Doreen Nagle: Books that hold lessons for teens

7:12 PM, Dec. 7, 2012  |  Comments

If you're checking for the latest in teen reading, you're likely to find a plethora of books in the zombie-fantasy-horror-romance-vampire-war-adventure genre.

This column is not about those books. The teen years can be a challenge (remember?) and what teen couldn't use a little guidance - guidance that might be adhered to if served up via a book vs. a parent. Here are four suggestions for books that will help the teen on your list find their passion - and find out more about themselves in a variety of ways.

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by Sean Covey (1998, Fireside/Simon and Schuster, $15.99).

This book is required reading before entry to a rigorous high school I know of; the idea being that incoming students will then be prepared to tackle what will be required of them in school.

The teen on your list may be struggling to get on their own path to effective habits or, if already there, looking for more guidance to stay on top of things.

Written in a teen-engaging style it is sprinkled with cartoons (i.e.: Garfield), friendly quotes and illustrations. The seven habits include "Begin with the End in Mind," an important concept for here-and-now thinking teens; "Put First Things First"; and "Seek First to Understand Then Be Understood."

"What Color Is Your Parachute For Teens: Discovering Yourself, Defining Your Future" by Carol Christen and Richard Bolles with Jean M. Blomquist. (2010, Ten Speed Press, $15.99).

The first edition of Bolles' book (with the same name) for adults made waves when it arrived in stores during December 1970. By 1995, the Library of Congress' Center for the Book listed its many incarnations as one of "25 Books That Have Shaped Readers' Lives."

Especially helpful to teens who may not know where to go next and how to get there (isn't that true of most teens?).

Career-oriented, yes, but the book also helps the reader discover skills and passions, as well as what practical steps to take along the path eventually leading to a career.

Readers are prompted to answer questions such as, "What kinds of problems do you like to solve?" as well as get advice on taking advantage of the high school years, acquiring people skills and honing in on an all-important internship.

"The What's Happening to My Body Book for Boys" (for preteen and teens) by Lynda Madaras with Area Madaras. (2007, New Market Press, $24.99).

A book for boys covering a spectrum of answers to those questions most teen and preteen boys are too shy or too afraid to ask - yet really need to know. Lynda (Area is her daughter) has taught puberty and health care education in the schools for 25-plus years and has appeared on national news shows as well as "Oprah."

Aside from the easier topics to tackle (eating right, exercise, acne and sweat), the authors' fully detailed topics cover the male sex organs (along with a list of slang and correct terminology), sexual and romantic feelings and sexually transmitted diseases.

Explicit, realistic illustrations including some about the female body.

"A Random Book About the Power of Anyone" by Talia Y. Leman (2012, Free Press, $14.99).

Talia's background includes getting kids from 4,000 schools to donate $10 million to Hurricane Katrina relief when she was merely 10 years old. From there she developed Random Kids (randomkids.org) a place where any kid can solve real world problems by getting hooked up with others to "rock the planet."

About 12 million kids around the globe have brought aid to a variety of causes. In this book, Talia encourages teens to put the cart before the horse and follow their dream.

"Not knowing," she says, "is a powerful place to begin because we don't know what isn't possible." She advises imagining how things could look vs. how they are. Practical steps, too.

Tip from the parenting trenches: Consider downloading these books if the teen on your list has a digital device, instead of investing in the paper version.

Doreen Nagle is author of "But I Don't Feel Too Old to Be a Mommy" (2002, HCI, $12.95). She welcomes your parenting tips and concerns at doreennagle@hotmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParentingDoreen.

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