Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul (Book)

Canfield, J., Hansen, M. V., Meyer, S. H., & Meyer, J. (2007). Chicken soup for the teen soul: Real-life stories by real teens. Deerfield Beach, FLA: Health Communications, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-7573-0682-2

Interest Level: Ages 12 to 18
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography
Subjects/Themes: Inspirational, Personal Conduct, Teen Life, Friendship, Family,

Plot: Chicken soup for the teen soul is a collection of short stories written by teens about their lives.  The stories cover different topics and events that have to do with friends, family, disasters, and everyday occurrences.  The stories are emotional and express how the different teens are feeling and reacting to the world around them.  The stories were all previously published in Teen Ink magazine over the years.  In the book, the stories are arranged into topic categories for easy browsing.

Personal Thoughts: The stories in this collection are very inspirational.  There are stories about family emergencies, such as a stroke or heart attack.  There are stories dealing with the death of a friend or family member.  There are stories that talk about first loves and kisses.  There are stories about handling peer pressure, mistakes, drug use and much more.  Each story is only about a page or two long for quick and easy reading and yet those two pages hold a lot of emotion and feeling in them.  A good book for any teen in any situation.

Other Books in the Series:  
Chicken Soup for the Soul: teens talk relationships: stories about family, friends, and love (2008); Chicken soup for the soul: teens talk middle school: 101 stories of life, love, and learning for younger teens (2008); Chicken soup for the soul: teens talk high school (2008); Chicken soup for the teenage soul on love & friendship (2002)

Website: Chicken Soup for the Soul Website