This book is good for students entering middle school. It talks about the changes and stressors that young teens many experiences. Tips are given for managing worries and knowing how stress comes up. Chill out hacks are given to prepare students. The books has an I got this attitude and students having more control over stress. Topics are shared through student profiles and questions are given for readers to think about. At the end of the chapter, skills are reviewed. The topics are easy to understand through text and lots of infographics and charts. The end contains extra resources including apps. The author is a psychologist providing a credible source.

Don't be fooled by the "Kid Confident" series title, any reader is going to walk away enlightened and equipped with new strategies for daily life! Where was this book when I was in middle school? This is a FANTASTIC read for any age that walks the reader very logically through the brain chemistry of stress to learning how to negotiate stressors. The chapters have an excellent format with concise, user friendly explanatory language, suggestions for help & practice of skills to both handle and be proactive about stress. Excellent challenges at the end of each chapter for the reader to employ new skills. Incredible resource section at the end of the book.
My kids will definitely be reading this book and have already been texting the title to friends!
I'm eager to read the rest of the Kid Confident Series based on this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Magination Press for an advanced reader copy for a fair review.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me review this story. My opinions are entirely my own.

Great tool to have on hand to help children and their parents understand and navigate the power of stress. I wish this book was around when I was in school. It would have been very useful.

Lastly using the word yet is amazing. I really will work on using it in my daily life

This book is a guide for middle grade/middle school children who would benefit from more information about stress and anxiety. It is divided into 10 chapters, and is a little over 250 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. It is set out like a video game with quests and challenges while being a great source of information.

The author does a great job of describing scenarios that are likely to happen to middle grade youth, including the use of social media platforms like tiktok, current tv shows and present day slang/acronyms like "straight up" and FOMO. The author's 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, and quizzes (think teen magazine quiz) 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.

Our middle school library has already purchased this series. After reading this selection, I am so glad we did. Stressed out students will appreciate being able to pick and choose what they read in this book based on the stress that they are experiencing. Guerra identities stressors and how to recognize them based on physical feelings. Then she gives readers tips on how to reduce stress using a cognitive behavior therapy based approach. The text is well organized and aligned with appealing graphics. The students may roll their eyes a bit at the student examples, however, they are practical and may prompt conversations. This book will be a great resource for middle school students, as well as staff.

Thanks to Publisher’s Weekly, NetGalley, and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

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.

How to Handle STRESS for Middle School Success; Kid Confident Book 3 by Silvi Guerra is a must-read for any kiddo about to enter the big world of middle school!

This is book 3 in the series for Middle School. I have not read the other two books.

Some of the stress problems aren’t necessarily a 6th grader problem (I have a 6th grader in the house), so just like it said at the beginning of the book “pick and choose” the chapters for oneself or the person wanting to help. Some of these de-stress tips and hacks were great. I enjoyed reading the sleep tips and the chill-out hacks and my kiddo will be able to use these.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher/author for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Kid Confident Book 3: How to Handle Stress for Middle School Success” written by Silvi Guerra, PsyD and illustrated by Deandra Hodge, is a fantastic resource for kids, parents, and teachers in this time of increased anxiety and stress. Identifying what stress is, how it presents itself, and how to deal with it, this book presents realistic suggestions to help manage and reduce stress in our lives. By focusing on how our body responds, Guerra presents CBT-based approaches to change thinking and prevent catastrophizing; she also looks at the physical ways that we can manage stress through diet and exercise. The characters in the book are presented as a sort of case-study, where the reader is encouraged to identify the situation, pulling from the concepts covered. The Quest mini-quiz format is engaging and encourages the reader to think about how stress manifests and how other people manage stress, while getting them to connect to their own situation and management of their own stress. The three characters: Luna, Otto, and Rowan, are likeable and though somewhat stereotypical, presented in realistic scenarios that kids can identify with. In terms of organization, the text is broken up with diagrams and drawings, quizzes, and feature sections, making the text easy to navigate. The one thing that didn’t work so well for me was the ‘gamification’ through language and ‘levelling up;’ while the information in the chapters worked, the game elements felt forced and imposed. The one criticism aside, this book would be great as a solo-read, a read with a parent, or even as a whole class read as part of a health unit. I will totally buy a copy to have on hand for my students.

Teacher Tips

* Identify external and internal stressors

* Discuss management strategies and techniques, practice in class

* Identify benefits of healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise