This glossary-style book about sex and related issues for teens is intended to be an everything – you – need – to – know – about – sex book. Jane Pavanel, a Montreal children’s book editor, addresses a wide variety of topics, about 75% of which deal directly with sex; the remainder of the book covers sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, abortion, menstruation, and abuse. The information in the book is accurate, common worries about sex are addressed head on, and feelings and values are at the centre of many entries.

There are some odd choices in information given (about half of the entry on “Lesbian” is about Sappho). Although the book is indexed, a table of contents would have made the information more accessible. What many teens will be vainly looking for in this book are more details about sexual acts. In the two pages under “Sexual Intercourse” the only description is that it is “penis-vagina sex.” Teens who are not sexually active will be left with many questions about what they will actually do when the time comes.

The book’s cover shows the title on a scrap of paper, with the “ex” in the word sex torn off, a coy presentation for a straightforward book. The black-and-white illustrations inside the book don’t help either: they’re cute cartoons that trivialize the content and will decrease the chance of teens buying this book. However, this doesn’t matter too much, since the book will mainly be bought by parents for their teens.