Mentoring Through Reading

What are your teens doing this summer?

This is what we will be talking about this quarter.

Diversity

July

Lifeskills for Teens

August

Back to School

September

Relatable Stories to start conversations

The Hard Way

A relatable story about Peer Pressure

Paul Jones, a newcomer to the city, struggles to find connection after his best friend Desmond moves away. His search for friendship leads him to Anik Hatcher and a group involved in dangerous pranks. What begins as fun turns into real trouble, and Paul must face the consequences of his choices.

Shawn's Way

A relatable story about Bullying

After time in juvenile detention, Paul is determined to rebuild his life. Meanwhile, Josh Alberts also recently released lashes out after losing his place on the baseball team by bullying freshman Shawn Townson. Shawn must navigate his first year in high school under this pressure, while Paul works to stay on the right track.

The Streets Way

A relatable story about Teen Runaways

Paul continues his journey of redemption in his senior year. Shawn faces the after effects of being bullied and grows into his own during his sophomore year. Meanwhile, Mikala Kalani, a teen runaway escaping abuse, must survive the streets of Manor City learning that the city’s promise of anonymity comes with its own dangers.

Josh’s Story

A relatable story about Bullying (from the bully’s POV)

Josh Alberts, an all-star baseball player, got himself into big trouble and was sent to Creekside Juvenile Detention Center. After serving almost a year there, he finally started to feel some remorse for what happened, but then he received some bad news. This news is what made him mad and decide to take out his anger on his target, a teammate’s brother, Shawn Townson.

Paul’s Way

A relatable story about teen addiction

Get ready for Paul’s Way! The fourth book in The Way Series coming in 2026!

Resources with more information about teen challenges

Rosalind Wiseman’s talks about how to crack the girl code and understand the powerful role cliques play in shaping every aspect of adolescent girls’ lives. This relatable resource is a guide for parents, educators and coaches to help teenage girls navigate tough times as they are growing up.

Rosalind Wiseman didn’t want to leave the boys’ side of the story out. So, she wrote a companion book to Queen Bees and Wannabees to talk about the challenges of navigating growing up as a boy. This relatable resource is a guide for parents, educators and coaches to help teenage boys navigate the challenges with bullying, peer pressure, and many others

Kirt Manecke focuses on the importance of good customer service and how we as teens or adults can position ourselves to give it. While these skills are important in customer service, they also transfer to many other parts of our lives.

Lisa Schab puts together guided journals for teens to give them a place to explore how they feel and write them out. These guided journals help manage intense emotions teens may be feeling through 100 engaging prompts, combining writing, art, and mindfulness exercises to teach coping mechanisms in a non-threatening, accessible format.