What better place to ask kids about Everything You Need to Know When You Are 10 then to a fourth-grade-class? I looked over the book and enjoyed its approach towards dealing with this age. It balances a wide variety of topics and interests, some of which are quite silly, while others let themselves be known that it’s a serious subject. The book deftly weaves between them all in a manner that’s entertaining and educational. But is the book as on point with that elusive 10-year-old audience as I think it is?
For the most part, Everything You Need to Know When You Are 10 breaks up its topics every two pages. A couple of the topics are bigger and need four pages, but they are the exception. It talks about changing bodies, privacy, being a good friend, eating certain things, having a crush, doing your own laundry, and many more things. The pages have a balance that is perfectly positioned between silly, common, serious, and approachable.
This age group is interesting because they’re too old to have subject matter presented to them in a juvenile manner. However, they’re also young and either aren’t ready for more mature content or won’t be interested in it. This book has its finger on how a 10-year-old will act and what they know.
A great testament to this is is when I presented Everything You Need to Know When You Are 10 to a group of fifth-graders. There were only a couple of them that were ten, with most of them being 11. It’s also important to know that those who were ten could all but count the days until they turned the big double one. Everyone in this class immediately raised their hands to all but one of the questions that I posed to them. Apparently, this particular class is not that adventurous and had not eaten an insect or a bug. That question elicited lots of giggles, suggestions to cover said creepy crawly in chocolate, put it inside a lolly-pop, or a couple of students who accidentally ate one when they opened their mouth at just the right or wrong time.
The book feels silly, and a lot of it is, that’s the very clever part about it that will make those, nine, 10, or 11-year-olds want to read it. The information in the book is stuff that they will be learning, should know, or should have already learned. Those ages will read it because they want to see what will be happening, check their current experiences, or confirm that they aren’t behind. Of course, this is not a comprehensive list. It’s a fun, casual, and very enjoyable book that lists experiences or knowledge points that might introduce soon-to-be middle schoolers to new things.
It’s also a lot of fun and is the sort of book that kids will pass around between friend groups, chat about on the bus or read to themselves. They’ll lose themselves in it, think about what they’ve done or the previously unthought-of things they might do now. Everything You Need to Know When You Are 10 lets that age knows that it’s OK and normal to still be silly, while at the same time making them aware of some childish behavior that they need to let go of. They’re still at that age where they’re willing to be kids, but parents (and them) are aware that they need to know some things in order to level up in the near future. This book helps them bridge that very fun time in their life with fun, just enough silly, and the real-life skills they’ll need.
Everything You Need to Know When You Are 10 is by Kristen Miller and available on Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams Books.
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