Read my review of Becoming You for Boys by Darby A. Strickland, a Christ-centered puberty book for boys ages 8–12 covering growing up, emotions, friendships, and faith.
There are some books that you pick up as a mom and immediately think, “I’m so glad someone wrote this.”
Becoming You for Boys: Everything You Wanted to Know About Growing Up by Darby A. Strickland is one of those books for me.
As a mom of boys, I know that the years ahead are going to bring a lot of questions. Their bodies will change. Their emotions will change. Friendships will change. They will begin navigating new temptations, new responsibilities, and eventually the transition from childhood into young manhood.
And honestly, I want to be the one helping them navigate those things.
I don’t want my boys learning about puberty, their changing bodies, emotions, relationships, and growing up from the internet, their friends, or whatever random information they happen to encounter. I want them to have a biblical framework for understanding what is happening to them—and I want them to know that they can come to us with their questions, even when those questions feel awkward.
That is what immediately stood out to me about Becoming You for Boys.
This isn’t simply a book about puberty. It is a Christ-centered guide designed to help boys understand the changes they are experiencing while also pointing them toward wisdom, godliness, and their identity in Christ.
And I think that distinction is incredibly important.
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Recommended ages: 8–12 years old
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 112 pages
My favorite part: I love that this book doesn’t treat growing up as something embarrassing that boys simply need to get through. Instead, it presents their changing bodies, emotions, friendships, and experiences as part of God’s good design and gives parents a tool for walking through those changes with their sons.
So, let’s take a closer look at Becoming You for Boys.
Important – there is also a Becoming You for Girls
More About Darby A. Strickland
Darby A. Strickland is a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). She has written resources for both adults and children, with a particular emphasis on helping families walk through everyday life and difficult circumstances with biblical wisdom.
One thing I appreciate about Strickland’s background is that she isn’t approaching this topic simply as a children’s author trying to explain biology. Her work comes from a counseling and biblical perspective, which gives Becoming You for Boys a broader vision for what it means to grow up.
The goal isn’t simply to tell a boy, “Here are the things that are going to happen to your body.” It is to help him understand those changes in light of God’s design and to think about what it means to grow in wisdom, love, and godliness.
And I think that’s exactly the kind of conversation our children need.
What Is Becoming You for Boys?
Becoming You for Boys: Everything You Wanted to Know About Growing Up is a 112-page guide written specifically for boys ages 8–12.
The book addresses the physical, emotional, and social changes that come with growing up, while consistently bringing those conversations back to biblical truth. Puberty can be an awkward subject for parents and children alike. There are questions boys may be hesitant to ask and conversations that can make everyone in the room feel a little uncomfortable.
But avoiding those conversations doesn’t make them disappear.
Instead, I think our children need us to create an environment where questions are normal and where they can learn about these things from people who love them and have their best interests at heart.
Becoming You for Boys can be used independently by a boy or read together with a parent. I particularly appreciate that flexibility because every child and every family is going to approach these conversations differently. Personally, my hope is to read this book one-on-one with my oldest child and then go down the line as it becomes needed.
The book combines science, Scripture, practical advice, and gentle humor to make these topics approachable without losing the seriousness of the subject.
And importantly, it doesn’t stop with physical development.
The book also addresses emotions, friendships, wisdom, character, and the spiritual realities of growing up.
Growing Up Is About More Than a Changing Body
This is probably one of the biggest things I appreciate about the premise of this book. When we talk about puberty, it can be easy to reduce the conversation to biology. Here’s what will happen. Here’s what your body will do. Here’s what you need to know.
All of those things are important, but our boys are more than their bodies.
They are souls made in the image of God.
They are growing into men who will one day have families, jobs, responsibilities, relationships, and opportunities to serve others. They are learning what it means to exercise self-control, love their neighbors, handle emotions, navigate friendships, and live faithfully before God.
So I love that Becoming You for Boys takes a more holistic approach.
Growing up isn’t simply about getting taller, developing muscles, or experiencing physical changes.
It’s about becoming the person God created you to be.
The book encourages boys to embrace their God-given identity so they can grow in wisdom, strength, and faith. That gives the entire conversation a much more meaningful foundation than simply explaining the mechanics of puberty.
A Resource for Parents, Too
Although Becoming You for Boys is written for boys, I think parents will find the book especially helpful.
The book includes an appendix for parents with conversation starters for talking with your son about his changing body and emotions. And if you’ve ever tried to figure out exactly how to start one of those conversations, you probably understand why that is valuable! Sometimes the hardest part isn’t knowing that you need to have the conversation.
It’s knowing how to begin. What do I say? How much do I explain? What if he asks a question I’m not prepared for? What if he gets embarrassed? What if I get embarrassed?
The parent appendix is designed to help parents navigate those moments and offers guidance for when questions become awkward.
I love resources that don’t simply hand a book to a child and say, “Here you go.”
Our children still need us.
They need our wisdom, our protection, our willingness to answer uncomfortable questions, and our example.
A book like this can simply give us another tool for those conversations.
Recommended Ages for Becoming You for Boys
Becoming You for Boys is designed for boys ages 8–12.
I think this age range is particularly helpful because children don’t all mature at exactly the same pace.
Some boys may begin asking questions about growing up when they are eight or nine. Others may not be interested until they’re a little older.
Having a resource available before you desperately need it gives you an opportunity to introduce these conversations gradually rather than waiting until your child is suddenly in the middle of puberty and you realize you haven’t talked about any of it.
For our family, I appreciate having something like this on the shelf ahead of time. I want these conversations to be ongoing rather than one giant, awkward “talk.” There are going to be lots of little conversations as our boys grow.
A question here. A conversation there. A new change that needs explaining. A situation with a friend that needs biblical wisdom.
That’s much more natural to me than treating growing up like one enormous conversation that happens once.
Why I Think Christian Families Need Resources Like This
Our children are going to learn about growing up from somewhere. The question is who will teach them? The internet is certainly willing. Their friends will probably have opinions. Culture has plenty to say.
And unfortunately, not all of those voices are going to point our children toward God’s design for their bodies, relationships, and identity.
That’s why I think having trustworthy Christian resources in our homes matters.
I don’t expect a book to replace parenting. I don’t expect it to replace conversations with mom and dad. And I certainly don’t expect it to replace Scripture. But I do appreciate anything that helps me become better equipped to disciple my children.
Becoming You for Boys gives parents a starting point for conversations that can sometimes feel difficult. More importantly, it gives boys a framework for understanding these changes as part of God’s good design rather than something shameful or frightening.
Final Mom Thoughts on Becoming You for Boys
As a mom of boys, I know that someday I’m going to blink and realize that my little boys aren’t so little anymore.
That is both exciting and slightly terrifying. I want to prepare them well.
I want them to understand their bodies without being ashamed of them. I want them to understand their emotions without being controlled by them. I want them to know how to navigate friendships with wisdom. And most importantly, I want them to understand that their identity doesn’t come from how strong they are, how they look, how other people perceive them, or how quickly they mature.
Their identity is found in Christ. That’s why I appreciate the vision behind Becoming You for Boys. It isn’t simply a puberty book. It is an opportunity to begin conversations about what it means to grow up as a young man who belongs to God.
If you’re looking for a Christian puberty book for boys ages 8–12, Becoming You for Boys is one I would definitely put on your list. It combines science, biblical truth, practical guidance, and gentle humor while giving parents a helpful tool for navigating these important years with their sons.
Growing up can feel awkward. There will probably be some embarrassing questions. There will definitely be changes.
But it doesn’t have to be something our boys navigate alone.
We get to walk alongside them. We get to teach them. We get to point them toward Scripture. And we get to remind them that even in something as ordinary—and sometimes awkward—as growing up, God is not absent from the process.
He created them. He knows them. And He is faithful to lead them as they grow.
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