The Tween Book: A Growing-Up Guide For The Changing You
By: Wendy L. Moss, PhD and Donald A Moses, MD
The time between childhood and the teenage years can be difficult for many young people. This book, published by the American Psychological Association, is an excellent guide to help young people deal with all of the changes they are facing as they enter their teenage years. The authors are licensed medical professionals with a background of working with children and adolescents.
The book opens with a Dear Reader note welcoming the reader into the tween years. The authors explain what the book is about and encourage tweens to read the book with a parent or another trusted adult so that they can discuss this new adventure of being a tween.
Each chapter begins with a checklist of things for the tweens to reflect upon before they read that chapter. They ask the reader “Do Any Of These Things Describe You” and this encourages tweens to think about who they are and how they feel.
The chapters cover things like family relationships, goal setting, body image, friends, first crushes and dating, conflicts, problem solving and social media. The authors included lots of stories from other tweens who share what they have experienced. This reassures readers that they are not alone in what they are worrying about or feeling. One thing that I really liked about this book is that it lets tweens know that they do not have to give up favorite toys, games or activities just because they are now tweens. It is okay for them to take their time and decide what they want to do as a tween. This helpful resource is visually appealing with sidebars and different colored text. The tips, advice and encouragement provided will be helpful to tweens and their parents.
Grades 5-8
Review By: Jan Bridges