Available:*
Library | Call Number | Material Type | Home Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Library | BF637.R57 E75 1999 | Adult Non-Fiction | Central Closed Stacks | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
In an era when risk-taking is most often associated with dangerous behavior or poor choices, such as drugs or gangs, this inspiring book gives more than 20 first-person profiles of children who took risks, pointing out the benefits of taking a chance and facing the possibility of rejection or failure. Each story features a different type of risk and puts it in real-life perspective. B&W photos.
Reviews 2
Booklist Review
Gr. 5^-9. In this examination of the value of taking risks, the true-life case studies of 20 teenagers are presented, along with information on how to go about taking a risk. The book looks at the difference between positive and negative risks, helps kids weigh the consequences, and gives advice on how to successfully execute a risk-taking plan and what to do in case of disappointment. A risk can range from investing money in stocks and patenting an idea to standing up for someone and not going along with the in-crowd. One risk taker presented in the book is 18-year-old Rachel, who, because she was excluded from cliques, started the I Don't Care Club, which received national attention. In another story, Earl and Stanley, both 11, helped save Earl's brother and sister from their burning house and became local heroes. The book includes useful reproducibles and lists of resources, books, and Web sites. --Shelley Townsend-Hudson
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-Erlbach discusses different types of risks, differentiating between the negative (taking risks to be noticed or for revenge) and the positive (those that help you "sharpen your skills, gain insight, and change yourself or the world for the better"). She includes exercises to help teens evaluate an action they are considering and anticipate its consequences. A large section of the book contains first-person vignettes about a variety of young people who took risks, from Jamie, who speaks publicly about how AIDS has affected her family, to Jorge, who took a risk and joined a gang, then took another risk and left it. For each of these accounts, the author provides suggestions for finding out more information. The narratives are sure to provoke discussion about various types of behavior.-Lynn W. Zimmerman, Southeast Middle School, Greensboro, NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.