Alpha Girls: Understanding the New American Girl and How She is Changing the World. Dan Kindlon, $18.95

From the bestselling coauthor of Raising Cain, an in-depth look at the emotional lives of boys comes an inspired look at the "young woman who is destined to be a leader. She is talented, highly motivated, and self-confident."

These alpha girls, as Kindlon calls them, are a post-feminist cohort who has grown up with an internalized sense of emancipation that was lacking in previous generations. In addition to providing an inside look into the alpha girls' lives, and the feminist tradition which they inherit, Kindlon's work explores the relationships alpha girls have with the men in their lives - fathers and boyfriends, mostly-particularly in collegiate and post-collegiate life. Alpha Girls is powerful reading for anyone looking to understand the upcoming generation's driven, confident young women.

Boy Smarts: Mentoring Boys for Success at School. Barry MacDonald, $29.95

Educators and parents hoping to inspire boys of all ages to excel at school will be find imaginative and practical guidelines for authentic engagement in meeting boys’ varied learning needs.

Also available: Boy Smarts Action Study Guide. Barry MacDonald, $29.95

Boyhoods: Rethinking Masculinities. Ken Corbett, $31.50

Ken Corbett argues for a new psychology of masculinity, one that is not strictly dependent on normative expectation. As he writes in his introduction, “no two boys, no two boyhoods are the same.”

Corbett grounds his understanding of masculinity in his clinical practice and in a dynamic reading of feminist and queer theories. New social ideals are being articulated. New possibilities for recognition are in play. How is a boy made between the body, the family, and the culture? Does a boy grow by identifying with his father, or by separating from his mother? Can we continue to presume that masculinity is made at home? Corbett uses case studies to defy stereotypes, depicting masculinity as various and complex. He examines the roles that parental and cultural anxiety play in development, and he argues for a more nuanced approach to cross-gendered fantasy and experience, one that does not mistake social consensus for well-being. Corbett challenges us at last to a fresh consideration of gender, with profound implications for understanding all boys.

Boys Adrift: the Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Men. Leonard Sax, $17.00

In Boys Adrift, family physician and research psychologist Leonard Sax argues that a combination of social and biological factors is creating an environment that is literally toxic to boys. Misguided overemphasis on reading and math as early as kindergarten, too much time spent playing video games, over-reliance on medication for attention deficit disorders (much more common in boys than in girls), and overlooked endocrine disturbances are actually causing damage to boys’ brains.

Dr. Sax offers a wide range of reassuring remedies— including innovative ways parents can wean their sons away from video games, practical steps they can take to improve their sons’ schooling, and surprisingly simple life changes they can make to protect boys from the environmental estrogens that undermine boys’ motivation. Filled with moving success stories that will inspire parents and teachers everywhere, Boys Adrift points the way to a new future for today’s boys and young men.

When parents feel separated from their sons by a curtain of silence or a wall of resistance, they're right to be concerned. Boys of few words, the ones who limit their expression to a timid shrug or an indifferent grunt, need our help. Whether the problem is rooted in "nature" or "nurture," boys who grow up unable to talk about their thoughts and feelings find it hard to connect with others at school, home, and eventually in business and personal relationships. Psychologist Adam J. Cox helps parents understand all the factors that may be limiting their son's ability or willingness to communicate--from social pressures to brain differences, from personality traits to a simple lack of vocabulary. Based on these insights, parents can choose specific strategies to help their son improve the language and social skills needed to express himself. Mothers and fathers everywhere will see their own boys in this book, and will come away prepared to help them overcome obstacles, connect with others, and succeed in school and beyond.

The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence. Rachel Simmons, $18.50

In The Curse of the Good Girl, author Rachel Simmons argues that in lionizing the Good Girl we are teaching girls to embrace a version of selfhood that sharply curtails their power and potential. Unerringly nice, polite, modest, and selfless, the Good Girl is a paradigm so narrowly defined that it’s unachievable. When girls inevitably fail to live up—experiencing conflicts with peers, making mistakes in the classroom or on the playing field—they are paralyzed by self-criticism, stunting the growth of vital skills and habits. Simmons traces the poisonous impact of Good Girl pressure on development and provides a strategy to reverse the tide. At once expository and prescriptive, The Curse of the Good Girl is a call to arms from a new front in female empowerment.

Gender Born, Gender Made: Raising Healthy Gender Non-Conforming Children. Diane Ehrensaft, $19.95

GENDER BORN, GENDER MADE is a comprehensive guidebook for the parents and therapists of children who do not identify with or behave according to their biological gender. Drawing on the case histories of several children, each "gender creative" in his or her own way, Dr. Diane Ehrensaft offers concrete strategies for understanding and supporting children who experience confusion about their gender identities. She also discusses the latest therapeutic advancements available to gender-variant children. Traditionally, psychologists have sought to "cure" gender variance by pressuring children to conform to typical gender behavior. From her perspective as both clinician and parent of a gender creative child, Dr. Ehrensaft advocates a new approach, encouraging caregivers to support gender-variant children as they explore their gender identities. Rather than offering a "cure" for gender variance, GENDER BORN, GENDER MADE facilitates improved understanding and communication about gender identity.

Gender, Bullying and Harassment: Strategies to End Sexism and Homophobia in Schools. Elizabeth Meyer, $31.50

Educator, researcher and author Elizabeth Meyers looks at the key gender issues related to bullying and harassment in schools and offers readers tangible and flexible suggestions to help positively transform the culture of their school and reduce the incidences of gendered harassment. The text features sections that speak specifically to administrators, teachers, counselors, student leaders and community and family members.

Gender and the Media. Rosalind Gill, $29.99

Written in a clear and accessible style, with plenty of examples from British and American media, this book offers a critical introduction to the study of gender in the media and an up-to-date assessment of the key issues and debates.

Girl Grudges: Learning How to Forgive and Live. Cheryl Dellasega & Shileste Overton Morris, $26.95

Some girls may find it extremely difficult to forgive and forget when relationship hurts are deep and friendships fractured. Girl Grudges offers a variety of experiential and educational activities to help girls in middle and high school either one-on-one or in groups. It is based on the ERA model (Educate, Relate, and Integrate) that first exposes girls to new information, then helps them apply this to their own situations, and finally, encourages internalization of healthier relationship alternatives.

Girlhood: Redefining the Limits. Yasmin Jiwani, Candis Steenbergen, Claudia Mitchell, editors, $26.95

Girlhood is a collection of essays on girls, girlhood and girl culture. Drawing from the works of national and international scholars, this book focuses on the multifaceted nature of girls' lived experiences. Examined is racism, sexism and class-ism; the power and politics of schoolgirl style; encounters with violence; cyberspace; sexuality; identity formation; and popular culture. This groundbreaking collection offers a complicated portrait of girls in the 21st century: good girls and bad girls, girls who are creating their own girl culture and giving a whole new meaning to "girl" power. These provocative essays cover all aspects of girlhood as they bring to life the ever-changing identities of today's young women.

Girlness: Deal With It, Body & Soul. Diane Peters, illustrated by Steven Murray, $12.95

It’s hard enough being a girl on the brink of puberty without dealing with a barrage of mixed messages about femininity. From self-image to peer pressure, consumerism to feminism, girls have a lot to grapple with. This volume looks at issues relating to gender identity and how girls can cope with the conflicts that arise when we question what it means to be female.

Girls' Clubs Rock! Dara Schwartz & Katrina Kenny, $21.95 (Grades 6-12)

A prevention approach for helping groups of teen girls navigate through the challenges of adolescence.

Girls are Not Chicks Coloring Book. Jacinta Bunnell, illustrated by Julie Novak, $11.00

27 pages of ingenious, subversive fun, Girls are Not Chicks is a playful way to examine how pervasive gender stereotypes are in every aspect of our lives.

Girls On the Edge: the Four Factors Driving the New Crisis for Girls. Leonard Sax, $18.50

Dr. Sax provides parents with tools to help girls become confident women, along with practical tips on helping your daughter choose a sport, nurturing her spirit through female-centered activities, and more. Compelling and inspiring, Girls on the Edge points the way to a new future for today’s young women.

Girls Will Be Girls: Raising Confident and Courageous Daughters. JoAnn Deak, $19.99

Deak, an associate of Carol Gilligan, and expert on brain development, learning environments and gender issues, has written a balanced, insightful and energizing study of the progress of girls 6-16. "Girls Will Be Girls offers parents humor, understanding, parenting philosophy, and well-founded pearls of wisdom. It is a satisfying and delicious read." -Michael Thompson, coauthor of Raising Cain.

Growing Great Girls: a Gender Responsive Life Skills Curriculum. Denise Bray & Wendy Dougherty, $57.95

Growing Great Girls focuses on decision-making skills, social resiliency, critical thinking skills, emotional knowledge, self-discovery and practical skills across six domains — physical, sexual, emotional relational, intellectual and spiritual. Designed for meaningful exchanges with small groups of girls, Growing Great Girls creatively blends research-based interactive exercises with fun and meaningful worksheets.

Guyness: Deal with It, Body & Soul. Steve Pitt, illustrated by Steven Murray, $12.95

As boys become men, pressure to fit into set images of masculinity can be overwhelming. And stereotypes about what makes a man a man can make the early stages of puberty — the beginning of physical, emotional, and sexual maturity — all the more confusing. This volume looks at issues relating to gender identity and how boys can deal with the conflicts that arise when boys fit — or do not fit — the masculinity mold.

Helping Boys Succeed in School: a Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers. Terry Neu & Rich Weinfeld, $19.50

Helping Boys Succeed in School gives parents and teachers the tools they need to help boys succeed, including strategies for channeling their interests, keeping boys actively engaged, increasing their participation in humanities classes like language arts, and dealing with the unique social and emotional problems they face in school.

It's a Baby Boy! The Unique Wonders and Special Nature of Your Son From Pregnancy to Two Years. The Gurian Institute, Stacie Bering, Adie Goldberg, $15.95

It's a Baby Girl! The Unique Wonder and Special Nature of Your Daughter From Pregnancy to Two Years. The Gurian Institute, Stacie Bering, Adie Goldberg, $15.95

Practical science based tips and guidelines and stories for parents, including:

• The very different health issues, neurological and biological development of boys and girls

• How to understand the core nature of your child and nourish it through problems of crying, fussing, eating, sleeping, attaching and other key issues during the first 12 months of life

• Warm hearted stories and tips from real moms, and a preview of what's to come as your child becomes a toddler, preschooler, and beyond

It’s a Boy! Understanding Your Son’s Development from Birth to Age 18. Michael Thompson, $19.00

Practical, insightful, wonderfully engaging, It’s a Boy! is the definitive guide to raising boys in today’s world, revealing with humor, compassion, and joy all the infinite varieties of boys and the deep and profound ways in which we love them.

The Mean Girl Motive: Negotiating Power and Femininity. Nicole Landry, $17.95

Prior to the 1980s, girls were completely excluded from research on childhood aggression, presumably because their 'sugar and spice and everything nice' made them averse to aggression. Not only were girls missing from research, their voices are frequently absent in current 'girl aggression' discourse. Despite this, 'mean' girls have received growing attention, especially in psychology. This book moves beyond the superficial to explore the social context of mean behaviour. It examines the intersection among structures of class, race and gender in the production of girls' aggression and draws on first-hand knowledge and experiences for a candid glimpse into a culture that raises critical questions about our 'taken for granted' knowledge of girls' meanness.

Media, Gender and Identity. David Gauntlett, $39.95

This highly readable book explores theories about popular culture and the relationship between media and identity. Along with an outline of creative approaches to exploring the media’s influence on gender identity, Gauntlett discusses film, magazines, TV, self-help books, YouTube and more, to show how media plays a role in the shaping of self-perception.

The Mother-Daughter Project: How Mothers and Daughters Can Band Together, Beat the Odds, and Thrive Through Adolescence. SuEllen Hamkins & Renée Schultz, $30.00

At once simple and revolutionary, this book details the success of the Mother-Daughter Project’s groundbreaking model, providing the reader with a road map for strengthening her bond with her own daughter, and providing strategies for staying close through adolescence and beyond.

Odd Girl Out: the Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls. Rachel Simmons, $16.50

When ODD GIRL OUT was first published, it became an instant bestseller and ignited a long-overdue conversation about the hidden culture of female bullying. Today the dirty looks, taunting notes, and social exclusion that plague girls' friendships have gained new momentum in cyberspace.

In this updated edition, educator and bullying expert Rachel Simmons gives girls, parents, and educators proven and innovative strategies for navigating social dynamics in person and online, as well as brand new classroom initiatives and step-by-step parental suggestions for dealing with conventional bullying. With up-to-the-minute research and real-life stories, ODD GIRL OUT continues to be the definitive resource on the most pressing social issues facing girls today.

Packaging Boyhood: Saving Our Sons from Superheroes, Slackers and Other Media Stereotypes. Lyn Mikel Brown, Sharon Lamb & Mark Tappan, $32.99

Packaging Boyhood offers parents a long, hard look at what boys are watching, reading, hearing and doing. The authors give parents advice on how to talk with their sons about these troubling images and provide them with tools to help their sons resist these messages and be their unique selves.

The stereotype-laden message, delivered through clothes, music, books, and TV, is essentially a continuous plea for girls to put their energies into beauty products, shopping, fashion, and boys. This constant marketing, cheapening of relationships, absence of good women role models, and stereotyping and sexualization of girls is something that parents need to first understand before they can take action. Lamb and Brown teach parents how to understand these influences, give them guidance on how to talk to their daughters about these negative images, and provide the tools to help girls make positive choices about the way they are in the world.

Pink Brain, Blue Brain. Lise Eliot, $18.95

Presenting the latest research on child development and neurodevelopment, author Lise Eliot zeroes in on the precise differences between boys and girls, reining in harmful stereotypes. She argues convincingly that infant brains are so malleable that what begin as small differences at birth become amplified over time, as parents and teacher — and the culture at large — unwittingly reinforce gender stereotypes.

Rather than assuming sex differences to be fixed biological facts, Eliot offers concrete ways to help parents and teachers close the gaps and help children reach their fullest potential.

The Purpose of Boys: Helping Our Sons Find Meaning, Significance and Direction in Their Lives. Michael Gurian, $19.95

In this final volume of his trilogy about boys, Gurian reveals how important purpose is for the success and happiness of boys and explains how a boy's core personality, nature, and genetic predisposition functions to create both strengths and weaknesses in their journey towards maturity. Gurian draws on the latest science and field research on how boys develop neurologically, the unique issues they must confront, and how their strategy for moral development and success in life is predicated on their nature and genetic predispositions. He tells parents and educators how to customize their support and interventions according to the unique needs, weaknesses, and strengths of each individual boy and young man.

Also available:

The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life. Michael Gurian, with Kathy Stevens. $18.99

The Wonder of Boys: What Parent, Mentors and Educators Can Do to Shape Boys into Exceptional Men. Michael Gurian, $16.95

Raising Boys Without Men: How Maverick Moms are Creating the Next Generation of Exceptional Men. Peggy Drexler, $16.50

A refreshing look at rejecting stereotypes about family structure in favour of creating a model based on the importance of communication, community and love.

Raising Girls. Gisela Preuschoff, $15.99

Why girls are different — and how to help them grow up happy and strong.

Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys: Strategies That Work – and Why. Michael Reichert & Richard Hawley, $35.95

Based on an extensive worldwide study, this book reveals what gets boys excited about learning. Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys challenges the widely-held cultural impression that boys are stubbornly resistant to schooling while providing concrete examples of pedagogy and instructional style that have been proven effective in a variety of school settings. Woven throughout the book is moving testimony from boys that both validates the success of the lessons and adds a human dimension to their impact.

Same, Different, Equal: Rethinking Single-Sex Schooling. Rosemary Salomone, $26.95

In this timely book, Rosemary Salomone offers a reasoned educational and legal argument supporting single-sex education as an alternative to coeducation, particularly in the case of disadvantaged minority students.

The Secret Lives of Teen Girls: What Your Mother Wouldn’t Talk about But Your Daughter Needs to Know. Evelyn Resh, $18.95

In The Secret Lives of Teen Girls, Evelyn Resh — a certified nurse-midwife, sexuality counselor, and mother to a teenage daughter — explores the provocative world of female adolescent sexuality. Resh explains how developing a sexual identity — often without adult guidance or a basic knowledge of what is happening physically and emotionally — can have lifelong effects on a girl’s well-being.

In this insightful book, Resh confronts serious issues of adolescence, including sex, eating disorders, and substance abuse; as well as less serious but still troubling issues like battles with parents over clothing and curfews, the importance of being “cool,” and the complexity of friendships.

Sometimes the Spoon Runs Away with Another Spoon. Jacinta Bunnell, illustrated by Nathaniel Kusinitz, $11.00

This radically different activity book takes anecdotes from the lives of real kids and mixes them with classic tales to create true-to-life characters, situations and resolutions. Featuring massive beasts who enjoy dainty jewelry and princess who build rocket ships, this fun for all-ages coloring book celebrates those who do not fit into disempowering gender categorizations, from sensitive boys to tough girls.

Supporting Boys’ Learning: Strategies for Teacher Practice, Pre-K to Grade 3. Barbara Sprung, Merle Froschl & Nancy Gropper, $26.50

There is a growing body of research that has raised concerns about boys’ vulnerability in terms of social-emotional development, referral to special education, and academic success in school, with African-American and Latino boys most at risk. Responding to these concerns, this user-friendly guide provides strategies to improve teaching practice. Supporting Boys’ Learning will help teachers develop knowledge and strategies for teaching boys in ways that build on their strengths, respect their individual development levels, and adhere to principles of child development.

Teaching Boys Who Struggle In School: Strategies That Turn Underachievers Into Successful Learners. Kathleen Palmer Cleveland, $31.50

This book responds to growing concerns about a crisis in boys' academic achievement, from Kindergarten through grade 12. Looking at who is struggling and why, Kathleen Palmer Cleveland offers insight into how boys learn best and into the ongoing social and learning-style factors that affect classroom learning. This practical and informative book includes lesson plans and as anecdotes from teachers working across all grade levels and subject areas.

Teaching the Female Brain: How Girls Learn Math and Science. Abigail Norfleet James, $58.95

This engaging, practical guide examines how girls' unique sensory, physical, cognitive, and emotional characteristics affect their performance in the classroom, and shows you how to adapt classroom experiences to assist girls' learning, particularly in math and science. Abigail Norfleet James provides research-based findings to build your understanding of how females learn differently, whether in coed or single-sex settings, and clarifies assumptions held by both teachers and students about themselves.

This practical guide to teaching boys combines classic and cutting-edge research to show you why males learn differently and, more important, how you can differentiate teaching strategies to help them succeed in the classroom. Learn to use this brain-based research to provide appropriate and positive learning experiences for the students in your classroom!

That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week: Helping Disorganized and Distracted Boys Succeed in School and Life. Ana Homayoun, $17.95

Top academic counselor Ana Homayoun has helped turn even the most disorganized, scattered and unfocused boys into successful young people who consistently meet their personal and academic challenges. She does this by getting back to basics, starting with a simple fact: most boys need to be taught how to get organized, how to study, and how to visualize, embrace and meet their own goals.

Much more than a study guide, this insightful, user-friendly book provides a roadmap for the success.

The Triple Bind: Saving Our Teenage Girls from Today’s Pressures. Stephen Hinshaw, $18.95

Combining moving personal stories about girls and their families with extensive research into genetic risk, vulnerability, and cultural influence, Dr. Hinshaw provides strategies and tools for parents who want to empower their daughters to deal in healthy ways with today’s pressures.

Understanding Teenage Girls: Culture, Identity and Schooling. Horace Hall & Andrea Brown-Thirston, $19.95

UNDERSTANDING TEENAGE GIRLS: CULTURE, IDENTITY AND SCHOOLING focuses on a range of social phenomenon that impact the lives of adolescent females of color, with respect to peer and family influences, media stereotyping, body image, community violence, pregnancy, and education. The authors also emphasize the incredible resiliency that young women possess in countering many of the social barriers confronting them.

This work attempts to communicate the often hushed voices of girls of color, for the purpose of understanding their views on life experiences and how they negotiate social and cultural mores. In company with their perspectives are the authors' analyses guided by their years of teaching and mentoring experiences, as well as contemporary research literature from the fields of education, counseling, psychology, nursing, and anthropology.

Working with Young Men: Activities for Exploring Personal, Social and Emotional Issues. Vanessa Rogers, $31.95

Working with Young Men offers a wealth of positive group activities to engage, motivate and meet the needs of young men. Designed to help them improve their self-esteem, raise confidence and develop leadership skills, this book is full of imaginative games and activities that explore issues such as anger, peer pressure, risk-taking and emotional health and well-being. 

You’re Wearing That? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation. Deborah Tannen, $19.95

With inspired observations, pitch-perfect dialogues, and deeply moving memories of her own mother, author Deborah Tannen untangles the knots daughters and mothers can get tied up in. Readers will appreciate Tannen’s humor and come away with real hope for breaking down barriers and opening new lines of communication. Compassionate and insightful, You’re Wearing That illuminates and enriches one of the most important relationships in our lives.