The Middle School Survival Guide FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The Middle School Survival Guide by Arlene Erlbach, illus. by Helen Flook, offers advice on everyday challenges that 10- to 14-year-olds face in school and at home, from difficult teachers and too much homework to changing friendships, sibling wars and the onslaught of puberty. Sensitive discussions touch on such topics as pregnancy and violence, and in each section kids also offer advice on common problems. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Meredith Kiger, Ph.D.
This neat little book ought to be recommended reading for every student entering 6th grade. In a humorous but truthful style, the author discusses everything you are about to encounter as you enter the preteen phase of life. From issues as ordinary as ways to remember your locker combination to teachers, academics, peers, the opposite sex, home life, puberty, some serious stuff about being yourself and everything in between, the book makes this transition in life a little easier for everyone. Black-and-white cartoon-like drawings and comments on every phase of middle school life from real students make this survival guide an entertaining and informative asset. Great for sharing with parents of middle-schoolers, too. 2003, Walker Publishing, Ages 10 to 14.
VOYA - Stacy Dillon
Erlback examines what it is like for a student to enter and survive the middle school experience. Chapters such as "A New School," "The Opposite Sex," "Home Life," "Puberty," and "Being Yourself" cover much of what an incoming middle school student will encounter. The text is peppered with cartoon drawings and quotes from real teens. An effective index allows readers to browse topically, and the text itself lends to browsing. The chapter on the opposite sex is exactly that: Relationships between boys and girls are discussed with little room for the possibility of GLBT relationships. Same-sex relationships are only afforded a two-line section of the chapter, alluding to admiration rather than the possibility of something more. Also in this chapter are two small sections dedicated to intercourse and oral sex. The chapter on puberty discusses topics ranging from pimples and periods to wet dreams. These topics might indeed be a part of middle school students' lives, however, the cover, cataloging (373.18), and overall tone of the book do not belie content of this nature. This book seems to have an identity crisis. Is it a puberty/health book, or a school survival guide? The tone of the book is "be yourself," which is a positive message to pass on to middle schoolers, but a title such as Middle School: The Real Deal by Julianna Farrell and Beth Mayall (HarperTrophy, 2001/VOYA August 2001) does it in a more effective and age-appropriate manner. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2003, Walker, 160p.; Index. Illus., and Trade pb. Ages 11 to 14.
School Library Journal
Gr 6-8-Sound advice for dealing with the difficult transitions this audience faces is dispensed in a straightforward and explicit voice. Topics range from academics to sexual abuse and include quotes from students who have been there and survived. Cartoon illustrations appear throughout. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Here's a manual for middle-aged kids-those children no longer little kids, but not yet teenagers. They're in grades five through eight, depending on how the school defines its middle school, and they face a variety of special problems: group showers, cliques, extracurricular activities, puberty, a new interest in the opposite sex, drugs, and peer pressure. Somehow in all of this, students are expected to be part of things while staying true to themselves. This manual is here to help. Though a bit cutesy, with its "dorky" and "awesome" and advice to people who would "rather eat worms than shower," the honest, direct tone of the guide will appeal to middle-school students. Humorous, cartoon-like illustrations and italicized words of advice from fellow students keep the tone light even as the subject matter gets serious, with discussions of sexual intercourse, oral sex, drugs, and peer pressure. Leave this lying around; curious preteens will pick it up and, perhaps, find information they need. (Nonfiction. 10-14)
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