With the intensity of the California gold rush, corporations are racing to stake their claim on the consumer group formerly known as children. What was once the purview of a handful of companies has escalated into a gargantuan enterprise estimated at over $15 billion annually. While parents struggle to set limits at home, marketing executives work day and night to undermine their efforts with irresistible messages.

, psychologist Susan Linn takes a comprehensive and unsparing look at the demographic advertisers call the kid market, taking readers on a compelling and disconcerting journey through modern childhood as envisioned by commercial interests. Children are now the focus of a marketing maelstrom, targets for everything from minivans to M&M counting books. All aspects of children’s lives - their health, education, creativity, and values - are at risk of being compromised by their status in the marketplace.

is a call to action for parents, educators, legislators and anyone who cares about the health and well-being of children.