For Better, For Worse: A Guide To Surviving Divorce For Preteens And Their Families [Hardcover]

Janet Bode (Author), Stan Mack (Illustrator), Ronnie Kaufman (Illustrator)

Book Description

PETER, AGE ELEVEN:

My parents are talking divorce and I'm thinking, "Is it something I did? What happens now? Who do I live with? Will we still live together or will we separate?"

So many questions with no answers.

Divorce affects half of the nation's children. As parents divorce and remarry, kids can feel squeezed and battered emotionally. Often they wonder if what they are experiencing is normal. Often they feel confused. Often they feel alone.

Janet Bode explored these feelings in interviews with more than a thousand students, as well as parents, therapists, religious leaders, teachers, and others. From these interviews she presents first-person accounts that detail the effects of divorce and offers solutions that have worked. A separate section geared to adult readers aims to help them minimize both the short-term and long-range impact of divorce on their children. And a final section suggests print and on-line resources for kids and their parents.

This is a needed, compelling, and inspiring guide for what can be a difficult time in anyone's life. For Peter, and anyone else with "so many questions," For Better, For Worse is a book of answers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Divided into two parts, the first "For girls and boys," the second for parents, For Better, For Worse: A Guide to Surviving Divorce for Preteens and Their Families by Janet Bode and Stan Mack offers quotes from children who have lived through their parents' divorce and encourages parents to talk with their children with practical tips. Some children give anecdotes in the form of cartoons, some through poetry, and there is a recurring "Kid problem, Kid solutions" section. By keeping the focus on children, often in their own words, the authors present a variety of situations and experiences to validate the reader's own predicament.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-In this refreshingly honest book, seven preteens discuss their experiences with divorce-stepparents, custody arrangements, remarriage, money woes, and more. One uses a comic-strip format; many others comment briefly or share their advice, poetry, and art. Their stories reflect agony, confusion, and the occasional flash of humor. Even the brief comments prove heartrending: "We moved from a house to an apartment," says 12-year-old Alice. "Through the walls I can hear my mom and her latest boyfriend having sex. I hate it." Others seem more accepting of the changes in their lives. Therapists chime in at the end of each narrative to offer insight and remind kids that they aren't to blame. But the best statements, offered bluntly and without sugarcoating, come from the contributors themselves. Their remarks are revealing-for example, 12-year-old Brandon says the best thing about divorce is that "You can get out of trouble because you have a good excuse, the divorce." Others offer strategies for manipulating feuding parents. Readers will recognize and appreciate the honesty here, and the fact that no one offers easy answers. The second part of the book is aimed at divorcing parents, which does seem slightly out of place in what is primarily a forum for young voices. Still, For Better, for Worse is a useful resource for preteens who need to know they are not alone.-Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689819455
• ISBN-13: 978-0689819452
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,318,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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