A Path to Positivity: A Review of 'The S.U.M.O. Secrets to Being a Positive, Confident Teenager'

We're excited to share a fresh perspective on the book 'The S.U.M.O. Secrets to Being a Positive, Confident Teenager.' This review comes from Isabelle, a sixth former who recently joined us at Phase for a week of work experience. Isabelle's insights offer a unique and authentic view on the book's relevance and impact. We are keen to ensure we are recommending books that are useful for young lives.

Check out Isabelle's review below:

‘The S.U.M.O. Secrets to being a Positive, Confident Teenager’, is a truly brilliant book which shares practical tips and tricks on how to consistently grow as a person and take responsibility for your life. It can be difficult to know exactly how to manage difficult emotions and situations in the ‘correct’ way - particularly when navigating your way through the tumultuous teens! However, this book helps to nudge you in the right direction for you, instead of chasing the ideal image of what mindfulness should look like.

To be completely transparent, I had my doubts about this book - how could a guide for young people written by an adult actually help change the way that I think, let alone my lifestyle? Yet when reading this book, I felt a large majority of examples apply in some way to my own experiences and gave valuable insight on how and why I may feel the way that I do or react in a certain way. The advice in response to these situations has completely changed my perspective on how to deal with them in a more positive and productive way. Not only does it explain in detail why we all feel the way we do, but adds reassurance, that actually, everyone is in it together! We all feel a large array of emotions, positive and negative, but it is how we react to them that makes all the difference.

Through lots of catchy and useful acronyms, it teaches valuable skills that can be easily applied to everyday living, such as actively thinking through situations rather than jumping to conclusions. Paul McGee’s conversational writing style creates a fun and engaging guide to the complicated world of feelings, goal setting and more. I finished the book quickly because of its genuinely fun humour, making difficult concepts including the parts of the brain super easy to access. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The S.U.M.O Secrets and would recommend it to any teenager (or anyone of any age for that matter!) that is interested in taking control of their emotions and dealing with them in a more positive and productive way.

Thank you for joining us in exploring 'The S.U.M.O. Secrets' through the eyes of our talented reviewer, Isabelle. Her perspective captures the book's relevance and practicality for young readers (and adults too!) We encourage everyone—especially teens and their parents—to read this insightful guide. It's a valuable resource for anyone looking to foster positivity and confidence in the face of life's challenges.

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