What I Wish You Knew: Letters from Our Daughters' Lives, and Expert Advice on Staying Connected

by American Girl

Collects letters from American girls from ten to fourteen in which they discuss their appearance, their families, friendship, school, coping with crises, substance abuse, dating, their hopes for the future, and other issues.

Genres: Parenting

225 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Chevy]

DNF- it was sad to see letters from girls who couldn’t/wouldn’t/or didn’t want to talk with a parent about their growing up needs.

I feel like I have a relationship with my daughter that allows us to talk openly.

I feel like a parent who chooses to read this book is already being attentive enough to their daughter to be there for her when she needs without reading a lot of “what if” scenarios in this book.

Also, the tone in which some of these letters is written almost leads me to believe they either aren’t authentic or are rewritten for the adult reader’s benefit which really put me off.

As my daughter gets older I may refer back to this book if I think it would be useful but for now I don’t and I’m not going to make myself read the whole thing.

[PearlDoll]

This is a Helpful and Open Book for both Mothers and Daughters. It has many Resources and lots of Information, which I believe is Very Valuable for anyone going through Puberty, Boy or Girl.

The Main Point this book can be summarized by though, is "Hey, Mums, Listen and Talk with your Daughters,"

[Tiffany]

I've been really impressed with the no-nonsense level of helpful information provided in these American Girl books. They've sparked many good conversations between my daughters and myself, and between their friends.

[Cassy]

Who recommended this book to me: Browsing mini-libraries, apprehension about entering my children's pre-teen years and fond memories of American Girl

[Jessica Arend]

2.25

[Lynnea]

Fun to hear what girls are thinking/feeling. It reassures me that these changes in my daughter are "normal."

[Lara]

36