Book recommendations for young teens

[Exitedwoman]

Hi, I don't post here very often but lurk all the time. If this is the wrong section I'll get it moved.

My new partner's 12yo daughter is a recent victim of online grooming (telling her he loved her, asking for photos, sending photos of his penis etc.), and upon it all coming out she is distraught.

However much of the upset is concerned with how he might feel now he can't contact her (she's had her phone etc. taken from her and given to police). I know that girls are heavily socialised this way, but she also has poor self-esteem regarding her appearance and seems especially susceptible to predators.

I wondered if there are any age appropriate feminist books that might help her (or websites once she can access again).

Thank you.

Ooh that's really tricky. This is almost uncharted territory. Do we have books for this yet?

Normally in situations like this I recommend the gift of fear but I think it would be too adult.

To be honest I think counselling would be appropriate.

I’m not a child psychologist but a trilogy that a 12yo would probably enjoy with a strong female character is The Hunger Games.
The girl has to deal with manipulation and being used for political agendas while dealing with love, obligation and pure survival of the fittest.
Try reading the books before watching the films.

Oh, I'm so sorry. My eldest is the same age and we've already been through the drama of one of her friends having an "online boyfriend", that was scary enough. Definitely some kind of counselling in order - her school must have a pastoral lead that could point you in the right direction?

Recommending books is tricky when you don't know anything about the person in question - my girl has the reading age of a sixth former, so books that work for her don't necessarily work for others of the same age, although I'm really careful with emotional content (it's sort of my job anyway so I read a ton of books for children and young adults - quite literally several hundred a year). The books that would be my go-to for this sort of thing (The Exact Opposite Of Okay, for example, or Moxie) are too bleak for 12, really. In fact I'm not even sure you actually want a book that deals with this topic directly - I'd suggest going back to some of the books she enjoyed in Y6 for comfort reading initially, and building on that with strong, wise female characters. They don't necessarily have to be kicking ass in some future dystopia, though. You want examples of good relationships, too. I'd suggest Splash by Charli Howard, for body image, initially, and I'll have a think and get back to you. My big tip would be to read it before or with her, and be willing to talk about it - books work their best magic when they're shared.

Avoid Sarah J Maas, though. I know it's wildly popular YA, but I've read a few and I do think the relationships are unhealthy (it provoked a Serious Conversation About Consent with my dd). Definitely won't help at the moment.