Hi Girls! My name is Helen and I’m a 16-year-old Ranger
from Alberta. I’m currently working on my Chief Commissioners and Duke of Edinburgh
Awards and I am a Junior Leader with a Sparks group. I’ve been in Guides since
I was a Brownie and have had a lot of fantastic experiences and made a lot of
awesome friends. Since I’ve been in Guides, I’ve been fortunate enough to go
camping in the Rocky Mountains, travel to Iceland (which was SWEET!),
and this summer I’m heading to Chicago for the Girls World Forum.

I’m a total political nerd. And it really doesn’t help that
I work at the Alberta Legislature as a Page. That just feeds my passion, and I
know way more about parliamentary procedures than any normal girl should. I can
tell you are falling asleep already; moving on. ;)

I get addicted to online games really easily, but not the
cool kind. I played Farmville for like [two] years. I’m on level 89 or
something; epic, I know. But then I got a life. Actually, that’s a lie. I just
got more homework, and I picked sleep over Facebook. Darn high school!  At
my school I am pretty involved in our leadership program and Students'
Union.  We are in the midst of planning our pep rally right now so it is
crazy busy.  I am also on our school’s water polo, track, rugby, and swim
teams! I also do Highland and Irish dance.

I also got my driver’s licence about five months ago and
have my own car named the Blue Beast. I love being able to get places
without asking my parents, but not hitting curbs. That’s no fun. L

Our Ranger unit recently put on an Iceland themed camp for
80 girls. We had a ton of fun organizing some entertaining activities for
younger girls. We had Viking boat races, geo-caching, volcano making and more.
I think it would be neat to discuss program ideas with all of you, and learn
from each other. Mainly I’m interested in writing for this blog to connect with
girls from around Canada and share ideas and hear what you are up to – in
Guides and in your everyday life.

Anyways, I think that’s more than enough about me. Nice
meeting you ladies in cyberspace and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Leave a comment and we can chat!

Helen

Hey girls! My name's Anne! I'm 13 and in my second year of Pathfinders. I live in Ontario and I've received my Lady Baden Powell award. I've been called many different things like cat, unique, creative, and artistic. I love, and I mean LOVE, to draw. I have so many sketch books and they're all full.

My room is like my giant scrapbook because I tape pictures to the walls. Not like pictures of me and friends or family: pictures of Anime, Manga and video games. I love anime so much I have made it my goal to find an anime that each of my friends will like and make them watch it. There is such a wide variety out there. Getting off topic a bit..

I like to wear my hair in many unique ways. I don't dye my hair but since it is long, I can play with it and try different things. One problem with that - my hair does not stay curled no matter how much hair spray you put in it won't last longer than an hour.

I read a lot, however, I have a very narrow range of books I like to read. Warriors, Little Fur and House of Night are the main ones I'm reading. I am a HUGE warriors fan and have all but nine of the books.

I strive to stand out and be unique, so I'm not afraid to be who I am and have fun. I've often worn cat ears I made myself to school. There's not much else to say. Can't wait to start blogging!

Hello Canada :)

My name is Jamie, and I'm from a place in rural Newfoundland that is the textbook definition of a small town. I'm 14 years old and I love reading, writing, travelling, and all things 'girly'. I am a self-proclaimed nerd; I especially enjoy English and Science, and I someday hope to be a doctor.

 I wanted to join this blog group to share my thoughts and ideas with other girls, as well as to communicate with them on the things going on in the world around us. I look forward to blogging about topics that affect myself and other girls from all over the country, as well as my personal experiences :)

Of my circle of friends, I am the bold girl, loud and proud, who is not afraid to speak her mind, (and of course, the one that my friends are often embarrased of ;) ). I'm very opinionated,  and I stand up for the things in which I believe. 

I live to please myself and not those around me. I am who I am, and if someone doesn't like that, then that's perfectly fine. I believe that you should love yourself no matter how others feel about you, because at the end of the day, it is you and no one else who has to live with the decisions you make. I talk far too much and I love to have a good time. My friends and family mean the absolute world to me<3

I'm excited to start blogging regularly, and I hope that you'll enjoy mine and the other girls' posts. Thanks so much for checking out this page :) 

~ Jamie 

Why We Broke Up written by Daniel Handler with art by Maira Kalman

Min Green and Ed Slaterton have broken up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. A movie ticket from their first date, a comb from the motel room they shared and every other memento collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship.

Why We Broke Up is honest and sincere as it introduces you to Min and Ed and lets you live through their exhilarating and heartbreaking romance. Min is smart, sharp and devastatingly honest, voicing things we only wish we had the ability to voice.

Pick up the book when you have time to do nothing else, because once you start, you won't want to stop reading. And when you are done - or even when you are half way through and just want to talk, leave us a comment about your thoughts on this fabulous new book.

This book is suitable for young adults, ages 12 and older, and may contain mild uses of violence and/or profanity, sexual content and/or mature themes within the context of the story.

Looking for more GGC Book Club book choices for February? We select four great new books offered by Harper Collins Canada each month for each of the age categories below. If it’s on our book club list, then it has already received GGC’s approval based on specific criteria. Each book is also age-rated:

Sparks and Brownies (5-8 year olds)

Brownies and Guides (9-12 year olds), and

books for adults

Here on the Patrol site, we've been posting reviews of quite a few YA novels through the GGC book club. HarperCollins Canada has been great in providing us with books every month that "appeal" to a "teen" audience.

But what does that mean? That these books don't appeal to an adult audience? 'Cause quite a few of them have been read and thoroughly enjoyed by adults here at the GGC national office. Does it mean that teens don't want to read books for adults? Well, we all know that isn't true at all!

Over at the Grid, they raise the question, "What's the point of YA fiction?" and highlight a great new book (that you just might be seeing here very soon!) What do you think of YA fiction? Do you find the label useful or condescending? Does having the label mean that books for teens aren't as "good" as books for adults? Does YA fiction "appeal" to you? How do you decide what books to read and what books not to read?