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Frustrated by the dearth of age-appropriate, wholesome media and products for tween girls, entrepreneur and mother of two Addie Swartz created Beacon Street Girls, a lifestyle brand of books and fashion accessories inspired by the real-life Beacon Street in the Boston suburb of Brookline. Refreshingly real, the book series stars a group of five racially diverse junior-high girls who tackle typical coming-of-age issues, such as fitting in, finding their own fashion identity and dealing with boys, as well as more complex issues like coping with mean girls, working through family problems and living with learning disabilities. "There is a gap in the marketplace between the stage when girls stop playing with dolls and when they are influenced by pop stars like Britney Spears," says Swartz. "The Beacon Street Girls brand fills that void with exciting, meaningful content and `cool,' true-to-life characters that show girls that they can have fun without losing their individuality." Bringing the pages of the books to life, Swartz and her team at B*tween Productions have designed an extensive line of fashion accessories (marketed under the B*Street label) reflective of how tween girls spend their time and money: playing sports, shopping, hosting sleepover parties, hanging out with friends and accessorizing themselves and their bedrooms. "By tying our editorial content to 'cool,' age-appropriate accessories that girls want and use every day, we can deliver the empowering messages and self-esteem-building skills of the Beacon Street Girls books with the perfect formula of fashion and fun."