The Beautiful List is a timely conversation starter for middle grade girls longing to know that they are worthy just as they are, as well as a great resource for parents, teachers and caregivers who seek to support today’s tween girls as they struggle to find what makes them uniquely beautiful. Twelve-year-old Serah Reynolds is living the dream life in suburbia until a chance encounter with confident seven-year-old Rachel awakens insecurities she never knew she had. Desperate to learn about real beauty, and whether she measures up, Serah creates a list of beautiful things—but finds her own name impossible to add to it. As inquisitive as she is determined, Serah seeks to find where she does belong and embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the help of her best friend, Courtney, and her school counselor, Mrs. Caldwell. Along the way, her parents and siblings aren’t much help as she struggles with her appearance, intelligence, friendship, girl drama, boys, and even bathing suits. And just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, an accident leaves Serah scarred in more ways than one. Feeling betrayed and alone, Serah leans into her questions, faces her fears, and finds the answers she’s been seeking all along.
The Beautiful List is a story for middle grade readers, intended to reassure young girls who are growing up in a social media obsessed culture that they can find beauty in everything—especially themselves.
