Why did I write this eBook? I wrote it so that tweens and teens could have a "map" to a happier and more purposeful life, now and in the future. Do I have all the answers? Of course not, but kids have been an active part of my whole life, as the oldest in the family, parent, teacher, poet, and grandparent. Sometimes I think that there is a ten-year-old kid trapped inside of me whose ready to jump out and fling a ball around with the first person he sees. That kid wants to play and laugh. That's why I am "stuck" with the nickname "Silly" Sottile (So-till-ee). And I have written two poetry books for kids because my sense of humor finds a waiting home in children's poetry.

101 SECRETS! A BACKPACK OF INSPIRATION AND HOPE FOR TWEENS and teens is my legacy to my five grandchildren and all of the kids that I never had a chance to teach. Fortunately, during my elementary teacher career I did teach many students. Some of the stories are contained in this eBook, and touched with humor.

HOW CAN THIS BOOK HELP YOU AND YOUR KIDS? This self-help guide for tweens, teens, and adults offers suggestions, wisdom, and encouraging stories that will deflate the worse fears and habits of preteens. Preteens will learn to deal more effectively with their worries, insecurities, anger, blame, bullies, and fear itself. They will increase their self-esteem, self-confidence, and respect for people of all ages.

They will discover strategies for making friends, doing better in school, learning how to be happier and more purposeful in life--starting today! This is a must-read book for preteens, teens, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, principals, and all those adults who frequently guide the lives of children.

The 101 secrets are designed to provide inspiration and hope for all tweens by a teacher of thirty-three years. Joe Sottile taught over 1,000 students, and many of them claim that he was their "favorite teacher" because Joe demonstrated these secrets, the power of words, and humor in the classroom every day.

Joe misses his days as a teacher, but now he is a children's poet, author, and visiting poet. He loves sharing his love for poetry wherever he is asked to visit. As a retired teacher, that is his mission in life now: to make the world a better place one poem or poetry performance at a time.