“[R]esearch should be communicated carefully, and with nuance, so as to avoid stoking excessive fear.” - Melinda Wenner Moyer*

“Youth is a time of learning and preparing for adulthood, and that means helping young people identify and navigate risks, not avoid them.” - Jacqueline Ryan Vickery (as quoted by Moyer)*

This is a rich, research-based resource. I appreciate that most of the book was backed by science (I would have liked it even better if there were more thorough in-text citations in places). While I may not agree with or take all of the advice in the book - for example, I’m not going to let my very young daughter have sleepovers at the house of anyone I don’t know extremely well - the general principles are true: our job as parents is to prepare our kids, not just protect them. It is well-written and easy to read, helpfully organized into chapters based around topics such as financial literacy and technology usage. This book is full of fantastic and well-considered tips for parents. It even has some reassurance on the dreaded topics of social media and screen time!

I give it 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. As a parent and teacher, I definitely recommend this excellent book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.

*Please note that I received an advanced review copy; final edits may change these quotes before the book is published. The ideas behind the quotes still hold true throughout the book.

This review is cross-posted on Goodreads; it will be posted on Amazon and Instagram upon the book’s publication