Rating: 
Summary: Not as I was expecting
Review: I suppose I was looking for a "how to deal with it" from an someone educated in the field. This was more like a "here's what happened in this school" book. I was left saying to myself, "That's what happened in that school then. What about what is happening in schools in other regions of the country (which makes a huge difference), and how does a parent successfully respond to the changes and conflicts that my kid is going through?" Some of the story lines were interesting, but did not help me at all. I regret buying the book.
Rating: 
Summary: same old stuff!
Review: If you have experienced being a parent of a child in middle school, you realize this book is just one of many on the subject. However, this one appears to include some really poor information in that it cannot be applied to all kids this age. The author has no idea how stupid this book sounds. Not worth the money!
Rating: 
Summary: What you don't know about your kids...
Review: In Not Much Just Chillin', Linda Perlstein illustrates some of the important themes of the critical 11-13 age group through five frustrating, endearing and ultimately fascinating kids at Wilde Lake Middle School. Everybody can relate to the complex feelings and relationships revealed through Jackie, Eric, Elizabeth, Jimmy and Lily, but what parents will find most fascinating is what is going on in the lives of their middle-schoolers that the kids believe is "too much" for their parents to deal with. Perlstein effectively weaves in advice for parents and other adult figures in kids' lives and includes interesting notes from psychologists, teachers, sociologists, and other experts on "tweens". Written with humor and compassion, "Not Much Just Chillin'" is a must-read for anybody who deals with this age group.
Rating:
Summary: An Understudied Group: An Interesting Approach
Review: Middle school kids often receive far too little attention by way of study and research. Perhaps some believe that middle school kids are not worth studying separately from adolescence since it is such a brief period of time. Yet, at the same time, there is probably no age group that goes through such a significant and dramatic set of developmental changes in a few short years than middle schoolers.I applaud Linda Perlstein's efforts to capture the essence of middle school kids and to represent the trials and tribulations of this age. In her study, Perlstein spent a year's time becoming a part of a real middle school. Rather than study these kids from an academic perspective, Perlstein took a much more holistic and anthropological approach. She talked to the kids, she watched the kids, she spoke to their parents, and she observed their relational interactions and their highs and lows and she spent a lot of time with their teachers. The result of Linda Perlstein's efforts is a significant book for educators, parents and kids on the struggles of middle school years. While some might attack this as a study less scientific or quantitative than rigorous academics might prefer, I believe that she is right on the mark in reporting on these kids through her experience of them. This is a tough age and my belief is that it grows even more stressful on kids as our society continues to change and as kids mature faster on a physical level. I believe this is a book that should be read by a number of different groups and that it could be a foundation for some wonderful discussions among teachers and between teachers and parents. An understudied subject most interestingly presented. High Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent creative nonfiction
Review: Perlstein has obviously very successfully immersed herself into the Wilde Lake middle school community. While the book is arranged topically, it takes place over the course of a school year, which means that she must have spent some serious time in this strange world of "tweens." She takes her readers into classrooms, bedrooms, cafeterias, cars, orthodontist offices, any place that might shed some light on the psychology of a middle school student. While Perstein offers precious little medical evidence and studies other than in the first chapter, her careful choice of behavior descriptions make it clear just what is happening in the brains of children this age. You may even discover some not-so-flattering behaviors about yourself that you find need to change as you read.
I believe this book would give middle school children wonderful insight into themselves.
Rating:
Summary: What an accomplishment!
Review: Perlstein's book is a journalistic triumph. The author succeeds where most of the teachers and parents in her book have failed: she gets a group of conflicted, self-absorbed, perfectly normal middle school students to tell her the truth about their lives. It's a damning portrait of the mediocre education these kids are receiving, and a caring celebration of who her young subjects are on the road to becoming. The book is sensitive where it should be, and highly critical at times as well. Perlstein occasionally offers direct advice to her readers, but the most useful guidance she provides is by her example. She has found a way to listen, and we should all be grateful.
Rating:
Summary: Not Much -- Just Chillin' is Right On
Review: Persltein has provided an excellent and informative portrayal of the lives of middle school students in this important book. All too often, pre-teen and early adolescent children are overlooked as subjects of both popular and academic literature. This book offers a multi-faceted window into the worlds of these kids at a critical time in their social/behavioral, academic, and organizational development. As a social worker at a public middle school, I found Perlstein's observations to be accurate and insightful. She has expertly woven a narrative of the lives of these students with child development theory in a manner that is digestible to all audiences. I have recommended this book to education and social work colleagues, as well as parents and students. It is both an enjoyable and informative read.
Rating:
Summary: what was the author thinking...
Review: the author seems to think following these kids around and writing about their issues in what she describes as a rough school, suggesting it gives herinsight on how middle schoolers act. Hmmm...maybe middle schoolers in Columbia,Maryland...but, consider there are many areas of the United States where kids have different middle school experiences. What was she thinking in writing a book about middle schoolers? What gives her expertise in the area? Has she parented a middle schooler? Is there really anything different in this book that hasn't been written before? Not worth the time!
Rating:
Summary: All-American School
Review: The WLMS population encompasses every socioeconomic level from subsidized housing residents to doctors, lawyers, scientist (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab) and Federal Government employees. We have a high percentage of children for whom English is not their native language. There are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Budist and other religions represented. It is America in microcosm. I believe that Ms. Perlstein captured the diversity and richness of WLMS and I'm proud that my two children are receiving their education there.
Rating:
Summary: Not a typical middle school
Review: This author fails to accurately identify the environment of the school where she did her research. It is more reflective of an urban environment than a suburban one. The school consists of a population with many more students who are what would be considered at a low socioeconomic level than students who are middle class. She does a poor job of reflecting a true picture of schools which are typical suburban schools in the area. Hmmm...would I want my child attending a school where some reporter goes into a school and is allowed to do this? Also, reporting inaccurate information on classroom situations is just one of her many errors. Sensationalism is what sells books and she sure uses that in her attempt to portray middle schoolers. DO NOT BELIEVE what you read! She is a reporter for a newspaper.
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