Discovery Girls

Check out what parents, teachers, pediatricians, and tween girls have to say about why they love DG.

My daughter fell in love with it immediately, and I'm so glad to find out more about how Discovery Girls originated. I am always glad to find a magazine that isn't about celebrities, and that addresses real issues and shows pictures of real girls. Building self-esteem is so important. My daughters are ages 9 and 12, and we're going to get subscriptions for both of them.

Megan Weir, parent

As a subscriber for over eight years, I can confidently recommend Discovery Girls as a resource for girls and the pediatricians who care for them. The magazine, geared toward "tweens," addresses issues of importance to them, and the articles are written by girls in that age group. Using girls from a different city or region in each issue, the magazine touches on social, psychological, and emotional challenges, which are unique to this age group. On a more subtle level, it communicates choices and options available to the readers in a non-preachy way. For example: the fashion shoots feature girls of varying shapes/sizes/cultures selected from their readership (not professional models.) The images are fun/creative and NOT HYPERSEXUALIZED! I have kept this magazine in my office for many years, recommending it to my patients without hesitation. I am grateful to the friend (a fellow pediatrician) who introduced me to this "start-up" with a subscription for my then-tween daughter. I encourage pediatricians to take advantage of this excellent resource.

Lisa C. Tumarkin, M.D./ AAP Fellow

I am so pleased to see a magazine targeted for tweens that is actually written for tweens. I try to keep my own twelve-year-old girls away from most other tween magazines because they are written to appeal to girls' desire to be teenagers. As a result, they offer hypersexualized views that focus on boys, appearance, and "stars." They tell you how to look, what to wear, how to think, and even sometimes how to feel. I fear they do harm. Discovery Girls is different. It is age-appropriate and filled with wisdom on why each girl should be comfortable with herself. It acknowledges the unique challenges of these years and gives advice from tweens to tweens. It offers wisdom on what really matters, strategies for navigating relationship challenges, and ideas on how to bounce back from embarrassments and disappointments. My favorite article talked about the value of failure, even repeated failure, on the road toward self-confidence and success. This is such a vital message in an era where kids are pushed so hard and pulled in so many directions that many young girls feel less than acceptable. When girls feel less than acceptable they may develop a fear of failure, withdraw from challenges or become perfectionists. I am thrilled that you seem committed to letting girls be girls (rather than pushing them to be women) and to building their resilience. I feel really comfortable leaving Discovery Girls around my house for my girls to "find." Please don't change your approach, it is needed.

Ken Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed

Author of A Parent's Guide to Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Your Child Roots and Wings. Published by The American Academy of Pediatrics in 2006.

I love Discovery Girls so much! It has helped me get through a lot of tough times, and I've had some really tough times with friends and school. But then I hear that my issue of Discovery Girls has arrived, and it makes me feel better because I know that I'm not the only one that's dealing with this stuff. Thanks Discovery Girls!

Morgan, DG reader

I think Discovery Girls is the absolute best magazine for girls in the ENTIRE WORLD! It has tons of fun things in it and good advice. And every person you have in your magazine is a good role model for girls like me. My mom totally approves! Thanks so much, DG!

Julia, DG reader

Thank you for making a magazine that girls can relate to instead of the junk about bad influences like celebrities and plastic surgery. I love that your magazine is perfect for young girls and has stuff that girls should be thinking about, like helping out in communities, school and fun with friends and family...not things that would put bad images in our minds! Thank you!

Nikki, DG reader

I wanted to thank Discovery Girls for the Fab Girls books. I bought all four of them, and I think they are really great and helpful. They've given me such useful information that I am really interested in, just like the magazine! I just wanted to say thank you so much, and I hope DG decides to write more books!

Alyssa, DG reader

I've been very impressed by what Discovery Girls magazine has done. It has very interesting information about very unique subjects. I love reading about what other girls think. I love how it lets anyone contribute--no matter what they think or look like! Keep up the good work, and thank you!

Sarah, DG reader

 

I am a mom whose daughter really enjoys your magazine, and I am thrilled that at age 13, she is still anxiously paging through the newest copy when it arrives in the mail! We have had a subscription for a few years now, and I have been very happy with the way the girls are presented on the covers and throughout the magazine (very natural-looking and not a lot of makeup) and the articles are very appropriate for preteen and early teen girls. I like that there aren't a lot of articles or covers full of guys and makeup stories. It is a refreshing change of pace from our fast-paced world and I just wanted to say THANK YOU FOR A GREAT MAGAZINE--KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

 

I am the mother of a brilliant and beautiful 9 year old girl. I want you to know that I am so pleased to have discovered your magazine. I have been looking for a magazine that was not completely Christian-centered but was positive and showed respect for young women. I've seen magazines for tweens and early teens whose editors and writers seem to think that there is nothing more to girls than lip gloss, clothes and boys. Lip gloss, clothes and boys do have their place in the lives of young girls, but there is so much more! Your magazine offers real perspective on friendships and relationships. It feels and sounds sincere. The stories written by girls do seem to be truly written by the girls themselves and not a 29-year-old pretending to relate to an 9-year-old. My daughter is not a Barbie girl in a Barbie world and I couldn't be more proud. Thanks for creating a magazine that she can understand, relate to and enjoy without adding to her risk of developing an eating disorder.

Angie Thaxton, mother

This is the magazine to subscribe to! My daughter has received issue after issue, and we've always been pleased with the content! One day she received an invitation to be in the magazine! Just imagine the excitement! She submitted photos, wrote some articles, and answered a questionnaire! It wasn't long before we received a phone call telling us she was chosen to be a Discovery Girl! My daughter had a once in a lifetime experience! She attended a photo shoot where all the Discovery Girls employees were kind, courteous, and willing to make sure each girl's experience was a positive one. A lot of heart goes into this magazine! This is a wonderful magazine for girls, written by girls of all races, religions, and backgrounds. Our girls can show who they truly are! A good choice for any young girl!

A Pleased DG Mom

My daughter (now 12) has been getting this magazine for about three years. Although at age 9 she was not "into" boys or makeup, she still enjoyed reading the articles pertaining to these topics and stored them away for future use. Besides, there were plenty of topics in every issue that she did relate to; it was a good balance. When she was 11 she was chosen to be a Discovery Girl, and I got to see first hand that this magazine practices what it preaches! First, the girls were rewarded for their hard work and creativity in the application process by being chosen. Second, the 12 Discovery Girls were treated exactly as they should be treated: as intelligent, creative young women who are beautiful as they are and have much to offer our world. Their advice was sought and used in future issues of the magazine. The photo shoot "make-over" consisted of letting the girls choose their hairstyle and a very light foundation of makeup, just enough to enhance what they already have. My daughter completely enjoyed her experience, and I as a parent was glad to see the DG staff back up everything they stand for in the magazine. Many of the girls have kept in touch since the photo shoot, although they live miles apart. What a wonderful bond; I hope it continues for years to come. It's because they are all the same; just regular girls who got a chance to do something as fun as this. I am so grateful to Discovery Girls for providing a tool to help my little girl blossom into being a young woman. Girls sometimes get tired of only listening to "wisdom" from their mothers; this magazine is a safe, appropriate, fun way to go along with what I am teaching.

Amazon.com review

My 11-year-old daughter has been a subscriber for about 1 ½ years and absolutely adores Discovery Girls. She reads it cover to cover the day it arrives in the mail. It provides a great mix of articles about issues that affect the 7-12 age group as well as fashion tips, celebrity interviews, quizzes and more - all the things the girls are looking for in a magazine! The readers provide much of the content for the magazine so it is truly a forum for girls to express themselves as well as an opportunity to see that other girls are having the same experiences. As a parent, I like the magazine because it is completely appropriate for the "tween" girl - great content in the articles (real topics about real issues), limited advertising and the "models" are readers who are chosen by their answers on a questionnaire, not by the way they look. It's nice for girls who are beginning to worry about body image to be able to see normal girls just like them in the pages of a national magazine. I would definitely recommend this magazine to anyone who knows a girl in the 7-12 age range!

Amazon.com Review

I am a media specialist at a public school. I am in charge of ordering various media including magazines for our library. Discovery Girls was first sent to me as a sample, and upon reviewing the content I quickly decided this was a keeper and ordered a subscription for my students.

Amazon.com Review

It is so nice to see someone publishing a magazine where tween girls are presented as wholesome and age-appropriate…not as exploited, skin-bearing women. I had been hoping for years for a magazine like this. Discovery Girls is packed with topics appealing to tweens and teens. The layout is vivid and attracting. If you are concerned about content and role models for girls then this is the magazine you have been waiting for!

Amazon.com Review