Ten-ager

An important book that shows that 10 is the new start of a girl's teenage years. It raises the issues our girls might not be talking about publicly, and guides their parents on how experts believe we should deal with it.

At ten, we know how girls are pigeonholing themselves into what they think they should be. Whether they see themselves as academic or not, whether they are interested in boys, puberty is a reality, friendship fights are underway, and the influence of social media is impacting.

With heightened pressure from what they see in the media, in movies and on TV, our girls are leaving childhood behind well before they hit their teens. Not surprisingly, emotions can be heightened and relationships can be fraught. So many parents struggle to understand the pressures our girls are under and how to deal with their emotional volatility. Journalist and social commentator Madonna King has an extraordinary ability to connect with experts, schools and the girls themselves to deliver the answers parents need and the communication our girls want.

Ten-Ager is the perfect guide to help parents understand how their daughter is feeling, what they need to know, what to say, and when to stay silent and listen.

About the Author

Madonna King is one of Australia's most accomplished journalists, having won awards for her ABC Mornings current affairs program. She writes across Fairfax, Crikey and The New Daily, and is the author of ten books, including the bestselling Being 14 (ABIA shortlisted for non-fiction book of the year) and Fathers and Daughters. She is also the biographer of Australian of the Year Professor Ian Frazer and former treasurer Joe Hockey. In 2018, Madonna served as chair of the Queensland Government's Anti-Cyberbullying Taskforce, set up in the wake of COAG. A fellow of the prestigious World Press Institute, she has served as a visiting fellow at the Queensland University of Technology and on the Walkley Advisory Board. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and two teenage daughters.