100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders ๐Ÿš€

Friendship Smart: A Parent's Guide

Twelve principles to help tweens and teens build strong, secure relationships
Brief Description
Following on from her groundbreaking Tweens, educator and bestselling author Michelle Mitchell's new, wide-ranging research-backed book is the essential friendship guide for parents with tweens and teenage children. For more than 30 years, Michelle has interacted with tweens and teens after tricky friendship days. Over that... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3299
Elsewhere:
$4000
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Following on from her groundbreaking Tweens, educator and bestselling author Michelle Mitchell's new, wide-ranging research-backed book is the essential friendship guide for parents with tweens and teenage children.

For more than 30 years, Michelle has interacted with tweens and teens after tricky friendship days. Over that time, she has developed a set of twelve friendship principles that have helped thousands of parents and their children through the most complex areas of growing up.

This book is not just about your child's friendship challenges today; they change daily. This book is about friendship principles that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

In these pages, Michelle has put what she has learnt about friendships into clear, accessible and helpful language that you can transfer to your tween or teen in moments that matter the most.

The twelve principles are:

  • Principle 1 - Worthiness
  • Principle 2 - Belonging
  • Principle 3 - Reciprocity
  • Principle 4 - Trust
  • Principle 5 - Placement
  • Principle 6 - Constructive Conflict
  • Principle 7 - Protection
  • Principle 8 - Steadiness
  • Principle 9 - Boundaries
  • Principle 10 - Reconciliation
  • Principle 11 - Perspective
  • Principle 12 - Growth

With these 12 principles, Michelle has seen young people voice their needs, stand strong and experience more meaningful connections. Most importantly, she has seen these principles give kids options in life.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781761345326

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 July 2026

Country: Australia

Imprint: Penguin Random House Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 1.0mm

Width: 1.0mm

Height: 1.0mm

Weight: 1g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Michelle Mitchell is an educator, author and award-winning speaker. She has been termed 'the teenage expert' by the media and is sought after for her compassionate and grounded advice about parenting tweens and teens. Michelle started her career as a teacher, but soon discovered a special interest in wellbeing. She left teaching in 2000 and founded Youth Excel, a 'boutique' health promotion charity that delivered tailor-made life skills programs and psychological services to thousands of young people and their families each year. Today she uses her experience to champion parents of tweens and teens.

Also by Michelle Mitchell

View all
  • Everyday Resilience
    Everyday Resilience is about developing our childrenโ€™s resilience muscle in the everyday moments of life, so when the big challenges arrive they are ready. The way our children handle โ€˜small knocksโ€™ is crucial, as it will be the foundation for much bigger things. Parents have an opportunity to see each small knock as a teachable moment to build resilience and...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Self-Harm
    โ€˜A much-needed resource empowering readers with powerful insights, a road map of practical strategies and above all else hope.โ€™ Karen Young โ€“ child & adolescent anxiety specialist Helping teens and tweens cope when times are tough. Wisdom infused, hope-filled and research driven. If you have a child who is struggling with self-harm, I want to remind you that you are...
    Paperback
    $3500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Tweens
    Tweens is a book full of wisdom, compassion, and guidance, which I believe will help families, schools, and communities everywhere take better care of our tweens. - Maggie Dent, bestselling parenting author and host of the ABC podcast Parental as Anything If your child is between the ages of nine and twelve, you are in the throes of the 'between'...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

More from Parenting & Family

View all
  • Raising Human Beings
    Raising Human Beings by Dr. Ross W. Greene, renowned child psychologist and bestselling author of Lost at School and The Explosive Child, presents a transformative approach to parenting that helps foster strong parent-child relationships while nurturing key traits such as empathy, honesty, resilience, and independence. This insightful guide is not only a manual for good parenting but also a roadmap...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Backorder
    Ships mid August
  • Mum, I Want to Hear Your Story
    Give Your Mum a Beautiful Gift of Legacy, Love, and Lasting Memories Mum, I Want to Hear Your Story is the fun and delightful way for you to discover everything from your mother's childhood memories to the profound turning points in her life. Featuring specially selected questions in an easy-to-use layout, each intentional section gives Mum a place to share...
    Paperback
    $2099
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story (Expanded Edition)
    Honour his legacy with the greatest gift of allโ€”his story. The Official Hear Your Story Collection Your dad's story is more than just memoriesโ€”it's a journey filled with wisdom, experiences, and defining moments that shaped his life. Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story is a guided journal that gives him the chance to share those stories in his own...
    Paperback
    $2099
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Things I Told My Notes App
    New Release
    Things I Told My Notes App
    The candid, laugh-out-loud guide on self-love and learning to choose yourself from a self-proclaimed oversharerโ€”perfect for fans of Dolly Alderton's Everything I Know About Love. A relatable, honest and inspiring collection of inside thoughts about love, life, and personal growthโ€”the good, the bad, the laugh-out-loud funnyโ€”from viral storyteller and queen of oversharing, Milly Goldsmith. Milly has captured the online hearts...
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Why Men Love Bitches
    Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov is an eye-opening and empowering guide for women who are ready to transform their dating and relationship habits. This insightful book delves into the dynamics of male-female relationships and teaches women how to embrace their inner strength, confidence, and independence to attract and keep the man they desire. Avoiding conventional advice, Argov offers...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $4300
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Explosive Child [Sixth Edition]
    The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene, PhD, now in its revised and updated sixth edition, delves deeply into a revolutionary, research-based approach to understanding and parenting children who frequently display severe fits of temper and other challenging behaviours. Penned by a distinguished clinician and pioneer in addressing the needs of children with social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties, this ground-breaking...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $3299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Us
    Stop working on yourself as an individual and start working on your relationship as a couple, with the help of the renowned family therapist Terrence Real. 'The book that we all need' - Esther Perel 'A road map for all of us who seek true intimacy' - Gwyneth Paltrow 'A revolutionary guide to happy, thriving couplehood' - Lori Gottlieb Not...
    Paperback
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • We Are Shiz (Universal Pictures Wicked)
    Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Nessarose, and Boq star in this Little Golden Book based on Universal Pictures' blockbuster film Wicked! Welcome to Shiz University, where knowledge meets magic! Meet Shiz students Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Nessarose, and Boq, as they star in this Little Golden Book based on Universal Pictures' Wicked! Little Golden Books enjoy nearly 100% consumer recognition. They feature beloved...
    Hardback
    $500
    Elsewhere:
    $699
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Attached
    Is there a science to love? In the revelatory book Attached, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine and psychologist Rachel S. F. Heller delve into the world of attachment theory, offering illuminating insights and practical advice on navigating relationships. Pioneered by psychologist John Bowlby in the 1950s, attachment theory posits that our behavioural patterns in relationships stem from one of three...
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Whole-Brain Child: 12 revolutionary strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
    Are you often left bewildered by your child's outbursts or stubborn behaviour? Do you find it challenging to understand why they seem to act irrationally? The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by esteemed neuropsychiatrist Daniel J. Siegel and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson provides enlightening answers to these common parenting dilemmas. This groundbreaking and...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Good Inside
    โ€˜The voice of reason for a generation ofโ€ฆ mums and dadsโ€™ โ€“ The Guardian Wildly popular parenting expert Dr Becky Kennedy shares her groundbreaking approach to raising kids in a way that feels good. Over the past several years, Dr Becky Kennedyโ€”known to her followers as โ€˜Dr Beckyโ€™โ€”has been sparking a parenting revolution. Millions of parents, tired of following advice...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Secure
    Dr Amir Levine, co-author of the groundbreaking, multimillion-copy international bestseller Attached, presents a bold new promiseโ€”that anyone can learn to create a secure lifeโ€”and offers practical cutting-edge tools to achieve it. Years after revolutionising our understanding of attachment styles, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr Amir Levine returns with a brilliant, paradigm-shifting work on the science of secure human connection. As Dr...
    Paperback
    $3300
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.