Success Express for Teens: 50 Life-Changing Activities

Success Express for Teens: 50 Activities That Will Change Your Life, is a great resource for both teenagers and group leaders or counselors. This book is packed full of fun activities, meaningful questions and checklists designed to aide a teenager on the path to success. Success Express for Teens not only helps a teen to reach their goals, but also helps them identify what those goals may be. In addition, it provides a well organized and deeply thought out "fast track to success." Author Roger Leslie, an award-winning writer and teacher, was motivated to write this book by his own personal battle with depression as a teen. Leslie provides readers with a specific plan for how to "get from where you are right now to where you want to be." His methods will surely motivate teens to chase after their dreams, and find that they are in fact within reach. Students will learn from these activities the skills they need to make educated choices and to believe in their own abilities. Readers will also find Leslie provides a very interactive book, with spaces for teens to write in their answers to important questions. This allows a teen to look back on his or her goals, ideas, and thoughts to keep on the track toward success. Activities range from watching cartoons, to making a visual collage of your life, to simply changing your state of mind from a negative one, to a positive one. Every activity, no matter how simple, is an essential piece of the 50 step program Leslie has developed. The activities laid out in this book will give teens the tools needed to believe in themselves, and to find their own personal definition of success. Roger Leslie's great sense of enthusiasm and determination, portrayed through his writing, will encourage teens to be of that same mind set. Teenagers in today's world are overwhelmed and stressed about making the transition from childhood into adulthood. These 50 activities are a great start at easing that transition and making it a more successful one as well. Quill says: A great resource for teens who are not quite sure what path they want to take in life, but are ready and willing to find out.

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (1/06) Success Express equips teens to move from where they are now to where they want to be by applying the activities found in this exciting book. Each exercise is designed to provide the tools for teens to advance toward their goals and dreams. The author uses a train motif to compare a journey to a destination with the pursuit of a successful future. The logical steps-from mapping out the journey through traveling on a non-stop route to success-parallel the small, day-to-day experiences that cumulatively define who people become. Leslie's book encourages young adult readers to give their best at each level, paving the way for them to move forward to the next. The user-friendly book format is presented in small sections so readers can complete an exercise or two and resume later. The readings and activities include sound questions like "What should I do next?" and "How can I use this in my life?" This handy guide even includes an assessment tool that reveals the reader's intrapersonal and interpersonal style based on which activities worked best for that person. Leslie also offers an appendix full of suggestions for teachers, counselors or group leaders. As a writer and educator, I found his examples pertinent because they mostly relate to his writing and teaching. Although occasional quotes from a teen applying the principles appear throughout, more input from young adults writing about their successes would be desirable for the target audience. However, teens will find Leslie's style appealing and straightforward. His activities and insights are helpful and practical. Here's to a successful life journey. All aboard!

"Life has already laid the tracks for the trains that will take us wherever we want to go." ~Roger Leslie Success Express for Teens presents meaningful and fun activities for individuals or groups. There are also introspective questions and self-assessment checklists. Through the activities, teens are encouraged to develop a step-by-step plan so they can define their life goals and pursue their dreams. "Make a Lifeboard" is a creative, encouraging project that is similar to scrapbooking, but is more like a mirror of your present life. By looking back at lifeboards through the years, you can remember specific moments that were meaningful to you. When you are in your 30s, this will be helpful to remember what happened when and why. You will also find ideas for: Reliving Favorite Childhood Memories Changing Routines Discovering Your Life Dream Time Management Aligning Actions with Values Finding a Mentor Expressing Gratitude Writing a Goal Statement This book can be used by teachers, counselors and group leaders. Teens can also follow the self-guided activities in order to take the express train to success. Throughout the book, there are areas where teens can write their life experiences. Imagine reading this later! This will be enlightening to read as an adult. You will really see where you have been and realize which trains you took to get you to your present destination. I personally remember very little about my teenage years and this book would have really appealed to me as a teenager who was interested in creative writing and art. By reading through the various questions, I was able to remember some of my "forgotten memories." They are still there, they just need to be triggered. Success Express For Teens would make a perfect gift for Birthdays or Christmas. Many adults have thanked their parents for giving them journals for Christmas. This is similar to a guided journal. It is filled with pictures, amusing famous quotes, thoughtful quotes from teenagers and excellent advice from someone who remembers his choices as a teenager. Roger Leslie is a book reviewer, author and editor who began his career in education. He visits schools and teaches the concepts from this book to administrators, educators and students. Highly Recommended. ~The Rebecca Review

Ably compiled and presented by Roger Leslie (author, teacher, and YA book reviewer for "Booklist"), Success Express For Teens: 50 Activities That Will Change Your Life is a thoroughly "user friendly" resource packed from cover to cover with activities for teenagers and specifically geared toward helping them identify and articulate their life's dreams and starting down the road to making them come true. From listing ten goals on an index card; to finding a successful mentor in a particular field of endeavor; to learned how to do meaningful activities during"dead time" occasions arising during the course of ordinary day-to-day life, and so much more, Success Express For Teens is a strongly recommended motivational, and consumable resource hallmarked with challenging questions and enhanced with lines in which teenagers could write out their own answers.