Published: 2023
Genre: Nonfiction, Guide
Trigger Warning: none
Series/Stand Alone: Series
Audience: Middle Grade
Summary: “They used to tell kids to chant “sticks and stones” or “just ignore it.” It didn’t work. This book helps kids find the opposite don’t ignore it; understand it.”–Tom Angleberger, Origami Yoda How to Navigate Middle School shows readers how to handle the increasing academic demands of middle school, organizational skills and time management, how to be self-determined, have grit, and a sense of agency. Whether you are just starting middle school or getting ready for the next grade, you probably have ideas about what the school year will be like–or should be like. Maybe you imagine that perfect day in middle school, where you are picked class president, made tons of new friends, or became the captain of the soccer team, or crushed your Spanish vocab test. Or maybe you imagine more a disastrous days…where you can’t get your locker open, don’t have anywhere to sit in the cafeteria, or trip while walking down the hallway. Or maybe you have heard from a friend or older sibling middle school teachers are strict or you will have 10 hours of homework a night! Whatever you have heard, it’s most likely a combination some truth but a whole lot of drama and exaggeration. This book will help you separate fact from fiction and give you the tools and strategies you will need to find your place and be your best self in middle school. It will help you handle the increasing academic demands of middle school, teach amazing organizational skills and time management, show you what it takes to have grit and grow in amazing ways! Kid Confident Book 4: How to Navigate Middle School is part of an awesome book series developed with expert psychologist and series editor, Bonnie Zucker, PsyD that authentically captures the middle school experience. These nonfiction books skillfully guide middle schoolers through those tricky years between elementary and high school with a supporting voice of a trusted big sister or a favorite aunt, stealthily offering life lessons and evidence-based coping skills. Readers of Telgemeir’s Guts will recognize similar mental health and wellness strategies and fans of Patterson’s Middle School series will appreciate the honest look at uncertainty and chaos that middle graders can bring. Kid Confident offers what kids need to have fun with it all and navigate middle school with confidence, humor, perspective, and feel our mad respect for being the amazing humans they already are.
Review: This book was really cool! I was not sure what to expect but ended up loving it. I did not read it in order as I found myself jumping ahead or back, which I suppose is normal for a guide. I plan on reading this with my son when he reaches middle school age! I teach 6th grade and will definitely incorporate this book next year somehow. I am even wondering about having my students make their OWN guide after reading this. It goes along beautifully with our growth mindset theme. This book is an awesome tool for middle school students. The format is set up to engage the readers. Beginning with introducing themselves as “Tour Guides,” the authors set a familiar, friendly place for middle school students to feel at home and a part of something. he font is varied and draws out aspects of the book, appealing to the middle school attention span and apparently adult attention span! Real terms like mindset, grit, and advocate are defined in a way that is useful for this age range. The books work to support independence and metacognitive thinking. I found a gem in this book and am excited to check out the others in the series!
