Book Review

It also tells you that some famous people were told that they weren't any good at things - Beethoven was told by his music teacher that he was no good at composing, etc. (Albert Einstein was 4 before he could speak and 7 before he could read.)

It tells you some of the things gifted kids say they do when they are bored silly at school. They might work ahead of the class (without letting the teacher know). They might finish their homework to avoid taking it home. Sometimes they just twiddle their thumbs and are bored and at other times they chat or do other things.

The books says that the "Six Great Gripes of Gifted Kids" are:

"1. No-one explains what being gifted is all about - it is kept a big secret.

2. The stuff we do at school is too easy and it is boring.

3. Kids often tease us about being smart.

4. Friends who really understand us are few and far between.

5. Parents, teachers (and even friends) expect us to be perfect, to "do our best" all the time.

6. We feel too different and wish people would accept us for what we are."

The book tries to answer these and sometimes does it well and other times not so well. You should buy this book if you like the sound of this review (Judy Galbraith will be pleased with me for saying this). Possibly the book will help kids who are 11 and over too. It only has 66 pages and doesn't take long to read.

Editor's Note: This book may not be appropriate for all gifted children, but it is one of very few that are written with them in mind. It touches on the problems of perfectionism and making friends, and on the additional problems faced by gifted girls. There is a Survival Guide for children 11 and over by the same author.