THE ULTIMATE TEEN GUIDE SERIES. Asthma. Penny Hutchins Paquette. 171p. 978-0-8108-5759-9. $14.95. Diabetes. Katherine J. Moran. 181p. 978-0-8108-5642-4. $14.95. Learning disabilities. Penny Hutchins Paquette & Cheryl GersonTuttle. 301p. 978-0-8108-5643-1. $17.95. Sexual decisions. L. Kris Gowen. 227p. 978-0-8108-5805-3. $17.95. Stress relief. Mark Powell. 99p. 978-0-8108-5806-0. $14.95. Scarecrow Trade, dist. by National Book Network. c2007, illus, bibliog. index. JSA
This is an excellent series of books. The authors are qualified; e.g., the author of Sexual Decisions has a Ph.D. in child and adolescent development, an Ed.M. in human development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and currently teaches human sexuality and women's health at the university level. She certainly mentions abstinence, and more importantly, she makes sure teenagers understand which sexual practices count as abstinence and which don't. She covers just about any possible sexual choice or situation teenagers may wonder about.
The book Stress Relief is especially important in the series, since it must speak to just about every teenager. The author is a physical education teacher at a Waldorf school, and he is a certified Rolfer, nutritional consultant, and spiritual practitioner. The main principle is that each person has within himself the ability to be calm and at peace, regardless of the outside influences in each life that make a person feel stressed. The big three approaches are: exercise, good nutrition, and good sleep. He also discusses breathing techniques and meditation. He talks about how perfectionism, guilt, shame, and fear work against us and how to deal with these feelings. He recommends therapy for those who find it difficult to understand why they feel the way they do. His 'voice' is encouraging and reasonable.
Asthma and Diabetes cover all the basics and focus on teenagers coping with these diseases. The longer book Learning Disabilities is helpful, again especially so since it explains these complex problems in a way adolescents can understand. Claire Rosser, KLIATT
J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.
S--Recommended for senior high school students.
A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.
