"Some of the people in this book have had their names and other details changed to protect their identities"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references.

The people who matter most: parents -- Windscreen wipers don't steer the car : some approaches to parenting -- The 21st century journey : from angels to sullen adolescents -- Parenting the wrong child -- Effective parenting -- A plug and a plea for literature -- Middle-class children in the 21st century morass -- Strategies for difficult children -- Parenting your own difficult child -- Trekking from childhood to adulthood -- The paradoxes and frustrations of being human -- Making schools better -- Making better schools -- Change -- is it possible?

John Marsden has spent his adult life engaging with young minds - through both his award-winning, internationally bestselling young adult fiction and his work as one of Australia's most esteemed and experienced educators. As the founder and principal of two schools, John is at the coalface of education and a daily witness to the inevitable and yet still mysterious process of growing up. Now, in this astonishing, insightful and ambitious manifesto, John pulls together all he has learned from over thirty years' experience working with and writing for young people. He shares his insights into everything - from the role of schools and the importance of education, to problem parents and problem children, and the conundrum of what it means to grow up and be 'happy' in the 21st century.

"The award-winning, bestselling author of THE TOMORROW SERIES" -- Cover.