Rated 4.8 Stars by 1000+ readers

The right words can make all the difference.

What Can I Say?

The words they need, right when they need them.

50+ real, ready-to-use scripts — word-for-word lines for the exact situations that come up, not vague advice to "be kind".
An intro plus eight chapters — from meeting someone new to caring for your community, each with real, specific situations.
Illustrated like a graphic novel — humorous, comic-style art that reads more like a magazine than a lecture.
From the real bestselling author — Catherine Newman, of the New York Times bestseller How to Be a Person.

Free with every order: Conversation Starter Cards — a small foldout of low-stakes openers, the easiest place to practice a new script. Instant digital download, yours to keep. (worth $9)

$39.00 + FREE “Conversation Starter Cards ” worth $9

~~$48 value~~

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A Sage & Page pick — books that help you grow, emotionally and mentally. · Beginner-friendly · Practical, not academic

WHAT THIS BOOK ACTUALLY IS

Let's be straight about it.

This is a real, traditionally published guide to the words kids need for real social situations — meeting someone new, disagreeing, apologizing, standing up for a friend, and more.

It gives real scripts to work from instead of vague advice like "just be yourself."

What it isn't: therapy, a guaranteed personality fix, or a replacement for a kid's own voice. It won't make every awkward moment smooth, and we're not going to promise it solves every friendship problem — nobody can honestly promise that.

What it is: a real, funny, honest reference for the moments that actually come up — written by someone who's genuinely good at this.

How each page works

One situation, one spread.

No chapter-long build-up — every topic gets a self-contained page a kid can read in a minute.

First

The quick "why"

A short, plain-language explainer of why the situation matters — no lecture tone.

Then

A real scenario

An illustrated moment with actual dialogue in speech bubbles — not a hypothetical.

Sometimes

In person vs. online

Some topics get both a face-to-face script and a text/digital version.

Later chapters

A Starting Point for Bigger Conversations

Designed to give parents an approachable starting point for conversations that can sometimes feel difficult to begin.

Why it actually gets used

Middle school doesn't come with a script. Now it does.

Kids aren't taught most of this — how to join a conversation, how to disagree without a blow-up, what to actually say when something feels unfair. This book hands them the words, so they can figure the rest out themselves.

Real scripts, not vague advice

50+ concrete, page-by-page examples of what to actually say — not just "be kind" in different fonts.

From a Real Author

Catherine Newman, of the New York Times bestseller How to Be a Person.

Covers the Hard Stuff Too

Bullying, offensive comments, turning someone down, disagreements with adults — covered honestly, without judgment.

Kids actually finish it

Graphic-novel-style illustrations and a friendly, funny tone — reads like something they'd pick up on their own.

Is this book for you?

If any of these sound like you, yes.

Not every book is for every family. Here's who this one is genuinely for.

"My kid freezes up and doesn't know what to say."

That's the exact gap this book fills — real scripts for the moment words don't come.

"I want something practical, not another lecture."

This isn't a pep talk. It's specific, sayable lines for specific situations.

"My kid would rather read something funny."

Graphic-style illustrations and a light tone — reads more like a comic than homework.

"I'm looking for a gift that's actually useful."

Not another toy — a book kids come back to when they need it.

"We've talked about this, but it's not a script yet."

This turns the conversation into something they can actually say out loud.

“I don’t know how to talk about this.”

No labels, no assumptions — just real situations and the words to navigate them.

Nod at even one? You're exactly who we curated this for.

Free companion with every order · 30-day guarantee

What's inside

An intro plus eight chapters

Organized around the situations that actually come up. Includes topics that aren't always easy to talk about.

01 - 02

How to meet, greet & part + How to have a conversation

Chapter 1 - Pages 18 to 33.
Chapter 2 - Pages 34 - 45.

03 - 04

How to get along with people + How to deal with hard things

Chapter 3 - Pages 46 - 67.
Chapter 4 - Pages 68 - 89.

05 - 06

How to be in a romantic relationship (or not) + How to be supportive

Chapter 5 - Pages 90 - 105.
Chapter 6 - Pages 106 -127.

07 - 08

How to be an ally + How to care for your community

Chapter 7 - Pages 128 - 145.
Chapter 8 - Pages 146 - 157.

Chapter titles and page numbers taken directly from the book's own table of contents — nothing invented, nothing inflated.

Made to go with it

For the moment a kid needs to practice a script before they need it for real.

Conversation Starter Cards

A short Sage & Page companion — low-stakes conversation openers, the easiest place to try a new script out loud before it matters.

Made by us, not scraped from the book.

Instant digital download, no app, no QR-code maze, no waiting.

What can I say?Physical print
Conversation Starter Cards — free companion$9 value · free
Free worldwide shippingincluded
30-day money-back guaranteeincluded

Instant digital download, yours to keep.

Our curation process

How this book earned its place

Before a title reaches our shelf, we ask four simple questions. Here's how this one answered.

01 ·Is it genuinely useful?

Yes. Real, specific scripts for real situations — not vague encouragement to "be yourself."

02 ·Is it clear?

Yes. One situation per spread, illustrated, easy for a kid to read on their own.

03 ·Does it respect kids' intelligence?

Yes. Honest and non-judgmental — it never talks down to the reader.

04 ·Would we recommend it to a friend?

Yes, and that’s the real test. We would hand a friend this book for their kids.

Made by us, exclusive Sage & Page Companions

Made in-house to go with the book

Three companions we made ourselves after reading the book.

Each to complement the use of the book.

Free with every order

Lines to practice before the real thing

Conversation Starter Cards

A small foldout of low-stakes conversation openers — the easiest place to practice a new script.

6 pages · included free with every order

In the conversational toolkit

Expanded scenarios to learn from

More Scenarios & Examples

Organized into four sections — Friendship, Conflict, Firsts, and Hard Conversations — plus a bonus page of fallback lines for the moments when there isn't a perfect thing to say.

20 pages · $15 on its own

In The Complete Practice

To guide the young ones

The Grown-Up's Guide

Discussion prompts for parents and grandparents reading alongside — one chapter at a time.

10 pages · $15 on its own

All three are instant digital downloads - no app, no QR-code maze. Print them as many times as you like.

Choose your bundle

Three ways to take it home

Same book in every bundle. The difference is how much happens after week one.

The Book

$39 $48 value

The book and cards to practice.

What can I say? — The Book
Conversational Starter Cards — free companion ($9)
More Scenarios & Examples — ($15)
The Grown Up's Guide — ($15)

STRAIGHT FROM THE PARENTS

What the grown ups have said after their young ones have read it

Zig B,

This book has excellent lessons for kids of many ages. My kids are all teenagers and it's very applicable. Some of the scenarios in the book are geared for a younger audience, but as a parent, I can modify them to what will apply to my kids. We have been going over a topic or 2 each week for a few months now, and it is well received. Topics include introductions, making small talk, arguments, dating, how to be right, how to be wrong, being awkward, etc.