Ink-a-Dink June Giveaway | Be Yourself, by Meredith Walker
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As book editor for Girls' Life for 32+ years, I am passionate about helping girls navigate the world around them, since I was a teen girl for many years, and I have since raised two daughters. This book offers exceptional advice on finding out who you are and being true to your values--with loads of humor, which is to be expected from a former SNL creative. 

In her latest book targeted at teenage girls, Be Yourself and Other Bad Advice: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Unlearning the Rules, author Meredith Walker, co-founder of Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, shares with readers not just how to be themselves, but how to find their authentic self.

When a young person comes to you for advice, whether it be about friends, school, or dating, you might tell them, “Just be yourself!” But as a teenager, how do you actually do that when you’re still figuring out who you are?

Through Smart Girls, Meredith spent years acting as a mentor to young people around the world (and she survived the trials of being a teen girl herself...). Through personal anecdotes, journaling prompts, and big-sisterly advice, she gives readers the tools to find themselves.  

This book reassures girls that it’s not about having it all figured out but about asking the right questions. 

📖 Be Yourself & Other Bad Advice
📅 Releases May 26, 2026
🎁 Courtesy of Workman Kids 

💫 Why This One Matters

Also featured in Girls’ Life June/July 2026 issue, on stands now, this book provides exceptional advice for young girls in relatable and accessible ways, and is guaranteed to help young adolescents in an ever-changing, media-driven world. 

🎉 Giveaway Details

Enter by: June 30, 2026
Winners announced: July 1, 2026
Prize: 3 winners will each receive a copy of by Be Yourself, 
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Be Yourself
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Special thanks to Workman Kids for making this giveaway possible.

Book Description:

Be Yourself and Other Bad Advice: A Teen Girl's Guide to Unlearning the Rules

By Meredith Walker, illustrate by Nina Cosford, Foreword by Amy Poehler 

Being a teen girl can be confusing and frustrating—luckily Meredith Walker created this guide to show how to dig deep, find what's important to you, and use that authenticity to make the world a better place. Featuring a foreword from Amy Poehler!

Teen girls learn rules all the time, even if many of them go unsaid. Be yourself! But don’t be weird! Hustle hard—your future depends on it! You’re only young once—enjoy it! But no one talks about the life skill they need to navigate all those rules: how to think for themselves.  

As the co-founder of Smart Girls, Meredith Walker has spent years making ideas feel real, relevant, and approachable to young people. Now she’s written a whole guide devoted to helping teen girls discover who they are, feel their feelings, develop their confidence—and figure out what to do next. Compact, insightful, and full of warm wisdom, Be Yourself and Other Bad Advice is the perfect book for any reader letting go of the old rules to create a life that’s truly their own.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

Meredith Walker began her career in journalism at the groundbreaking Nickelodeon series Nick News. She worked her way up from production assistant to segment producer, traveling the country to interview kids, experts, politicians, and artists for news stories. She later moved to Saturday Night Live, where she ran the talent department, before she and Amy Poehler cofounded Smart Girls, an online community that encourages young women to celebrate who they are and who they are becoming. 

Through programs, workshops, and day camps, Meredith has helped girls try new things and discover more about themselves. That work has taken her from classrooms and regional programs to the White House, the United Nations, and communities around the world. She now lives in Austin, Texas, with her longtime love, Tom, and their dogs Banjo and Farris. 

Nina Cosford has illustrated more than twenty books. She lives in the United Kingdom. 


Author find more "Great Books for Girls" at InkADink Bookshop

More Bookseller Favorites from Workman Publishing

Author Social Media: IG: @meredeetch

Smart Girls: @amypoehlersmartgirls

Be Yourself, Workman Kids, May 12, 2026, $12.99 Paperback 9798217093243


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