Happy, Healthy Minds

November 23, 2020
This nonfiction guide for preteens and teenagers aims to demystify and verbalize difficult emotions and experiences that many adolescents go through. In 15 chapters covering topics including “screens,” “feeling misunderstood,” and “the adult world,” the book relays scenarios, strategies, interpretations, and activities that aim to help young people understand their surroundings and themselves (“But as we grow up, we start to see something odd: grown-ups aren’t in control of their lives,” reads the book’s explanation for why parents may sometimes act hypocritically). Softly colored, thinly outlined cartoon-style illustrations by Stewart provide a welcome respite from the typically staid fare often found in self-help books. Characters are portrayed inclusively, and have varying skin tones, hair textures, religions, genders, and sexualities. Dialogue bubbles, photographs, and works of European art are also interspersed throughout, ensuring sustained reader attention. Though the book has its limitations (discussions of gender lean heavily on the binary, and some topics, such as sexual orientation, are not addressed at all, despite intersection with the covered topics), it’s still a solid beginning resource for those navigating the emotional terrain of young adulthood. Ages 9–15.

August 1, 2020

Gr 5-8-This self-help book for young teens covers timely topics, including family issues, modern technology, and humanity's relationship to nature. The advice varies as much as the subjects covered, and some of the terminology will not be familiar to American readers. The section covering technology addiction draws tone-deaf parallels to substance abuse. The author writes, "Nowadays, the most respectable kind of addiction is screen addiction-and what makes you an addict isn't just being on your screen all the time, it is the fact that you are running to a screen because you're running away from something else." This does not seem like an appropriate comparison, as people with substance abuse issues also have deep physical and psychological problems to overcome that are not easily conflated with frequent screen use. Chapters feature pages for readers to record their own observations. While some of the advice is helpful, such as a reminder that everyone experiences anxieties, there are other comprehensive materials available to deal with these types of subjects. The broad range of content could deter those looking for a specific topic, and browsers may find the variety overwhelming. The pastel palette and soft illustrations are appealing. VERDICT It will likely be difficult to find an audience for this extensive guide, and some of the discussions of certain issues may be off-putting to readers. Suggested only as an additional purchase where self-help titles are in high demand.-Ellen Conlin, Naperville P.L., IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2020
A mental health guide for early-adolescent concerns. While many mental health guides for the age group extol the mind-body connection, emphasizing sleep, a healthy diet, and exercise to ward off anxiety, this book goes beyond these principles to explore ways to reshape negative thoughts into more positive ones. Assembled by a team at the London-based self-help publisher, the conversational text is divided into chapters on kid-relevant topics. The first and lengthiest chapter considers parents, such as why they are annoying and don't always follow their own rules. Through real-world scenarios, examples from literature, and a scattering of art reproductions (all with White subjects and mostly European in origin), the authors ask readers to see things from a different perspective--in this first chapter, to consider their parents as adults who are fussy out of love and want good lives for their children. Subsequent chapters focus on screen time, bullying, anger, friendship, divorce, body image, the pressures of gender norms, and more related topics. In each chapter, important questions or ideas, such as "Gender doesn't say what you are supposed to be like," are highlighted; numerous chapters also include space for self-reflection. Stewart's friendly, full-color illustrations are consciously diverse in representation of race and family structure. Intermittent Briticisms will not deter readers, but the text does stereotype homeless people in one instance and at the same time persistently uses the term "addiction" instead of "substance-use disorder," and an anti-perfectionism exercise strews words such as "twits," "idiots," and "stupid" about liberally. Imperfect but potentially helpful. (Nonfiction. 10-12)

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