Collins Be Happy Be You: The Teenage Guide to Boost Happiness and Resilience

My first impressions was how bright and exciting the cover was. No need for images just a bold red background and big white text…and a smiley of course.As a Mum of a Teenager and a Tween I’m always grateful of any help they can get through these difficult years. I do my best, but sometimes it’s so hard for them to talk about their feelings. Being able to dip into an informative book is the next best thing to Mum.From how to make friends, and how to deal with peer pressure, to getting along with siblings. This book will give a teenager advice and coping strategies that are easy to read and digest. It also explains the science behind the advice, not in a long winded text book way, but simple and precise with some fabulous diagrams to help understanding.With it’s 40 chapters covering all the thing a teenager may worry about, it will certainly teach them how to choose to be happy. My girls are already getting stuck in and I’m sure it’s going to be a useful resource for them.

I'm 15 and my parents bought be this book recently. I would definitely pick this book off the shelf myself, it looks smart and eye catching and has a great layout and easy to read vocabulary. I really like that it doesn't patronise me and you can dip in and out of the sections when you want to - you don't have to sit down and read the whole book. There are all kinds of sections that relate really well to teenagers now, like Conscious Consumerism for example. I particularly like all the scientific facts and the ways it help you create strategies for coping with different situations. I know I'm going to read it when I need some help and focus during stressful times.

My daughter has often struggled with her self esteem and her temper since her hormones began to take over. As a result friendships haven't always been easy and it all becomes a vicious circle.This book has helped her to stop and look at herself, to see what makes her happy, what makes her tick and that she is a wonderful person to be around.We are just over halfway through the book as she wants to work on the activities a chapter at a time. I have even suggested some of the activities to friends who have been struggling with mental health this year and they have found them really useful.This is a brilliant book which can be picked up and put down whenever you need a little help.

I only skipped through a few pages mainly the one about diversity. Apart from saying, women can now marry women there is nothing else in that chapter too explicit that you would want your 13 year old pondering. It’s written really well common sense backed up with facts and information there was no scare mongering or gender influencing going on which was my main concern. It described this subject matter really well so it should never be an issue whether one is straight or otherwise.

One of the defining features of being a teen seems to be that it's really hard to take advice from those close to you - especially mum/dad/carers. This book is the perfect answer because it allows teens to explore some opportunities for self-help/self-care without being patronised. It's got 40 practical activities to try with the science to back them up, so there should be something to help almost everyone.