chicken soup for the preteen soul

What People Are Saying About
Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul . . .

“As stars are to the night sky, there are many solutions to
problems. I enjoyed Preteen Soul because it is a great way
to look at life from someone else’s point of view.”
Brittany Grams, twelve

“One story was so funny that my friend almost fell out of
his chair because he was laughing so hard.”
Eric Dobson, ten

“The preteen years can be a complicated and exciting
time and a soul can get confused and lonely . . . Chicken
Soup to the rescue. Once again, Chicken Soup comes
through like the emotional remedy it’s been proven to be.
These are the topics that kids care about, written in a way
that makes them think and feel. Preteen Soul makes it
easier for me to talk to my kids about the things I value
most.”
Leeza Gibbons
CEO, Leeza Gibbons Enterprises

“All of the stories were enjoyable and different. Just about
every story had a problem and solution. They were exciting
and interesting. I think every kid should read Preteen Soul.”
Josh Acosta, eleven

“Exactly the inspiration, real-life stories and perspective
that preteens need to shape their world.”
Jason Dorsey
founder, Institute to End School Violence
author, Can Students End School Violence? Solutions
from
America’s Youth

“The stories were funny. They were the best out of all the
other books I have read. All of them were true—nothing was
fake. The people really did those funny things.”
Luis Villa, ten

“My classmates and I evaluated the stories that were
considered for Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul. It was
amazing. The writers told us about times when they felt
happy, sad and mad. We could all relate because the
stories are all real.”
Marisa Cottam, ten

“Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul is filled with
priceless stories that reveal that kids can do big things. As
these stories are shared worldwide, they will empower and
inspire young people to be sensitive and caring global
citizens.”
Yvonne Marie Andres
founder, Global Schoolhouse at Lightspan.com

“The emotions of other kids taught me many
unforgettable lessons about the hard things kids go through

in life and the good things that kids go through, too.”
Sabrina Turin, eleven

“Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul is terrific.
Encouraging, inspiring and a tremendous resource for kids,
this book teaches with a variety of situations that every kid
can relate to or learn from. Growing up is tough . . . this
Chicken Soup will make it easier. I can’t wait to pass this
book along.”
Jon Wagner-Holtz, eighteen
founder, Kids Konnected


CHICKEN SOUP
FOR THE
PRETEEN SOUL

101 Stories of Changes,
Choices and Growing Up for
Kids Ages 9–13

Jack Canfield
Mark Victor Hansen
Patty Hansen
Irene Dunlap


Health Communications, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida

www.hcibooks.com
www.chickensoup.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chicken soup for the preteen soul : 101 stories of changes, choices, and
growing up for kids ages 9 to 12 / [compiled by] Jack Canfield [et al.].
p. cm
ISBN-13: 978-1-55874-800-2 (trade paper)
ISBN-10: 1-55874-800-8 (trade paper)
ISBN-13: 978-1-55874-801-9 (hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-55874-801-6 (hardcover)
1. Preteens—Conduct of life—Juvenile literature. [1. Conduct of
life.] I. Canfield, Jack, date.

BJ1631 .C465 2000
158.1'28—dc21

00-044897

© 2000 John T. Canfield and Hansen and Hansen LLC

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

HCI, its logos and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.

Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190

R-10-07

Cover illustration by Danny Cannizzaro, age fifteen, Orange County High
School of the Arts.
Typesetting by Lawna Patterson Oldfield


To those who read
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
and were inspired enough to
request a follow-up book—
we dedicate Preteen Soul!

And to our own kids
who know what it’s like to be a preteen:
Christopher, Liz, Melanie,
Marleigh and Weston.
We will love you through every stage
of your lives.


THE FAMILY CIRCUS
®
By Bil Keane

“I’ll be glad when my voice changes. Maybe somebody will
listen to me then.”
Reprinted by permission of Bil Keane.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Share with Us

1. ACHIEVING DREAMS

Where in the World Is Carmen? Marieta Irwin

Trash Bags Are for Trash Makenzie Snyder

Run with It Susan Overton

The Back of David’s Head Mary Ellyn Sandford

Going to the Dogs Stephanie Taylor

If I Could Change the World for the Better, I Would . . .
*NSYNC and Friends

A Run to Remember Barbara L. Glenn

Shining Down Michael Kavalinas as told by Monte
Stewart

Dreams Ryan Kelly

2. ON FRIENDSHIP

The Forgotten Friend Judith Burnett Schneider

Backfire! Lou Kassem

Best Friends Whitney M. Baldwin

My Best Enemy Dakota Lane

Heaven Sent Beverley Mitchell

Keeping in Touch Emily Burton

My Big Solo Cynthia Marie Hamond

Now You See It, Now You Don’t Anne McCourtie

3. ON FAMILY

Hey, Remember When? Kyle Brown

Families That Care, Care About Families Rachelle P.
Castor

Together, We Can Do Anything Jarod Larson

Gains and Losses Xiao Xi Zhang

Forever Garrett Mia Hamm

Supper David Barbara Lage

I Flushed It Pier Novelli

This Old Chair Christa Holder Ocker

Mom Apryl Anderson

4. ON LOVE

Bobby Lee Daphne M. Orenshein

Love Lives On Laurie Hartman

Dusty, the Wonder Dog Mary Saracino

The Teacher Who Cared Courtni Calhoun

The Act of Love Kathy Kemmer Pyron

Cry When You Are Sad Jonathan Piccirillo

Only Love Lasts Forever Denise and Rett Ackart

The Reason for Living Lauren Elizabeth Holden
5. ON DEATH AND DYING

April Morning Justin Day

Ryan’s Story Kelli Frusher

I’ll Never Forget Him Megan Weaver

An Angel in Disguise Megan Jennings

My Little Superman KeriAnne McCaffrey

Don’t Forget to Say I Love You Nicole Fortuna

Grandma’s Cloud Game Nadine Rogers

Mr. Oberley’s Star Cynthia Ross Cravit

Life Is Short Scott Klinger

In Every Thought Leslie Miller

6. ON ATTITUDE AND PERSPECTIVE

Big at Heart Mark Schulle as told by Bunny Schulle

The Best Christmas I Never Had MaryJanice
Davidson

The Hidden Treasure Debbie King as told by Ashley
King

The Snow Angel Christine Fishlinger

You’ll Be Good for Him Eugene Gagliano

Scott David Ferino

Adam’s Apples Kim Aaron

Who Said There’s No Crying in Softball? Amy
Severns

The Yellow Piece of Paper Lauren Thorbjornsen

Hard Work Pays Off Karl Malone

7. OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Annie Wiggle-Do Kathleen M. Muldoon

Two Percent Is Enough Krissy Creager

The First Day of Middle School Patty Hansen

Perfect, I’m Not Julia Wasson Render

Rediscovery Raegan Baker

A Little Coaching Noah Edelson

The Last Runner Lisa Beach

The Power of the Pen Arlys Angelique Endres as told
by Carol Osman Brown

Tough, Sturdy and Triumphant Elijah Shoesmith

8. ON CHOICES

Forever Stay in My Heart Jillian Eide

Two Tickets to the Big Game J. Styron Madsen

Fireplug and Dad Rusty Fischer

Nice Catch! Doris Canner

The Gorilla Syndrome Elizabeth J. Schmeidler

Just Desserts Beverly Spooner

A Chicken-Noodle-Soup Day Donna Beveridge

Everything Will Be Okay James Howe

A Silent Voice David R. Collins

Walking with Grandpa Uncle Greg

9. ON TOUGH STUFF

Kelsey Shane Ruwe

Losing Mom Diana Carson

Celebrate the Good Days Leslie Beck

Think Before You Act Lauren Wheeler

Getting Better Tiffany Jacques

For the Best April Townsend

A Smile Can Save a Life Jason R. Dorsey

My One Regret Angelia Lee Swift

The Perfect Figure Nikki Yargar

Pale Dawn of a New Day Katherine Ackerman

10. ON CHANGES

My Very First Kiss Patty Hansen

A Life Once Lived Brandi Bacon

Papa Brian Normandin as told by Mary Normandin

Taking a Stand Irene Dunlap

Loving Equally Nicole Peters

Just Do It! Son Truong Nguyen

I Love You, Lindsey Lindsey Rawson

My Best Friend Tamera Collins

You Know You’re Growing Up When . . . Multiple
Authors

11. ECLECTIC WISDOM

Redsy Barry Fireman

Tippy Christine Armstrong

What’s a Miracle, Granddad? Lew Talmadge

Never Put Rocks in Your Mouth Shirley Barone
Craddock

The Moment I Knew I’d Never Be Cool D. Marie
O’Keefe

Lost Casey Veronie

Kindness Is a Simple Gift Michael Oknefski

Our Christmas Secret Lori Menning

What I’ve Learned So Far Multiple Authors

Afterword: The End Paige Holland

More Chicken Soup?

Supporting Preteens

Who Is Jack Canfield?

Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?

Who Is Patty Hansen?

Who Is Irene Dunlap?

Contributors

Permissions


Foreword

This is real life—in a book.
Y’all know that life may not be perfect, right? But no
matter how complicated or challenging life might be for you,
you are one of the blessed and lucky ones! From this point
on, you have a manual for life!
Finding out what others have gone through during their

preteen years can help you realize that you’re not alone and
maybe even keep you from going through the same things.
Be open-minded enough to let their experiences help make
your transition into teenage-hood a smoother one. At least
this way you’ll have some shortcuts!
Be kind to others, even the people who you may not like.
You might find that they’re dealing with the same stuff as
you. Remember that everyone has something to offer to this
world.
Above all, go for your dreams. The world will be a better
place when you give life your best and follow your heart.
God Bless,
Kenan Thompson
Film and television actor
Acknowledgments

We are deeply grateful for the many hands and hearts
that have made this book possible.
Our very special thanks to Gina Romanello for being the
glue that enabled the progress of this book to go so
smoothly. You masterfully juggled all of the components of
our Preteen Soul book production and made it look so
easy. You’re a pro, Gina. Thanks for your dedication. We
love you.
To Maria Nickless, thank you for your ingenious
promotions and your dedication to making the world a
better place for kids.
To Brittany Shaw, researcher extraordinaire and
paparazzi queen, you have added an element of fun and
excellence to our office. Your efforts to contribute to the

world in a positive way are apparent every day.
To DeeDee Romanello, thanks for your ongoing support.
Your meticulous bookkeeping keeps Patty on track so she
can concentrate on the five thousand daily items she
routinely needs to address.
To Joy Pieterse for your cheerful disposition, your loving
heart and all the support that you give to Patty and the kids.
You are such a blessing.
We thank our kids—Christopher Canfield, Marleigh and
Weston Dunlap, and Liz and Melanie Hansen—for
supporting us in making the world a better place for all kids.
To Kent Dunlap for believing in our projects and being there
for Irene and the kids. To Angela Jack, thanks for your
constant love and support. To Eva Espinosa for holding
down the Hansen fort, and for tuna sandwiches whenever it
appears that we might all starve!
After Kid’s Soul came out, we received more than five
thousand submissions from all over the world for this book.
We looked very seriously at 225 stories then put them to
the ultimate test: to be read by hundreds of discerning kids
and preteens. The efforts of teachers and their students
from all over the country were invaluable. They read and
evaluated each story with honesty and a commitment to
helping make the best book possible for their peers.
They were: Kerri Merrit and Gayle McGehee of North
Side School and their third-grade classes; Marilynn
O’Dowd of St. Mary’s Star of the Sea; Karen Risch of
Greenport Elementary; Erin Oechsle of Perry Hill
Elementary and their fourth-grade classes; Mike LaMoine
of West Elementary and his fifth-grade class; Laura

McDiarmid and Wendy Hearn of Oak Middle School; Linda
Spreitzer of Conrad Ball Middle School; Noelle Swanson of
Jefferson Middle School and their sixth-grade classes;
Donna Thompson (we still love you, Donna!) of Riverchase
Middle School and her sixth- and seventh-grade classes;
Mary Greenlaw of Hartland Elementary and her fifth- and
seventh-grade classes; Jackie Wiseman and Jackie Scott
of Kaiser Elementary and their fifth- and sixth-grade
classes; Melissa Voss and Kathy George of Anthony
Wayne Junior High School and their seventh-grade
classes; Patricia Krause and Mary J. Mayne of Doherty
Elementary and their fourth- and fifth-grade classes;
teachers and students at Woodbine Elementary School;
Sara Glass of Stanley Stern’s eighth-grade class; and to
Dierdre, Jessica and Michael Moore who participated in
their home-school setting.
Thanks to the staff of Mark Victor Hansen’s office: Lisa
Williams, Michelle Adams, Laurie Hartman, Laura Rush,
Paula Childers, Tanya Jones, Kristi Knoppe, Tracy Smith,
Dave Coleman, Faith Fuata and Shanna Vieyra—
whenever we’ve needed any of you, you’ve been there for
us. Also, to John Creech for keeping our computers
working.
We thank The Society of Childrens’ Book Writers and
Illustrators for the numerous great stories that were
submitted in response to our call.
We thank the management of our celebrity authors for all
the coordination and communication that you endured
through the production of this book: Lizza Morales on behalf
of Beverley Mitchell; Melinda Bell of Wright Entertainment

on behalf of *NSYNC; Dwight Manley, Vicky and Sylvia at
United Sports Agency on behalf of Karl Malone; Dan Levy
on behalf of Mia Hamm; and Stephanie Hamm for her
willingness to go the extra mile.
We also wish to thank the following people for their
ongoing support: Peter Vegso at Health Communications,
Inc., for recognizing the value of our books from the
beginning and for getting them into the hands of millions of
readers; Patty Aubery, head of production for Chicken
Soup for the Soul Enterprises, Inc., who has always looked
out for us with love and support; Nancy Mitchell, Leslie
Riskin, Heather McNamara, Veronica Romero, Robin
Yerian, Teresa Esparza, Michelle Kiser, Cindy Holland and
D’ette Corona at Self-Esteem, Inc., and Deborah Hatchell
for keeping things running with a level head and a
professionalism that we all very much appreciate.
Christine Belleris and Allison Janse, our editors at Health
Communications, Inc., for their meticulous efforts in
bringing this book to its high state of excellence and their
kind demeanors, which are so appreciated in the midst of
frantic deadlines and production schedules, and Randee
Feldman, Chicken Soup for the Soul manager at Health
Communications, Inc., for her masterful coordination and
support of all the Chicken Soup projects.
To Terry Burke, Kim Weiss and Kelly Johnson Maragni
for their sales, marketing and publicity efforts.
Thanks to Laine Latimer, “Queen of Publicity,” at the
Latimer Group for spreading the news about Preteen Soul
as far and wide as possible. We love you.
To Danny Cannizzaro for working so patiently and

cooperatively with us on the cover design of this book. You
are an extremely talented artist with a very promising
career. To Nancy Melbourne at Orange County High School
of the Arts, who worked with our stringent deadline with a
heart that is all about bringing positive opportunities and
experiences to her students.
Most importantly, we wish to acknowledge the thousands
of kids, teachers, writers and others who sent stories,
poems and quotes for possible inclusion in Chicken Soup
for the Preteen Soul. While we were not able to use
everything you sent in, we were deeply touched by your
heartfelt intention to share your stories with our readers and
us.
And finally, to all the kids who took the time to write to us
and tell us how much Kid’s Soul meant to you and for your
requests for this follow-up book, we sincerely thank you for
your love and encouragement.
Because of the size of this project, we may have left out
the names of some people who have helped us along the
way. If so, we are sorry. Please know that we truly do
appreciate all of you very much.
Introduction

At a certain time, between the ages of nine and
twelve, experiences seem to be extra hard. It’s like
being half into dolls and half into makeup. For girls,
every little thing you say seems to make us cry—
most of all, comments about clothes, boys and
weight. The boys I know try to hide their feelings, but
they seem to have most of the same problems. I am

eleven years old, and I have nearly all of these
troubles. When I try to be grown-up, people tell me I’m
too young. When I do something wrong, people tell
me to grow up. I don’t understand. I guess we’re
always going to be too big for some things, and too
young for others. That’s just how the world is. Relax,
it’s just your preteen years.
Michelle Richard

The preteen years are the true age of personal
empowerment—old enough to move, shake and change
the world and too young to be caught up in the belief that it
can’t be done.
At the same time, the onset of puberty creates mood
swings, hormone surges and a growing interest in the
opposite gender. While you are facing these physical and
emotional changes, events like divorce, changing
friendships, permanent loss due to the death of a loved
one, and moving or having a close friend move can be
extra difficult during these already challenging years.
In addition to all of these issues, you are also filled with
questions—questions about your place in the world, your
beliefs, who you are and how you fit in to the greater
scheme of things, as this poem written by Megan Brown,
age twelve, addresses:
Sometimes I wonder if we all see the same colors.
Or if someone is colorblind and they just don’t know it!
What’s beyond our universe?
I wonder if there are other worlds.
Is there a heaven? I know there is, but . . . really is

there?
I wonder if when we sleep,
Our dreams are actual places we are going to.
I think we may be living in someone’s dream right
now.
I think that mirrors lie.
What are we?
Since the publication of Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
in 1998, we have received thousands of letters from kids all
over the world who read and loved our book. You shared
with us the joys and sorrows of your lives, how our book had
touched you in some way, and an overwhelming amount of
gratitude to us for creating a book where you could turn for
support.
For the most part, you referred to yourselves as
preteens:
I’m twelve years old, and in my opinion, it’s one of
the toughest times in anyone’s life. We are just at the
age when we’re no longer kids, but not yet teenagers.
We want to have rights and responsibilities, and yet
we’re not ready to accept the roles of adults. At times,
we want to be grown-up. But, at others, we want to be a
two-year-old again, without any worries other than
when we’re going to have to take a nap! Some may
consider thirteen to be the age of a teenager, but I
personally think we’re still preteens until about the
age of fourteen. So for all those preteens out there,
who are going through the same mood swings,
feelings and thoughts, who are struggling to push into
the role of a teenager— enjoy every millisecond of

your life, and don’t grow up too fast. And remember,
you’re NOT alone.
Aubrey Nighswander, twelve

And requests such as this came in:
I am a young reader of your books. I really like
them. But I have noticed that you do not have