Middle-school students, called "transescent learners," are at an age during which they undergo physical and intellectual changes that affect them emotionally and socially, causing confused thinking and insecure feelings. This paper offers seven guidelines to help the middle-school teacher select and present reading materials that enhance learning by minimizing insecurity. The guidelines are to provide as much independent reading as possible; to structure the choices for independent reading; to analyze reading materials according to sentence length and complexity, vocabulary, and concept density; to use the student's background by providing materials on subjects that are familiar to the student; to use reading materials that have egocentric content, reflecting the learner's interests; to emphasize content organization as a means of improving reading comprehension; and to value convergent thinking, which will stimulate learning while it provides security. (RL)