Amazon.com Review
Attend your child's school's open house, writes Louanne Johnson, and your child will do well in school. Her suggestion is not as simplistic as it sounds; studies show that parental interest and involvement in education are key to student success. In School Is Not a Four-Letter Word, Johnson, author of Dangerous Minds, teaches parents both why they should be interested and how to be involved.

Johnson has a background in the military as well as in education, but though she is tough-talking and firm, she is never cruel or rigid. She can think like a kid, understands kids, and believes in kids, and she has a tremendous amount of insight into their motivations. Johnson's suggestions in this down-to-earth and practical book will work. Kids will do whatever is necessary in order to get what they need, Johnson asserts, and defining those needs is integral to changing behavior. Tricking parents (such as lying about homework and report cards) is a strategy children employ not because they are purposefully being bad, but because they are scared of not doing well. By providing both clues to their children's behavior and suggestions for changing it, Johnson will have parents breathing a sigh of relief. --Ericka Lutz