Girls' Life magazine

xoxo karen

As anyone who regularly reads this page knows (hi to my mom and four of my friends), due to the nature of print, I am always writing this column a couple weeks before you read it. Normally that’s not a huge deal but, in These Times, it seems like there’s breaking news every minute. Today, the Electoral College affirmed Joe Biden’s win as president of the United States. Which means that they have also now declared Sen. Kamala Harris the next vice president of the United States. Like fellow GL girl Shelby Deibler (see her piece on p. 66), I was in tears watching Sen. Harris give her first speech as vice president-elect. No matter whom you supported during the election, it was a true win for women and girls everywhere. Simply put,…

3 questions with akira akbar

if you stan superhero movies but find yourself feeling a little bored by the overwhelming white dudeness of most classic comic franchises then a) you’re not alone at all and b) you should immediately add We Can Be Heroes to your Netflix queue. The movie (which happens to be a sequel to the cult classic The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D) stars a cast of unique, diverse heroes that, tbh, is exactly what hero movies need right now. One of the most original new leads in the movie is Fast Forward, a teen with the ability to speed up time for anyone stuck in a situation that they need to, well, fast forward through (clearly a power we all could have used IRL recently). The awesome human behind this…

kyliegh curran

The 15-year-old star of Disney Channel’s mysterious new series Secrets of Sulphur Springs is a horror pro—and she’s bringing the thrills ‘n’ chills to your next TV obsession. You know how some celebs become known for their thing (say, JoJo Siwa for wearing wild outfits and never not smiling)? Well, Kyliegh Curran is only 15 but she's already staking out her own little corner of Hollywood: All things creep-tacular. Kyliegh got her big break in 2019’s Doctor Sleep, a movie based on the book by fright legend Stephen King. And now the self-declared horror buff (who is obsessed with anything Jordan Peele’s brain creates and eerie, moody movies like Coraline) stars as Harper, who Kyliegh says is an “artsy, bright and driven conspiracy theorist" in Disney Channel's creepycool Secrets of Sulphur Springs.…

tell us your crush sitch and we’ll pick your next must-read

You love them…but they love someone else. UNCHOSEN • BY KATHARYN BLAIR • KATHERINE TEGEN BOOKS, $18 Charlotte’s longtime crush falls for her older sis Harlow. And her younger sis Vanessa is apparently the “Chosen One,” able to end the Crimson, which has turned half of humanity into flesh-eating monstrosities. With her crush crashed—and possibly the world ending—Char disguises herself as the Chosen One to protect and hide her sisters. You like them but aren’t sure they like you. ONE OF THE GOOD ONES • BY MAIKA MOULITE AND MARITZA MOULITE • INKYARD PRESS, $19 When their sis Kezi tragically dies, Happi and Genni honor her by taking a trip Kezi had mapped out based on the famous Negro Motorist Green Book. Along the way, Happi and Genni discover romance, mystery and history while learning…

your rom-com binge guide

IF YOU LIKED… WATCH THIS! IF YOU LIKED… WATCH THIS! IF YOU LIKED… WATCH THIS! THE PERFECT DATE You know those nights when you realize you’ve already watched To All the Boys and P.S. I Still Love You approximately 1,000 times and you want to see them again but also need to watch something else for a min? Enter: The Perfect Date, guaranteed to fill the TAtB-shaped hole in your heart. Why? Two words: Noah Centineo. THE HALF OF IT They’re both LGBTQIA+ love stories (which the world can always use more of) and, more important, they’re both movies that hit you with all the feels—good and bad—that come with first love and discovering who you are. Watch as Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, becomes his friend—and falls for his crush. ALL THE BRIGHT…

y2k nostalgia

13 Going On 30 A little magic wishing dust turns awkward and nerdy Jenna into the 30-year-old version of herself in New York City. You’ll want to be 30, flirty and thriving after watching Jenna *finally* fall for Matt—17 years after he falls for her. She’s the Man Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night looks a little diff when Viola pretends to be her brother and joins the school’s soccer team to prove a point. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that her roommate Duke is dreamy, too. If only Duke didn’t fall for Olivia (who falls for Sebastian…who is actually Viola…you get the gist). A Cinderella Story Sam is working as a waitress in her evil stepmother’s California diner to save money for her dream college when she promises to meet her online pen pal at the Halloween…