The Bookshelf: Nov. 13, 2014

Trib+Edu is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of public education. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

AGE OF OPPORTUNITY: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence

by Laurence Steinberg

Adolescence is the great betwixt and between, writes the author, a time when kids are both more and less mature than adults think — and we typically get both wrong — when the brain is undergoing substantial and systematic changes that will be critical in the maturation process. Steinberg takes a comprehensive approach as a researcher, parent, participant, observer and scientist … The author provides techniques to get involved on all these levels; though not blazingly original, they merit attention: physical activities, mindfulness, identifying endocrine disruptions and high-stress situations, fashioning tools to motivate determination and tenacity. Steinberg’s audience is as broad as his approach and includes parents, educators, politicians, businesspeople and health care professionals.

For full review, visit kirkus.com