Books for Moms feeling lost in the middle school years.
Sections
2
Books
Free Resources
Books
Read in 2 days - wildly popular with parents
Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through Transitions
Companion to Untangled; stress + anxiety in girls
Under Pressure, Confronting the epidemic of stress and anxiety in girls
Her newest; raising connected, capable teens
The Emotional Lives of Teenagers - Lisa Damour, PhD
Neuroscientist + mom; science of the adolescent brain
The Teenage Brain: Neuroscientist's Guide
Why teens act the way they do - in a good way.
Brainstorm: Power & Purpose of Teenage Brain
“Required reading” for parents of stressed kids.
Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety
Written by adolescent anxiety expert.
Helping Your Anxious Teen: Positive Parenting
Peer pressure, social media, communication tools.
The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens
2025 standout; 16 conversations every parent needs to have
Talk To Your Boys
Screen time + brain rewiring
Dopamine Kids: Science-Based Plan to Rewire Brain
Defiance, meltdowns, anxiety
Big Kids, Bigger Feelings: Navigating Defiance
Hands down changed my perspective of teens having phones and giving them more independence.
The Anxious Generation: Great Rewiring of Childhood
The NYT bestseller that inspired Mean Girls, now fully updated with new material on gender expression, cancel culture, social media, and bullying — gives parents a vocabulary and practical strategies for navigating their daughter's social world.
Queen Bees and Wannabes
The companion book for parents of boys — collaboratively written with actual middle and high school boys; Anderson Cooper called it "an essential guide for anyone who wants to better understand their own childhood and its impact"
Masterminds and Wingmen
The communication classic — practical scripts and strategies for keeping the lines open when teens shut down; consistently appears on every therapist and counselor recommended list.
How to Talk So Teens Will Listen
Written by a board-certified pediatrician, this fills the gap in books about boys and puberty — covers physiological, emotional, and social needs that most parenting books overlook entirely.
Decoding Boys
Written by a school counselor — covers the 10 key skills kids need to thrive in middle school and beyond; it's the rare book that speaks directly to the middle school years rather than lumping them in with high school.
Middle School Matters
Free Resources
Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist Reena Ninan answer real listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media, school pressure, and peer relationships weekly. The free companion to all three of Damour's books
Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens
Expert-led videos, articles, and a podcast giving parents clear, honest answers about child and adolescent mental health. One of the most credible free hubs available.
Family Resource Center - Child Mind Institute
Free articles by pediatrician and adolescent development expert Dr. Ken Ginsburg covering everything from puberty to stress to staying connected — directly aligned with the Brainstorm and Siegel books in the list.
Center for Parent and Teen Communication
Free guidance, strategies, and tips delivered straight to parents' inboxes — practical and specific to the tween and teen years; perfect companion resource for anyone who loves her books.
Sign up for my newsletter - Lisa Damour, PhD
Free tools for building positive parent-teen relationships, including the Dating Matters Toolkit for ages 11–14 on healthy relationships — carries instant credibility because it's government-backed.
CDC Essentials for Parenting Teens
Free articles and resources from the author of Queen Bees & Wannabes and Masterminds & Wingmen — directly extends both books on your list with real-world strategies for navigating peer culture, bullying, and social dynamics.
