If you’re interested in learning about your brain and you actually enjoy science, then this is the book for you. They are more likely to lean on their amygdala (the home of the gut instinct) rather than the pre-frontal cortex (home of executive function) that adults tend to use.

It’s odd to think that this wasn’t mentioned in the first edition, considering what an overwhelming part of life screens and social media now are.

Never miss a post, including competitions, offers, discounts and giveaways, as well as intelligent, perceptive, science-based articles. My aim was always to unpick and reveal what we know about teenage brains, beginning with neuroscience and fitting it with observed behaviours and an understanding of the societies adolescents live in, explaining in a reassuring way so that young people and the adults who care about them and work with them can make better use of those brains. As an adult I found it all a bit cheesy and (as per above) containing little new, but it is then useful to read in parallel with your teenager(s).

I’m obviously no longer a teenager myself, nor a parent of a teenager, but I found it fascinating to be able to think back to my own teenage years and my experiences (and those of some classmates) and finally understand why some people acted the way that they did. But when I came to re-read the 2013 edition for this revision, I was quite uncomfortable with some of my phrases, particularly when I made jokey remarks on what, for me, is not a funny subject. How to Like Yourself offers a quirky, inspiring, and practical guide to help you overcome feelings of self-criticism, improve self-esteem, and be the true star in your life. For parents of teens, especially first timers, it will give them a better understanding of what is going on and, why their once sweet, angelic child has suddenly become grumpy, cheeky, know it all teen!And perhaps bearing in mind the current debates around transgender, referencing this and how it plays into the debate would have also showed a more contemporary view of how we view the differences in individual teenage brains. Nicola lives in Northamptonshire; she is a former Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland and is currently an Ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland. TES It is very rare that an author succeeds in writing a book for teenagers which is also a 'must read' for their parents and teachers. She has written nearly 100 books, including novels such as Fleshmarket (currently being adapted for the London stage) and Mondays are Red, but in the last twelve years she has become increasingly well known for her passionate factual work on adolescence, with Blame My Brain - The Amazing Teenage Brain Revealed and The Teenage Guide to Stress being seminal titles for teenagers and the adults who work with and care about them.