Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens: Simple Ways to Keep Your Cool in Stressful Times (Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Series)
Richard Carlson has written numerous books encouraging folks not to  "sweat the small stuff", and his title for teens is as warm, wise, and witty as  his previous works. His tone is one of an older family friend who manages to  advise while still maintaining the minimum level of coolness that teens require  from those who intend to guide them into adulthood.With 100 different chapters, each just a few pages in length, this little  book works especially well as a bedside companion or tucked in a backpack for  the morning commute to school. Each chapter is devoted to a single, simple idea  such as "trust your inner signals" and "root for the underdog," and plenty of  real-life examples from teens are used to illustrate principles. In the second  chapter, a teen volunteering at an animal shelter is used to show how just one  person can make a difference, as she takes the time for one more phone call that  results in saving a dog's life. The concepts are appropriate for both early high  school students and new graduates--who doesn't need an occasional reminder to  "be ok with your bad hair day"? Incorporating sports, theater, literature, video  games, teachers, and parents into stories make these examples accessible to kids  of all interests, and a sprinkling of tales from the author's own teenage years  adds an effective personal note. With plenty of suggestions for adding  activities into a teen's life--volunteer opportunities in particular--your child  may even feel encouraged to seek out new forms of positive expression simply for  the joy of the activity, rather than the old standbys of "my friends are doing  it" or "I need it to get into college."--Jill Lightner