Here is another New York Times article about a book series aimed at helping young girls develop self-esteem and coping skills.

By Tara Parker

Books for Girls With a Health Message
When Addie Swartz was shopping with her 9-year-old daughter and friends, one of the girls noticed a scantily clad model at an Abercrombie & Fitch store. “Why do they have to do that?” one of the girls asked.
Lake Rescue offers inspiration to overweight girls.
Ms. Swartz describes it as an “aha” moment when the idea for a new book series came to her.
“It made me feel like the world is making them grow up so, so fast,” says Ms. Swartz. “It felt like there were so many messages out there that were bombarding her and her friends and girls her age.”
As a result, Ms. Swartz created the Beacon Street Girls book series. The stories, which revolve around five middle-school girls in Brookline, Mass., are shaped by leading experts in adolescent development, with the goal of helping girls build self-esteem and coping skills. Topics include the problems of an overweight girl and cyber bullying. This month the series will launch its latest book, “Green Algae and Bubblegum Wars,” a novel aimed at encouraging girls in science. The book is the result of a collaboration with Sally Ride, an astronaut who was the first American woman to orbit Earth.
But can expert health advice wrapped up as fiction really make a difference for the books’ young readers? A surprising new study suggests that for some girls, it can. To learn more, read my full Well column here.
And if you don’t know what your daughters are reading, check out this story from Naomi Wolf about the current crop of teen fiction.
What do you think of the current crop of teen literature? Has your child read a book from the Beacon Street Girls series? Please join the discussion and post your comments below.