Customer Reviews

Too Old for This, Too Young for That!: Your Survival Guide for the Middle-School Years

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3 star:		(1)
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I received this book as a gift, and I read every single word. It contained really good advice that helped me to get through 6th grade. Now I'm better prepared for the rest of my time in middle school. The quotes made this book so interesting, and they were fun too. I keep the book on my desk so I can go back to the sections I need whenever I want.

I thought this was a great book! It was written in language geared toward Middle School youth and for boys as well as girls. It's a book that makes talking about difficult and sometimes awkward topics fun for kids. It's a great group work tool also.

This book has everything - fun quizzes (I loved the mad lib in the chapter on body changes), great study tips, and even stuff about bullies.

I have one kid in middle school and one who will enter it next year, so I've been doing a lot of reading. I figure what better than reading those books recommended for kids going into middle school.

I might read passages from this book to my kids, but in general I would not give it to them for general reading (but they do have a collection of other books similar in topic).

The good example of why I won't is under "Handling Peer Pressure." On one hand they say "just say no" is way too simple. Two paragraphs later they say "practice being assertive" so you say "no" with conviction. They then have a checklist with "Use a firm no" in bold.

The comments on "just say no" being a cliché didn't add any value. It just added confusion.

In parallel to this flip flop on simply saying "no" they would have the kid analyze the problem in detail (what is at stake, how much does it matter, is my safety at risk, etc.). I think this approach is great for brainstorming a science experiment but not so good when suddenly cornered with peer pressure to do something they are not comfortable with doing.

If this book took a kid through the process of thinking these issues out as they read it that would have been more useful: "OK, let's talk drugs. Do you want to try them? Nope. So what will you do if it comes up? What happens if it is your BFF? ...."

Generally the topics covered seem fairly comprehensive, but the style and approach just didn't seem as helpful or as clear as it could have been. It seemed more like a collection of lists. I felt a kid reading this might walk away more anxious and confused than when they started.

I recommend this book for any child about to attend or attending middle school. Great source of reassurance for these difficult ages.

My son is in 7th grade. I bought this book at the end of my son's fifth grade year, prior to middle school, because I had no idea what to expect! I also wanted to be sure to hit all the bases when talking with my son. I read it first and then I gave it to him. It's written for the student, but it helped me to be prepared, too. I had forgotten a lot of that middle school angst. My son read it and found it really valuable. Down to earth and informative, it reminds kids that everyone's different, most of what you're feeling is normal, and you're going to make it!

My 10 year old entered middle school this year and was pretty aprehensive. I found this book when doing a search and purchased it for her. She loved it and I loved that she not only finished it (reading tends to be a chore for her) but that it seemed to ease some of her anxiety. Transaction was smooth as well. Great experience!

My daughter started middle school a few weeks ago and is at that "in-between" age. My brother, who is a middle school teacher, suggested this book and she loved it. It seemed to have a lot of good information for what she was dealing with (and stuff that may still come up). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is in middle school.

Too Old for This, Too young for That is an amusing,clear,and acurate survival guide to Middle School years.