When I was a teen, I was completely the opposite of your average kid. I worked almost full time and attended school, sure—I was taking mostly advanced courses and dually enrolled in the community college as well. But I was also leading dozens of organizations, retreats, clubs, and the like. I didn’t drink; instead, I went to leadership conferences—and sometimes held my own. I didn’t go out and party, and rarely stayed over with a friend; I was too busy designing ways to make the people in our school closer, more respectful of one another, and feeling more connected.

Did it work? Well, sometimes. It didn’t help that I was incredibly shy and felt uncomfortable approaching people! But what really helped me do these things, despite lots of sugar to keep me awake (pixie sticks, gummy bears and Twizzlers, mostly) and the support of some trusted school advisors, were the motivational speakers at the conferences I’d attend and their works. Boy did they have a ton of cool ideas about improving schools that they “borrowed” from other schools—and their books were pretty awesome, too.

One such book was called Teen Power: A Treasury of Solid Gold Advice for Today’s Teens from America’s Top Youth Speakers, Trainers, and Authors. Some of it isn’t so hot, I have to tell you that up front; however, most of it is fantastic, with plenty of advice plus exercises to do at your own school to make it a better place.

I was so fortunate to see some of these speakers—Norm Hull, Mark Scharenbroich, and C. Kevin Wanzer—in person, some multiple times. I became a sort of motivational speaker groupie, “collecting” them and their advice, certain I would be one someday. (I’m still far too shy to do that, I think!) Each one, you see, is insanely funny as well as inspiring—goosebump-inducing, really—and they all provide real stories about real teens who make a difference.

One of my favorites in the book is about a girl who didn’t appear to be a leader—she just blended right in. But as the school was filing out of the assembly room, bottlenecking at one door, she simply opened the other door, dropped its doorstop down, and moved on—helping everyone else get through more efficiently without being noticed or recognized. Scharenbroich said they all should have hoisted her up on their shoulders and declared her their leader, for that was what she was!

Similar stories fill the book, complete with leadership qualities and acronyms to remember them all by. Perfect for leadership groups, the classroom, or any teen wishing to improve the world, Teen Power is a must-read for any fledgling leader.