BOOKS: not much just chillin'

"a MUST READ for middle school parents..."

NOT MUCH JUST CHILLIN'
The hidden lives of middle schoolers
by Linda Perlstein
(Farrar, Strous & Giroux, 2003)

Hardcover, 260 pgs, $24.00 U.S.

This book is a MUST READ for every new middle school parent. Let's face it, although we'd like to think middle school (or junior high) was "just yesterday" for us, and we remember how it is -- Parents, we're almost 40 (if not over); it was 30 YEARS AGO! We don't remember, and even if we did -- yes, some things stay the same, but a lot has changed in three decades, even in public education.

NOT MUCH JUST CHILLIN' is a candid exploration of middle school, from the kid's point of view. Written by a young journalist, this book follows a group of middle school kids through one year. In their own words, in their own voices, these kids talk about their fears, their day-to-day experiences, their attitudes, interactions and innermost thoughts (often contradictory) about friends, enemies, teachers, parents and LIFE. It is a fascinating journey, in some ways shocking (language, sexual knowledge/easy use of sex slang), and in some ways reassuring ("going steady" still generally means very little actual interaction or contact, after the friends make the deal -- some things never change).

Through the frank thoughts, conversations and interactions between the kids, interspersed with some (thankfully, brief!) general analysis and summation drawn from research and expert opinion, you will close this book knowing more and understanding your child better
-- and that's a very good thing.

See The Rebel Blog: For The Parents of Middle Schoolers for more info and excerpts!