READY, SET, GROW!: A "What's Happening to My Body?" Book for Younger Girls
by Lynda Madaras
Newmarket Press
ISBN: 1557045658
Ages 8-up
128 pages

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A Note from the Author
My name is Lynda Madaras.

I write books about growing up and going through puberty. I also teach puberty classes and workshops.

Chances are, you already know what puberty is. But in case you don't, we'll give you a quick idea. Puberty is a time of changing. It lasts only a few years. But during this time your body changes from a child's body into a woman's body.)

I wrote my first puberty book with my daughter, Area. (It's called The "What's Happening To My Body?" Book for Girls.) Area was going through puberty at the time. She gave me the girls' point-of-view. She reminded me how it felt to go through puberty. She knew the questions girls wanted answered.

I liked working with Area. She liked working with me, too. (For one thing, she got to correct me all the time.) We went on to write other books about puberty. We wrote My Body, My Self for Girls. It's a workbook. It has quizzes, games, and fun things for girls going through puberty. (You'll find a list of all our books at the back of this book.)

We had a lot of fun after our books came out. We got to travel around the country. Reporters interviewed us. We got our pictures in the paper. We went on TV and radio shows. We even got to be on Oprah! We felt like famous people...for a little while anyway!

Quite a few years have gone by since that first book. Area got through puberty. She grew up, went to college, and got a job. She fell in love. She got married. And, right now, she's pregnant. As I sit writing this, I am waiting for the phone to ring. I am waiting for the call telling me to come to the hospital. "Come and see your granddaughter get born." I am very excited. I can't wait to say, "Hello, baby, welcome to the earth."

It's not just Area that's changed during these years. Believe it or not, puberty has also changed. Well, of course, what happens hasn't changed. But when it happens has.

Today puberty is happening to younger girls. When Area and I wrote our first book, most girls were in the sixth grade or higher before they started. Now, the first signs of puberty often happen to a girl in the third or fourth grade. (Sometimes even earlier!) So I've written this book for girls of all ages. I think younger girls will like it. But it's not just for younger girls. It is written for all of you who are thinking about or going through puberty.

As I said, Area got through puberty and went on to other things. Not me! I've stayed with puberty. I've written and taught and spoken about it. I have talked to girls all across the country. I've also gotten zillions of letters from girls who've read my books.

Most girls don't hold back. They tell me just what they're thinking. They ask questions. Many of the things they say are here in this book. Many of their questions are here, too, along with my answers. So girls like you helped to write this book.

I hope you like the book. I hope it helps you understand and enjoy your changing body. And I hope one day my granddaughter reads it and it helps her, too.

Excerpted from READY, SET, GROW! © Copyright 2003 by Lynda Madaras. Reprinted with permission by Newmarket Press. All rights reserved.

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