The Growing UP Girls Books
I grew up on Judy Blume books. They were everything I wanted to know and everything I felt. So I wanted to pay it forward and write a series of books about girls of all ages just trying to grow up. The thread through all of the books is #beyourself no matter what anyone says. Being bullied when I was a kid developed much of my personality and view of life and the world. It gave me an armor with a take no prisoners attitude so I would never be bullied again. I chose fight. Maybe not the best way, but the girls in these books find their own way of dealing with teasing, bullying, puberty and just growing up. This series tackles different aspects of adolescence from my experiences and some from other people I knew. Growing UP is Hard! My hope is that some girls see themselves in these books, maybe learn a little something, but mostly know that they’re not alone.
Diary of a 6th Grade “C” Cup
This is the somewhat fictionalized, but mostly biographical tale of a part of my own puberty. In the 6th grade, as I was going through the teasing and ridicule of being an “early bloomer,” I had the idea to write the book and the title. I have been writing bits and pieces of the book for decades and finally realized something when my children were going through that stage. What I experienced was I designed this bookbullying, plain and simple. When I was a kid, there was no public conciseness about bullies. Kids were told just to suck it up and adults and schools did absolutely nothing to stop it. It’s out there now, which is good. Schools have policies and people are more aware, but it still goes on in every school and every playground, every day. I wanted this book to peel back the curtain and give people the view from this girl’s unique perspective. This book is designed for middle grade and YA teen and preteens, but many women may find it’s a blast of the past remembrances of their own puberty experiences.
Diary of a 9th Grade “D” Cup
The readers made this sequel happen. The trials and tribulations of Katie in the 6th grade “C” Cup book were so popular, I thought some people may want to know about Katie – now Kate – and how things changed for her in high school. Again, this is a somewhat fictionalized but mostly autobiographic book about the whole new world of high school and how Kate took the lessons she learned in middle school and, for better or worse, tried to create a new personality. She finds perils and pluses and ultimately finds out what being yourself is all about. This book is designed for an older pre-teen or high school teen audience.
Popularity
The story is the same throughout time. Each generation tells the same tale about either being in the popular crowd or lamenting always wanting to be popular. But often the cost of popularity is losing yourself in the process. Some crave it so much, they’ll do anything to do it and hold onto it – no matter the cost. And the cost can be everything. I had a niece who died at 16 years old. She was beautiful, sweet, kind and popular. She loved being popular. And her need to stay constantly connected cost her life. She died in a car accident because she was texting and driving. This book isn’t her story, but a fictional account of the rise and fall of popularity for one girl, what it cost and what she learned. This book is designed for an older pre-teen or high school teen audience.
The One and Only Skizitz
I am not Skizitz and I didn’t know anyone like that, but I wish there was. Growing up I always wanted people to see what I saw. I thought if they knew how much their words affected others, maybe they would stop? What better way for them to see but in black and white print? Many times teachers, other kids, friends and even parents don’t realize that their actions can create deep ideas in a kid’s mind that are hard to forget and easy to use as obstacles. Many adults can tell you their growing up horror stories and few can say it was easy, but they learned things, often too late. Skizitz’s non-reaction to others is how every kid wishes they could be. Do want you want and be yourself without a care as to what anyone else says. I always wanted to do this and I didn’t a lot of the time. I hope my readers take this to heart and adult and kid alike examine what they say to others and even more, what they listen to. Words do matter, but how we let those words affect us is more important. This book is designed for an 8-12 year old audience.
How Does and Angel Get It’s Wings
One of my favorite holiday movies is It’s a Wonderful Life. I watch it every year and have read many books about the making of the movie. One year, when my sons were small, one said to me “Mommy, don’t all angels have wings?” I explained that he needed to help people to get his wings. At the end of the movie, my son said “Mommy, he did good. Now he’s a REAL angel.” That resonated with me for years and made me envision angels getting their wings by performing acts of kindness…and Sydney was born. The problem is, I can’t draw. I really can’t even draw a straight line with a ruler. I looked for an illustrator who could collaborate and finally found someone who shared my dream and believe it or not, it was someone in my own family. My brother-in-law is an Art teacher and incredibly talented artist, but I didn’t think he would be interested in collaborating on children’s books. At a Christmas family vacation last year, we talked about it in line at Disney World and then started working. Isn’t that funny, you just never know. Now we have decided to write more Christmas Books.
Growing UP Books by Suzanne Rudd 