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Richard Carlson has written numerous books encouraging folks not to "sweat the small stuff", and his title for teens is as warm, wise, and witty as his previous works. His tone is one of an older family friend who manages to advise while still maintaining the minimum level of coolness that teens require from those who intend to guide them into adulthood.

With 100 different chapters, each just a few pages in length, this little book works especially well as a bedside companion or tucked in a backpack for the morning commute to school. Each chapter is devoted to a single, simple idea such as "trust your inner signals" and "root for the underdog," and plenty of real-life examples from teens are used to illustrate principles. In the second chapter, a teen volunteering at an animal shelter is used to show how just one person can make a difference, as she takes the time for one more phone call that results in saving a dog's life. The concepts are appropriate for both early high school students and new graduates--who doesn't need an occasional reminder to "be ok with your bad hair day"? Incorporating sports, theater, literature, video games, teachers, and parents into stories make these examples accessible to kids of all interests, and a sprinkling of tales from the author's own teenage years adds an effective personal note. With plenty of suggestions for adding activities into a teen's life--volunteer opportunities in particular--your child may even feel encouraged to seek out new forms of positive expression simply for the joy of the activity, rather than the old standbys of "my friends are doing it" or "I need it to get into college." --Jill Lightner



Psychonomaly (USA: TX) (2008/04/06):
Just a bunch of self-help bullshit I guess. Christmas present a few years back, never bothered to read.