It happens to every parent. One day, you have a sweet son or daughter who loves to snuggle on the couch and who puts a smile on your face just by walking into the room. The next day, it's as if someone left the door open and let in an alien with a smart mouth and an attitude that, frankly, you could do without. Entering middle school is like stepping onto a different planet—for parent and child alike. It's a planet where peer pressure, social media, and hormones can wreak havoc in your child's life and in your relationship with him or her.

But these years don't have to create chaos in your family. Parenting expert and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Kevin Leman's time-tested principles will aid parents in helping their middle schooler not only survive but thrive during these turbulent years on Planet Middle School. He shows parents how to understand their child's rapidly expanding world, respond rather than react to emotional swings, tell their child about sex (before someone else tells them their version), create opportunities for their child to practice selflessness and gratitude, and ensure that their kid is one who loves home and family. Middle schoolers can be a weird, unpredictable species. But with a little help from Dr. Leman, parents will be able to ride out the interstellar storm with humor and confidence.