So You Want To Be A Doctor (So You Want To Be A...)
About
RECIPIENT of the Mom's Choice Award® Gold — Honoring Excellence
WINNER of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award
The patient in front of you is frightened. They don’t fully understand what is happening inside their own body. They are trusting you — your knowledge, your judgment, your steadiness — at one of the most vulnerable moments of their life. That trust is not a detail of this work. It is the center of it.
So You Want To Be A Doctor takes young readers ages 10–14 inside one of the most rigorous and most consequential professions on earth — not the television version, but the real one. The years of study and training that happen before a physician ever sees a patient alone. The specific discipline of holding an enormous body of knowledge in your mind and applying exactly the right piece of it in exactly the right moment. The team of nurses, specialists, technicians, and surgeons working in careful coordination so that one person, at the most critical moment, receives exactly the care they need. The diagnosis that comes swiftly and cleanly — and the one that requires every tool and every instinct you have ever developed.
This is a book about what doctors actually do: the human biology they master at a level most people never approach, the diagnostic reasoning they use to find what is wrong when the symptoms point in three directions at once, the procedures they perform with precision under pressure, and the deep, sustained compassion they bring to patients who need more than medicine — who need to feel that someone genuinely understands what they are going through. It’s also a book about what the work costs, what it gives back, and why the people who do it say that nothing in their lives has ever mattered more.
Inside, young readers will discover:
- What a real doctor’s training and daily work actually looks like — from medical school to hospital rounds to a life in practice
- The science of the human body and what physicians must understand to keep it healthy and heal it when it isn’t
- The emotional demands and intellectual rigor the profession requires — and how doctors learn to carry both
- The extraordinary range of medicine — from emergency trauma to pediatrics to research — and what each path offers
- What young people can do right now to discover if this might be their calling
Honest, specific, and genuinely illuminating, So You Want To Be A Doctor doesn’t talk down to young readers — it brings them all the way in. Because the child who wants to know what this work is really like deserves a real answer.
For readers who feel the pull toward something that is equal parts science and humanity. For the kid who wants to understand how the body works — and what it means to be the person who helps it heal.
Medicine is one of the oldest callings in human history. And every generation, it needs someone new to answer it. Maybe that someone is you.
Ages 10–14 · Nonfiction · Careers & Professions · Illustrated
Praise for this book
"A doctor's job is akin to that of a detective. Doctors offer solutions to problems that afflict the human body. Linda Soules' So You Want to Be a Doctor sheds light on one of the world's most prestigious and important professions. In this book, young readers will discover what it takes to be a doctor. Doctors work across a wide range of specialities, including medicine, pediatrics, oncology, and many more. This book takes readers through a doctor's career, showing how they work and the tools they use for diagnosis and analysis. Doctors have to make serious decisions under pressure, sometimes even without having all the information. Walk through the daily life of a doctor and learn how they serve their community and society as a whole.
So You Want to Be a Doctor is for all young aspirants who want to pursue a career in medicine and help people stay healthy. Linda Soules has written a series of books on careers for young people. And this book is about a career that has an impact on almost everyone's day-to-day lives. The accessible writing style will appeal to preteens and young teenagers alike. The author makes sure that each topic is explained in detail, ensuring that readers understand all the fundamental aspects of being a doctor. The lively illustrations also complement the narrative perfectly. This is one of the best career guides for children that I've ever read. I found it very informative and motivational. It's also concisely written, authentic, and illuminating. Highly recommended."
"So You Want To Be A Doctor by Linda Soules is a smart and engaging career guide for kids who are curious about medicine and want to know what being a doctor is really like. The book makes a great comparison between doctors and detectives, showing how physicians study symptoms, ask questions, and piece together clues to figure out what’s going on inside the body. It introduces young readers to the science behind the profession, from body systems and diagnosis to the tools doctors use every day, while keeping the information clear and approachable.
What makes this book stand out to me is that it doesn’t make medicine look easy or glamorous. Soules is honest about the years of school, the long hours, the pressure, and the emotional weight that comes with caring for people. At the same time, she also shows why the work can be so rewarding. Kids get a real sense of what happens during hospital rounds, how doctors work with nurses and specialists, and how different fields like pediatrics, emergency medicine, surgery, oncology, and research all play a role in healthcare.
The book’s tone is encouraging without talking down to its readers, which is perfect for older kids and young teens who are starting to think seriously about the future. I liked how it focuses not only on knowledge and skill, but also on compassion, teamwork, and emotional intelligence. Doctors don’t just solve medical puzzles, they support patients and families through scary, uncertain moments. That human side gives the book a lot of warmth and makes the profession feel meaningful instead of distant. The illustrations help make the more complex ideas easier to understand, and the fun facts, history pieces, and practical suggestions give curious readers plenty to explore.
Soules also does a wonderful job showing that good medicine isn’t only about tests, tools, and diagnoses. One of the book’s most memorable lines says, 'The doctor who listens carefully, who explains clearly, who makes the patient feel heard and cared for – is practicing medicine at its fullest.' That idea gives the book a lot of heart and reminds young readers that compassion is just as important as knowledge.
So You Want To Be A Doctor is informative, motivating, and realistic, making it a strong choice for science-loving kids who think they might want a future in medicine. It’s especially well suited for readers around 10 to 14, though slightly older kids may get even more out of its details and behind-the-scenes look at the medical world."
"Linda Soules's Doctor meets its young readers where they actually are: curious, capable, and ready for truth. This is career writing with backbone, aimed at ten- to twelve-year-olds without the hollow cheerleading most guides offer.
Soules frames medicine as detective work: patients arrive with clues, doctors listen, examine, and reason toward answers. She tours clinics and hospitals, introduces the stethoscope and scans, and explains how nurses, pharmacists, and social workers share the load. What stayed with me was the balance. The book celebrates small victories yet never hides grief, eleven years of school, or the shift from curing to comforting. As a parent, I valued the author's closing line about not abandoning patients, and the actionable list on first aid, anatomy books, and asking your own doctor real questions.
Soules writes in clear, warm prose that explains terms like residency without talking down. Historical profiles of Paul Farmer and Elizabeth Blackwell add depth. The day-in-the-life timeline feels vivid. The prose earns trust by admitting what doctors cannot fix. A solid glossary helps. Illustrations support every page.
If your child bandages stuffed animals or asks why lungs sound different when sick, keep this guide on the shelf. It opens medicine with compassion and realism, and sparks family conversations long after the last page. Highly recommended for curious middle graders and reading parents."
"It does not only explain the job, but it also gives children ideas on how to prepare, such as learning first aid, studying the human body, or volunteering. It also includes helpful additions like a glossary and reading suggestions, which make it more than just a simple book."
"My kid actually read the whole thing which never happens. It explains what doctors really do day to day — not just the cool stuff but also the hard parts too... The pictures are nice and it doesn't talk down to kids."
"Excellent book that takes a child's desire to be a doctor seriously. The pros, cons, and surprises of the profession are explained... The book also offers next steps and gives credible references for education and more information."
"It does not sugarcoat things but shows kids the reality as is. What especially stood out to me in the book was its focus on emotional competence, a part of being a doctor that is often overlooked."
"My 12 year old with autism is obsessed with the medical field and has read this book over and over he loves it so much."
"By the end, I had the sense of having read something that functions as both introduction and orientation: a way of thinking about medicine as an intellectual and ethical commitment."
"What stands out is how honest and balanced the approach is. It encourages curiosity and ambition, but also sets clear expectations about the discipline and compassion the role requires. I appreciated how it speaks to kids without talking down to them."
"A very thorough resource for older elementary school and middle school kids who are considering a medical profession... This book provides a helpful way for kids to decide if this career is right for them as well as practical steps to take now."
"What a great short read!! I as an adult learned things I didn't know or thought of, like how the stethoscope came to be. My favorite parts were the brief history segments like the first female doctor and creation of palliative care, as well as the example of a doctor's workday."
"This was a good read. I wish there were a book like this when I was growing up. I think it would have sparked a bigger interest in the healthcare field."
"It doesn't talk down to children — it explains the hard parts too, like when doctors can't fix everything. The illustrations are warm and the 'day in the life' section was a favorite."
"I was very impressed with this book, as I have been with the others from this series. I think it is an amazing educational resource for children exploring different professions. I appreciate the information aspect of this reading, but also the illustrations. With children in particular, images capture their attention quickly. I highly recommend this!"
"Love these books! This is great for any child wanting more information, in a fun and engaging way, about what it would be like to be a doctor. This would be a good classroom addition during career week or for researching careers that kids are actually interested in. As with all of these 'So You Want to Be a...' books, the illustrations are some of my favorite pieces! The information is also great, especially the 'Tools of the Trade' that breaks down the different tools that doctors use to help patients. I think one of the most important pieces is the best/hardest parts of the job breakdown."
"This book is so underrated. When I started reading it I thought it was going to be like a generic book. But I was positively surprised when I finished it. It’s such an informative and interesting book, I learnt so many facts I didn’t know about doctors."