Recommended Books for Montessori School Parents
Paula Lillard Preschlack and Nalisa Ward • June 8, 2016

Recommended Books for Montessori Parents


Several people have asked us to suggest a few great books for Montessori school parents and educators. Here is a list of books, both new and old, that we highly recommend adding to your personal library. This is a list of the “best of the best,” as far as we know, giving you the most valuable information in writing styles that we found to be informative, enjoyable and engaging. Most of these books can be purchased at your favorite local book store, such as Lake Forest Book Store or online via the links provided. Enjoy! 


The Gift of Failure

By Jessica Lahey
Harper Collins, 2015


I love this book! I have read it through twice and continue to underline and refer to sections, as both an educator and a parent of emerging teens. Jessica Lahey has a great perspective as an experienced and successful middle school teacher, but also as a humble parent. This book fits well with the philosophy of a good Montessori school; it is a great testament to the idea that certain “truths” can be unearthed if one looks carefully enough. –PP


Reclaiming Conversation

By Sherry Turkle
Penguin Press, 2015


The Directors and I went to hear Sherry Turkle speak at Lake Forest College this past fall, and her book quickly became a favorite. This book explores: “Our passion for technology tempts us away from face to face conversation, but conversation is a cornerstone for empathy as well as democracy; it sustains the best in education and in business it is good for the bottom line.” From a Montessori School, to the family dinner table, to the college classroom, Turkle explores the importance for face-to-face conversation through anecdotes, research results and conversations with her students and patients. Finally, in a positive, encouraging manner, she tells us what we can do in our families, friendships and businesses to keep ourselves healthy and happy in this increasingly digital world. –PP


Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

By Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
Ballantine Books, 2006


This is a book that has really stayed with me. Carol Dweck explores the concept of what it means to have a fixed or growth mindset and what the life repercussions are for having one or the other. I keep reflecting on it as a parent – it has shaped how I perceive and speak to my children. I keep asking myself if I am approaching situations with a fixed mindset or one of growth that includes practice and persistence. Carol Dweck does a wonderful job of presenting solutions and practical applications in the book. I don’t say this lightly when I say that this book can change your life, and subsequently those around you! -NW


The Blessing of a Skinned Knee

By Wendy Mogel
Scribner, 2001


The Directors at our Montessori school read and discussed ‘The Blessing of a Skinned Knee’ this past winter, and we agreed that it is just as relevant today as it was 15 years ago. It is called, “A practical and refreshing antidote to anxious over-parenting.” Mogel combines her experiences as a parent, a psychologist, and as a Rabbi, to guide parents to use their moral values and common sense in raising their children. We found this book insightful, thought-provoking and inspiring. –PP


The Big Disconnect

By Catherine Steiner-Adair
HarperCollins, 2013


In thinking about the perils of getting our 14-year old son launched into high school with his first laptop computer, I re-visited this excellent book just this past weekend. Steiner-Adair gives great information and excellent advice for parents of infants - all the way through adolescence. We need to be informed and confident to make the best decisions about technology in our children’s lives. Although I personally, as an educator who works with young children, might go a step farther and discourage parents from exposing their children to any technology at all, Steiner-Adair certainly makes the case for being very cautious. I appreciate her expertise, her many stories, and her references to sound research. –PP


How to Talk So Kids will Listen and Listen So Kids will Talk

By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
HarperCollins, 2005


This is a great book. With cartoons and humor, Faber and Mazlish refresh the approach to everyday parenting struggles. They teach us how to really listen and become better communicators with our children, so that they can learn to communicate well too. I recommend reading it before you stumble into those first, truly difficult conversations with your children. It is never to early or too late to get this book on your nightstand!
(These authors wrote another specifically for parenting teens, as well, which is also very good). –PP


What Happy People Know

By Dan Baker
Rodale, 2003


This is an all-time favorite of Paula Lillard’s, and ours as well. Dan Baker was at the beginning of the positive psychology movement, proposing that we lead with our strengths. Baker also explains that all emotions basically stem from either love, or fear. This wonderful book is alive with fascinating anecdotes from Baker’s many years as a psychiatrist. I think it is safe to say that the approach at a Montessori school is based, in large part, on the kind of positive psychology explained in this book. –PP


The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

By Charles Duhigg
Random House, 2012/14


This is such a fun book to read, and again, I must say I re-read all my underlined sections several time s a year. Through fascinating true stories about business and life, Duhigg shows us the research and the reasons behind our habitual behaviors. Most importantly, he explains clearly how we can change our habits or start new ones. Discovering this book made a lasting impact in my life –I think you will get a lot out of it too! -PP


The Road to Character

By David Brooks


I am listening to this book in my car as I drive my children and run and run errands. I am only at the beginning, but it is a compelling book. It begins with the premise of the differences between our “eulogy virtues” (our inner roadmap that gives our life purpose), and “resume virtues” (traits that lead to external success). David brooks writes: “The essential drama of life is the drama to construct character, which is an engraved set of disciplined habits, a settled disposition to do good”. He tells stories of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, and looks at how they have built strong inner character through their struggles and experiences. When my family heads out of town on a road trip to visit colleges, my son and I will listen to this inspiring book together. –NW


The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your Calling

By Stephen Cope
Bantam Books, 2012


This is a really inspiring book about creativity, finding your personal or professional calling, and aligning the two. You will learn a lot about the Bhagavad Gita- a renowned Hindu allegory- and the lives of some famous people- (among them: Walt Whitman, Jane Goodall, Harriet Tubman, and Ludwig Von Beethoven). If you are looking for some inner guidance for finding your calling in life, or for rekindling a creative interest, this is a good summer read for anyone. -PP


Printable PDF of this post
Forest Bluff School graduates perform a song onstage at their high school talent show.

Montessori Graduates Shine in High School Talent Show

By Margaret J. Kelley • May 19, 2025
I attended the Lake Forest High School Talent Show for the first time in February (2025). I’d been interested in it for years—watching talented young people with the courage to perform before a crowd is one of my favorite things to do. But it wasn’t until this year, when a friend with a child in the talent show actually procured tickets for me that I finally got around to going. The show runs three nights in a row, and we attended the second night. I brought my own ten-year-old daughter who has a special interest in singing and performing with me. As we settled into our seats and watched the show begin to unfold, I was struck by three things, in quick succession. First was the positive, welcoming community that made up Lake Forest High School (LFHS). There were cheerful parents working the concession stand and selling raffle tickets. There were enthusiastic teenagers, gathering in groups and excitedly finding their seats. Second was the immense array of talent already apparent just a few acts in—The MC’s who entertained the audience with skits and banter between performances, the pit band who played a variety of songs during downtime, the entertaining short videos that interspersed the live performances, and, of course, the extraordinary talent of the participants themselves. We saw various bands, a pianist (“And hockey player!”, more than one person pointed out to me) whose fingers flew over the keys, two girls who tap danced across the stage to Hamilton, a young woman who belted out an opera song that almost took the roof off the school, and many other incredible feats of talent and courage. Third, and most personal for me, were the Montessori alumni I saw that night. They were scattered throughout the crowd, supporting their peers. I saw the dark french braid of a sophomore who I’d known in the Young Children’s Community at Forest Bluff School. I noticed the wide smile of one of the most cheerful Primary students I’d ever known, and I overheard the happy laughter of a confident sophomore who’d graduated from eighth grade and was now surrounded by new friends. But the Montessori alumni who struck me the most that night were the Forest Bluff graduates I saw on the stage, participating in the talent show itself. There were three young women—a sophomore assisting with the live production, a junior who performed as a drummer in two acts and the pit band, and a senior who performed in several acts and served as the stage director for the entire production. These students are all markedly different in their temperaments and talents, and were supporting the show in vastly different ways, but they were all integral to the performance. They were all contributing to the experience for hundreds of students, parents, and community members, sharing their work ethic, skills, and inborn strengths. Two questions began to form as I watched them work together to create this two and a half hour feat—How did Montessori play a part in what these students were able to do tonight? And—How was Montessori able to serve these different young women in ways that allowed them to find their roles in the same shared experience? Fortunately for me (and for you!)I know all three girls personally. I reached out to them individually and asked them if (in exchange for a coffee or tea of their choice) they’d be willing to sit down with me to tell me more about what they did for the show, what the experience was like for them, and what role Montessori had played in preparing them for this work. They all responded quickly and cheerfully—happy to discuss their experiences with the LFHS talent show and their Montessori education. 
Two adolescents canoe down a river with trees in the background

Montessori Adolescent Program FAQs

By Abbey Dickson & John Dickson • April 23, 2025
At Forest Bluff School, the Secondary Level is a two-year program for adolescents, in which they continue their self-formation through more rigorous academic study as well experiential learning that includes service and wilderness trips. The Secondary Level has all the hallmarks of a Montessori adolescent program, with a focus on independence, responsibility, self-directed learning, community and collaboration, and practical life skills.