novel, THE DRAKE EQUATION. Reviews:
— “This novel has a lot going for it. There’s an immensely likable protagonist and his marvelous twin friends, a school life that feels true —particularly the petty weirdness of other kids— and a mystery that really engages the reader. King tosses a lot of balls in the air, keeping the twists fast and furious, but thankfully, while the protagonist is suitably overwhelmed, the reader isn’t.” San Francisco Review of Books
— "Librarians will find that young readers empathize with the young birdwatcher and his friends.... children will enjoy the school and friendship aspects of the story." Teacher Librarian Magazine
— "Noah is a strong enough character to snag interest and keep it... there's clever humor and a great central protagonist to carry readers along to the end." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
— "A clever sci-fi narrative with an enjoyable main character." Kirkus

I also wrote a Choose Your Own Adventure titled SPIES: MOE BERG, an espionage book titled THE POCKET GUIDE TO SPY STUFF, and THE BIG BOOK OF SUPERHEROES, a humorous guide to becoming a superhero, and then dealing with it.

What else? Oregon State University Press published AN ARCHITECTURAL GUIDEBOOK TO PORTLAND. (It's medium-sized!) Finally, I taught middle school for many years. This was a wonderful experience, and I hope to recover from it soon. (I kid; it was the best job I've ever had.)

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Any young man who can manage to grow up (alive) and retain (most) of their sanity surrounded by five sisters automatically gains my respect. When that young man grows up to be Bart King, author of THE BIG BOOK OF GIRL STUFF, who uses the wisdom, never-ending frustration, and survival instincts honed while growing up with said five sisters, my respect turns to genuine admiration.

Like its predecessor, THE BIG BOOK OF BOY STUFF, this book is filled to the brim with helpful tips, life-saving information every girl needs to know (i.e. how to put on eyeliner correctly), the best reversible pink cover in the history of books, and much, much more. Don't believe me? Categories in this must-have book include:

Babysitting; Girl Power; Boys; Friends, Cliques, Secrets, and Gossip; Fun Stuff to Do; Holidays; Sports and Games; Dance and Cheerleading; Lies, Mean Girls, and Jerks; Ick; Nicknames, Handwriting, Words, and Doodles; Slang; Dolls and Stuffed Animals; Etiquette and Manners; Family; Beauty; Makeup; Sleepovers and Slumber Parties; Hair; Humor; Fashion; How Important are Looks?; Food and Dieting; The Mind, Emotions, and Dreams; Practical Jokes; Girl Secrets: No Boys Allowed!; Girl Emergencies; Pets and Animals; Shopping and Advertising; Wise Words from Wise Women.

Here's a strategy tip straight from Mr. King himself: If your brother or sister ever tells you to "shut up," try using this magical spell from ancient times: I don't shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you, I throw up. Problem solved!

And for those of us (read old) who have gotten behind on the cool (is cool even still cool?) phrases of the day, here's a few hints: chichi (pronounced shee-shee) means expensive in a tasteless way, harsh the mellow means to upset people, and a nooj is a harmless troublemaker.

I'm telling you, you need a copy of THE BIG BOOK OF GIRL STUFF! Otherwise, you'll never know what you need to know, while everyone else knows it, which makes you look perflippity (which means silly, by the way).

[Emma W · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an incredibly outdated book - really unfortunate that a lot of young Aussie girls ended up poring over this book in their most formative years! I revisited it recently when returning home for Christmas, and I am astounded. Should we begin with the fact that the author of ‘The Big Book of Girl Stuff’, directed toward preteen girls in the late 2000s and early 2010s, is written by a man? Or that after the introduction, the very first topic is babysitting? Very quickly establishing the expectation for these girls, to confine to societal norms, as a carer, the babysitter, the cook, the cleaner, the one who manages the home while the husband is out working. There’s problematic ideas too about what’s to expect in a boyfriend/husband, no mention of LGBTQIA relationships, interacting with guys, navigating family, body image, body size and girl friendships. The book emphasises for girls to not expect too much from their male counterpart, telling them a great means for interaction with a boy is to ‘ask for his advice/opinion on stuff’, because ‘boys love to give girls advice on stuff’. My favourite is ‘What do you call a polite, funny, sensitive, good-looking boy? A rumour’. Really sets girls up to have great expectations from their partner, and high levels of respect (not!). Other exciting topics include an entire chapter on dolls, and how to not ‘throw like a girl’. Am very glad to see there’s many more options nowadays for young girls, and am hoping these sorts of books remain very strongly in the past.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, this book is the best! I go to it for advice, when I am bored, or when I want so "me" or "girl" time. I absolutely love the whole thing, my copy is so worn out and I lost the real cover to it so long ago, I cant even remember. I cant even remember when I got it! It looks like I have had it for 13 years!
haha... love the book and HIGHLY reccomended for all pre teen through teenage girls.

[Alshaimaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب رااائع جداً.
يقدم للفتيات مواضيع متنوعة تهمهم، وأساليب التعامل مع المشكلات المختلفة، حتى أصغر التفاصيل.
هناك بعض مواضيعه لاتخص الثقافة الغربية، بل فيه من العمومية مايناسب أكثر من ثقافة،حتى أنه تحدث عن السلام عند العرب
فكرة الغلاف جداً رائعة، يمكنك إزالة الغلاف ليتحول الكتاب لدفتر علوم (كيمياء)لكي لايطّلع أو ينتبه أي شخص لهذا الدفتر.
نحتاج لمثل هذا الكتاب لفتياتنا.
شكراً لك رفاه لتعريفي بهذا الكتاب.

[ummgigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! I swear I have read every single word in it and acquired the most useful and life saving knowledge a girl can possess. This includes learning how to babysit, deal with annoying siblings, hide a bad haircut, have correct etiquette, politely refuse a boy's invitation to dance, apply make up correctly, throw the best slumber party of the century and much, much more. Definitely a must have for every girl on this planet!

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Loved. This. Book. I obtained so much information from here; and the fact that a man wrote the book not knowing much about the girl's mind makes me love this book even more. I discovered so many random facts. I believe everyone should know when it is National Destroy All Video Games Day.(September 12) Oh, and one more thing: Loofa!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is uber duber hularious! a must read for tweens. filed with chapters on: babysiting, names, slepovers, fun things to do, handwriting, friends, animals/pets!

Truly taking funnieness to a new level.

(Comes with funny drawings and cartoons)

[Elizabeth Whalen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It's great just to be able to pick it up and read a short section and still laugh out loud! It's great for car trips, especially people who if they read for to long in the car they get sick.

[أروى · Rating 5 out of 5]

تمنيت لو أن لدينا كتاباً مثل هذا بالعربية

يناقش كل ما يخص الفتيات بطريقة ممتعة

[Clarence :P · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book soooo much. Whenever I don't have anything to read I pull it out and get pulled into the hilarious writing of Bart King (and his five sisters) : D

[Leighcool]

it helps girls my age a whole bunch!

[αℓyssα]

i read it... it was interseting! i guess!!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

By big they mean big, but it is a really good book and has so much cool information.

[SophieF · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Big Book of Girl Stuff By Bart King: My Auntie Ramona gave me this book for my birthday one year ago and it became by bedtime bible. Truly, it is nice to have something tangible that is a how-to guide on making a difference, and an overall overview of being a teenager and dealing with the good parts and the issues, like teenage drama. There are no weaknesses, because it gives the reader an easy reference to what real life is and all of the “fun” sorts of things that go along with it. Additionally, it is very effectively written. The author is fabulous and I would love to read another one of his fantastic books because after reading it page-by-page, it asks the reader questions, inspires the reader in numerous ways, and gives powerful quotes by inspirational women.

My absolute favorite quote out of the entire book is about how people can make you feel. Eleanor Roosevelt is a phenomenal woman because she stands up for herself and became well-known for simply being herself. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt. The author utilizes important quotes girls can connect with from influential people. Any girl would probably love reading the book because it connects with issues all girls face at some points, with sections that make the reader laugh and others that are actually quite touching. It is a nice, easy sort of read recommended at bedtime because it is perfect for unwinding at the end of the day. This is a must-read book; ergo, all girls should most definitely track down the book! Each word of the author’s language gives power and support to the reader to help realize that life can be fun and it also sometimes is not fun, but people get through those hard times and come out into a new phase of life.

Additionally, one of the greatest strengths of the book are the inspirational quotes, clearly supporting each section magnificently. In the words of Miss Piggy, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.” Wit and grit are explained throughout, showing girl power, important life lessons, and some fun, cheerful, and enjoyment mixed in between.

Overall, this book is a strong and effective book that clearly illustrates life from a girl teenager’s point of view; therefore, I encourage all girls to read it and enjoy. I would love to read another one of King’s books because it is real and it explains life in both its high times, and also the low times.

[Annemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book to read! I read it from cover to cover, but just skipped around from here to there. It's fun to see what variety of topics they talk about. Would be a fun gift to give to anybody. This is actually sitting in my car so if I ever need a book to read while waiting I can just grab it to read. Easy read.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received copies of The Big Book of Boys Stuff and The Big Book of Girls Stuff by Bart King from publisher Gibbs-Smith to review. My 8 year old son reviewed The Big Book of Boys Stuff so to be fair I'm allowing my 10 year old daughter to review The Big Book of Girl Stuff.
Here is her review: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot....

[Nikka Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

LUV THIS BOOK.....NO BOYS ALLOWED LOL

[Allyce]

i read it when i was nine! it still counts!!!!!!!!

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

so i used to own this. and i would reread it so often...it probably shaped me in some way, as a preteen. looking back however, i remember a lot of inaccurate facts? who knows

[Lylah Chaffee · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is quite difficult to put into words how utterly appalling this "advice" book is, but I'll try my best.

To start, this book is written by a man. Sure, he claims he has help from his sisters, but that doesn't take away from the fact that most of this content is his idea. He does, however, have an advice book for boys (The Big Book of Boy Stuff). A man writing a book about and for girls is unheard of for me. Bart King doesn't know and will never know the experiences that women and girls go through. Readers have to be at least eight years old to dive into this book.

Before I delve into the individual sections, I'd like to note that this book is very hetero-normative across the many chapters. Bart writes that a girl crush is "adoring a super cool girl in a platonic way" and when explaining the Irish Claddagh ring, it means that the wearer (a female) has a boyfriend. As an openly bisexual person, it is sounding as if Bart is trying to cover up the existence of people in the LGBTQ+ community.

Now, onto the first problematic section: Boys. It goes into detail about what you should do if you have a crush on a boy (because again, hetero-normative), like keeping it a secret from your friends so they don't "steal" him and finding a magic song to remind you of your crush.
The Boys section also talks down heavily on boys, saying they're "sooo immature" and that they hide their feelings. Additionally, it includes stereotypes about what a boy's personality could be based on what he wears and what his hair looks like. This segment also discusses what happens during a breakup; a "term" called breakup-rexia. It's supposed to be a play-on-words with anorexia, but it can feel very invalidating to those with the eating disorder.

The next section I will be breaking down is titled Slang. Out of the entire 320-page book, this has got to be the most absurd and preposterous portion of writing. It includes words like "bitchin'" and "bohunk", just to begin with. Many rude names are involved, such as "aristo-brat" and "prat". Thinking back to "breakup-rexia", there is also a title written down called "tanorexic", which is "a girl who has a tanning disorder. She thinks that she's too pale, and so she tans constantly." Anyone with common sense would know not to call anyone these horrific names.

A couple of points are noted where the author invalidates mental health, including that a "sadaddict" is "a girl (maybe a Drama Queen) who is hooked on feeling sad." It puts having a phobia or just having anxiety in general into air quotes as a "mental health disorder". Many of my friends and I have mental health issues, and this just adds to the stigma.

Throughout this book, there are mean comments and pranks advised to do to your friends. A "Mean Cheer" talks about murder and mutilation, while a "prank" a girl can do to her friend is putting instant mashed potatoes onto her lawn to spell out an embarrassing message. I couldn't believe what I was reading when I saw these since they are the complete opposite of what anyone should be saying and doing.

When I saw the Girl Emergencies section, I assumed it would talk about real emergencies, such as what to do if there's a fire. But instead of talking about worthwhile things, it advises girls on what to do when they're in public and don't look their best and they see cute guys from school. It also discusses what to do when you don't have anywhere to sit for lunch and have unstoppable hiccups. These situations are not actual emergencies. This section just couldn't be more disappointing.

My final point is on the inappropriate content in this book. King writes, and I quote, "You can sell anything you want with breasts." The book also talks about waxing your legs, making a fake belly-button piercing (and using Elmer's glue to stick it onto yourself), liposuctions, and botox. Eight-year-olds should not be reading this type of content at their age.

In conclusion, this book is not worth the $15.00 it sells for. These are just a few of the many ludicrous instances I scanned, and I advise you not to buy it. If you're looking for alternative advice books, I highly recommend American Girl's "A Smart Girl's Guide" help books, available wherever books are sold.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The thing about this book is that I loved it as a kid, when I was the demographic age. However, I was slightly clueless as a kid, reading this book five years after its publication date, and I wasn’t involved in a lot of the girl stuff this book taught me about. So although I found a lot of this book useful, I look back on it and think it is cringe.

First off, this book is a bit stereotypical. Much like the Big Book of Boy Stuff, it is charming and traditional rather than sexist or toxic. Growing up with five sisters helped Bart King understand the female gender more. However, while this book caters to the tomboy as well as the girly girl, I was neither. I was a nerd. Not enough nerd stuff in this book.

This book is also horrifically outdated. Even though it was published in 2006, it feels more like it’s from the Y2K Mean Girls era. It is called the “Hip” book for girls, which seems unbearably cringe now. And it contains a slang guide which might be what girls were saying in 2006 or earlier, but very few of the slang terms have survived to 2010 or now.

Although there was some good advice in this book, there is a lot I don’t like. Maybe I shouldn’t regret my preteen cringe, or buy the updated edition. Or maybe I can say that this book is only aimed at some limited types of girl. That’s part of why I don’t like it much.

[Akina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book perpetuates a lot of stereotypes about girls. For young children (the target audience is stated to be girls 8-14), dividing people into archetypes can be really damaging. For example, the "girl types" section and the breakdown of clothing articles encouraging readers to judge boys by their fashion choices.
There's also no mention of LGBTQ relationships despite the pages talking about dating. Obviously, it's a dated book, so I can't be too critical about something written a decade ago.
I wouldn't recommend this for any of my younger family members, as I truly think it could be harmful to their way of thinking about themselves and the world.

[Ace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Anyone who lives to see adult hood with 5 sisters deserves a trophy! On with the book review:

This book is mainly for 9-11 yr olds, and I've definitely noticed a large shift in what humor I find funny from last time I read it 😦 . It's has a good range of information, but this time round, I was generally surprised that there wasn't any mention of *lowers voice sarcastically* that time of month *blushes*. So, it is a good book for pre-teens, and I'll definitely give it to my little cousin once she's old enough to read it!

[KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book as a pre-teen/teenager and referred to it a lot. I recently came across it while going through my closet to find books to donate, and realized I've probably hung onto it for 6+ years. I've given it 4 stars instead of 5 because of how heteronormative it is. Just one line in the section on dating that said something like, "Of course, not all girls like boys" would have been immensely beneficial to me as a young person. Otherwise, this is a wonderful and empowering book.

[Jana Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real questions our girls have, and real answers they could relate too. They didn't feel talked down to, and the problems discussed are realistic with solutions they could use. I didn't realize my girls didn't know that their hair is not alive, but they are now paying attention to the claims of their hair products and have found that some are suspect.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cute. I was flipping through it because I had to put down a depressing book for a bit. I really liked the cover design. The inside of the dust jacket was styles like a pink composition notebook. The book was styles like an old chemistry textbook.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was OBSESSED with this book as a preteen girl. Oh, the nostalgia.

[Vanessa Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much it is awesome I like how his sister's helped him make this book y'all should read the part about the boys it is funny

[Namrata · Rating 1 out of 5]

its shit

[kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

again..childhood fav…funniest book in the world