I rarely review books in this column because every time I do, I begin receiving numerous unwanted solicitations from not just book publishers but manufacturers of various and sundry products to make parenting even more expensive than it is already. Nonetheless, every policy has its exceptions. In this case, I'm making four exceptions on behalf of three exceptional books.

"Have a New Kid by Friday" (Revell, $17.99), Dr. Kevin Leman

Leman is known for being a veritable fountain of down-to-earth, commonsense parenting wisdom as well as his sometimes mischievous wit, and he does not disappoint on either count in this, his latest tome. The subtitle, "How to Change Your Child's Attitude, Behavior, and Character in 5 Days," might provoke skepticism, but Leman delivers in spades. His five-day game plan for restoring your authority and taking back your family is nothing short of a blueprint for effective parenting. After laying out his five-day rehab program, which is actually about rehabbing yourselves more than it is about your kids, Leman spends more than 150 pages addressing every conceivable parenting issue from potty training to tattoos and body piercings. For more information, go to lemanbooksandvideos.com.

"Confident Parenting" (Bethany House), Jim Burns

Written in a relaxed and conversational style and full of engaging anecdotes, it should take even a slow reader no more than an afternoon to digest this book. Burns begins by talking about breaking generational chains of dysfunction, and then moves into the realms of effective parent-child communication (the best misbehavior preventive there is), discipline, boundary-setting and finally, creating a family atmosphere that provides a sense of safe haven for all concerned. If there's one word I'd give to this book, the word is inspirational.

"Internet Protect Your Kids" (Thomas Nelson, $13.99), Stephen Arterburn and Roger Marsh.

As regular readers of this column know, I am more than alarmed at the dangers potential to allowing a child, even one who has a driver's license, to surf the Internet unsupervised. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard horror stories of good kids gone really bad due to involvement with unhealthy aspects of the information highway. Predators, pornography, the lure of instant fame through sites like YouTube, the debilitating addiction of online gaming -- this book covers them all and more. After educating parents as to the shocking facts about the Internet's dark side, Arterburn and Marsh provide parents with workable strategies for minimizing if not eliminating the dangers and maximizing the Internet's potential benefits.