Why am I passionate about this?

For the last 14 years, I've written books that aim to tackle the most pressing worries for parents and educators – and to understand and connect with kids better. It’s a sad fact that research continues to show that our kids are not as happy as they might be, often due to feeling overwhelmed by academic pressures at school, and growing up in a more ‘stressed’ society. So, as a parent and a parenting journalist, I believe it’s never been more important to understand how the world looks to them – and give both parents and kids evidence-based tools to help them navigate this. I aim to make my books enlightening, readable, and practical.


I wrote

The Friendship Maze: How to Help Your Child Navigate Their Way to Positive and Happier Friendships

By Tanith Carey,

Book cover of The Friendship Maze: How to Help Your Child Navigate Their Way to Positive and Happier Friendships

What is my book about?

Parents worry more about kids' friendships than any other issue, research shows. Having good friends is also important for kids’…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood

Tanith Carey Why did I love this book?

This book was a total breath of fresh air when it was published by psychologist Lisa Damour in 2016. Dr. Damour really ‘gets’ girls and her understanding of the sometimes erratic and confusing behaviour in the adolescent years is profound and compassionate. Dr. Damour also writes beautifully so it’s a pleasure to read and doesn’t repeat the same old tired cliches. Instead, it goes to the next level to explain what's going on for girls as they grow up and become independent. It prepares parents for what's to come and lets them know when it's time to worry and when girls are going through a necessary development phase.

By Lisa Damour,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Untangled as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Leading clinical psychologist Lisa Damour identifies the seven key phases marking the journey from girlhood to womanhood, and offers practical advice for those raising teenage girls.

We expect an enormous amount from our teenage girls in a world where they are bombarded with messages about how they should look, behave, succeed. Yet we also speak as though adolescence is a nightmare rollercoaster ride for both parent and child, to be endured rather than enjoyed.

In Untangled, world authority and clinical psychologist Lisa Damour provides an accessible, detailed, comprehensive guide to parenting teenage girls. She believes there is a predictable blueprint…


Book cover of Be Happy Be You: The Teenager Guide

Tanith Carey Why did I love this book?

While it’s generally agreed that our teens are going through a tougher time, I think that if we give them the skills to understand their own thinking they can ultimately come through this period stronger and more resilient. What’s more, we can’t just tell them how their minds work. They have to understand it for themselves. So that’s why I love this book which compresses the science for teens and gives them a ready-to-use tool kit for everything from handling worries to feeling better about their bodies.

By Penny Alexander, Becky Goddard-Hill, Collins Kids

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Be Happy Be You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 11, 12, 13, and 14.

What is this book about?

This positive and insightful guide gives you the tools to build your confidence, eliminate negative feelings and boost happiness in all areas of your life.

Being a teenager has its own unique challenges, but it's also the perfect time to shape your own mental wellbeing and happiness. Scientists reckon 40% of your happiness is within your control, that's A LOT of happiness and this book will help you to harness it...

There are tons of ideas to try from creating an anxiety toolkit, to planning a digital detox and meditating, plus you'll learn the science behind why they work. Carry…


Book cover of Never Let Go: How to Parent Your Child Through Mental Illness

Tanith Carey Why did I love this book?

This book was another total game-changer and I will never stop recommending it. It totally benefits from being written by a parent, rather than a clinician, but fearlessly tackles the terror faced by mothers and fathers when their child starts to struggle with a serious mental health crisis. It also offers a fearless road map out of this dark place. Suzanne writes beautifully too which makes the book easy to read despite its difficult subject matter. Suzanne now heads up the charity and Facebook support group, Parenting Mental Health, which is a safe haven for many parents where they can honestly express what it’s like to be in this very scary place.

By Suzanne Alderson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Never Let Go as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How to help your child with mental illness through partnering, not parenting.

Never Let Go is a supportive and practical guide for parents looking after a child with a mental illness. Suzanne Alderson understands the agonising struggle of bringing a child back from the brink of suicide, having spent three years supporting her own daughter through recovery. Her method of 'partnering, not parenting' has now helped thousands of other parents through her charity, Parenting Mental Health.

Combining Suzanne's honest personal experience with expert input from psychologists, this book provides parents with the methods and knowledge they need to support, shield…


Book cover of Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls

Tanith Carey Why did I love this book?

This book was another eye-opener. Educator Rachel Simmons lifted the lid on how not all meanness and bullying among children is overt, obvious, or easily spotted. She decodes relational aggression between young people - a kind of stealth attack, using words and exclusion, and techniques like seat-saving, gossip, and silent treatment. This kind of behaviour can be particularly painful for young people to understand or process because it is so hard to name. But in this book, Simmons put her finger on it, so it can be understood and recognized. It means that when young people experience it, they will not feel so hurt and singled out by it.

By Rachel Simmons,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Odd Girl Out as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rooted in the extensive expertise she has developed since "Odd Girl Out" was first published as well as up-to-date research, Simmons offers a new chapter on technology, including a focus on cyber bullying and what parents and teachers can do to deal with the problem, as well as advice to girls on how to avoid drama online. Working directly from her experiences with schools and families over the past decade, she also brings us new classroom initiatives and step-by-step suggestions for parents. With illuminating, timely additions, this definitive resource is now even more relevant, still shining a powerful spotlight on…


Book cover of Sparks: How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers

Tanith Carey Why did I love this book?

In this book, the late Peter Benson, argues that by the teenage years, with help every young person can identify their unique strength - the thing they are naturally good at and would do anyway if left to their own devices. He argues this doesn’t have to be academic. It can be things like the ability to listen, a commitment to animal welfare, a passion for the environment, anything in the creative arts, or caring for others. He discussed how every single young person can be helped to identify their ‘spark.’ I often cite Benson’s concept of ‘spark’ in my own books because it does so much to help young people feel better about themselves, find their life purpose and undo the damage our grades-obsessed, one-size-fits-all education system does to the self-worth of so many.

By Peter L. Benson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sparks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this practical book, Dr. Peter Benson, a leading authority on childhood and adolescence, describes a simple yet powerful plan for awakening the spark that lives inside each and every young person. Sparks-when illuminated and nurtured-give young people joy, energy, and direction. They have the power to change a young person's life from one of "surviving" to "thriving." Grounded in new research with thousands of teenagers and parents, Sparks offers a step-by-step approach to helping teenagers discover their unique gifts, and works for all families, no matter their economic status, parenting situation, or ethnic background.


Explore my book 😀

The Friendship Maze: How to Help Your Child Navigate Their Way to Positive and Happier Friendships

By Tanith Carey,

Book cover of The Friendship Maze: How to Help Your Child Navigate Their Way to Positive and Happier Friendships

What is my book about?

Parents worry more about kids' friendships than any other issue, research shows. Having good friends is also important for kids’ mental health and to help them enjoy- and learn - at school. But as we look on, both parents and teachers can often feel powerless to help when things go wrong with their peer relationships.

The Friendship Maze is the first UK book to pull together the science behind how children’s friendships work in a readable, practical way. It explains why cliques form, why some kids are less ‘popular’ than others, why bullying happens and why children get left out. It also offers evidence-based ways to help your child learn to have happier peer relationships, deal with 'mean behaviour,' improve their friendship skills, and have a more positive experience at school and peer relationships.

You might also like...

Christmas Actually

By Lisa Darcy,

Book cover of Christmas Actually

Lisa Darcy Author Of The Pact

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Cat lover Traveler Reader Amateur tennis player Foodie

Lisa's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Every picture tells a story, but it’s not always the one we expect or remember. Christmas Actually is a festive drama about family and forgiveness and a snapshot of modern family life, addressing Instagram to motherhood and everything in between.

Why Christmas? My publisher wanted my new novel to have a festive theme, specifically set in Australia–sun, surf, sunburn, and prawns. Christmas in Australia is very different from Christmas in the UK, USA, and Canada. We typically wear shorts and t-shirts, eat salad and seafood for Christmas lunch, and play beach cricket in the afternoon. Despite the season, conflicts, secrets,…

Christmas Actually

By Lisa Darcy,

What is this book about?

Time spent with family can be challenging, especially at Christmas actually…

Kate Cavendish is stuck in a rut. That is until a former colleague contacts her and offers her a chance to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a successful photographer.

With her focus pulled in all directions by her children, her pregnant sister, her newly-dating mother, and the niggling worry that her husband might be having an affair, Kate is filled with self-doubt.

Then as the countdown to Christmas begins, and memories of her own childhood resurface, Kate’s anxiety deepens – both personally and professionally. Can she move on…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in adolescence, bullying, and bully romance?

Adolescence 43 books
Bullying 84 books
Bully Romance 20 books