Adolescence has a way of sneaking up on kids, knocking their legs out from under them and leaving them confused, excitable, and smelly. Two new titles approach the thrills and chills of puberty in very different ways.

Think of Girl in the Know as a sort of Coles Notes to female puberty. In it, University of Manitoba professor Anne Katz (who is also a registered nurse and sexuality counsellor) provides a good, if rough, explanation for a number of aspects of puberty, including hygiene, body changes, menstruation, mood swings, self-esteem, fitness, changing friendships, and nutrition. Similarly, Monika Melnychuk’s sweet, approachable illustrations do an excellent job of representing a wide variety of cultural and fashion aesthetics.

The book covers its topics in simple, clear, and supportive language. It includes details on managing changing relationships with parents (“although they can remember how they felt when they were that age, that doesn’t mean they’ll be good at [interacting with you]”) and helpful tips on everything from creating an emergency sanitary pad out of toilet paper to mitigating the effects of all those new feelings through creativity, stress-reduction, and exercise.

One surprising omission is information on sexuality, which is briefly touched on in the section on crushes (happily, same-sex crushes are included), a bit on kissing, and some reminders about inappropriate touching. The final chapter of the book (“More Questions?”) indirectly acknowledges that the book raises more questions than it can thoroughly answer. Girl in the Know works best as a starting point for young girls looking for basic information, or for parents who are unsure how to begin the conversations.

For i.d., Toronto-based writer and youth counsellor Kate Scowen gathered 12 real-life adolescent tales. These stories – at turns heartbreaking, tender, and vibrant – focus on key moments from the storytellers’ pre-teen or teen years that helped them answer the question “Who am I?” Covering everything from physical abuse and emotional neglect to cultural alienation and body image, the book allows readers to find a small piece of themselves within it.

What makes the stories truly sing are the illustrations by Peter Mitchell. The brief tales – each about 200 words – are given an additional layer of edgy complexity thanks to the gritty detail Mitchell includes in the images. (E.g., the fingers emerging from under a blanket to illustrate a story about two childhood friends involved in a lesbian relationship.)

The subjects addressed here are difficult and sometimes upsetting, and the tales are told in simple, straightforward language, but what will really resonate with young readers are the familiar feelings of confusion, sadness, and anger that are part of the teen years. Particularly helpful and poignant are the brief Q&A follow-ups: Scowen asks each storyteller to reflect on how even the most traumatic experiences (getting punched in the face by your father at the dinner table, for example) can help define the type of person kids become as they mature. The book is rounded out by a list of resources for teens – help-lines, books (both fiction and non-fiction), and websites that will provide support and information for kids struggling with any of the issues outlined in the tales.

i.d. does an excellent job of delivering hard truths to teens without a whiff of heavy-handedness.