Monday, November 06, 2006

Divorce books for teens

From a librarian in New York state:

The following books can help kids deal with issues and emotions surrounding divorce.

Fiction
"Dear Mr. Henshaw," by Beverly Cleary. Ten-year-old Leigh shares his thoughts and story through letters to his favorite author. Ages 9 to 11.
"If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?," by Melissa Kantor. Lucy reluctantly moves across the country with her stepmother and stepsisters while her father wraps up his work in California. Ages 12 and older.
"The Divorce Express," by Paula Danziger. Phoebe spends much of her time riding a bus between her divorced parents' houses. She tries to fit in each place while figuring out who she really is. Ages 11 and older.
"Southpaw," by Rich Wallace. Jimmy moves to a new town when his parents divorce. He then has to deal with an ultra-competitive dad when he joins the baseball team. Ages 8 and older.

Nonfiction
"Why Me? A Teen Guide to Divorce and Your Feelings," by Rachel Aydt. Advice for middle-school students.
"Family Break-up," by Keeley Bishop and Penny Tripp. Discusses why families break apart.
"My Parents Are Getting Divorced," by Florence Cadier. Written to appeal to teens, this book provides techniques to deal with issues surrounding divorce.
"The Divorce Helpbook for Kids," by Cynthia MacGregor. Includes advice on life after divorce and subsequent emotions and situations.

2 comments:

Brad Carlson said...

Kristine,

I saw an earlier post alluding to the Charlie Sheen-Denise Richards divorce.

Any thoughts on the Reese Witherspoon-Ryan Phillippe split? I recall them talking about how they were taking all of the necessary precautions (i.e. marriage counseling) to achieve a rare feat: a long-term Hollywood union.

Kristine said...

Well, it's certainly sad. I was hopeful that they would go the distance, but it appears Ryan broke their marriage vows while on location for a film, always a danger in the movie business. One of my co-bloggers at The Point had this to say: "I was really hoping Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon would last. With their backgrounds (I'm privy to personal anecdotes about Phillipe from a close friend of his who had known him in Delaware and spoke of his Christian background, and Reese's churchgoing is public knowledge), I would have hoped that would influence how they conducted their marriage. (Fine, call me an idealist.)"

None of us can let our guard down, married or single! As Paul exhorted the Corinthians, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Cor 10:11-13)