Puberty is the name for the time when
your body begins to develop and change as you move from kid to adult. We're
talking about stuff like girls developing breasts and boys starting to look
more like men. During puberty, your body will grow faster than at any other
time in your life, except for when you were a baby.
Usually, puberty starts between ages 8
and 13 in girls and ages 9 and 15 in boys. This wide range in ages may help
explain why some of your friends still look like young kids whereas others look
more like adults.
When your body is ready to begin
puberty, your pituitary releases special
hormones. Depending on whether you're a boy or a girl, these hormones go to
work on different parts of the body.