Hot Issues Cool Choices is twenty-six stories designed to help children with problems of "facing bullies, peer pressure, popularity, and put-downs." It is set up that there is a story from a real child talking about a specific subject. The last line of the story is always "What do you think I should do," emphasizing the individual reader's opinion and choice. Immediately following the story are some questions asking children about things they would do in the situation. Then it flips the scenario around and asks what they would do if they were the other person. This book has won several awards and is very highly praised.
The very first thing written in this book hit me and made me think of this book in such a serious light. It said, "In memory of Tommy who took his own life at the age of twelve years, two months, and ten days." This shocked me that someone so young had taken their own life. As I read through this book, I found myself putting myself into all of the situations and assessing what I would have done; sometimes I liked the outcome, and sometimes I didn't. It changed the way I view a lot of things, especially bullying. This is a must-read for children of all ages and would be especially helpful if it was then discussed with a parent or a teacher. I loved the layout, I loved the illustrations included, I loved that there were statistics and references included, and I loved the message this book sent.
Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, PA USA
