READ & REVIEW: What Can I Say by Catherine Newman
- Vivian Teo
- Jul 20
- 2 min read
What Can I Say: A Kid's Guide to Super-Useful Social Skills to Help You Get Along and Express Yourself is chockful of helpful advice that's presented concisely and empathetically for tweens and younger teens.
The tween and teen years can be a confusing and awkward period for some, like when you're embroiled in friendship drama or don't know how behave in certain social situations. So, it's great that there are books like What Can I Say: A Kid's Guide to Super-Useful Social Skills to Help You Get Along and Express Yourself that is packed with good advice for situations young people may find themselves in e.g. when you need to make small talk, comfort someone or respond to offensive jokes.
Initially I had thought some of the chapter titles like "How to be Embarassed/Angry" seemed a bit strange because you just BE embarrassed or angry, right? But they are really about what you can do when in certain situations, like when you feel embarrassed or angry. E.g. How to Say Goodbye is about how to politely say goodbye with also advice on what to do if you don't want to hug someone when saying goodbye.
There is a chapter on How to be in a Romantic Relationship. This chapter is probably more suited for teens but also good for tweens who might have crushes or wondered about dating. I like that it is inclusive with the bit on dating if you're LBGTQ+, while reminding that it's perfectly okay to not be in a romantic relationship.
Overall, this is chockful of helpful advice that's presented concisely and empathetically for tweens and younger teens. Thank you @experal.hq for sending us this useful read! You can find this book at Experal Singapore's Shopee store at https://s.shopee.sg/4AoxEQNM7H 😉 Thanks to Experal Singapore, we're giving away a copy of this book. Do hop over to my Instagram post to participate!
Disclaimer: The book was provided by Experal Singapore for our review. As always, all opinions are ours.
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