---

It's a girl thing.

Those four words perfectly describe "My Little Red Book," a collection of anecdotes compiled by 18-year-old Rachel Kauder Nalebuff.

If the title and cover artwork - a delicate pair of pink panties - doesn't give away the topic of this book, a quick flip through the table of contents is quick to clarify: "Operation Menstruation!," "My Second First Period" and "If Men Could Menstruate..."

However, "My Little Red Book" doesn't merely recount the traumas of Auntie Flo's first visit.

Instead, it tells the amazingly candid stories of women from all walks of life, from present-day teenagers to Holocaust survivors, and their experiences prior to, during and after their first period. Once the awkwardness of reading about someone else's period passes, women will adore this book, giggling and blushing at familiar traumas.

Curious men should enter at their own risk.

The only minor downside to the otherwise charming "Little Red Book," besides alienating half of the human population, is that it cannot be read in one sitting. This book is intended to be read a few anecdotes at a time.

This is because, after a good half-hour or so of reading, the quirky stories begin to repeat themselves, falling into a monotonous (but still humorous) pattern.

For instance, if I read yet another sentence beginning with "I became a woman when," I would immediately skip to the next anecdote in search of more interesting fare.

In addition to its anecdotes, "My Little Red Book" also has an index in the back of the book with lists of ridiculous code names for periods. (My new personal favorite is "Congratulations! It's an egg!")

There is also a section that lists charities that help girls in distress or supply needy African women with sanitary supplies, so that readers _ both male and female _ can help make a difference in the world long after reading "My Little Red Book."

Deirdre Sackett attends Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and is a writer for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's TeenLink.