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The Owner's Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain
Think you know everything about your brain? Think again! In this exciting follow-up to Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, you’ll get the goods on glia and the news about neurons, presented in a fun and engaging format. Hang on to your hemispheres, and prepare to have your mind boggled as you learn about the workings of the brain in its first decade.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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92 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 1, 2021
This book was required summer reading for all 6th-8th grade students at my daughter's school. It was also recommended that the parents read it, so I did. It's quite short with lots of illustrations, and therefore touches only pretty lightly on the topic, but the information is good. I would probably recommend that if your child is curious about the psychological processes that accompany adolescence that you may wish to pair this title with an additional book of greater depth.
September 23, 2013
Adolescence is never easy. We know to expect many of the changes we encounter: girls growing breasts and curves, boys voices deepening, and everyone growing hair all over parts they used to be scared to wash. These are the “normal” changes. We throw them at our pre-adolescents, and hope that’s enough. “If you have any questions, you can always feel free to ask me,” parents say.
Statements like that are why teens are so adept at eye-rolling. “Yeah, you hold your breath on that, mom, when I have a pubic hair question.”
Not gonna happen.
“The Owner’s Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain” will not answer questions about how to get other kids to like you. It doesn’t teach you how (or what) to shave, nor does it deal with genitals of any kind.
“The Owner’s Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain” takes your pre-teen on a super-smart EPCOT ride explaining how the brain has worked during the first ten years of life, and how it’s going to change in the second decade. It has a fun, light-hearted approach to what can be a turbulent period. Once the brain gets fired up for adolescence, all manner of things happen, and this book serves as an excellent primer, a clearly worded resource your teen can keep and revisit as needed.
There are examples of how choices affect which part of the brain gets stimulated, and to which degree: Does your brain grow more by donating canned goods to a food drive? Or by serving in a soup kitchen? As you’d expect, the latter choice stimulates more brain sensors. Pretty obvious, right?
But “The Owner’s Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Mind” explains WHY it’s different physiologically, and WHY there’s a greater positive effect.
The writing in “The Owner’s Manual” is absolutely key. I’ve read books about brain physiology. I fell asleep in some of them. For this book to work, the writing had to be hip, but not pandering; kid-savvy, but not overly parental.
The Drs. Deak nailed it. They use a few examples Carl Jung wouldn’t have used—comparing the nerves’ myelin sheaths to the rubber insulation on iPod earbuds, e.g.—but Jung could stand to lighten up a bit. Freya Harrison’s illustrations are fun but informative, and a valuable tool to assist learning.
In all seriousness, if you have a child who’s nine or so and a good reader, I would absolutely, without reservation recommend buying him or her this book. The tone and writing are uniformly positive. Better still, the Drs. Deak start off each section with a concise, clear neurological concept, then break it down so anyone can read and understand it.
Your child is not going to read this book, then miraculously avoid all of the usual adolescent dramas. What it does is answer every teen’s constant questions: “No! It isn't just you! And here’s why girls who played kickball with you yesterday want to kiss you today.”
I think parents should read this book, too. It would be ideal if you could open an ongoing dialogue with your teenager, and be able to refer to chapter and verse, et voila, the problem du jour goes away. It won’t work that way. This book is good, but it ain’t magic.
Kidding aside, there is a goldmine of valuable information here. Buy it. Read it. And for cryin’ out loud, keep it handy. My ex-girlfriend has twin ten-year-olds—truly awesome kids, whom I love to pieces. On November 6th—the date this book is expected to be released—I will be buying three copies for her and the kids, plus another for my godson.
These are tough times both to be an adolescent and to raise one. “The Owner’s Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain” focuses on some of the toughest changes our kids face, and gives good, clear advice how to handle it. In a journey this perilous, it’s nice to have a good road map. This book is that map.
Most Highly Recommended
(nb: I received an Advance Review Copy from the publisher via Edelweiss)
Statements like that are why teens are so adept at eye-rolling. “Yeah, you hold your breath on that, mom, when I have a pubic hair question.”
Not gonna happen.
“The Owner’s Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain” will not answer questions about how to get other kids to like you. It doesn’t teach you how (or what) to shave, nor does it deal with genitals of any kind.
“The Owner’s Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain” takes your pre-teen on a super-smart EPCOT ride explaining how the brain has worked during the first ten years of life, and how it’s going to change in the second decade. It has a fun, light-hearted approach to what can be a turbulent period. Once the brain gets fired up for adolescence, all manner of things happen, and this book serves as an excellent primer, a clearly worded resource your teen can keep and revisit as needed.
There are examples of how choices affect which part of the brain gets stimulated, and to which degree: Does your brain grow more by donating canned goods to a food drive? Or by serving in a soup kitchen? As you’d expect, the latter choice stimulates more brain sensors. Pretty obvious, right?
But “The Owner’s Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Mind” explains WHY it’s different physiologically, and WHY there’s a greater positive effect.
The writing in “The Owner’s Manual” is absolutely key. I’ve read books about brain physiology. I fell asleep in some of them. For this book to work, the writing had to be hip, but not pandering; kid-savvy, but not overly parental.
The Drs. Deak nailed it. They use a few examples Carl Jung wouldn’t have used—comparing the nerves’ myelin sheaths to the rubber insulation on iPod earbuds, e.g.—but Jung could stand to lighten up a bit. Freya Harrison’s illustrations are fun but informative, and a valuable tool to assist learning.
In all seriousness, if you have a child who’s nine or so and a good reader, I would absolutely, without reservation recommend buying him or her this book. The tone and writing are uniformly positive. Better still, the Drs. Deak start off each section with a concise, clear neurological concept, then break it down so anyone can read and understand it.
Your child is not going to read this book, then miraculously avoid all of the usual adolescent dramas. What it does is answer every teen’s constant questions: “No! It isn't just you! And here’s why girls who played kickball with you yesterday want to kiss you today.”
I think parents should read this book, too. It would be ideal if you could open an ongoing dialogue with your teenager, and be able to refer to chapter and verse, et voila, the problem du jour goes away. It won’t work that way. This book is good, but it ain’t magic.
Kidding aside, there is a goldmine of valuable information here. Buy it. Read it. And for cryin’ out loud, keep it handy. My ex-girlfriend has twin ten-year-olds—truly awesome kids, whom I love to pieces. On November 6th—the date this book is expected to be released—I will be buying three copies for her and the kids, plus another for my godson.
These are tough times both to be an adolescent and to raise one. “The Owner’s Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain” focuses on some of the toughest changes our kids face, and gives good, clear advice how to handle it. In a journey this perilous, it’s nice to have a good road map. This book is that map.
Most Highly Recommended
(nb: I received an Advance Review Copy from the publisher via Edelweiss)
February 3, 2014
As a mother of four children and grandmother of 3 children, I so wish Dr. Deak's books would have been available years ago. This is the sequel to Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, and every bit as informative and inspiring for adolescent minds, ages 10-20, as her former book was for ages 1-10. If you have an adolescent you love who will soon enter adolescence or has already arrived into this challenging, ever evolving age, this book is a must! The data and illustrations are fun while using scientific research to provide facts for helping you to understand the brain's behavior and growth during this time. This is an important read for adults, but, more importantly, fun for their kids to explore. My granddaughter is still in the Fantastic Elastic stage, but she loves the first book and has used the information to understand why she was struggling with a math problem, and voila! her struggle ended! She and my other two grandchildren will be receiving their own copies of The Owner's Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain. Dr. Deak has joined forces with her neuropsychologist nephew, Dr. Terrence Deak, who does nothing but enhance the already amazing concepts from her own research. What a team! I highly recommend this book!
January 11, 2025
I liked this book very much. As a mom of kids who are currently 10 and 12, I found the book informative and interesting. It tells about the science of what's going on in various parts of the brain, including what is involved in empathy and learning and getting teased and what happens during puberty.
I especially enjoyed learning that the ACC (anterior cingulate cortex, of which I had never heard) is what is actived BOTH when you physically injured yourself and when you feel rejected. Adolescent psychological pain is akin to physical pain.
I agree with one of the reviews on the back cover: the writing is clear and concise.
Now let's see if either of my children will pick it up and read it.
I especially enjoyed learning that the ACC (anterior cingulate cortex, of which I had never heard) is what is actived BOTH when you physically injured yourself and when you feel rejected. Adolescent psychological pain is akin to physical pain.
I agree with one of the reviews on the back cover: the writing is clear and concise.
Now let's see if either of my children will pick it up and read it.
May 7, 2015
"This books starts with the parts of the nervous system and how they work, like any book on the brain, but this one shows teens how they can stimulate brain growth (neurogenesis). It also explains why babies might make jerky movements, but teens can play the guitar and hit home runs. It shows you how your brain feels not just physical pain but pain from emotions like social rejection. Read this and take a fascinating look into all the changes going on not just in the body, but also in the adolescent brain."
October 4, 2018
It was a great book because it taugt me stuff about my very complex. Also I love learning new things, so this was the perfect book for me to read. Also it had a lot of science and math and I like both of those subjects together or apart no matter what the book is if something to learn in that book... I'll read it!
December 2, 2020
Lots of interesting illustrations and great factual information.
July 27, 2025
This is a solid introduction about brain functioning and development for young adolescents. I look forward to using it in my therapy practice. (Also an easy way to finish the "book with a work related application" requirement of my summer reading challenge.
March 25, 2014
Goodreads Synopsis: Think you know everything about your brain? Think again! In this exciting follow-up to Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, you’ll get the goods on glia and the news about neurons, presented in a fun and engaging format. Hang on to your hemispheres, and prepare to have your mind boggled as you learn about the workings of the brain in its first decade.
My Review: I noticed that this book doesn't have very many reviews, and I'm kind of wondering why. Though it's a good book for learning about your brain, I thought more people would have read it. It's a little bit boring, and I wish I could have read it when I was younger, because it tells you things that I had to learn on my own about my brain. It should definitely be in schools for kids to read, I think it would help them a lot, even if it's just in a class or something. It's really interesting and has tons of fun facts that I didn't know. There are also crazy backgrounds on every page, and cool diagrams to help explain everything. I think that maybe I was a little to old to be reading this, but it was a good quick read, nonetheless. Definitely check it out!
Thanks for reading, here's a link to my blog where this review and many others are posted. (':
radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com
My Review: I noticed that this book doesn't have very many reviews, and I'm kind of wondering why. Though it's a good book for learning about your brain, I thought more people would have read it. It's a little bit boring, and I wish I could have read it when I was younger, because it tells you things that I had to learn on my own about my brain. It should definitely be in schools for kids to read, I think it would help them a lot, even if it's just in a class or something. It's really interesting and has tons of fun facts that I didn't know. There are also crazy backgrounds on every page, and cool diagrams to help explain everything. I think that maybe I was a little to old to be reading this, but it was a good quick read, nonetheless. Definitely check it out!
Thanks for reading, here's a link to my blog where this review and many others are posted. (':
radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com
October 1, 2013
This book is written to adolescents with information about how their brain works as well as tips for keeping it healthy and surviving adolescence.
The ebook version of this particular book was difficult to navigate, probably because there are lots of illustrations and charts throughout the book, but the writing style was spot-on, and the information is current and would appeal to tweens and teens. If I can find a print version of this book, I might purchase it for my middle school library.
Recommended for: tweens, teens, and those who work with them
Red Flags: N/A
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.
The ebook version of this particular book was difficult to navigate, probably because there are lots of illustrations and charts throughout the book, but the writing style was spot-on, and the information is current and would appeal to tweens and teens. If I can find a print version of this book, I might purchase it for my middle school library.
Recommended for: tweens, teens, and those who work with them
Red Flags: N/A
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.
January 16, 2014
Beautiful book -- plenty of good science, but also interesting. It's a great reminder for parents that kids' brains aren't fully cooked until they're almost thirty. It was almost as much of a benefit for me as it was for my nine-year-old, who also really enjoyed it. Good addition to any family's bookshelf.
December 14, 2014
My daughter is in 7th grade and they are currently studying the human body systems. This book is perfect for this age group! The drawings are cute and the information is written in an interesting way and is just right for the middle school/adolescent age group. I think this book should be in all middle school libraries.
January 3, 2016
*I received a free digital copy of this book from Edelweiss.
This was a short introduction book to the adolescent brain. There are quite a few "big" words and the authors try to use analogies to explain certain functions.
favorite lines:
"the critical period for learning a language is from birth through about age eight."
"practice makes permanent -- not perfect"
This was a short introduction book to the adolescent brain. There are quite a few "big" words and the authors try to use analogies to explain certain functions.
favorite lines:
"the critical period for learning a language is from birth through about age eight."
"practice makes permanent -- not perfect"
December 26, 2013
Funky. Fun. Facinating. I loved it.
It's got a great balance of neuroscience and modern language appealing to the younger audience.
Read more here: http://couragepsyc.blogspot.com.au/20...
It's got a great balance of neuroscience and modern language appealing to the younger audience.
Read more here: http://couragepsyc.blogspot.com.au/20...
December 19, 2016
Wonderful book for teens 11 to 25
Wonderful book for kids 10 and up. Learning about their brain can inspire them to take care of their brain from an early age. Addictions might disappear?!
Wonderful book for kids 10 and up. Learning about their brain can inspire them to take care of their brain from an early age. Addictions might disappear?!
Read
July 24, 2014Rate: 4/5
Review coming soon!
Review coming soon!
November 9, 2014
Read excerpts of this book to my own kids to talk more with them about growth mindset and how their brains change at this age, best used for middle school on up.
Read
July 28, 2016Not just for adolescents. Good for us non-science types who want to understand the brain.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews