Be Confident in Who You Are (Middle School Confidential Series) (Bk. 1) [Paperback]

Annie Fox M.Ed. (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

“Hey. We go to Milldale Middle School. We’re very different in lots of ways, but we’re all good friends. A couple months ago, we were just hanging out when these kids came over . . .”

So begins the journey of Jack, Jen, Chris, Abby, Mateo, and Michelle—six students just trying to figure it all out in middle school. Be Confident in Who You Are, the first book in the new Middle School Confidential series, follows these characters as they work to meet new challenges and survive the social scene—without losing sight of who they are. The book offers insider information on common middle school concerns and practical advice for being healthy, feeling good about who you are, and staying in control of your feelings and actions—even when the pressure is on. Filled with character narratives, quizzes, quotes from real kids, tips, tools, and resources, this book is a timely and engaging survival guide for the middle school years.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Jack, Jen, Chris, Abby, Mateo, and Michelle are just your average kids trying to figure out how to get through adolescence. Mateo is picked on because of his height. Abby has weight issues. Michelle has angry outbursts. And they all suffer from the "opinionator"—the inner critic that pops up at inopportune times to make them feel bad about themselves and their abilities. As the teens push through the fog that can be middle school, they help each other to gain confidence. The six start to take a stand against negative voices—internal and external—and stop defining themselves by others' opinions. The book contains quizzes, is chock-full of helpful hints, and lists other resources to help readers increase their self-esteem. Kindt's cartoons include several great panels that move the teens' story forward. The graphic-novel-like design will make this self-help tool stand out and appeal to fans of that format.—Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“In a friendly, engaging voice, the text provides the reader with a safe place to ask and wonder about those tough middle school questions.”—Once Upon a Book

“Be Confident in Who You Are gives parents the gift of opening a dialog with their middle school children on the issues they face. While Annie Fox writes to children in their language, parents are reminded of how stressful these times can be. Skip the next movie and read this book with your kids instead.”
—Tina Nocera, founder, Parental Wisdom

“Chock-full of helpful hints...lists resources to help readers increase their self-esteem. The graphic-novel-like design will make this self-help tool stand out and appeal to fans of that format.” —School Library Journal

 “A practical and fun resource for tweens making the adjustment from elementary to middle school.” —Jennifer O’Donnell, About.com.

“Smart and funny and real, these tips and tools will help you deal with real life issues. I wish I had this book when I was in middle school.”
—Ericka Lutz, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Friendship for Teens

 “Fox has done a marvelous job of ‘reading’ tween girls’ minds.” —ParentingPink.com

Learning and Laughter Favorite Educational Product Award Winner

Kidlutions™ Preferred Product Award (PPA)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing; Book 1 edition (August 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575423022
• ISBN-13: 978-1575423029
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Social Skills
  • #90 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Social Skills

More About the Author

When Annie Fox's first book "People Are Like Lollipops" (1971, Holiday House) was published, she wasn't old enough to legally sign the contract! By the time she turned 21, though, she decided that helping kids was going to be her life's work. After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies then completing her Master's in Education, computers changed her life as she began to explore ways in which technology could be used to empower kids.

In 1977, Annie and her husband David opened Marin Computer Center, the world's first public access microcomputer facility. Her work there led her to write her best selling book, "Armchair BASIC: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microcomputers and Programming in BASIC" (1983, Osborn/McGraw-Hill). After a detour into the world of screen writing, Annie returned to computers as an award-winning writer/designer of children's CD ROMs. (Putt-Putt; Madeline; Get Ready for School, Charlie Brown; and Mr. Potato Head Saves Veggie Valley are just a few of the titles on which she has worked.)

In 1996 Annie dreamed up the idea for The InSite (TheInSite.org), a place "for teens and young adults to turn their world around." She served as creator, designer, writer, and executive producer of that award-winning site. One of The InSite's most popular features was Hey Terra, a Cyberspace Dear Abby. Her book "The Teen Survival Guide to Dating & Relating: Real World Advice About Guys, Girls, Growing Up And Getting Along" (2000, 2005 Free Spirit Publishing) is based on hundreds of emails to Terra and Annie's responses to them. "Teen Survival Guide" is now available as a free PDF download from TeenSurvivalGuide.com.

Her other books include: "Too Stressed to Think? A Teen Guide to Staying Sane When Life Makes You CRAZY," co-authored with Ruth Kirschner (2005, Free Spirit Publishing) and the popular Middle School Confidential™ series (2008, 2009, 2010 Free Spirit Publishing). Always looking for new ways to use technology to reach tweens and teens, in April 2010 Annie launched Cruel's Not Cool! (CruelsNotCool.com) an anti-bullying Facebook forum. In April 2011 Annie's first app "Be Confident in Who You Are" (developed by Electric Eggplant and based on on Book 1 of the Middle School Confidential series) was released for iPad (see MiddleSchoolConfidential.com).

Through her public events for kids, tweens, teens, parents, and educators, Annie continues working toward her goal of empowering young people through increased self-awareness, emotional intelligence skills and stress-reduction strategies.

When not answering teen email, Annie enjoys yoga, meditation, baking, gardening, photography, hiking, traveling, and, most of all, being with David and the rest of the family.

Visit Annie at her website, AnnieFox.com
Follow Annie on Twitter: @Annie_Fox
Follow Annie on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Annie.Fox.author

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from Books That Heal Kids, May 25, 2010

By 

Books That Heal Kids "Roxanne" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Confident in Who You Are (Middle School Confidential Series) (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

I own the whole middle school series. I work as a school counselor and our 5th graders love it! These are helpful books that will support kids as they transition to middle school.

Just bringing up this topic can raise anxiety in the room. So wouldn't it be nice to have a hip, relevant, contemporary book series to help students transition from elementary to middle school? Done and done! Series found. And how do I know Middle School Confidential is doing wonders for future middle schoolers? Because kids are asking me for the fourth book (publication pending)! Since the moment I introduced the books, I've barely seen them since. A steady stream of 5th graders have been checking them out from my bookshelf. When asking kids how they like the series and how it's helping them - I was delighted by their responses. Students are taking skills they've learned from Middle School Confidential and utilizing them in their daily lives. One student recommended I share with 5th graders an activity called "Who Are Your Real Friends?" from Real Friends vs the Other Kind because it helped her evaluate her own friendships. A book that decreases friendship drama? Love it.

The students who have read the series have had a noticeably improved attitude about entering middle school. That shift in perspective is allowing kids to not dread but embrace their middle grade years. I encourage teachers, school librarians, and parents to get these on your bookshelves. They won't be sitting idle for long.

Looking forward to the fourth book!