Project You by Aubre Andrus

PROJECT YOU by Aubre Andrus will be available in our library in September.  This book will likely be high interest, particularly for girls in middle school and early high school.  Andrus divides the book into two major sections: Take Control and Find Your Balance. Within each, are multiple chapters with titles like “Head Outdoors”, “Exude Confidence,” “Create a Time Budget” and “Speak Up.”  There is a section on breathing and meditation, and several visualization exercises.  I liked the conversational tone of the book, famous quote selections, and the many suggestions for action like simplifying your wardrobe or choosing joy through creating reminders of happy moments on slips of paper. There are tasks for creating a gratitude journal, sending a card of thanks, or establishing a vision board.  Most of this is probably not really new to readers, but having it together in a concise format helps; there are even lists of “feel good” and “pump up” songs, plus a very practical list with websites and phone numbers of where to go for help.  One issue, though is the almost exclusive focus on girls (as reinforced by images, color schemes and choice of font).  We know boys feel stress, too, and I wish this potentially helpful book also provided them with “More Than 50 Ways to Calm down, De-Stress, and Feel Great.”