'elegant, detailed, thoughtful ... A great strength of his account is the use of the local records of some clinics, especially those in Scotland, offering an invaluable basis for further local study.' Bulletin of the History of Medicine 'will be of interest to academics and students from any number of disciplines ... this is the first really comprehensive study of the movement ... Stewart's accessible style provides a useful introduction and overview for those unfamiliar with the subject while also offering novel, and sometimes provocative, conclusions that will encourage debate with expert readers.' Social History of Medicine 'a valuable edition to existing scholarship as it is the first such study for this period.' Twentieth Century British History 'This book provides a significant contribution to debates about "the mind of the child" in the early twentieth century. There are fascinating insights for the historian of children into individual case histories, and into the perceived significance of "maladjustment". It will be invaluable for undergraduate students as well as researchers.' Mary Clare Martin, University of Greenwich 'Through his scholarly and critical exploration of the British child guidance movement, Stewart makes a significant contribution to the history of the modern welfare state and the history of childhood, as well as the history of psychiatry and the newly emerging disciplines of psychology and psychiatric social work.' Linda Bryder, The University of Auckland

• Chapter 1 Introduction: 'An Enigma to Their Parents'; Chapter 1a Child Guidance Comes to Britain; Chapter 2 Professionals; Chapter 3 The Spread of Child Guidance in the 1930s; Chapter 4 Normalcy, Happiness and Child Guidance in Practice; Chapter 5 Child Guidance in Wartime; Chapter 6 Child Guidance and the British Welfare State; Chapter 7 Child Guidance in Britain at Mid-Century: 'More Akin to Magic than to Medicine'; Chapter 9 Conclusion: ‘The Dangerous Age of Childhood’;

'elegant, detailed, thoughtful ... A great strength of his account is the use of the local records of some clinics, especially those in Scotland, offering an invaluable basis for further local study.' Bulletin of the History of Medicine 'will be of interest to academics and students from any number of disciplines ... this is the first really comprehensive study of the movement ... Stewart's accessible style provides a useful introduction and overview for those unfamiliar with the subject while also offering novel, and sometimes provocative, conclusions that will encourage debate with expert readers.' Social History of Medicine 'a valuable edition to existing scholarship as it is the first such study for this period.' Twentieth Century British History 'This book provides a significant contribution to debates about "the mind of the child" in the early twentieth century. There are fascinating insights for the historian of children into individual case histories, and into the perceived significance of "maladjustment". It will be invaluable for undergraduate students as well as researchers.' Mary Clare Martin, University of Greenwich 'Through his scholarly and critical exploration of the British child guidance movement, Stewart makes a significant contribution to the history of the modern welfare state and the history of childhood, as well as the history of psychiatry and the newly emerging disciplines of psychology and psychiatric social work.' Linda Bryder, The University of Auckland

• Chapter 1 Introduction: 'An Enigma to Their Parents'; Chapter 1a Child Guidance Comes to Britain; Chapter 2 Professionals; Chapter 3 The Spread of Child Guidance in the 1930s; Chapter 4 Normalcy, Happiness and Child Guidance in Practice; Chapter 5 Child Guidance in Wartime; Chapter 6 Child Guidance and the British Welfare State; Chapter 7 Child Guidance in Britain at Mid-Century: 'More Akin to Magic than to Medicine'; Chapter 9 Conclusion: ‘The Dangerous Age of Childhood’;