BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends): A Girl's Guide to Happy Friendships

by Jessica Speer, Elowyn Dickerson (Illustrator)

Overview

Friendships are tough to navigate, even for adults. The preteen years can be particularly sticky, but we’ve got your back! Packed with fun quizzes, colorful illustrations, and stories about girls just like you, BFF or NRF is the ultimate interactive guidebook to help you learn the ins and outs of friendship. Explore the topics of gossip, bullying, and feeling left out, along with ways to strengthen the friendships that mean the most to you and keep them strong forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641701952
Publisher:	Familius
Publication date:	08/16/2021
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	113,974
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jessica Speer is the award-winning author of  BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends)? A Girls Guide to Happy Friendships and Middle School – Safety Goggles Advised. Her interactive books for preteens and teens entertain readers while exploring social-emotional topics. Blending humor, a dash of science, stories, and insights, her writing unpacks the social stuff that peaks during adolescence. She has a master’s degree in social sciences and explores topics in ways that connect with kids. Jessica is regularly featured in and contributes to media outlets on topics related to kids, teens parenting, and friendship. For more information, visit www.JessicaSpeer.com

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Qui2-How Healthy Ave my Friendship?? 15

Chapter 2 Qui2-How Are my Friendship Skills? 23

Chapter 3 The friendship Pyramid-from BFF to NRF (Not Really friends) 51

Chapter 4 What Qualities Do I Like in friends? 61

Chapter 5 "Oops, I Wish I Hadn't Said That"-Managing Big Emotions in Wealthy Ways 67

Chapter 6 Speaking Up with "I Power" When Your friend Isn't Treating You the Way You Want to be Treated 75

Chapter 7 Tricky friendship Scenarios-What Would I Do? 87

Chapter 8 Negating Conflict and Bullying 99

Chapter 9 Making New friends 109

Chapter 10 Taking Care of Myself During Rough Patches 115

Chapter 11 Putting It All Together 121

Interviews

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Editorial Reviews

"With the recent emphasis on social-emotional learning, this guide discusses friendship in an accessible way." 
—School Library Journal

"Many girls struggle with friendship issues in elementary and middle school. This book provides a clear roadmap for girls to successfully navigate difficult friendships while helping them gain social awareness, skills, and confidence in the process."
—Dr. Cherylee E. Hirsch, PsyD, school psychologist

"As a classroom teacher for the past 12 years, I have supported girls with establishing and figuring out how to foster healthy friendships. BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends) touches on all aspects and themes of positive friendships. I recommend this book for ALL girls."
—Aurora Sidell, teacher


“This is a great guide for empowering young girls on how to navigate friendships in positive, healthy ways!”
—Trudy Ludwig, author of My Secret Bully and The Invisible Boy

“BFF or NRF is definitely the book that I wish I had when I was in elementary and middle school! Now, as a mother of a teen girl, I know from personal experience that navigating the tween years can be tricky. Here is a great solution and guide! Jessica Speer combines colorful illustrations and fun fonts with useful quizzes, checklists, relatable anecdotes, and quotes from girls to make this workbook engaging, useful, and a perfect toolbox for these tumultuous years. I encourage every mom to get a copy and hand it to their tween daughter as soon as humanly possible.”
—Cynthia C. Muchnick, MA, co-author of The Parent Compass: Navigating Your Teen's Wellness and Academic Journey in Today's Competitive World

“A wonderfully empowering read! Geared toward younger females, this book is a must-read for those who want to help cultivate an awareness of the powerful nature of TRUE friendships!”
—Dr. Carla Marie Manly, clinical psychologist and author of Date Smart, Joy From Fear, and Aging Joyfully

From the Publisher

09/01/2021

Gr 4–7—An interactive self-help book about building healthier, happier friendships for young girls. The colorful text with plentiful pink is designed to look like a notebook and functions as a workbook. Each chapter includes an interactive component with quizzes, places to respond to a wide range of scenarios, and invitations to reflection. Framing friendship as a choice, Speer advises readers that close friends may not be made until middle school. From examining friendships to building friendship skills, the book is focused on emotional health, including taking responsibility for one's actions and dealing with conflict effectively. A section labeled "Super-Duper Important" emphasizes the importance of contacting trusted adults if there are situations of potential harm. Focusing largely on female friendships with she/her as default pronouns, the text does make a disclaimer that the information could be applied to friends using any pronouns. The book wraps up with discussion questions for debriefing about each chapter. There aren't additional supplemental resources or back matter included within the book. VERDICT With the recent emphasis on social-emotional learning, this guide discusses friendship in an accessible way, and while young readers might not pick it up on their own, it could be used effectively with a supportive adult.—Erin Wyatt, Highland Middle Sch., Libertyville, IL

School Library Journal