You've Got This: How to Look Up When Life has You Down

  
Life is tough, but so are you! Learn how to work through life's trials with advice from popular youth speakers, including Hank Smith and Al Carraway, who have endured a few challenges of their own. This encouraging book will help you see trials as essential stepping-stones to becoming who you're destined to be.



I read this book in one short sitting. I'm excited to pass it along to my teenagers. There are quite of a few of their favorite speakers in this book.

This would be an excellent Christmas gift (or birthday or Easter or Daylight Savings)!

From Hank Smith's gripping retelling of Joseph (I cried) to the humor of Zandra Vranes (I snorted), there is a great collection of stories and wisdom on to look up when life has you down. The stories are short enough to read quickly but written well enough to move the reader.

I totally enjoyed every story and thoughts!

Elise Babbel Hahl is a nonfiction writer and editor. Her titles include Do Not Attempt in Heels: Mission Stories and Advice from Sisters Who've Been There and Choosing Motherhood: Stories of Successful Women Who Put Family First. Elise lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, Oliver, and their five (crazy) children.

School Reading Lists & Goosebumps

How many have children/teens who have come home with a school reading list? Or have had a child come home telling you s/he read a book you didn't want them to read yet?

My 1st grader came home and told me he tried to read a GooseBumps book and it scared him; I could have told him. My daughter told me she was reading 'Twilight' before I was ready for her to read it. Many of her friends wee reading the series so she wanted to try them. It gave us an opportunity to talk about abstinence and 'why would a LDS person put swear words and other bad stuff in her books?".

One of the parents on my email list wrote that his son brought home a high school reading list. He is a very involved dad and had read many of the books on the list and knew enough that 'Lolita' wasn't a book she wanted him to read until he was much older.
Another book on the list was 'Catcher in the Rye'. He remembered it being an important book, took it off his own shelf and gave it to his son to read. His son came back and reminded him of the 'f' words, sex and drugs in the book.
"I mentioned my son and his experience with Catcher in the Rye. He did finish the book - in fact, we read it together. He read it and we talked about the issues and loneliness that can pop up on a young man, even when that young man thinks everything is great. I think, wait, I know we are both stronger for it. As for reading Lolita - I'm not sure about that one yet. I think there is more uplifting lit out there that he could read first. Time will tell."

Should parents stop their children from reading certain books or genres? Should teachers or librarians?

And what do you want your child to learn from books? How much do they really learn or understand?

Here is what one mother said:
"Adults with (comparatively) safe backgrounds are unlikely to understand the intense and sometimes violent emotions teens feel. That isn't to say that only people who had traumatic childhoods can write for teens, but when an author is writing about horrible situations that teens can and will relate to, they must do it honestly. That often includes discussing and describing terrible things. "

What do you think?