Finding the Magic in Middle School: Tapping Into the Power and Potential of the Middle School Years

An empowering guide for parents and teachers seeking a positive, practical alternative to the confusion and struggles of middle school.

“A must-read for anyone who has a tween or works with tweens.” — Madeline Levine, New York Times bestselling author of The Price of Privilege and Ready or Not

How can parents stay close with their children through middle school? How do we help middle schoolers discover who they are, enjoy friendships, and manage their growing emotions? What kinds of learning experiences will keep them curious and motivated?

These and more questions are answered in this highly engaging and informed guide to the middle school years. Chris Balme draws on his experience as a middle school founder, principal, and teacher, together with the latest adolescent neuroscience. He shows what is going on in the brains of middle schoolers, and how that affects everything from their friendships to the way they relate to parents or show up in a classroom.

Parents will gain insight into how to transform their parenting to help middle schoolers find greater independence, connect well with peers, and have the deepest learning possible in and out of school. Educators will learn about the developmental keys to making middle school a place of belonging, with deep social and emotional learning and academics that draw out students’ full motivation and potential.

Praise for Finding the Magic in Middle School

“I love Finding the Magic in Middle School — as a parent of tweens, an educator, and a school design innovator. Chris's love for young people and the awkward but powerful path of self-discovery they travel in the middle school years is obvious, and its clarity inspires us to see and want to enable the magic. Weaving together brain research, storytelling, and design insights, Chris breaks us free from the old narrative of adolescence.”
— Kim Smith, Co-Founder of NewSchools Venture Fund and Pahara Institute

“What Chris Balme calls the "Ultimate Underdogs"—middle schoolers—are in for a better time of it now that he's written this book. After 20 years of working with this underestimated, under-trusted, under-stimulated swath of humanity, Balme has distilled what they need most, and how to give it to them. Hint: It doesn't look like your old social studies class.”
— Lenore Skenazy, author of Free Range Kids

CHRIS BALME has led two innovative middle schools, trained thousands of parents and teachers, and received the Ashoka Fellowship for his work as a leading global changemaker in education. He is endlessly curious about how we raise wise, loving, and capable young people. Chris lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children. Find him at www.chrisbalme.com.