Ages 8 to 12

You Are 8 and Brilliant

A heartwarming collection of ten confidence-building stories for girls ages 8 to 12, all set at Riverside Elementary. Each story follows a different girl through an everyday moment that takes real courage.

About This Book

You are eight. And you are brilliant.

You Are 8 and Brilliant is the first book in the You Are Brilliant: Inspiring Stories to Build Confident Black Girls series, a collection of ten heartwarming stories for girls ages 8 to 12, all set at the same welcoming school, Riverside Elementary.

Each story follows a different girl through an everyday moment that takes real courage: raising a hand in class, trying again after a mistake, telling the truth, sitting with someone new, or simply loving what makes her different. No girl in this book has to be perfect. She just has to keep trying, and that is exactly what makes her brilliant.

Meet the Girls in These Stories

• Maya, who paints her own true shade of brown
• Zuri, who finds the courage to raise her hand
• Nia, who saves a seat for someone eating alone
• Imani, who builds ten machines that don't work before she builds the one that does
• Amara, who falls nine times before she catches the rhythm
• Layla, who shares what she loves even when no one else understands it yet
• Simone, who learns that brave and scared can live in the same moment
• Aaliyah, who discovers what it feels like to tell the truth
• Kayla, who turns something she's good at into a gift for someone else
• Destiny, who finds out that a mistake is not the end of her story

What Each Story Includes

• A short Confidence Lesson
• A gentle Your Turn reflection question
• An I Can Say affirmation to carry through the day

Perfect For

• Girls ages 8 to 12 who see themselves celebrated and exactly as they are
• Parents and caregivers who want to build confidence from home
• Teachers and school counselors supporting classroom confidence
• Birthdays, back to school, holidays, or any ordinary day that deserves extra brilliance

Written by Marsha Gray, MSW, with over 20 years of experience supporting children and families, this book was created to help young Black girls see themselves celebrated, confident, and exactly as they are, on every page.