Bouncing Back: Dealing With the Stuff Life Throws at You (Scholastic Choices)

By Jami L. Jones

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0531177300
• ISBN13: 9780531177303
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Franklin Watts
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.3" x 6.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

A Resilient Strategy for Teachers, too!

It is refreshing to find a resource like Bouncing Back in a school's library collection because I am an educator who is in constant contact with large numbers of young adolescents. Ideally, veteran teachers may see Jones' work as an additional opportunity to get their students to use a resiliency strategy--- reading to learn about ways to resolve problems and meet the challenges they face. Primarily, her work offers a concise, easy-to-read set of strategies for teens, and our students, to identify and sharpen their own skills to learn to cope with the daily ups and downs of life. Therefore, it may be an invaluable resource for middle school and high school teachers who are beginning their careers in classrooms. Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is that Jones writes from the perspective of the young adolescent. Ironically, many of us in the adult world might wonder why 14-year-old Meredith would be stressed about being in a wedding or why 17-year-old Greg is lonely because he is an only child and his parents "work crazy hours" because they own a restaurant. Nevertheless, these teens may appear traumatized partially because their brains have not completed psychological and physiological developement. Often, adults ridicule them and do not realize that such negative reaction only increases the teen's anxiety. Teens, as well as educators who work with them, will find that Jones keeps it simple for a reason. Many teens fail to identify their strengths and build on them. The strategies for becoming resilient incorporate skills teens can develop and continue to improve and master if they wish to have fulfilling lives. In essence, they require a conscious and active commitment to life-long learning. Critics may find fault with the reading level or the manner in which Jones summarized the research that provides the foundation of this book. While Bouncing Back is research based, it embraces adolescent readers at various levels by NOT overwhelming them. In addition, it is apparent that Jones' motivation is to reach adolescents who are functioning, but recognize the there is room for improvement.

Bouncing Back

As a professional who works with troubled kids, I am concerned by the simplicity of the review in the School Library Journal. The reviewer does an excellent job identifying the strengths of the book. Where she misses the point is in her statement re: the books therapeutic potential for troubled kids. No book should be seen as a "cure" for troubled students. This book's strengths lie not only in its usefulness for 'mildly' troubled teens, as acknowledged by the reviewer. They lie in its usefulness as a tool both for teachers and other school personnel to reach out to those teens that may need support and referral for additional help; and for therapists as a framework of strategies to offer teens to guide their participation and work in therapy. Most notably the book educates teens, guides their reflection, and offers strategies for strengthening themselves. The book will help teens identify and address stressors; as well as build their capacity to overcome new challenges and stressors, including seeking and maintaining outside support. This book has multiple uses and should be part of any school or public library.