Review of Middle School Confidential by Annie Fox

A practical and fun resource for tweens making the adjustment from elementary to middle school.

For more than 25 years, Free Spirit Publishing has been providing children (and their parents) with practical information on making the most of childhood and troubleshooting various stages of development. Middle School Confidential: Be Confident in Who You Are, is a wonderful addition to the Free Spirit lineup.

The book is written and illustrated for tweens, and offers quite a bit of information on making it through the tumultuous middle school years. The author, Annie Fox, is an experienced educator and she understands the drama that preteens face on a daily basis. Her book is refreshing because she manages to engage the reader with a warm, friendly voice and never lectures or speaks down to them.

The book's graphic novel-style illustrations makes the book fun and easy to get through. It's one of the few books available for tweens that speaks equally to boys and girls.

This is Fox's first in a series of books aimed at the tween market, and this introduction to the Middle School Confidential series focuses on helping middle schoolers maintain or establish confidence in themselves. In addition, Fox helps the reader understand many misunderstood emotions experienced by tweens, including stress, anger, and isolation.

The book scatters comments by real life tweens throughout. Quizzes, bulleted lists, and graphic illustrations make the important points, without overwhelming the reader. Quizzes include: Am I the Boss of My Anger?; How Do You Relieve Stress?; What I Like About Myself, and Dealing with Teasing.

Fox even addresses how advertisers attempt to manipulate the tween brain, and she points out ways tweens can improve their own friendship skills.