Nutrition and exercise are topics of growing interests to teens, especially in today's world of dieting and body image issues, so it's essential they have some resources to turn to when they have questions. "Playing Safe, Eating Right" by Tamara Orr is a non-fiction book for teens that discusses nutrition, exercise, sleep and certain related aspects of mental health, among other health topics. The book is evidently intended for girls rather than boys, as all the examples in the book involve girls and typical teen girl issues. And the graphics are decidedly more feminine.

The way in which Orr presents the information in the book makes it an easy-to-use resources for teens. The book is broken up into chapters by topic and doesn't appear to require readers go through them in order. The writing is age-appropriate and very straightforward, and important points are clearly marked. There is also a section at the end of each chapter called "Ask Dr. Vicki" (Vicki F. Panaccione is a child psychologist and is listed as one of the book's consultants) and includes expert advice on the topic just addressed.

Orr utilizes anecdotes and questions to think over and/or discuss at the end of each section. This can be beneficial to readers retention of the material. However, these elements may be awkward for the independent reader.

On the other hand, the book's aesthetics, like many non-fiction books geared towards teens, are a little childish and enthusiastic.The color scheme consists of white on a happy shade of purple with some light green throw in. And there is an abundance of graphics of the floral variety. Also, the photos are reminiscent of those found in middle school and high school health textbooks, which might deter readers. While this is all meant to be teen-friendly, many teens may avoid this title because the style seems childish to them. ( )