Compiled by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Amy Newmark
Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing. 2008. ISBN: 1935096273
Summary
Just as the subtitle explains, this is a collection of true stories from teens about the experience of preparing, applying, and getting into college. The book is divided into subsections, dealing with planning for college, catching up in high school, taking the SATs, parental pressure, interviews, deciding on colleges, dealing with disappointments, and many others. Each story is short and unique, and describes each teen’s (or sometimes a parent’s) experience with a particular part of preparing, applying, and deciding on colleges. The stories are about teens who obsessed over getting into college since elementary school, others who did not even think about it until the very end, teens who had to convince parents about going to a particular school, those who studied for the SAT and those who did not, those who decided to go to a particular school and stuck with it and others who changed their mind at last minute. Many of the stories are about teens overcoming hardships, making decisions, dealing with disappointments, and moving on with this important part of the teen life.
Critical Evaluation
This is a very important and useful book for all high school students – no matter where they are on their journey toward college. Unlike guides, manuals, and test books, this book is a collection of real stories about the experience of real teens. Because the stories are so unique and dealing with different subjects, all teens will find something useful and relevant to their own lives. The book is conveniently organized into different sections on the different aspects of the “getting in” process.
While guides and to-dos can be stressful, these stories are a good way to learn important things about the process of preparing and applying to colleges, and a good way to relieve stress by reading the stories of teens who made it. There are other instructional books that help teens with the process of applying to college and staying sane while doing it, but these stories are helpful in their own way because they are easier to identify with. And while they are very easy to read and entertaining, the lessons they teach are difficult to miss. Through the stories, teens can learn that it is important to keep college in mind throughout high school, but not to the point of not enjoying the high school experience, that it is important to study for the SATs and get good grades, but occasional shortcomings are not the end of the world. They will also learn that sometimes preparing for four years will not guarantee their admittance to their dream school, but that is alright because there are many other schools, and that disappointment is inevitable, and there are always options. Overall, the book is fun to read an contains much useful information.
Reader’s Annotation
This is a collection of personal stories from teens who prepared, applied, and decided on colleges.
About the Author
“Internationally known speakers Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield knew the power of a good story long before Chicken Soup for the Soul was published. Each had built their speaking careers by telling inspirational, motivational and uplifting stories that their audiences could use to discover, experience and retain key concepts and approaches. After years of continuous audience requests that they put their stories into book form, Hansen & Canfield finally agreed. Rather than focusing only on their stories, they decided to reach out to others and seek contributions of powerful tales of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. After rounding up the 101 most inspirational submissions, they were left with an untitled book they both knew had the potential to make quite an impact.
Chicken Soup for the Soul was released on June 28, 1993, and became a holiday favorite by the end of December. What drove initial interest was not media attention or celebrity endorsement, but rather word-of-mouth promotion from ordinary people around the country who bought the book and loved it. Many would return to the bookstore to buy five or ten copies for friends and family. Thanks to that groundswell of popularity, by September of 1994, Chicken Soup for the Soul was on every major bestseller list in the U.S. and Canada. Although the media may not have led the charge, they soon caught on. Chicken Soup for the Soul received coverage from just about every major media outlet in the country, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Today Show,” “Larry King Live” and thousands of others. The series quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, receiving mentions on television programs like “Friends,” “The Sopranos,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” plus several movies.” – History of Chicken Soup for the Soul
Website: http://www.chickensoup.com/
Genre
Non-fiction. Self-help.
Curriculum Ties
Guidance/college prep.
Booktalking Ideas
- Read one of the stories from the book.
- Describe the different experiences of teens preparing to go to college.
Interest/Reading Level
Grade 9+
Challenge Issues: none
Challenge Defense Ideas:
The book presents no apparent challenge issues, but prepare to defend selection by having library’s selection policy at hand.
Reasons for Inclusion
College prep book.
Teen Picks 