I listened to Anxious for Nothing and found a lot in the book helpful for me and my anxiety. When I saw that there was a Young Readers version, I thought it would be helpful for my grandson. Before I begin this review, I want to add that it is more for late middle grades or even young adults, but it was not what I was hoping for my 8 YO grandson. Having said that, this is a great book for those Christian Youth who are looking for ways to deal with their anxiety. The book is dividing into four sections: Celebrate God's Goodness, Ask God for Help, Look on the Bright Side, and Think About Good Things. It is spiritually based and gives simple tips on seeking God's guidance and keeping thoughts positive as key elements in finding inner peace and contentment. Using simple stories/anecdotes, illustrations, charts, doodles etc. the book emphasizes, looking to Jesus first— not our fears! It is not trite, but uplifting with quotes and so much more. The end of each chapter has Brain and Heart Checks to invite personal prayer and reflection. I think this book with it's interaction would be a benefit to those Christians, young and old, looking for ways to deal with their anxiety in our bustling world today.

This is such a great resource! I love the content, the chapter length and the use of graphics sprinkled throughout. Although this is a young reader edition, I would call this more of a middle grade material based on the examples used. Really good stuff here!

2.5 stars.It was an okay read, I kinda expected more from it such as coping mechanism that weren’t just religion based. For the religious part of it it was nice to hear about how god wants to help you etc but I feel like many people with anxiety might not find this useful if they aren’t religious so it’s definitely for a specific audience. I was given an arc through netgalley so thank you for that and I’m leaving my honest review.

How i wish i could give this book to all my sunday school students.. this is a such a perfect read .
i love Max Lucado's writing and how well he points to Jesus and tries to truly connect and makes sense of the relationship we can have with God .

This book takes your through various scenarieous as example where young adults go thorugh stress and the book kinda shows them that they are seen and not overlooked ..that happens a lot because of which children are loosing even more empathy these days
anyways, as the book takes you through situations it gives you a way to look into word of God and draw your strength from it..it encourages you to belive in jesus and take your problems to him..for he cares for you.

for ex: the author showed how each verse in phillipians chapter 4 can be understood by an young adult appropriate to his/her age and feel connected to it.

i recommend this book!!

This was an enlightening approach to helping youth navigate anxiety and the world around them. I enjoyed this format, it gave me insight into what young people are facing with the expectations and the technology around them. The stories were insightful and the writing was engaging and easy to understand. I found the ideas helpful and uplifting. I would definitely recommend this to my kids and my friends with teenagers.

I was given a copy by the publisher through netgalley and this is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

Anxious for Nothing (Young Readers Edition) by Max Lucado is so needed in today’s world. The author approaches the readers with explanations of worry, tools to help them conquer it, and so much more.

Throughout the book, the tone of the writing is on the level with the age of the children and tweens this book is meant for. Lucado brings up specific aspects of worry while assuring his readers they are normal to feel like they do and then gives them a different way to approach concerns.

Scripture references, real-life examples, and Bible stories are combines with memorization devices to help your young man or woman remember how to combat fear and worry. You and your child/children can study the Young Readers Edition of this book is a pared down version of the one he wrote for those of us who have a little life experience.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

I really appreciated reading this book with my seven year old son. It sparked some really good discussions and I appreciate the time we spent together on this. Max Lucado is a great author and I appreciate his thoughts.

This book approaches anxiety from a biblical perspective and at a level that older children and young teens can understand and relate to.

He has some fun anecdotes and Bible verses as well as practical advice and leading questions to cover multiple angles and hopefully resonate with the younger reader.

I would definitely recommend.

Max Lucado is one of my all time favorite authors. He clearly understands human nature, the went behind our emotions, and the Biblical approach to changing them.

I highly recommend this read, it does but disappoint.

Max Lucado is amazing with adult books and Godly wisdom and hits it out of the park with this young readers edition. As a reader you can see that much time and effort was spent on thoroughly explaining concepts at a level that teens and children will understand. The steps outlined in the book would be easy to follow and understand.

Max Lucado’s Anxious for Nothing (Young Readers Edition)- Living Above Anxiety and Loneliness is a well-organized, thought-provoking book for young readers to help them overcome anxiety and loneliness in today’s trying times. Providing the readers with guidance helping them to focus of God’s truth, each chapter of the book is easy to read with explanations, illustrations, biblical verses, and activities. I highly recommend this book for both teens and parents to read together and discuss as they work their way through this profound and insightful book.

This is a great tool for young children dealing with anxiety and fear. The author clearly defines the difference in terms that children aged 8-11 will understand. It teaches the reader where fear and anxiety comes from and how to go to God about it. Fun graphics help explain some points and break up the text so it’s easier for young readers to follow.

Sections include Celebrate God’s Goodness, Ask God for Help, Look on the Bright Side, Think about Good Things. Throughout every section, pages are peppered with Bible verses and biblical examples of historical figures who struggled with fear or anxiety. Stories are woven nicely with modern examples.

Quite a few side bars illustrate stories of kids dealing with whatever issue the chapter is covering. It then asks the reader to help these fictional characters to figure out what to do. It’s a great way to get the reader to learn how to apply what they are reading about.

Each chapter ends with a Heart and Brain check, questions to help the reader understand the text, but also to identify anything they need to work on to conquer their thoughts and emotions.

Overall, the text is engaging (even for an adult reader), examples are up to date, and written in language 8-11 year olds will understand. I’m glad to see a book targeted for this age group in our society where anxiety is a major issue for them.

I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Anxious for Nothing (Young Readers Edition) by Max Lucado is such a treasure. In this crazy world with so much chaos and fighting both of believers and unbelievers, kids today need to know more than ever that God is in control. This book is a beacon of hope to kids today. It shines bright with its message of God's presence and His promises. I highly recommend it for young people. I read it along with my ten year old son and he really got a lot from it. Great book! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This just-out version for tweens and young teens is organized around the acronym CALM, the author’s prescription for calming anxiety and fears:

Celebrate God’s goodness
Ask God for help
Look on the bright side (Give thanks)
Meditate (Think about good things)

There’s no fluff or cheesiness here, no simplistic answers. Instead, young readers will find solid information to help them understand where anxiety and fear come from, how thoughts and feelings are intertwined, and what actions help.


Bible people from the Old and New Testaments appear frequently in these pages, as the author points readers again and again to God and His promises to help us.

A special emphasis throughout is the role of technology and social media in feeding anxiety and loneliness and what to do about it. Sidebars with “case studies” of two fictitious students, Emma and Oliver, bring these ideas home.

Every chapter ends with a “Brain and Heart Check,” questions and easy activities for kids to do to check in with their thoughts (Brain) and emotions (Heart).

There’s a “How to Get Help for Anxiety” section for readers who may need to reach out for more input or professional help.

This book would be a great resource for young teens to read through with a trusted parent or other adult.

Anxious for Nothing: Living Above Anxiety and Loneliness
written by Max Lucado with Andrea Lucado
published by Tommy Nelson (2021)
paperback, 6.25 x 0.5 x 9.25 inches, 192 pages

Every chapter ends with a “Brain and Heart Check,” questions and easy activities for kids to do to check in with their thoughts (Brain) and emotions (Heart).
CLICK TO TWEET

Making God’s wonders known to the next generation,

– Diane

Anxious for Nothing

Max starts out the book by explaining the difference between anxiety and fear by using a rattlesnake - this catches a child's interest and uses something that a child will understand to make his point.
The book of Philippians is discussed as a book that discusses anxiety, its author tells us to be anxious for nothing, Paul had plenty of things to be anxious about, he was stoned by those who disagreed with him, his own brethren hated him, and he was not filled with worry. Paul says to be filled with joy, to not worry constantly, but to ask God to help us and He will give us peace.
Max uses pictures and short sentences to help children understand that they should not worry, but trust in God!
There are activities at the end of each chapter that can help a child relate these ideas to his own experiences and identify with biblical people and situations that they will face every day and in the future.
You can use this book to help your child gain a solid foundation and understanding of biblical teachings about anxiety and trusting God that will be useful for the rest of his life!

Filled with practical advice and Scriptural insight, this book is perfect for middle school and young teens. As an adult, I even gleaned some wisdom from its pages myself. Written with understanding that people have anxiety and that the only cure is dependence on God, this book was a wonderful, short read on how to face the challenges of everyday life. There are vignettes dealing with social media and bullying. Each chapter concludes with questions to help the reader to personalize and really apply what they are learning about how to deal with anxiety. The illustrations and analogies are perfect for appealing to kids who may skip over the text but will look more carefully at a graphic. This was a well-written and timely book on the topic of anxiety, something many young people are facing today especially coming out of the pandemic. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a child or young teen who may be feeling worried, about school or friends or any number of problems that children these days face. In fact, I recommend that the parent read along with the child and learn new coping strategies just as I did.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

"You're worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet." I can't even count how many times I've said that to children and students. Max Lucado does an amazing job at explaining anxiety for our young readers. Anxiety and worry are something everyone faces but Max teaches us the difference between worrying about a storm and getting sick about the storm. He also details Anxiety and Fear. He says, "Fear tells you, 'Get Out!' Anxiety makes you ask, What if?" What ifs for young people can be paralyzing. As school begins to start back we will hear, "What if I don't make friends...what if I can't get my locker open...what if I don't understand math..." and the list goes on and on.

Each chapter of this book also ends with activities for the reader to give them advice on how to express their anxiety to a trusted adult, ways to pray and talk to God about their anxiety, and each chapter is short so it won't be too daunting for a young reader. Another aspect of this book I really like is that each chapter has several visuals for the visual learner that often learns better with pictures. Each type of learner can use this book to their advantage.

The publisher recommends this book for readers ages 8-12 or grades 4th-6th. Having a 5th and 6th grader right now I agree with that age grouping.

This book is published by Harper Collins Christian Publishing. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read a PDF of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited for this book but it wouldn't give me the option to download it to my kindle. Will have to wait for my library to grab a copy.

This is a wonderful book to help middle schoolers cope with the problems they have with anxiety and worry.. It would be a great book for parents to read aloud with their kids. Thank you Thomas Nelson: CHILDREN'S via NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wonderful book for young adults to read. Max Lucado book teaches young adults how to deal with anxiety and to lean on God and His truths.