Next book

BEYOND DISTRACTION

UNDERSTANDING ADHD

From the Healthy Living Library series

A useful compilation of secondary research that supports self-advocacy and caregiving.

A self-education guide to ADHD for teens and those who support them.

This comprehensive yet concise work offers seven chapters’ worth of information, organized into topics covering the history of ADHD and its causes, as well as diagnosis, treatment, coping strategies, and relevant laws. The weaker final chapter discusses ADHD research and the future, focusing on how scientists might further explore this disability, but the content is drawn from dated and less robust sources. The authors present clear and accurate information for readers wishing to understand their disability and advocate for themselves or for research purposes. The bar graphs, diagrams, sidebars, and photos will attract their attention, although the green-on-green color scheme for the graphs will be challenging for some. Organizational features, such as subheaders and black sidebars with white text, invite readers to skim the clearly marked topics as needed; teens, especially those with ADHD, are more likely to dip into this work than read it cover to cover. The book presents eye-opening facts about medications (including their abuse and side effects) and explains the value of support groups. Other information helps caregivers acknowledge the importance of their role in the lives of teens with ADHD. This accessible work also helps to dispel common myths.

A useful compilation of secondary research that supports self-advocacy and caregiving. (glossary, source notes, bibliography, resources, further reading, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024

ISBN: 9798765626979

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024

Next book

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

Next book

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

Close Quickview