Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: teenagers

  • The Well-Behaved Teenager: And Other Myths

    The Well-Behaved Teenager: And Other Myths

    When our children are born, we are filled with love and hope for their future. They grow slowly into the teen years with, in most cases very few traumatic issues to deal with along their pathway.

    That is until they get to the teen years; the years filled with angst, social networking, unreal expectations, family expectations and just the normal things such as hormone changes, unstable emotions, know-it-all attitude and whatever they can find to push the boundaries of school, home and sport.

    Parents are in despair, other family members look on in astonishment at the person they used to know, that now is behaving in a less than terrific manner and wonder what to do, how to help moderate the damage and how to not end up hating the child that you love.

    Dr Jari Evertsz has spent many years working with a range of behavioural difficulties in children and teens as a Clinical Psychologist and shares her knowledge in  The Well Behaved Teenager (and other myths) a book which is filled with commonsense ideas to help parents, and by default teens, manage and survive the tumultuous teens.

    Explanations as to why this behaviour occurs, rub shoulders with tips on how to cope, how to set guidelines and most importantly when and how to walk away, to let the situation cool down and be reviewed in a calm manner.

    Anyone who has a teen with issues, anyone who has a child approaching these years or anyone working with teens should get a copy of this well constructed and instructive book to better understand what is happening to your beloved child,

    Dr Jari explains how best to set boundaries while children are younger, how to reinforce them through the challenging years and understand that they really don’t hate you, they are temporarily at the mercy of the modern demands for instant and high achievement as well as their hormones.

    She also says that children and teens with challenging family situations need to seek specialist help when needed as the normal range of solutions will not necessarily apply.

    The Well Behaved Teenager (and other myths) could well be considered as the under-siege parents help line and is a must buy book for all a parents of young children, soon to be teens and teenagers.

  • The Firefly Code

    The Firefly Code

    What a wonderful array of questions, thoughts and issues this story raises for the young adult reader. For here we are introduced to the world of twelve year olds who live in such a different society. They have never questioned the rules they live by, or the processes they undergo. Gradually, the disclosure of their lifestyle is revealed. For example, one of the friendship group is about to celebrate his thirteenth birthday. At this time, the teenagers find out if they have been conceived naturally, or been genetically modified. It is also a time when they are tested for their latency, or intellectual strength, and the brain is adjusted to make the most of that talent.

    Mori is the first character we meet. She is a twelve year old girl who goes to school, rides her bike and hangs out with her friends. The group has a strong sense of commitment to each other, and a sense of responsibility to keep their community rules. After all, the reason they live in a closed community is for their own benefit.

    Mori, her friends Theo, Julia and Benji are aware that their parents can modify their behaviour. If parents are worried that their children are in danger, they can dampen their curiosity, and dampen the children’s bravery to keep them safe. When a child is born, there is a 30% option for alteration. Mori has a damaged retina, and so has a small camera inserted in her eye. Robots deliver food to each house, and provide many other services as well, such as scanning a body for health issues.

    The story is developed around a newcomer to the district. Ilana and her family have moved into a vacant house. When she meets Mori, they immediately strike up a friendship. Mori’s love of nature is shared by Ilana, and together they wander around a garden in the woods that Mori has created. Mori is curious about an abandoned house in their cul-de-sac. Her grandmother lived there, but Mori has been warned not to go near it. Encouraged by her new friend, they break into the house and discover experiments that were conducted on bees, and also attempts to create humanoids.

    At this stage, the other teenagers are frightened, but emboldened by her desire to discover more about her grandmother, Mori breaks into the house again. Much to her horror, she discovers information that may explain some of Ilana’s erratic behaviour.  Action must be taken to save her new friend, but it will have to be so extreme that Mori consults her friends. Julia backs out, but the rest join in Mori’s plan to help Ilana.

    The themes in this book are of loyalty and friendship and being aware. The characters are well rounded, and the imaginative setting and social structures are amazing, but believable. This is a most enjoyable story with a sequel to follow.