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GOODNIGHT MIND FOR TEENS

SKILLS TO HELP YOU QUIET NOISY THOUGHTS AND GET THE SLEEP YOU NEED

From the Instant Help Solutions series

Sleep is key to good health; this comprehensive resource helps teens take control of their sleep problems.

Advice for teens with sleep problems based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.

In 10 chapters, a sleep expert provides a menu of options for teenagers to use to first identify their specific problems and then create, test, and modify their own sleep solutions. The first chapter introduces the key sleep tracker tool, because without accurate data it is impossible to craft appropriate behavioral changes. The tracker, which is available online or through the free companion app, captures eight vital data points, including what time you get into bed and what time you wake up. Other chapters focus on understanding and using one’s body clock, winding down before bed, coping with anxiety that fuels sleeplessness, handling daytime sleepiness, developing strategies for getting out of bed in the morning and having more energy during the day, understanding substances that interfere with good sleep, thought patterns that promote good sleep, and revising plans as warranted. The tone is reassuring and empowering, giving readers many options for self-treatment while also making clear when professional help should be sought. The prose is easy to understand. Case studies, bulleted chapter summaries, and simple to-do lists add value. Unfortunately, worksheets and resources are not printed in the book.

Sleep is key to good health; this comprehensive resource helps teens take control of their sleep problems. (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Pub Date: June 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-68403-438-3

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Instant Help Books

Review Posted Online: April 7, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020

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THE NEW QUEER CONSCIENCE

From the Pocket Change Collective series

Small but mighty necessary reading.

A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.

Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.

Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: June 2, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020

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TAKING ON THE PLASTICS CRISIS

From the Pocket Change Collective series

Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.

Teen environmental activist and founder of the nonprofit Hannah4Change, Testa shares her story and the science around plastic pollution in her fight to save our planet.

Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.

Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020

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