Susie Shellenberger - Secret Power for Girls: Identity, Security, and Self-respect in Troubling Times

ZONDERVAN

Secret Power for Girls

Copyright 2003 by Youth Specialties

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ePub Edition June 2009 ISBN: 0-310-86396-1

Youth Specialties Books, 300 South Pierce Street, El Cajon, CA 92020, are published by Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Aveune SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shellenberger, Susie.

Secret power for girls : identity, security, and self-respect in
troubling times / Susie Shellenberger.

p. cm.

Summary: Discussion, questions and answers, illustrations, diary excerpts, and real-life examples provide a "map" for using the Bible and daily prayer to achieve self-esteem and self-confidence.

ISBN 0-310-24972-4

1. Teenage girls--Religious life--Juvenile literature. 2. Teenage girls--Conduct of life--Juvenile literature. 3. Self-esteem in adolescence--Religious aspects--Christianity--Juvenile literature. 4. Christian life--Biblical teaching--Juvenile literature. [1. Teenage girls--Conduct of life. 2. Self-esteem--Religious aspects--Christianity. 3. Christian life.] I. Title.

BV4551.3.S545 2003

248.8'33--dc21

2003005326

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version (North American Edition). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or tranmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Web site addresses listed in this book were current at the time of publication. Please contact Youth Specialties via e-mail (YS@YouthSpecialties.com) to report URLs that are no longer operational and replacement URLs if available.

Portions of this book might be appropriate for more mature readers. There are occasional discussions of rape, drugs, etc.

Edited by Rick Marschall and Laura Gross

Proofed by Michael Ribas

cover design by Proxy Design

06 07 08 09 10 11 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4

Contents

Fifteen-year-old Ashley slammed the front door of her house, threw her backpack on the floor, bolted upstairs, and shut her bedroom door.

Ugh! she screamed as she grabbed her journal and stretched across her bed.

Using her favorite green gel pen, she wasted no time putting her thoughts on paper.

Im such a loser. I hate it! Ive wanted Jeremy to notice me for two weeks, and today he finally got close enough to catch my eye in the cafeteria. Well, I got nervous and bumped into the kid in front of me. He made me drop my entire tray! It was so stupid! Everyone laughed. And then they all started clapping. I never wanna go back to school again. Jeremy must think Im the most uncoordinated person in the world! How come I cant do anything right?

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Natasha unloaded her backpack on the couch, grabbed a couple of cookies, and settled into the oversized chair in the living room. It was her favorite place to unwind. Even though the chair was old, frayed, and a little lumpy, Natasha enjoyed snuggling against the soft, worn fabric.

After carefully balancing her diary on her knees and placing the last cookie on the arm of the chair, she began her entry for the day.

Whew! I dont think Ive ever had a day like this. Totally unbelievable. I mean, my life could definitely be the next TV sitcom!

Ill start at the beginning. Not because I wanna relive it, but because if I dont get it down in writing, someday my grandkids will never believe me. Well, here it isNatashas documented proof!

Okay, my alarm didnt go off because I had mistakenly set it for 6 p.m. instead of 6 a.m. (This should have been my first clue that my brain was in the freezer with last nights ice cream.)

As I was drying my hair, the blow-dryer broke. Yep, thats right; the only blow dryer in the house! So I had to go to school with wet hair. And wouldnt you know it, the hot new guythe one Ive been dying to meetwalked right in front of me and made eye contact. I was so nervousI dropped my science project. He stopped to pick it up and said, Hi, Im Dominik. And all I could do was smile and say, Dominik, even though first period hasnt even started yet, its already been a really long day for me. Just call me W.H.short for Wet Head.

Then I ran to class, but the bell rang before I could get there, so naturally I got a tardy. Thats your third tardy, Natasha, Mr. Mathers said. Ill see you in detention today after school.

Even though I hate sitting in detention, it gives me a chance to get my homework done before I leave school. And (this may sound lame) I really enjoy meeting the other kids who are stuck in detention with me. Sometimes I pull my Bible outta my backpack and just set it on my desk while Im doing homework. Youd be surprised how many kids ask about it!

Youd think things would get better as the day progressed, wouldnt you? Not a chance! This is my life, remember, Diary? I just had to laugh.

We had a fire drill between third and fourth periods, and I tripped going down the stairs. Mrs. Hoskins sent me to the nurse, who wrapped my ankle in one of those beige ace bandages (it totally clashed with the orange shirt I was wearing).

Okay, my hairs still not dry, I have an ace bandage around my ankle, Ive got detention coming up, Im limping through the halls, and when I finally get my lunch and sit down to eat it in the cafeteria, I totally miss the chair and land right on my bottom.

The entire caf is clapping and laughing. So I stand, take my bow, and hit the side of my milk carton with a fork before beginning my acceptance speech: Thank you very much! I especially wanna thank the Academy of Cafeteria Workers, the Academy of Higher Learning, and those wholl be in detention with me after school today.

Everyone was dying laughingincluding mewhat could I do but laugh? And when you think about it, it really was funny. I looked hideous! I now had baked beans on my orange shirt (they splattered all over my chest when I missed my chair and tipped the edge of my tray) and the remains of a barbecued pork sandwich on my lap.

During fifth period I gave my science report and displayed my homemade map of North America with its rivers, hills, mountains, ravines, and national parks. I tried to explain why the Rocky Mountains werent so rocky after I dropped the map in the hall this morning before school. I laughed as I picked a few new items (leftovers from the accident) off of Coloradoa paper clip, a broken press-on nail, and a huge dust ball. Scientists have recently discovered these items growing and reproducing at an alarming rate in the Colorado Rockies, I said.

The whole class was laughing, including Mrs. Rawlings. Afterward, she told me she appreciated my sense of humor. Well, thats nice to know, but it doesnt make up for the C she gave me, now does it?