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What happens when a girl has the brain of an 8-year-old and the body of a 13-year-old?A sea change is underway among many of today's girls: They are developing faster and entering puberty earlier than ever before. Just a generation ago, fewer than 5 percent of girls started puberty before the age of 8; today that percentage has more than doubled. Early puberty is not just a matter of physical transformation--it's deeply psychological too, with effects that can put a girl at higher risk for behavioral problems as well as long-term health challenges such as obesity, depression, eating disorders, and even cancer. Why is this happening, and what does it mean for our girls' futures? What can we do to help lead them through this major transition to live happy and healthy lives? In their groundbreaking book, The New Puberty, Louise Greenspan, MD, and Julianna Deardorff, PhD--two leading experts on the root causes and potential consequences of early puberty in girls--have written a reassuring and empowering guide that will forever change the way we view puberty and parent the next generation.