This entire series is a must-have for the nonfiction shelves of a middle school library or children's department in a public library. It is so incredibly helpful (and adults can also learn from it!) and presented in such an easy to understand, easy to read, and interesting (and fun) way. Everything is explained simply but not in a patronizing or condescending way and there are excellent examples and activities to help the information stick. It's also inclusive--not just in the illustrations, but in the characterizations of the kids the books have to better visualize and relate to the information and advice.

This series was obviously created with care and attention to the target audience's needs and I fully believe it's a much-needed set of books kids can get so much use out of these days. I'd even recommend getting multiple copies of each book so it can reach more kids.

This is a really well-written book with a lot of practical exercises and information for kids. It does seem a bit long for a middle grader, especially if they're reluctant to read or use a self-help book. That said, the author is clear in the beginning that it doesn't all need to be read at once, so hopefully kids actually read the 'Read This' part! Were I to give it to a middle schooler I'd want to scan through as an adult first and get a feel for what they will be doing and how the book can best be used, so drawing attention to the 'For Adults' section would be key in marketing.

I wish we had resources like this when I was a moody middle-schooler!

Every kid should read these. School can be hard and this book had some good advice! Loved it! Recommend for sure!

Did the title say, “in Middle School”? This book feels like it is talking directly to me if you inserted “Middle Age” 😊.
Wow! What an amazing book, actually it should be called a resource guide. I would recommend that this book be provided at all middle schools throughout the nation. The information is real and genuine. I really liked how it addressed genuine feeling we all have like the section that had the reader list 3 thing you like about yourself. It even included that there may not be things you like about yourself and how to handle that. While this could be a standalone guide for middle schoolers, I would think that having discussions with teachers, parent and peers would be even more valuable. This is priceless information about the difference between moods and emotions (did I know this??), mind set and “the more you know the more you can shift your mind set”.

The earlier we teach our children this information the earlier they can learn to manifest their own destiny.

Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & American Psychological Association and Magination Press

This book is a guide for middle grade/middle school children who would benefit from more information about mood and emotions, negative thoughts, stress and anxiety. It is divided into 10 chapters, and is close to 300 pages which include diagrams and illustrations. While intended to be read by young teens and preteens, it is also a great reference or resource for adults working with this age group.

Emotions and the Limbic system are both heavily featured in this book, which I think is great. Young people often can only name a few emotions such as mad, sad, happy, and may not realize that there are many different ways that you can feel and why you feel the way you do in particular situations. In my experience, a lot of young people are really interested in the way that our brain works, such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, so I think that will be something readers will be interested in when reading this book.

The author describes a variety of feelings and emotions that young teens are likely to experience (think puberty) relating to common examples or situations such as not getting invited to a party, seeing posts on social media or comparing athletic or academic ability to peers. Her explanations and definitions are very easy to understand and are written in a way that will help middle graders understand without being condescending or making them feel that they are little kids. She also summarizes each chapter with "take aways" and includes some short activities in text boxes that encourage readers to reflect that help readers consider specific scenarios that relate to their life and relationships. Additionally, the use of fun fonts, simple illustrations, easy to understand diagrams will help keep readers interested.

I do think that the length of the book/amount of text may be a bit off putting for some middle schoolers. If a reader is really motivated to read this book to learn about their emotions or mood swings and what is causing them, then I think they will be interested in this book and read it all the way through but I'm not sure about those readers who might really need this information but not be as motivated. As a grade 3 teacher, I can think of some former students who are now in the grade 4-8 level that could definitely benefit from reading this book. Some of them I think would gladly dive in and read all about things like anxiety or negative thought patterns, but others might be put off by how much text there is to read. I like that the book is broken up into chapters, has a variety of text boxes and illustrations and activities to break up the text a bit, but I'm not sure that all middle school aged students would stay interested throughout the book. Additionally, withdrawn teens and preteens struggling with negative thought patterns or potentially depression may not have a lot of motivation to learn why.

I would love to have a teacher's companion text with some lessons or activities though! I think that the background info and scenarios in this book are so great that I can definitely find ways to incorporate them into lessons, even with my Grade 3s who are a bit younger than the intended audience. I would highly recommend this book to parents of children in the age 9-13 range who are experiencing a lot of difficult emotions, perhaps acting out or having meltdowns or uncontrollable anger. I think that teachers and guidance counsellors could use parts of this book as well when working with individual students, small groups or potentially even whole class activities. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this awesome book!