Beacon Street Girls

A new series of books for 9 to 13 year old girls may actually promote good health, says an article by Tara Parker-Pope titled Healthful Messages, Wrapped in Fiction.

This could be this generation’s Judy Blume. Seriously, is there a woman out there that doesn’t feel eternally grateful for Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

We must, we must, we must increase our bust!” {{{flashback}}}

Following anecdotal evidence from parents about how much the Beacon Street Girls books helped their daughters Duke University actually started studying the effects.

The Duke researchers studied 81 girls enrolled in the university’s six-month childhood obesity program, called Healthy Lifestyles. Thirty-one girls were given a copy of “Lake Rescue”; 33 others got a 2006 Beacon Street book, “Charlotte in Paris (Beacon Street Girls) (Beacon Street Girls)
,” that carries a positive message of self-esteem but doesn’t focus on weight or healthful eating. And 17 girls received the regular program counseling, but no book.

After six months, the girls who got “Lake Rescue (Beacon Street Girls, No. 6)
” posted a decline in average body mass index scores of 0.71; those who didn’t read the book had an average increase of 0.05, the article says.

One hypothesis is that while reading is sedentary it’s better than snacking in front of the TV.

Whatever, my hypothesis is that the girls were INSPIRED by positive media about healthy bodies rather than subjected to negative media about girls bodies.

What’s that they say, 99% Inspiration and 1% Perspiration.

This is worth checking out. Can’t hurt. As the article says, the worst that can happen is your daughter read a good book.