Back to School: School Smarts: All the Right Answers to Homework, Teachers, Popularity, and More by Brooks Whitney

Although the claim to have all the answers to school problems for 'tween girls might be a bit of hyperbole, a close examination of the first book in this series convinced me that its subtitle ought to be STUFF I WISH I'D KNOWN BACK THEN! Spiral-bound and lined like a small composition book and clearly aimed at middle-grade girls, American Girl's School Smarts: All the Right Answers to Homework, Teachers, Popularity, and More has a lot of the right stuff to help students get through those years where work begins to require more personal responsibility.

Utilizing an appealing format and breezy illustrated style, this guide deals first with getting organized--at home, at school, and in the student's own head--to deal with the job of doing class work well and taking charge of learning. In the section titled "In the Classroom" the authors provide great tips for decoding the textbook page to learn what's important, taking notes from text and lectures, doing homework efficiently to save time and reinforce learning, and taking all kinds of tests, from true-false to essay. Other chapters on academics include "Great Presentations" and "Write It!"

In the section on peer relationships, the authors avoid preachiness while pointing out the pitfalls of popularity at any price. Without saying so overtly, the editors' approach affirms the collateral truth that having good friends clears the decks for attention to the real purpose of school--learning in preparation for life. None of the advice in this book is top-secret stuff, of course, but the editors pull their tips and truths together in a light-handed, non-didactic and chatty style which makes for easy reading.

Although this initial guide is still widely available in bookstores, American Girl has gone on to publish titles which expand the sections in School Smarts to include Math Smarts: Tips, Tricks, and Secrets for Making Math More Fun!, and Writing Smarts! A Girl's Guide to Writing Great Poetry, Stories, School Reports and More! Their most recent title, School Smarts Projects: Create Tons of Great Presentations, Boost Your Creativity, Improve Your Grades and Save Time and Trouble, deals with the current emphasis upon hands-on projects and computer-assisted multimedia presentations which are already standard fare in elementary and middle schools.

American Girl's Smarts series are handily sized, kid-friendly, attractive guidebooks which can give kids a heads-up on school success. These how-to handbooks don't do the work for the student, but they do provide some guidance on how to succeed at school that doesn't come from (horrors) Mom and Dad!