"The Princess Within" review

When I was in my teens, my best friend Mindy had a subscription to 'Seventeen' magazine. As soon as they arrived each month, we would devour them. One regular piece in the magazine was always the first to be read; the quiz. Are you a flirt? Are you a good friend? Is he into you? The quizzes never failed to entertain us. One month there was a bonus quiz section! So great!

While reading "The Princess Within" by Serita Ann Jakes, I tried really hard to put myself in the shoes of the intended audience. The first thing about this book that caught my inner 14 year old was the quiz every other chapter. (I think I would have liked this book.)There is also a snippet of an ongoing real-life style fairytale as well as some bible teaching and practical application.

The teaching by Mrs. Jakes is sound and practical. Some of the issues she mentions are upsetting but, then again, so is life. A couple of times I had a slight knee jerk reaction to the content. Upon pausing to think, "Is this appropriate for teens?" I always came back with a yes. To think that my teen doesn't know about body issues, rape or cutting would be ridiculous. It's better to meet the issue head on than act like an ostrich.

The big question, after making sure that the teaching is sound, is to ask, "Yeah, but will my teen read it?" I suppose I can't really answer that since I'm not your teen. But, while this is a book, is has a magazine feel to it in that the chapters are short and the teaching parts are interspersed among life stories and fictional bits. Right now my daughter is only 11 but I will definitely be keeping this book for when she's a few years older. It's a book many young gals would benefit from reading.

BTW, I got a free copy in exchange for an honest review.