Is Your Daughter Ready?: 10 Ways to Empower Your Girl for an Age of New Challenges

by Kari Kampakis

Today's girls need grace and grit.   How do we raise them in light, yet prepare them for the dark?     

The journey of a girl mom often presents tricky terrain. In the early years, moms focus on the good. Being kind. Noticing beauty. Having faith and hope for the future. All the while,  Can we help them believe in goodness yet not be naïve? Can we prepare them to handle hard realities without letting reality harden them?  

Bestselling author Kari Kampakis champions you in this paradoxical journey. Like a big sister who's seen the wilderness and come back to report what's ahead, Kari offers a realistic yet optimistic framework.   

Is Your Daughter Ready? is your anthem for raising a powerful force for good in a world that's deeply hurting. With Kari as your guide, learn how to intentionally pack the essentials your daughter will need for her life journey  

instilling the love and light of Christ in her heart to empower her to be a light in the world; modeling healthy relationships to set her up for success in personal, professional, and romantic connections; providing her with the tools needed to have tough conversations with confidence and grace; cultivating a mission mentality so she can look beyond her circumstances to see God's purpose; and creating an environment of trust in God, assuring her that He will conquer any darkness. 

Reclaim the joy of motherhood and the power of your home as you lovingly pour into your daughter, teach her to stand on her own two feet, and pray for the day when she outruns you and begins to empower her own generation. 

Genres: Parenting, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Christian

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 16, 2025

About the author

Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis is a blogger, author, speaker, and newspaper columnist from Birmingham, Alabama.

Her bestselling books, 10 ULTIMATE TRUTHS GIRLS SHOULD KNOW and LIKED: WHOSE APPROVAL ARE YOU LIVING FOR?, have been used widely across the country by teen youth groups and small groups to empower girls through faith.

Kari’s work has been featured on The Huffington Post, TODAY Parents, and other national outlets. She and her husband, Harry, have four daughters and a dog named Lola.

Learn more by visiting www.karikampakis.com or finding Kari on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Reviews

[Ginny Yurich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very practical from start to finish. I especially loved the appendix!!!

[Kendra Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parenting in today's "standards" can be challenging for Christian Parents. We want our Children not to succumb to the Worldly standards and we most certainly do not want to have low self esteem. Girls are especially wanting to "Fit In" and sometimes have thoughts that they are not enough. Moms of Girls are wanting to prepare their Girls for the future and encourage them that they are ENOUGH!

Is Your Daughter Ready? by Kari Kampakis is an AMAZING book that gives Moms the insight to help their daughter through the many phases of Girlhood to Womanhood. The book has 10 chapters and each Chapter really is inspirational and filled with Wisdom on guiding Daughters with Care and Grace. I really LOVE that each chapter is thought provoking and ends with a section to really understand the Chapter: Truths Worth Packing, Questions to Unpack, and A Prayer to Lighten Your Load. I truly LOVED the appendix of the book which is 25 Talking Points for Hard Conversations with your Daughter.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to Girl Mom's. I also think this book would make a GREAT Bible Study discussion Group, gift for Mom's, anyone who has a connection to Girls! GREAT BOOK!

[Lis K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book for parents, especially moms, as they prepare to launch their daughters from home. The author details ten essentials that your daughter needs to "pack into her suitcase" before she leaves home: love, truth, integrity, relationship smarts, perspective, discernment, connection, purpose, perseverance, and faith. Each chapter delves into one essential with anecdotes, advice, practical tips, Bible verses, self-reflection questions, and ending with a prayer. At the end is an appendix of 25 talking points for hard conversations that you should have with your daughter before she leaves. This book offers real practical help by laying out the specific areas that moms/parents should be working on with their daughters. I like that everything is grounded in Scripture and is applicable to real-world issues. I would recommend this to parents of middle-schoolers and up in order to be prepared for the high school and college years. I'd highly recommend this important resource for parents!
* I received this book free of charge from NetGalley

[Connie Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Kari Kampakis packs a wallop in the 205 pages of IS YOUR DAUGHTER READY? Be sure to grab a highlighter for the abundance of enlightening statements and thought-provoking comments that need to be notated. I also loved that each of the ten chapters concludes with the same special sections: Truths Worth Packing, Questions to Unpack, and A Prayer to Lighten Your Load. There is also a special Appendix with 25 Talking Points for Hard Conversations. Talk about inspiration!

If you are a mother, grandmother, aunt, or merely a loving friend, grab a copy of "Is Your Daughter Ready?" Kampakis offers encouragement as you strive to mold a young woman who is equipped to navigate her future. I am so grateful for the chance to review this book!

I received a complimentary copy from the author and W Publishing via FrontGate Women's Blogger Network. There was no obligation for a positive review.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am left in total awe after reading this life-changing book! It deserves much more than a 5-star rating due to its value. While I appreciate the author also being from my hometown, Birmingham, what she has written can have much influence and impact for mothers of daughters, including me. Even the table of contents draws me in. She reminds us to delight in our daughters and to remember that they are a blessing, not burdens. Be her biggest cheerleader. Empower them with love, relationship insight, perseverance, faith, etc. The author ends with several things to specifically teach, such as, "God's grace is bigger than any mistake... Your mistakes don't define you...Boys fall into 2 categories: protectors and predators and Your gut think faster than your brain" so" trust your gut." There are so many practical thoughts and ideas that this is a book to keep and treasure.
I very much appreciate being able to read this book, compliments of the publishers. The views expressed are my own.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mom to a 9-year-old daughter, I found Is Your Daughter Ready? by Kari Kampakis to be both encouraging and eye-opening in the best way.

What I loved most is how Kari blends heartfelt stories with practical wisdom. It didn’t feel like a lecture—it felt like advice from a trusted friend who has walked this road before. Each chapter gave me something meaningful to reflect on, from the importance of everyday conversations to how we can prepare our daughters for the bigger challenges ahead.

This book reminded me that raising daughters isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about showing up with love, honesty, and grace in every season. I know I’ll be coming back to these pages again as my daughter grows.

Highly recommend this book for any parent of girls, whether your daughter is in grade school, middle school, or entering those teenage years.

[Megan Blank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, the highlighter came out for this one and got a workout. is Your Daughter Ready is packed full of wisdom and thought provoking insight when it comes to raising a daughter in and through worldly expectations and realities. Kari’s way of writing felt more like sitting down with a friend over being preached to about how to be as a parent and how our kids should be.

I imagine there will be rereading of this throughout the years because I can imagine different sections will stand out more and be more encouraging/relevant in different phases of life.

There were a few transitions where I was questions why something was relevant or when we started discussing that and how it applied to the chapter, but overall the content was encouraging and uplifting.

Thank you NetGalley and W Publishing for a copy for consideration and review.

[Michelle Nietert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kari is a seasoned author and podcaster. I chose the Audible version of this book for that reason. She’s also an incredibly wise mom. One of my favorite quotes from the book is.

“Our daughters need guidance and protection, but first they need connection.”

I love how she discusses the struggles with her strong willed daughter turning into blessings as she launched her off to college. This book gives tremendous hope to anxious moms wondering if they’re doing enough to prepare their daughters for the world we are living in.

As the mom of a freshman in college and a mental health professional of 25 years, I definitely will be recommending this book.

[Thu Heintz · Rating 5 out of 5]

what an inspirational and heartfelt book. i cried at certain points and felt charged at others, while i read her advice, stories, and testaments in faith.

this book will leave you feeling fulfilled, motivated, and reinforce your understanding of how our ultimate identity is in christ and how we can lead our life, our decisions, and our thinking in a kind, loving, and peaceful, protective way. lest we not forgot that life is still hard, disappointing, sad, and difficult but our faith in God will lead us the right way.

translating this way of life into parenting daughters creates a beautiful way of loving your children.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each chapter has so many gold nuggets that is not only good for our daughters navigating relationships but Christian perspective on conflict and wisdom. I really enjoyed this. I totally recommend this book for those looking for straight forward wisdom on relationships, especially in the teen years. Will reread in the future.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kari Kampakis’ Is Your Daughter Ready? is such a helpful read for moms. Being a mom to a daughter, I’ve realized that building and keeping a strong relationship with her means keeping communication open and not yelling so much that she pulls away. This book has shown me how to partner with God in raising her. It’s a journey, but one I’m fully willing to take.

[ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s not my cup of tea on teachings. But I don’t want to discredit readers from reading this if it is your cup of tea.

[Kim Gubbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so well written. Very well laid out. Encouraging and full of hope!

[Nina Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kari never disappoints. Every one of her books are amazing. This one is a must read for all moms of girls! Especially tweens and teens.

[Shelby Rae · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author begins the book by stating that the goal is to let your daughter shape their own relationship with God. This is not the case. Throughout the book, it becomes clear that the author considers forcing specific beliefs and views onto your children as a necessary part of raising them correctly. This also includes their views on religion, the relationship they should have with God, etc. This reads much more as a religious text than a guide to raising girls.