Heidi Stevens: Middle school has a lousy reputation. (Frenemies! Hormones! Lockers!) New book aims to change all that.

Middle school's reputation hovers somewhere between root canal and jury duty.

The social minefields. The academic load. The pressure to fit in even as your body and brain are doing unrecognizable things.

It doesn't have to be as bad as all that. With the help of some cheerful, hopeful, knowledgeable experts, the middle school years can be so much more than a period to endure. Author and educator Michelle Icard's work is some of my favorite on the topic. (Check her out at michelleinthemiddle.com.)

Now there's a new book, "Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle