A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Comments: A well-loved classic and 1963 Newberry Medal winner. Ages 9 and older learn about personal power as they travel with children of a gifted scientist and a missing physicist through time and space to triumph over evil. Especially a great book for gifted introverts. This was my daughter's very most favorite book in 5th grade.

The Silver Pony: A Story in Pictures by Lynd Ward Comments: Told only in pictures, this is story of a lonely farm boy who confuses his dreams of adventure on a winged pony with reality. Loneliness is a concept that is imposed on introverts by concerned extroverts. This book helps to make a bridge between your child's reality and that which will be imposed on him or her from outside. It is another book that deals with "loved real" reality of introverts.

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech Comments: For that special quiet middle child by a Newberry Prize Winner. Zinnia's life begins to change when she stumbles upon a hidden, overgrown pathway that stretches from edge of her family's farm into great unknown. The journey begins this way for introverted child. Grades 4-6.

The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg Comments: This book centers around a group of four brilliant introverted 12-year-olds and tea party they have each Saturday morning. Ages 8-12.

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende Comments: Small and insignificant Bastian Balthazar Bux is nobody's idea of a hero, least of all his own. Around 12.

Introverts have a few very close friends. They aren't interested in joining clubs, learning to dance, getting on pep squad or other activities which they consider superficial and a waste of time. Please don't send your introverted child out to play with other kids. Let them go to their room and shut door!

The good news is that percentage of introverts increases as you go up intellectual scale. There are usually more introverts in college, among Phi Beta Kappa students and recipients of Rhodes Scholar awards than their 30% distribution in population as a whole.

It's important to understand as well how damaging it is for you and other relatives to covertly expect your introverted child to "turn into" an extrovert. This puts an impossible burden on an introverted child and does much to destroy their sense of self worth.

Introversion is a legitimate personality type. Your child couldn't change even they wanted to and many an introverted child has been crushed under this expectation. Instead, learn positive attirbutes of introverts and then help your child to learn them as well.

Introverts can focus and concentrate. They are able to tune out distractions. They listen beautifully and remember well.

Introverts have a rich inner world and need not be lonely. Many are content to read for hours and should be allowed, even encouraged, to do so.

Some famous introverts can be used to point out to your child that success is not related to introversion or extroversion but to hard work, learning, preparation and personal achievement. Famous introverts such as Michael Jordan, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Warren Buffett and Steven Spielberg prove that introverts make contributions to world we live in far greater proportion than their numbers.

Speaking of famous introverts, Hans Christian Andersen is an introvert who wrote a story all introverted children should read. There are few who will not relate emotionally to "The Ugly Duckling". Read this story to your child!

There is another thing you can help your introverted child with and that is to acquire enough of a "personality" that they can cope in social situations. A "personality" in this sense is a set of social behaviors that allows them to cope with minimum societal expectations.

But never expect them to be someting they are not. The great analyst Karl Jung makes it very clear that way for introverts to win is to become more consciously introverted rather than to try and be something they are not. Every spiritual teaching in world would agree ... find yourself and be yourself. Your introverted child can do this with your help!