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I have read and recommend all the titles pictured and listed for Grades 4-12. Any of these could be grouped together into Book Clubs-as well as read as a whole class or for individual reading. Below, I post 22 of my more-recent * Book Reviews.

Upper Elementary/Middle Grade Novels: The Goldfish Boy; Finding Perfect; Perfect; Focused*; Give & Take*; Guts (graphic); What about Will* (verse novel); OCDaniel; The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl*; Forget Me Not (verse/prose novel); The Sea in Winter*

Girl in Pieces; Impulse (verse novel); After the Death of Anna Gonzales (verse novel); Monday's Not Coming*; My Heart and Other Black Holes; Underwater; The Burn Journals (memoir); The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B; Wintergirls; Forget Me Not (verse novel); Every Last Word; The Visitors*; ADHD & Me; In Sight of Stars*; Turtles All the Way Down*; Memory of Light; Saving Red (verse novel); Scars; Darius the Great is Not Okay*; Words on Bathroom Walls*

Characters with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Marcelo in the Real World; Planet Earth is Blue*; Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen*; Al Capone Does My Shirts (and series); Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?*; Anything But Typical; Same But Different; Mockingbird; Rogue; Rules; The Someday Birds*; M Is for Autism; Rain Reign; Tornado Brain; Counting by 7's

Family Members with Mental Health Issues: No Fixed Address; The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins*; Small as an Elephant*; Family Game Night*; Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe*; The Impossible Knife of Memory; Everything Everything; Stop Pretending (verse memoir); Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me*; Waiting for Normal; Each Tiny Spark; Trowbridge Road*; My Life in the Fish Tank*

For Educators: Fostering Mental Health Literacy Through Adolescent Literature
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Focused by Alyson Gerber
Focused shares the story of Clea Adams, a seventh grader who has ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Clea works as hard as she can on her schoolwork but just cannot seem to complete all the tasks; she doesn't always follow directions, finish assignments, or remember what she needs to do. She feels that she isn't trying hard enough or isn't smart enough to achieve. She is also affected socially as she blurts out whatever she is thinking, interrupting conversations and sharing the secrets of others.

Luckily, on the positive side, she has a best friend Red, a new girlfriend Sanam, a supportive family, and she is really good at chess, which she loves. Chess is the one activity where she seems to be able to focus. But when her lack of focus and impulsivity cause her to lose her friendship with Red and possibly forfeit her chance to remain on the chess team, Clea needs to take action. She is tested for ADHD and learns that it is her condition that controls her actions, rather than lack of intelligence or willingness to support her friends.

Clea learns that she needs to follow the advice of her psychiatrist, parents, and school counselor and to advocate for herself. "I don't notice if anyone starts whispering about me when I walk back into the room, but I don't care if they do, because for the first time all year, I got exactly what I needed and I know for sure I did my best." (262)

According to the American Psychiatric Association, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. As of August 2018, an estimated 10 percent of children (over 6 million school-age children) had been diagnosed with ADHD. And that is why this novel offers not only a good story, but is important for children with ADHD and those who love, live, and work with them to read. Focused will provide not only support for some readers who see their struggles valued in a novel but a map to navigate the difficulties of functioning with ADHD, and for others it will provide understanding of, and empathy for, those friends, family, and peers who may be facing some of Clea's challenges.
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Give and Take by Elly Swartz
"My insides are filled with a missing that can't be fixed with words." (85) Twelve-year-old Maggie's world seems to be filled with good-byes. It all began on the first worst day of her life-"Forgot Me Day," the day her Nana forgot who Maggie was, and then the second worst day, the day Nana died. Maggie becomes anxious that she will forget what is special in her life, and she starts collecting mementoes of small moments. She hides boxes under her bed and in her closet, boxes filled with gifts but also milk cartons and straws from lunches, sticks, rocks, anything that will help her remember.
When the family takes in a foster baby, Maggie knows it is temporary to give the baby a good start until she gets her forever family but Maggie hides away baby socks and diaper tabs. "A little something. To remember. So my memories don't disappear." (13) Baby Izzie is adopted and Maggie is filled with a "giant missing."

When her secret is discovered, her parents send her to work with Dr. Sparrow, who helps her work toward "a heart big enough to love a lot and a brain healthy enough to let go." (267)

During all this, Maggie meets a new friend, Mason, who joins their formerly all-girl trapshooting team; helps her little brother Charlie makes friends; finds-and loses-a pet turtle; and has to decide whether to tell a friend's secret, a secret that could be hurtful to others, risking the loss of that friendship.

Maggie, who struggles with anxiety manifested through hoarding, joins her author-Elly-Swartz-sisters Frankie, who in Smart Cookie is dealing with the loss of her mother, and Molly who struggles with OCD in Finding Perfect in my heart. Their stories will help some young adolescents see their lives reflected and challenges honored and will give others the empathy to understand their peers. For the adult who read these novels, they may provide a flash of insight into those in our classrooms and families.
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What about Will by Ellen Hopkins
Twelve-year-old Trace's world changes when his older brother Will is injured in a high school football accidental collision with another player. Luckily, he was not paralyzed,
"But his brain had volleyed
Between the sides of his skull
So hard it was swollen." (14)

Will is left with rages, headaches, and a "wrecked" facial nerve leaving him with no expression except for a facial tick. Their mother blames their father for letting Will play football and their already-fragile marriage dissolves when she leaves for a permanent tour with her band. "When you're scared, blame comes easy." (13)

Will changes, dumping his loyal girlfriend and hanging out with new friends-a seemingly bad crowd who he sneaks out to join at all hours, and Trace is left without the big brother he remembers.
"Probably what I miss
most of all, though,
is having a big brother
to talk to. Some things
you can't tell just anyone. "(18)

Luckily Trace has Bram, his best friend, and a new friend, Cat, the newest member and only girl (and maybe best player) on Trace's Little League team and his new partner in the Gifted program at school. Cat has a troubled older brother and empathizes with Trace. When Cat's father, the famous baseball player Victor Sanchez, signs Trace's glove, Will steals and pawns it. In fact, Will has stolen all of Trace's saved money, and Trace becomes suspicious of Will's "activities" but is hesitant to bother his father who works hard and has a new girlfriend.

Also "I keep thinking if I
keep his secrets
don't tell Dad
don't bother Mom
he'll trust me enough
to tell me why he hardly
ever leaves his room, and where
he goes when he ducks
out the door the minute
Dad's back is turned.

I miss the original Will." (25)

As things become worse, Trace realizes,
"I need someone here for me..."
I feel like a kite
Come loose from its string
And its tail tangled up
In a very tall tree.
No way to rescue it
Unless a perfect w
Whisp of wind
Plucks it just right, sets it free." (333)

When Will overdoses (mistake? suicide attempt?), everyone-Dad, Lily, Mom, Mom's boyfriend, their neighbor, Cat, and Bram-comes together and support not only Will but Trace.
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The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
When she was 8, Lucy was struck by lightning. Damaging the left lobe of her brain, the right lobe works overtime, causing acquired savant syndrome. Lucy is a math genius-and has OCD; she makes certain movements 3 times to quiet the numbers of pi in her head and is germ phobic. Homeschooled by her grandmother, she never had to worry about fitting in, except with her fellow math geeks on the Math Whiz site. At age 12 she has her GED and thinks she is ready to begin college classes.

But Nana has other plans, and she enrolls Lucy in 7th grade at the local middle school for one year. There Lucy hides her identity as a "freak" and makes two friends, but when her secret is revealed, she finds out that middle school is where many feel different and anxious, even the popular kids.

Reading this wonderful new book for grade 4-8 readers straight through, I fell in love with Lucy and empathized with her struggles to understand human behavior-the mean girls who bully her, making fun of her differences and excluding her; the boy who cheats off her in math class and is constantly taking photographs; the BFF who betrays her. When she works on a school project and falls in love with a dog at the shelter, she learns to reach out to save him and finds there are people she can depend on, especially Levy, the cheater. Levy grew into my favorite behavior because, an outsider himself, he understood human behavior and was able to capture, appreciate, and share the complexity through his photography.

Middle school is where very few fit in-whether a genius or not.
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The Sea In Winter by Christine Day
Middle-school student Maisie Cannon is an aspiring ballerina. As she writes in her school free-write journal, "My ballet school has always been my sanctuary." (3) She has no friends at her middle school; all her friends are from ballet classes and attend different schools. She sees her academic classes, such as Algebra, as pointless for her future, and her grades are slipping. And it has only gotten worse since the day she tore her Achilles tendon. Her goal now through physical therapy is to be able to attend a spring audition for ballet schools that are recruiting for their summer programs across the country.

However, Maisie has begun distancing herself from even her ballet friends, snapping at the family members, and her grades are becoming worse. On her family mid-winter break trip, she realizes that "even though I'm sitting here with my family, with the people I love so much, I feel weird. Disconnected from myself. Like I'm not fully here with them, right now." (64) Watching her little brother, "He really is the human version of a ray of sunshine. I hope he never changes. I hope he never becomes a human storm cloud. Like me." (138)

During their trip she re-injures her leg on a hike, tripping over a root. In the hospital, her mother realizes that Maisie might need another type of therapist, "Someone who can help you sort through these feelings, this-this loss you're going through," (189) and she contacts the therapist who has helped her since Maisie's father's sudden death.

"None of this means that you've failed," Jack tells me. It just means that you're moving forward. Which is about the bravest thing any of us can do." (190)

Dr Estrada helps Maisie to realize that her negative thoughts-thoughts of failure and feelings that [her] family doesn't love her as much as she loves them. Or that [her] friends don't really want to hear from her (221)-are symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Masie is 100% Native. Her mother is Makah and her father who dies in Afghanistan before she was born, Piscataway from the opposite side of the country. Her stepfather is also from the west coast, "an enrolled citizen of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe" and a geoduck diver. The story is interspersed with Native history and justice issues, much as is Christine Day's I Can Make This Promise.
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Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
'Without Monday by my side, I was jumping alone in shark-infested waters..." (10) Claudia sees Monday as her best friend, her sister, her soul-mate. But Monday isn't there when Claudia returns from her summer visit to Georgia; she's not there the first day of school, the first week, the first month, and no one else seems to be looking for her but Claudia. She gets evasive, conflicting answers from Monday's mother, her sister April, and the adults at her school, and the police. Even her parents vacillate between helping her and forbidding her from visiting the dangerous complex where Monday lives.

How will she navigate the school bullies and hide her dyslexia so that she can apply to the top DC high school with Monday without Monday to stand up for her and fix her homework? Who will prepare her for her first dance solo? Who will help her navigate her first romance?

This is another well-crafted Tiffany Jackson novel. The timeline fluctuates so that the reader learns the story in bits and pieces, appreciating this format at the end. Part mystery, part the story of responsibility for others, this is the story of constant friendship and persistent loyalty which begs the question "Who's really responsible for your well-being-your family, the government, or your community?" (421)
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The Visitors by Greg Howard
"All I know for sure is that a boy was hurt, and it was my fault. I don't know exactly how he was hurt or what my part in it was, though. Those memories are gone, and I say good riddance. Ever since then, I haven't been able to leave. So I try my best to carry on like the other lost souls around here, wishing for the day when we all might find a way to move on. But wishing is easy at Hollow Pines. It's the being stuck here that's hard." (6)

Since his death, a 12-year old boy is stuck trapped in a former South Carolina Plantation with no way to move on. He doesn't remember who he is or how he died or when he died. His "family" now consists of former inhabitants of the plantation: Retha Mae, the cook; Emma, her assistant; Teacherman, tutor to the owner's stepchildren; Miss Rebecca, the owner's grieving wife; Cousin Cornelius; Preacher; and Jackson Culpepper the Third, the evil owner of the plantation, and his malevolent shadow spirits.

When three adolescent visitors-Thomas, twins Mateo and Maya, and dog Goldie-arrive, the boy reveals himself, hoping they can somehow help him to remember and move on. Unfortunately Jackson Culpepper has other ideas for their souls.
* * *
"The sting of Daddy's hand on my face. The names I was called at school-"sissy," "homo," "queer." The heaviness in my head and the tightness in my chest. Ronnie. Ronnie's betrayal-twice. (179)

The dead boy's story is skillfully interwoven with the story of Will Perkins, a 7th grader who was relentlessly bullied for being gay, constantly abused by his father after his mother abandoned them, and betrayed by his best friend, and who disappeared 50 years previously. Coincidentally, the three visitors are investigating the disappearance of Will Perkins whose body was never discovered.

This is a most beautifully-written story of mystery, suspense, friendship, betrayal, and real history, a story that tackles impactful subjects, such as slavery, trans and gay children, and mental health. I read through in two days, sitting on the edge of my seat, making guesses along with the protagonist.

Not only a riveting story that will engage all readers, even reluctant readers, The Visitors is an essential story to have available to all adolescent readers because

As the author states, "They (LGBTQ youth) need to feel seen and have their experiences, and their stories, validated." and

"Young non-queer readers can learn empathy by reading stories about queer, othered, and marginalized kids." (Author's Note, 247)

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people; and

LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to seriously consider suicide, to make a plan for suicide, and to attempt suicide than their peers (The Trevor Project)

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In Sight of Stars by Gae Polisner
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that "children who lost a parent due to suicide when they were teenagers or young adults had the highest chance of being hospitalized for a suicide attempt in the first 2 years after the parental suicide." This highlights the vital importance of providing support to children who are grieving.
Klee's father committed suicide, and Klee was the one who found him. If that weren't bad enough, his mother moves Klee away from his friends and Manhattan for a senior year in a new high school in the suburbs, away from the museums, art, and parks he loves-the museums, art, and parks where he spent time listening to his father's stories about Van Gogh and life-and from his friends.

Klee looks for support in Sarah, his one new friend, but he may be demanding more than she can give. When she disappoints him, he cuts himself with a knife and ends up in a psychiatric hospital.

The reader lives through Klee's hospitalization with him; as does he, we wonder what is real, what is imagined. Who can he trust? He already found that he cannot trust his perfect mother, or can he? Who is real, and whom does he fabricate. How much like his favorite artist, Van Gogh, is he?

Gae Polisner creates a perfect puzzle. I was reminded of the sliding puzzles I played with in childhood. But in sliding puzzles, there always is a piece missing. And Klee finds he does have a piece of the puzzle that is missing and when he finds it, he may be able to build the picture and trust again.

The story is skillfully crafted, as each piece slides into the opening left by the movement of another piece. The characters-Klee, Dr. Alvarez, Sister Agnes Teresa, Martin, Sarah, and even Klee's mother-are well-developed and are integral parts of the puzzle. There is a transcendental or ethereal quality that reminds me of A.S King's Still Life with Tornado. There are so many pathways and levels offered by this novel that I know I will read it many more times.

"...the sight of stars is always right there. Right in your line of vision. Even on the cloudiest day."
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by John Green
This novel introduced me to a new favorite character, Aza, whose name takes her through the alphabet and back again. Aza suffers from debilitating anxiety. Green, through Aza, is very effective at describing her condition to the readers, the way it spirals out of control, controlling her life as she tries to figure out who her "self" is. "I was beginning to learn that your life is a story told about you, not one that you tell."

And as much as Aza tries to control herself and her relationships, her thoughts take over, sometimes rendering her helpless, other times dictating her actions. Her thoughts intrude in her relationship with her new boyfriend Miles and almost derail her relationship with her best friend.

The plot involves a mystery which I perceived more as a vehicle for the characters' evolving relationships as they all-Aza, Daisy, Miles and his brother Noah-explore the world, face loss, and navigate relationships with parents and friends. "...the world is also the stories we tell about it" and John Green helps readers understand the complexities of life-especially life with loss and mental illness.
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Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
"I had never been surrounded by my family before. Not really.
"I loved them.
"I loved how their eyelashes were long and dark and distinct, just like mine. And how their noses curved around a little bump in the middle, just like mine. And how their hair cow-licked in three separate places, just like mine."(174)

Darius Kellner just didn't fit in. He was a Fractional Persian who was a little overweight from his medicines for clinical depression. He didn't fit in in school where he was one of two Persian students, Javaneh being a True Persian. He didn't fit in at school where he was bullied by Trent and his Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy. He didn't fit in at work at Tea Haven where they steeped every tea to a full boil despite the advice of Darius who knew teas.

And he didn't fit in his family: with his mother, a True Persian; and his father, the Ubermensch, a handsome blonde American with Aryan looks; and his little sister, Laleh, who was also a Fractional Persian but was popular at school and spoke fluent Farsi with her Persian relatives and friends.

But when Darius and his family go to Iran to visit his grandmother and dying grandfather, Darius becomes Darioush and is enveloped by his extended family and the Persian culture, makes a new best friend, plays "soccer/non-American football" and finds that he is actually good, and he learns more about his father. "I finally managed to open up the well inside me."(299) But the most important lesson he learns is that Darius the Great is not okay, and that is okay.

Through Darius' story, YA readers will learn about tPersian culture and how it feels to stand with one foot in two worlds.
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Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton
He is very tall, somewhat irreverent, and has schizophrenia, but there was something about Adam that captivated me immediately. I had to keep reading his story. I would be washing dishes and think, "What is Adam doing now? I have to get back to him." I even was fascinated with his hallucinations, or imaginary friends, especially Rebecca who is almost always with him and the Mob boss who can cause chaos but also can just sit with an espresso and cannoli.

Adam was diagnosed in his mid-teens with schizophrenia and at 16 is starting a new school and is part of a trial for a new drug. He still sees people and hears voices and thinks of himself as "crazy," but he is now almost sure of what and who are real-most of the time. He won't talk at his therapy sessions, and so this novel is a compilation of his weekly journals to his therapist.

Adam has a supportive mother and stepfather and during this year he falls in love with Maya, who he is pretty sure is real; makes a best friend, the pale, serious, nerdy Dwight; and gains the wrath of the school bully. He wants to keep his secret from all of them, especially Maya. "I don't want to lose my secrets, because they keep me safe" (153).

His "corporeally-challenged" friends as he begins to think of them even become supportive and one of the funniest scenes is when his new half-sister is born. "My hallucinations...hung out behind my mom's bed and made faces at the baby. She couldn't see them, but I didn't want to spoil their fun" (277).

When the drug begins to fail and his condition is revealed, Adam learns just how supportive his family and friends can be.

There is a 2020 film adaption of the novel.

Note: A study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health found about 1 in 5 teens in the United States suffer from a mental disorder severe enough to their impact daily activities. Schizophrenia is one of the most complex of all mental health disorders. It is a severe, chronic, and disabling disturbance of the brain that causes distorted thinking, strange feelings, and unusual behavior and use of language and words. Statistics indicate that schizophrenia affects approximately 2.4 million Americans.
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Neurodiversitiy and Neurodivergence
The term "neurodiversity" was coined by Judy Singer, an Autistic Sociologist, in the 1990s. While the term "neurodiversity" encompasses all of the many and varying ways of thinking, learning and processing information that human brains can achieve, neurodivergence describes a brain that differs from the neurotypical norm. The word "neurodivergent" commonly refers to people who are Autistic, have ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia or Tourette's Syndrome. (Twinkl.com) In 2021, the CDC reported that approximately 1 in 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (CDC.gov)

Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
Nova, an adolescent with nonverbal autism, is locked in her own world with limited communication. She is able to open up this world with the help of her older sister Bridget, the one person who acknowledges her intelligence and takes care of her when their mother can't. Nova and Bridget share a love for space and space exploration, and their knowledge is vast. As they are taken away from their mother and moved from foster home to foster home, Bridget looks forward to turning eighteen when she promised she will be able to take care of Nova on her own.

When the story begins, Bridget and Nova have run away from their last foster home, and Nova has been placed in a new home with loving foster parents and their older daughter; they all want to get to know Nova, her limitations, but also her capabilities. Meanwhile Nova begins school, repeating sixth grade, experiencing endless testing (her social worker who has classified her as "severely mentally retarded") and getting to know new peers in her special education room, each with their own challenges and abilities. The classmates bond, but Nova is desperately waiting for the Challenger launch with the first teacher aboard; Bridget has promised to find her so they can watch the launch together.

The story is told in alternating third person, the story of Nova's life with Francine, Billy, and Joanie and school and first person which the reader views through Nova's letters to Bridget-which are, in actuality, illegible. I found it very effective to read about people and events and then re-read them from Nova's perspective.

Having read that the story incorporated the 1986 Challenger space shuttle launch, I began reading this novel with a feeling of trepidation. I assume that this might be experienced in a different way by readers of diverse ages. It is a moving story (have a tissue ready), and Nova becomes a character we can all champion as she experiences the disadvantages and finally the benefits of the foster system. Readers will learn a lot about space and our space program, but they will also learn how many times people are judged on assumptions.

In 2018 the CDC determined that approximately 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to a study by Boston University, about 30 percent of people diagnosed with ASD "never learn to speak more than a few words." Also, on any given day, there are nearly 428,000 children in foster care in the United States. Today's children are dealing with multiple challenges, and many are in our classrooms. And that is why novels, such as Nicole Panteleakos' debut novel Planet Earth is Blue, belong in our school or classroom libraries.
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Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapit
Things are changing, and it's all because of baseball." (39)

Middle-school student Vivian Jane Cohen loves baseball and wants to be a knuckleball pitcher when she grows up. This has been her goal ever since, three years before, she attended an Autism Foundation "social thingy" and met Major League pitcher VJ Capello who showed her how to pitch a knuckleball. "The problem is, I've never pitched in a real game. I don't play for a team. And I don't know if I ever will." (1)

It's Vivy's mother who thinks that being the only girl on a baseball team would be too much for Vivy's challenges. "My challenges. Of course. It always comes back to that, doesn't it? And I do know I have challenges, but sometimes I feel like Mom doesn't see all the things I CAN do." (91) And her supportive father doesn't speak up. And her big brother Nate, who says she throws a wicked knuckleball, has been MIA from her life lately.

As an assignment for her social skills group, Vivy has to write a letter to someone. She chooses VJ Capello (same initials as hers), and they soon start writing back and forth as Vivy, in letters to and supported by VJ, describes her journey after she finally convinces her mother to let her join the Flying Squirrels: bullying by the coach's son, support from and friendship with her catcher, and the ups and downs of pitching well ["Could it be true? They weren't staring at me because I'm weird, but because I can do something really well?" (106)] and pitching not so well.

Then Vivy is hit in the head with a ball and has to convince her mother all over again.

Through all her trials and tribulations, [It's not like anyone ever told me that I'm brain-damaged or anything. But... normal kids don't have to go to therapy and social skills group all the time. Normal kids don't have mothers who worry about every little thing they do.... Normal kids don't get called monkey girl." (220)], Vivy is supported by the missives from VJ. "I know you're facing difficulties that are somewhat unique...I can't really say what it's like to be an autistic girl on a baseball team. I'm sure it's hard. As a Black, Ivy League-educated knuckleballer, I know a few things about being an outsider even on your own team." (63)

When Vivy finds out why Nate has been so secretive, it is her chance to support him and his new relationship in the same way as VJ tells Vivy, "Just know this: You have another knuckleball pitcher rooting for you." (50)

Sarah Kapit's epistolary novel covers a variety of topics: Girls in Sports, Baseball, Autism, LGBTQIA+ character, Jewish Cultural Traditions, and Resilience.
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Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor
"You're having a new kind of year." Mr. Menkis says it for me. "Treat yourself sweetly, Aurora. Change happens. It's the world's number one constant." (66)

Sixth-grader Aurora Petrequin has known Frenchie Livernois since the beginning of third grade when he and his mother rented their next-door house. The best friends are inseparable and opposite. Frenchie has autism and doesn't speak-at all; Aurora is loud and talks impulsively-all the time. Together they explore nature-Frenchie obsessed with birds, Auruora with rocks, especially finding a tourmaline, a mineral produced in areas of her native Maine.

Aurora has no trouble understanding Frenchie and interpreting his body language, and one goal she has is to help others see him. When Sheree of Troviosity gifts Frenchie with an expensive Audubon print of a nuthatch for his bird print collection, Aurora says, "Thanks for seeing him." (99)

But then sixth grade arrives, and for the first time Frenchie is in a different class and has a new aide, Mr. Menkis. Aurora panics, "Mom! Pop! Gracia! There's a mess-up of all mess-ups here! Frenchie and I got put in different classes." (3) And another change is that two new students move to her school and class and, for the first time, besides Frenchie, Aurora has friends.

When Frenchie disappears one day, Aurora panics and feels guilty for not walking him to his room that morning. While they search for Frenchie, Aurora examines everything she knows about him. As she tells Joanie and Leena, "Frenchie doesn't get lost.... He gets me unlost. Like a human compass." (86)

But one day turns into two. "I'm thinking about Frenchie. Best Days. Like, when Cedar came home. And family dinners and pancake Sundays. Bird hounding and rock hounding, and me cheering Frenchie on the day he learned to float. Him going along with me, the times we trailed the piebald deer. And him knowing the way home. Having a true friend-the thing I am aching for this morning. (265)

And this is truly a story about friendship. It is not about neurodiversity; it is not about nature (although nature is a catalyst and a bond between Frenchie and Aurora and between many of the townspeople), it is first and foremost about the power and symbiotic relationship of friendship like no novel I have every read.

As the town gathers and comes together to look for Frenchie, adding more and more people to the search, people who remember meeting Frenchie with Aurora, people begin to see Frenchie, "[Aurora's] bird-loving, no-talk, very best friend." (321)

A story told in multiple viewpoints for all upper elementary and middle school readers offering adventure, mystery, nature, characters of all ages from baby Cedar to adults who sometimes surprise us-and heart.
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Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express by Ryan Elizabeth Peete and RJ Peete
Ryan Elizabeth Peete and RJ Peete's novel Same But Different is based on their own lives. Characters Charlie and Callie are twins; Charlie has autism, and Callie feels that she needs to be his guide, support, rule-maker, and the person who is always there to stand up for him against bullies and those who try to take advantage of his naiveté. This year Callie is starting tenth grade, and Charlie is repeating ninth, but she is still there for him.

In alternating chapters Charlie (RJ) and Callie (Ryan) discuss their lives on the "Autism Express." Charlie takes us into his world where he "may have autism, but autism doesn't have [him]." Ryan takes us into her world where it seems that autism may have her a little more than she wants. Ryan does focus on how Charlie affects her life and her relationships with family and peers. It is clear that she loves Charlie and willingly takes responsibility for helping him, but she does stress the negative aspects.

Although every child affected by autism is at a different point of the spectrum and is affected in different ways, a book explaining at least one family's journey is a valuable addition to the classroom library, as a catalyst for generating important discussions among adolescents. Even though the characters are in high school, the book is appropriate for even young adolescents.
​
Parent-author Holly Robinson Peete provides an insightful introduction, "A Letter from Mom," and conclusion, "A Mother's Hope," as well as a valuable Resource Guide. A very important point she makes is her worry how RJ's future may be affected as a man of color with autism, a person who doesn't necessarily read the signals of our world.
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The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla
Anne Lamott wrote about writing Bird by Bird -and that is exactly what Sally Pla does in this novel. This emotional novel is written bird by bird (literally), character by character, event by event, emotion by emotion.

Charlie's father was an English teacher and a journalist. On an assignment in Afghanistan, he sustained a brain injury and now he does not appear to be aware of his family. He has been living in a hospital where a mysterious, bossy young woman visits him daily.

Charlie, the narrator of the story, is a neuro-diverse young adolescent; he washes his hands twelve times, is obsessively organized, doesn't like being touched, tries to distinguish emotions from visual clues, and is fixated with, and passionate about, birds. When his father is transferred from California to a hospital in Virginia for further treatment and his grandmother goes to be with him, Charlie, his younger twin brothers, and his 15-year-old boy-crazy sister, find themselves driving cross country with the stranger from the hospital room, a Bosnian woman named Ludmila.

Charlie decides that if he can find all the birds that he and his father had hoped to see- their Someday Birds-even the extinct ones, his father will be healed. Recognizing that this will at least serve to help Charlie feel better, Ludmila supports his endeavor and plans their trip around the needs of Charlie and the family. Meanwhile along the way they learn her story and her ties to their father.

They have adventures, meet people, find birds that were not even on the list, and Charlie acquires the journal of his hero, ornithologist, artist, and philosopher Tiberius Shaw, PhD, who he hopes to meet when they arrive in Virginia-as well as a dog he names Tiberius. At the end Charlie has redefined the meaning of success and, with the reader, has learned a bit of history and geography, and a lot about birds and human nature. "Bird's-eye views or close-up human views; the world is confusing and surprising both ways" (323).

Note: The book cover recommended the book for ages 8-12, but the characters of Davis, Charlie's sister, and Ludmila make this novel appropriate and interesting for adolescents of any age.
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Children with Family Members Affected by Mental Health Issues
According to the National Institute for Mental Health, 9.8 million Americans aged 18 or older, or 4.2% of the adult population, are living with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder. Other mental illnesses that may affect parenting and child welfare include obsessive-compulsive, paranoid, psychotic, panic, and posttraumatic stress disorders. Because two-thirds of females and one-half of men afflicted with serious mental illnesses are likely to be parents, "There's a significant number of individuals with some level of emotional distress who are raising children," says Joanne Nicholson, PhD, a professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center in The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University.

The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins by Gail Shepherd
This story of 11-year-old Lyndie Baines covers a lot of territory, but it is primarily about truth and the effect of lies or sometimes just not knowing the truth. The novel also shares the effects of war on those who serve, their families, and their communities.

Lyndie's father, his friends, and neighbors served in the war in Viet Nam. Some never returned, some returned with physical scars, and others, like Lyndie's dad, returned with psychological scars, scars which affect their families and lives.

Lyndon Baines (yes, named after that Lyndon Baines), an avid student of history, knows this isn't particular to the Viet Nam conflict; she has read many letters written by Civil War soldiers. She doesn't realize just how damaged her father is, but she suspects that he and her mother, a former activist who now stays in her bedroom with constant headaches, are not quite okay. "I don't think my parents know how to head us in the right direction" (24).

Lyndie struggles in her school, where she doesn't fit in; she struggles in her new home with her parents, Grandpa Tad, her proper Southern grandmother Lady, to whom keeping family secret private and keeping to schedules is primary, even when the family needs help and even if perpetually-grounded Lyddie needs a normal childhood; and she struggles with the type of person she wants to be-more like her altruistic best friend Dawn. She is a fighter, but she also cares about things deeply.
And then D.B. enters the picture, a former foster child released from a juvenile detention center to live with Dawn's family, at least for the school year. Lyndie decides she needs to save D.B. despite her father's words, "Take care, what you lend your heart to" (73). Through her relationship with D.B., Lyndie learns that things are not always what they seem-with him, with Pee Wee, with her family.
When things come to a crisis on her twelfth birthday, Lyndie has to take steps to expose the truth, "'No,' I correct myself. We're not okay. Not really.'" (267) and make things right-for her, her family, and D.B. and put all the scraps together.
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Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Jack's mother frequently spins out of control. Sometimes she is sad, sometimes she is normal and sorry about her behaviors, but more often she is "spinning"-loud and excited and full of fun, usually inappropriate. She takes Jack out of school to go to amusement parks and makes up games, but she also fights with her mother and takes away Jack's trust of his grandmother, and Jack wishes his mother would take her medication more regularly.

On a camping trip in Maine, she leaves Jack and disappears. It is up to this 11-year-old boy to find his way back to Massachusetts and, hopefully, his mother. Obsessed with elephants, Jack steals a toy elephant which becomes his good luck charm and battles weather, a broken finger, hunger, fatigue, and evading the police once he is listed as missing, before he learns to trust a new friend who takes him to Lydia, the elephant, and to his grandmother who will help make his life safe and filled with love. Part adventure, part confronting challenges and accepting help, this novel and its resilient character will appeal to many and raise empathy for what too many children face.
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Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes by Mary E. Lambert
Hoarding disorder (HD) affects an estimated 2% to 5% of the general population. HD is unique from other disorders because its symptoms are tangible and entail a large accumulation of objects that prevent the use of space for necessary or usual human functions. This abundance of objects results from a pathological failure to discard objects and not accumulate more. When hoarding is severe, it presents risk of physical and psychological harm to hoarders and their families. Hoarders cannot see that their behavior subjugates the entire family to a life that is permanently altered.

Where severe hoarding exists, families rarely have space for shared activities or they are forced to combine spaces inappropriately. Children often realize if they talk about their family secrets, they could lose their parents and homes.

As I wrote in "Hiding in Plain Sight: A Different Diversity," "Children and adolescents today face a host of diverse challenges, challenges of which we, as their teachers, may be unaware. These students sit in our classrooms, hidden in plain sight." And, it appears, one of those challenges may be a parent affected by HD.

I had, of course, heard of hoarders but did not realize the extent of the problem or the effect on the children until I lived through Annabelle's secret in Mary E. Lambert's novel Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes. Annabelle's mother is a hoarder, and almost every room of the house is filled with objects, well-organized objects. Mother lives in muumuus, the colors of which signal her moods, and doesn't leave the house.

One room is the exception. On her tenth birthday, Annabelle tossed everything in her bedroom out the window, clearing the room of anything nonessential; she checks once a week for anything not used within the last week. Her younger sister and older brother are not so lucky and live surrounded by piles of their mother's purchases, new and used. Leslie collects articles about the dangers of hoards and has nightly nightmares. Chad has checked out from family life.

The day the newspapers, organized by weather report, finally fall off the kitchen shelves onto Leslie, seventh-grader Annabelle was sure things would change. And they did. Their father left home; he knows something has to change, but he doesn't know how to change it. Their grandmother Nora comes to help, and there is a disastrous Family Game Night.

But as difficult as life is in a house filled to the brim with purchases, Annabelle's secret is safe from her friends and potential boyfriend. Annabelle has instituted a strict Five- Mile-Radius Rule. No one is invited to meet within a file mile radius of the house. When she first visits a new friend's house in fifth grade, "I thought families like Rae's, with houses that perfect, only existed in books or TV shows." (17) When her secret is discovered, she realizes that her friends do not let it affect their friendships; they are real friends.

This is the story of a strong adolescent who helps her family through a challenge as are many of our students, although the challenges may be diverse. It is a novel for those children who need to see themselves or someone like them in a book and for those adolescents who need to discover empathy for their peers.
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Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl
"Turns out, it's easier than you might think to sneak out of town smuggling a live cricket, three pocketsful of jerky, and two bags of half-paid-for merchandise from Thelma's Cash 'n' Carry grocery store. The hard part was getting up the guts to go." (1)
As the story begins, Ariana "Cricket" Overland's father and grandmother have died, her mother has left, and she is living with her Aunt Belinda who is secretly planning to pawn her off on Great-Aunt Genevieve. Her mother, a creative artist, has struggled between depression and wild adventures for years and is obsessed with a Bird Room she once saw, a room where "Everything was alive." Cricket is sure that her mother will return to lay her grandmother's headstone and, having said she wished her mother could "just be normal" (106) the night before she took off, Cricket wants to find the Bird Room and prove that her mother is not crazy and maybe find a treasure using clues hidden by the mysterious Mr. Bob. "I couldn't stop Mama from leaving, and I couldn't stop Daddy from dying, but I could sure do something now. (11)
When Aunt Belinda abandons her in Thelma's Cash 'n' Carry, Cricket takes her pet cricket, spends all her money on supplies and food, writing an IOU for what she can't afford, and takes off for Woods Time, as her father would say. Living in a tree house and following her father's guidelines for survival, she survives raccoons stealing most of her food and supplies and an ice storm, and explores the ghost town, torn down and abandoned by a lumber company, until clues-and a snake bite-lead her to Miss V, the one person whose house still exists, a woman who helps Cricket discover that not only her mother, but she, "contains multitudes." "I thought about what Miss V had said about Mama being more than what the neighbors thought.... And it wasn't who I was, either. I was my own, whole person....Maybe it was time to start taking chances on me." (203)
Ariana Overland is an adolescent a reader really wants to champion. I found myself cheering her on throughout the book. She joins the ranks of literary strong girls as the resourceful and resilient hero of an adventure story about family and identity.
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Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner
"Everything is screwed up. Even when I'm happy, I feel bad.
Nothing is simple.
Nothing feels okay.
And I can't remember a time when it did." (230)

Fifteen year old JL is overwhelmed with every teen challenge there is, and, on top of it all, the ghost of Jack Kerouac is haunting her family: JL's father left for a 6-month job on the other side of the country for 6 months, then a year, now possibly longer; her mother suffers from dissociative disorder and continually writes letters to Jack Kerouac; her Nana is sure everything is "all right" but she constantly recounts her one kiss with Jack Kerouac when she was a young girl. And is it a coincidence that JL's name, Jean Louise, is similar to Jack Kerouac's real name Jean-Louis? What is the power of Jack Kerouac over her family?

In other bad news, her best friend forever (literally), Aubrey, has dropped her for two other friends who don't appear to like her. Her 19-year old, cool, sweet boyfriend Max is seen as a loser by others and, while not pressuring her into sex, is impatiently waiting until she turns 16; he is a poet at heart (and an ardent reader) but underneath a typical teenage boy. The tropical butterflies she raises do not live very long, which she knows but still makes her sad.

JL is a study in vulnerability and resilience. She has tough choices to make-to choose her boyfriend over her best friend; to have sex with Max even though she has vowed to wait until she is 16; to abandon her mother, betray her father and grandmother, and go to California with Max after his graduation. While it may appear that author has heaped her heroine with more than one teen can expect, the sad truth is that many of our adolescents face some, if not all, of these challenges-family breakups, parental mental illness, sexual pressures, loss and abandonment.

Besides well-developed characters, I appreciate a well-structured plot. JL's story is told in flashbacks at different times and while this could be annoying, under Polisner's artful crafting, each flashback adds more complexity and understanding to the present plotline. A letter to JL is writing to Aubrey intersperses chapters and ends the story, letting us even further into the heart of the main character; we have seen where she was and we learn how far she has come. A hero's journey? A coming of age? As JL realizes "I'm just me, a sixteen-year-old girl." (270) Maybe things will now feel "okay."
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Trowbridge Road by Marcella Pixley
Since the first AIDS cases were reported in the United States in June 1981, the number of cases and deaths among persons with AIDS increased rapidly during the 1980s. (CDC). By the end of 1983, 2807 cases of AIDS-and 2118 deaths-had been reported. (NYC Aids Memorial).

One of those cases was June's father.

After June's father died, her mother, a celloist, shuttered herself up in her house, barely leaving the bedroom, terrified of anything that could possibly cause disease. She wouldn't go down to the kitchen because of its proximity to the door through which anything could come through, and as a result, June was frequently without food, except when Uncle Toby brought food during the week. Unfortunately, on the visits he was permitted, he missed the signs of his sister-in-law's mental illness.

When June went out, she was not to play with the other children and she needed to leave any disgustingness behind with endless baths with Clorox bleach. She spent her days in Nana Jean's copper beech tree watching Trowbridge Road and the world move on without her. "All the comings and goings of life." (8)

And then Ziggy moved in with Nana Jean. Ziggy's mother was an addict, abused by her boyfriend. Ziggy had a ferret and a fantastical imagination. And June had a friend who understood her and what she needed.

"[Ziggy's] heart was beating. It was gentle like my daddy's heart. It knew what kind of sadness lived inside that house, even before there was such a thing as AIDS. It knew what happens to a person when they hold on to secrets for too long, or what happens to a home when it becomes a holding place for those secrets, It crumbles. It burns." (288)

As June and Ziggy seek refuge in the magical Majestica where they have control of their lives.

June mother becomes worse until June realizes that she can, or should, no longer cover for her. "When I was alone with her, it was easier to pretend that things made sense. But with Uncle Toby in the kitchen, cringing every time she spoke, I found myself suddenly off balance. It was as though I had been walking on a rope bridge a hundred feet up. The bridge swayed back and forth over a raging river, but I had been keeping myself steady by pretending the bridge was strong....I suddenly saw that the bridge was made of fayed rope, and with every step I swayed from a dizzying height. That raging water I thought was lovely would actually kill me if I missed a step." (172-3)

The two children find help though the adults who love them-Nana Jean and Uncle Toby.

This is the story of children and adults dealing with many of the problems faced by today's families-mental illness, grief, abandonment, abuse, addiction, and bullying. This is a story of the destruction caused by secrets and the healing possible though relationships and those who believe in magic. It is a compassionate story that will break hearts and give hope.
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My Life in the Fish Tank by Barbara Dee
In seventh grade, Zinnia Manning's life changed dramatically. "Sometimes the bottom step fell out, and everything changed all of a sudden." (146) That was the year her beloved older brother Gabriel, away at college, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and sent to Redwoods Village, a residential treatment center.

Asked to keep her brother's condition "private," Zinny has nowhere to turn. Her mother has quit her teaching job, stopped cooking dinners, forgetting to buy groceries, and spends her days in her bedroom arguing with insurance companies; when anyone asks about Gabriel, she lies. Her father barely comes home for meals. Zinny's older sister Scarlett cuts off her hair, becomes distant, and refuses to visit Gabriel. Her younger brother Aiden becomes obsessed with turning a school project into a "survival" project but never actually works on it.

However, it appears that everyone in school and town seem to know that there is something wrong with Gabriel, and, when Zinny refuses to talk, she loses her two best friends. An avid science lover, she begins spending lunchtime in the science room with Ms. Molina and is very excited about crayfish they will be observing in their classroom. She also is "invited" to join the school counselor's weekly Lunch Club where, although reluctant to participate, she meets four 7th and 8th graders who also have home problems and are supportive of each other.

As the year progresses, "It was like after it happened, we were in a different time zone from everybody else. A parallel universe. And we needed some kind of new, not-yet-invented time measurement. Abnormal Standard Time. Also a compass and a map." (9) Later, when Scarlett admits that the last time she was happy was 'Definitely before Gabriel,' Zoe thinks, "She didn't need to explain; I knew that 'Definitely before Gabriel' was a complete sentence." (177) It is a year of changes. "I guess it would be weird to go through this and not change." (178), and when her group's crayfish escapes, Zinny learns, "There's stuff we can control and stuff we can't." (240)

Asked to finally describe her feelings, Zinny admits she is "'Mad. Tired. Worried.' Then I heard myself say: 'Ashamed.'" Mr. Patrick, the counselor assures her that all her feelings "all million of them-are completely okay. There's no right way to feel about it, and no wrong way either." (258)

The chronological narrative l is interspersed with flashbacks that let Zinny and the reader fill in missing puzzle pieces as a family copes with the challenges of mental illness. This isn't a novel about mental illness; it is a story of a family affected by mental illness.

Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by dramatic or abnormal mood changes typically fluctuating between major depression and extreme elation, or mania. The estimated number of teenagers with bipolar disorder is currently 2-3%. However, mental illness in general is common in teenagers. Approximately one in five teens (aged 12 to 18) suffer from at least one mental health disorder. (Polaris Teen Center). Because mental illness affects so many families-those of our readers and their classmates, it is crucial that novels on this important topic be available in all libraries and classrooms to generate the important conversations that need to be held.

"But mental health is different [than cancer or heart problems]."
"Why?"
"It just is. People make fun of it."
"Because they don't understand." (259)
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Fostering Mental Health Literacy Through Adolescent Literature edited by Brooke Eisenbach and Jason Scott Frydman
"Exploring Mental Health Literacy through Book Clubs," Chapter 10, written and contributed by Lesley Roessing and Jessica Traylor, discusses the advantages of employing Book Clubs for generating conversations about sensitive and challenging topics. In this chapter, we outline literacy and mental health strategies and lessons, using as examples five YA novels that present a variety of Mental Health issues: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson; A Memory of Light by Francisco Stork by Cheryl Rainfieldby Sonta Sonesand The Unlikely Hero of 13B by Teresa Toten.
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The website BOOK REVIEWS drop down menu includes reviews about novels on other topics.

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I have read and recommend all the titles pictured and listed for Grades 4-12. Any of these could be grouped together into Book Clubs-as well as read as a whole class or for individual reading. Below, I post 22 of my more-recent * Book Reviews.

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Calling the Wind: A Story of Healing and Hope

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Calling the Wind: A Story of Healing and Hope [Ludwig, Trudy, Otoshi, Kathryn] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Calling the Wind: A Story of Healing and Hope

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Fostering Mental Health Literacy Through Adolescent Literature

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Fostering Mental Health Literacy Through Adolescent Literature

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Fostering mental health literacy through adolescent literature | Lesley University

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New book edited by faculty Brooke Eisenbach and Jason Frydman shows how literature can support youth

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Umbrella Summer [Graff, Lisa] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Umbrella Summer

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-A true team:Each player has a equal place on the field
-Teacher as vulnerable facilitator and teacher as reader/writer
-Nonjudgemental community designed by all
-JOY in reading and writing
-4 C's ( Dr. Michelle Borba). C’s-caring, connection, coping and cultivate hope
-Build a 3rd place- separate from two usual social environments

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Jeff Zentner lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He came to writing through music, starting his creative life as a guitarist and eventually becoming a songwriter. He's released five albums and appeared on recordings with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Thurston Moore, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan, and Lydia Lunch, among others. Now he writes novels for young adults. He became interested in writing for young adults after volunteering at the Tennessee Teen Rock Camp and Southern Girls Rock Camp. As a kid, his parents would take him to the library and drop him off, where he would read until closing time. He worked at various bookstores through high school and college. He speaks fluent Portuguese, having lived in the Amazon region of Brazil for two years. Likes: The words and (and concepts) "murmur," "petrichor," and "feuillemort" Guitars The American South High-quality cable television dramas Autumn Baby elephants Cast-iron skillets Honeysuckle bushes Dislikes: Wasps Man's inhumanity to man
Read full bio

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Jeff Zentner: books, biography, latest update

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Follow Jeff Zentner and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's Jeff Zentner Author Page.

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Read 2,714 reviews from the world’s largest community for readers. What if you could spend one last day with someone you lost? One day Carver Briggs had i…

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Read 286 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. The deeply affecting next book from acclaimed author Amy Sarig King. Liberty Johansen is ...

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Afoma Umesi ·
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Middle grade books about mental illness - depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and PTSD are not as common as I wish they were. Thankfully, however, they do exist. On this list of middle grade books about mental illness, you'll find a variety of picks.

I've included books where the parents have a mental illness and those where the kids struggle with a mental health issue. For each pick, I've indicated whether a child or parent has the mental health struggle. Bear in mind that middle grade books are typically aimed at kids 8-12 (I like to view this as a lower limit, of course). But I've marked "upper middle-grade" picks as ages 10-14.

📚 Disclaimer in the books: Just so you know, Reading Middle Grade uses affiliate links. This means that when you shop via the links in our posts, we may earn a cent or two at no extra cost to you. Thanks for adding to our book buying fund.
In this updated list, I've also removed books featuring ADHD and autism as I prefer to refer to individuals with ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Tourette's, dyslexia, and autism as neurodiverse.

I'll be making a separate book list for those. I initially included some in this list because as a doctor, I just used the DSM as my guide before, but I feel differently now.

I've read many of the books on this list, and have a couple of the others on my Kindle already. My favorite thing about these middle grade books about mental illness is that while accurately depicting the struggles of mental illness - from anxiety (OCD, PTSD), hoarding, schizophrenia, and major depression - they're hopeful.
Child with depression; self-harm Published: September 27, 2022
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Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness (Major Depressive Disorder)

Rain Rising
Child with depression, suicidal ideation Published: May 4, 2021
13-year-old Rain is dealing with several issues. First, her best friend has been acting like a frenemy lately. Then, she's just so sad all the time and can't stop feeling negative about her body - thinking she's ugly and too big. Her single source of solace is her family. When the thoughts become too tough to handle, her mother and brother Xander, especially, bring light to her day, even without knowing her challenges.

But when Xander gets beaten up in a racially motivated attack during a potential college visit, Rain feels the walls closing in on her. Can she and her family find their way back to normalcy? This is a fantastic verse novel better suited to older tween readers.

Finding Junie Kim
Parent with Major Depression Published: March 6, 2018
Junie Kim just wants to fit in. So she keeps her head down and tries not to draw attention to herself. But when racist graffiti appears at her middle school, Junie must decide between staying silent or speaking out.

Then Junie's history teacher assigns a project and Junie decides to interview her grandparents, learning about their unbelievable experiences as kids during the Korean War. Junie comes to admire her grandma's fierce determination to overcome impossible odds, and her grandpa's unwavering compassion during wartime. And as racism becomes more pervasive at school, Junie taps into the strength of her ancestors and finds the courage to do what is right.
Parent with depression/suicide Published: January 9, 2018
The Science of Breakable Things

When Natalie's mom stops coming out of her room for months in a row, their small family is shaken and they stop really talking. Despite being aimed at middle graders, Keller's book does not gloss over mental health struggles. It is honestly one of the most honest and realistic portrayals of depression I've read. The protagonist Natalie is brave, independent and dynamic. Tae Keller tackles a multitude of themes with impressive finesse and relatable writing. From a parent suffering depression to what true friendship means, family and the importance of heritage, this book is loaded!

All Three Stooges
Parent with depression; mention of parental suicide Published: March 3, 2020
Spoiler alert: This book is not about the Three Stooges. It's about Noah and Dash, two seventh graders who are best friends and comedy junkies. That is, they were best friends, until Dash's father died suddenly and Dash shut Noah out. Which Noah deserved, according to Noa, the girl who, annoyingly, shares both his name and his bar mitzvah day.

Now Noah's confusion, frustration, and determination to get through to Dash are threatening to destroy more than just their friendship. But what choice does he have? As Noah sees it, sometimes you need to risk losing everything, even your sense of humor, to prove that gone doesn't have to mean "gone for good."

Things You Can't Say
Parent with depression Published: January 1, 1807
Things You Can't Say was my first time reading author Jenn Bishop. After his father dies by suicide, Drew tries to move forward with life by volunteering at the library where his mom works. But this summer, three years after his father's death, a new man, Phil seems to have ridden into his mother's life and Drew isn't sure what's up between them. Somehow he begins to think that Phil might be his real father.

This is a thoughtful, realistic, and heartwarming (oh, so heartwarming) book about dealing with a parent's suicide and changing friendships. If you're looking for a book that emphasizes vulnerability in boy friendships, highlights cute sibling dynamics or set largely in a library, you'll love this book!

Nest
Parent with depression Published: June 4, 2019
In 1972 home is a cozy nest on Cape Cod for eleven-year-old Naomi "Chirp" Orenstein, her older sister, Rachel; her psychiatrist father; and her dancer mother. But then Chirp's mom develops symptoms of a serious disease, and everything changes.

Chirp finds comfort in watching her beloved wild birds. She also finds a true friend in Joey, the mysterious boy who lives across the street. Together they create their own private world and come up with the perfect plan: Escape. Adventure. Discovery.

All the Greys on Greene Street

SoHo, 1981. Twelve-year-old Olympia is an artist-and in her neighborhood, that's normal. Her dad and his business partner Apollo bring antique paintings back to life, while her mother makes intricate sculptures in a corner of their loft, leaving Ollie to roam the streets of New York with her best friends Richard and Alex, drawing everything that catches her eye.
Sibling with depression Published: March 30, 2021
Then everything falls apart. Ollie's dad disappears in the middle of the night, leaving her only a cryptic note and instructions to destroy it. Her mom has gone to bed, and she's not getting up. Apollo is hiding something, Alex is acting strange, and Richard has questions about the mysterious stranger he saw outside. And someone keeps calling, looking for a missing piece of art. . . .

Olympia knows her dad is the key-but first, she has to find him, and time is running out.
Child with depression Published: January 5, 2021
Breathing Underwater

Thirteen-year-old Olivia is excited about going on a road trip back to California with her sister and their uncle and aunt. Their family moved to Tennessee from California three years ago, and the girls had buried a time capsule before their move. Olivia's big sister Ruth is now 16 and clinically depressed. She has good and bad days and is on medication to manage her depression. Olivia feels responsible for Ruth's happiness and has a plan to recover their time capsule, while doing a photo project during their trip to remind Ruth of good times and make her just a little happier. But she soon finds out that with mental illness, it's not always so simple.

The Sea in Winter

12-year-old ballet dancer Maisie Cannon is recovering from a torn ACL. Maisie is Native American and part of a blended family; her mom remarried after her father's death, and she has a younger half-brother.
Child with depression; self-harm; PTSD Published: September 13, 2022
Maisie is miserable because her two closest (and only) friends Eva and Hattie are also ballerinas, and now that she isn't dancing, it's too difficult to maintain her friendships with them. She's also struggling with how slowly she's recovering and is a bit depressed in general because of how much she loves ballet and how tightly woven into her identity it was.

This is a quiet, insightful book. Maisie is a deeply introspective character whose suffering will be deeply felt by all who read this book. Yet, this book manages to be uplifting with the help of Maisie's brother Connor and her warm, loving family and friends.

Iveliz Explains It All

Seventh grade is going to be Iveliz's year. She's going to make a new friend, help her abuela Mimi get settled after moving from Puerto Rico, and she is not going to get into any more trouble at school. . . .
Parent with bipolar disorder Published: March 8, 2011
Except is that what happens? Of course not. Because no matter how hard Iveliz tries, sometimes people say things that just make her so mad. And worse, Mimi keeps saying Iveliz's medicine is unnecessary-even though it helps Iveliz feel less sad. But how do you explain your feelings to others when you're not even sure what's going on yourself?

Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness (Bipolar Disorder)

Small as an Elephant
Parent with bipolar disorder Published: September 11, 2018

Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and "spinning" wildly until it's over. But Jack never thought his mom would take off during the night and leave him at a campground in Acadia National Park, with no way to reach her and barely enough money for food.

Any other kid would report his mom gone, but Jack knows by now that he needs to figure things out for himself - starting with how to get from the backwoods of Maine to his home in Boston before DSS catches on. With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins the long journey south, a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties - and his trust that he may be part of a larger herd after all.
Parent with bipolar disorder Published: February 5, 2008
No Fixed Address

This middle grade book is set in Canada. It's about Felix Knutsson, an almost 13-year-old who lives with his single mom. While it's not stated exactly what mental illness she has, his mom has "slumps" from time to time. I loved this book and Felix's character. The author really brings the issue of housing insecurity to life as Felix and his mom live in an RV with no fixed address and spend most of the story evading the authorities. It's funny, heartbreaking, and entertaining.
Parent with bipolar disorder Published: June 12, 2014
Waiting for Normal

Addie is waiting for normal. But Addie's mother has an all-or-nothing approach to life: a food fiesta or an empty pantry, her way or no way. Addie's mother is bipolar, and she often neglects Addie. All-or-nothing never adds up to normal, and it can't bring Addie home, where she wants to be with her half-sisters and her stepfather. But Addie never stops hoping that one day, maybe, she'll find normal.

Chasing the Milky Way
Parent with schizophrenia Published: July 3, 2018
Lucy Peevy has a dream-to get out of the trailer park she lives in and become a famous scientist. And she's already figured out how to do that: Build a robot that will win a cash prize at the BotBlock competition and save it for college. But when you've got a mama who doesn't always take her meds, it's not easy to achieve those goals. Especially when Lucy's mama takes her, her baby sister Izzy, and their neighbor Cam away in her convertible, bound for parts unknown. But Lucy, Izzy and Cam are good at sticking together, and even better at solving problems. But not all problems have the best solutions, and Lucy and Izzy must face the one thing they're scared of even more than Mama's moods: living without her at all.

Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness (Schizophrenia)
Parent with Schizophrenia(?) Published: July 10, 2018
Where the Watermelons Grow

This is the first middle grade book I've read about a girl dealing with a parent who has schizophrenia. It's set in the summer on a farm in Maryville, North Carolina with a dash of magical realism. I have strong memories of how vivid this story was and how atmospheric the setting was. Prepare to have your heart broken though.

Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

How far would you go to find something that might not even exist?
Parent with Schizophrenia Published: August 20, 2013
All her life, Cricket's mama has told her stories about a secret room painted by a mysterious artist. Now Mama's run off, and Cricket thinks the room might be the answer to getting her to come back. If it exists. And if she can find it.

Cricket's only clue is a coin from a grown-over ghost town in the woods. So with her daddy's old guidebook and a coat full of snacks stolen from the Cash 'n' Carry, Cricket runs away to find the room. Surviving in the woods isn't easy. While Cricket camps out in an old tree house and looks for clues, she meets the last resident of the ghost town, encounters a poetry-loving dog (who just might hold a key to part of the puzzle), and discovers that sometimes you have to get a little lost . . . to really find your way.

Sure Signs of Crazy

You've never met anyone exactly like twelve-year-old Sarah Nelson. While most of her friends obsess over Harry Potter, she spends her time writing letters to Atticus Finch. She collects trouble words in her diary. Her best friend is a plant. And she's never known her mother, who left when Sarah was two.
Uncle with schizophrenia Published: March 1, 2013
Since then, Sarah and her dad have moved from one small Texas town to another, and not one has felt like home.

Everything changes when Sarah launches an investigation into her family's Big Secret. She makes unexpected new friends and has her first real crush, and instead of a "typical boring Sarah Nelson summer," this one might just turn out to be extraordinary.

A Corner of the Universe

Ann Martin's phenomenal Newbery Honor book, now in paperback

The summer Hattie turns 12, her predictable smalltown life is turned on end when her uncle Adam returns home for the first time in over ten years. Hattie has never met him, never known about him. He's been institutionalized; his condition invovles schizophrenia and autism.

Hattie, a shy girl who prefers the company of adults, takes immediately to her excitable uncle, even when the rest of the family - her parents and grandparents - have trouble dealing with his intense way of seeing the world. And Adam, too, sees that Hattie is special, that her quiet, shy ways are not a disability,
Child with anxiety Published: July 8, 2008
Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness (Anxiety)

I have a full list of anxiety middle grade books here. But here are a few to try first:

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things
Child with anxiety Published: September 17, 2019
A humorous and touching series about facing your fears and embracing new experiences-with a truly unforgettable character-from author Lenore Look and New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honor winning illustrator LeUyen Pham.

Alvin, an Asian American second grader, is afraid of everything-elevators, tunnels, girls, and, most of all, school. He's so afraid of school that, while he' s there, he never, ever, says a word. But at home, Alvin is a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a gentleman-in-training, just like his dad. With the help of his family, can Alvin take on the outside world without letting his fears get the best of him?

Guts
Child with anxiety Published: June 2, 2009
Guts is based on Telegmeier's experience with anxiety as a tween. After a case of the stomach flu in their family, Raina becomes terrified of vomit and vomiting. Her anxiety manifests physically as a stomachache which further exacerbates her fear of vomiting and intensifies her anxiety. Her parents take her to see a doctor who after multiple tests assures them that Raina is "healthy as a horse." Unsure what to do next, they take her to see a therapist.

I would definitely recommend this book for graphic novel fans (and non-fans alike). If you're looking for a fun, quick, but impactful book about anxiety, friendships, and empathy, this is the one for you.

Umbrella Summer

Annie Richards knows there are a million things to look out for-bicycle accidents, food poisoning, chicken pox, smallpox, typhoid fever, runaway zoo animals, and poison oak. That's why being careful is so important, even if it does mean giving up some of her favorite things, like bike races with her best friend, Rebecca, and hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Everyone keeps telling Annie not to worry so much, that she's just fine. But they thought her brother, Jared, was just fine too, and Jared died.
Parent with Severe agoraphobia Published: April 27, 2004
It takes a new neighbor, who looks as plain as a box of toothpicks but has some surprising secrets of her own, to make Annie realize that her plans for being careful aren't working out as well as she had hoped. And with a lot of help from those around her-and a book about a pig, too-Annie just may find a way to close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.

With winsome humor and a dash of small-town charm, Lisa Graff's third novel is a touching look at rising above grief and the healing power of community.

So B. It

From acclaimed author Sarah Weeks comes a touching coming-of-age story about a young girl who goes on a cross-country journey to discover the truth about her parents, which the New York Times called "a remarkable novel." Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me and Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish.
Child with anxiety Published: April 20, 2021
She doesn't know when her birthday is or who her father is. In fact, everything about Heidi and her mentally disabled mother's past is a mystery. When a strange word in her mother's vocabulary begins to haunt her, Heidi sets out on a cross-country journey in search of the secrets of her past.

Far away from home, pieces of her puzzling history come together. But it isn't until she learns to accept not knowing that Heidi truly arrives.

A Thousand Minutes to Sunlight
Parent with agoraphobia Published: August 12, 2014
Cora is constantly counting the minutes. It's the only thing that stops her brain from rattling with worry, from convincing her that danger is up ahead. Afraid of the unknown, Cora spends her days with her feet tucked into sand, marveling at La Quinta beach's giant waves and her little sister Sunshine's boundless energy.

And then danger really does show up at Cora's doorstep-her absentee uncle, whose sudden presence in the middle of the night makes her parents nervous and secretive. As dawn breaks once more, Cora must piece together her family and herself, one minute at a time.
Child with anxiety Published: February 6, 2018
Courage for Beginners

Twelve-year-old Mysti Murphy wishes she were a character in a book. If her life were fictional, she'd magically know how to deal with the fact that her best friend, Anibal Gomez, has abandoned her in favor of being a "hipster." She'd be able to take care of everyone when her dad has to spend time in the hospital. And she'd certainly be able to change her family's secret.
Seventh grade is not turning out the way Mysti had planned. With the help of a hot-air balloon, her new friend Rama Khan, and a bright orange coat, can she find the courage to change?

Stanley Will Probably Be Fine

Nobody knows comics trivia like Stanley knows comics trivia.

It's what he takes comfort in when the world around him gets to be too much. And after he faints during a safety assembly, Stanley takes his love of comics up a level by inventing his own imaginary superhero, named John Lockdown, to help him through.

Help is what he needs, because Stanley's entered Trivia Quest-a giant comics-trivia treasure hunt-to prove he can tackle his worries, score VIP passes to Comic Fest, and win back his ex-best friend. Partnered with his fearless new neighbor Liberty, Stanley faces his most epic, overwhelming, challenging day ever.
Child with anxiety Published: August 22, 2017
What would John Lockdown do?

Stanley's about to find out.

Sidetracked

If middle school were a race, Joseph Friedman wouldn't even be in last place-he'd be on the sidelines. With an overactive mind and phobias of everything from hard-boiled eggs to gargoyles, he struggles to understand his classes, let alone his fellow classmates. So he spends most of his time avoiding school bully Charlie Kastner and hiding out in the Resource Room, a safe place for misfit kids like him.
Child with anxiety Published: October 5, 2021
But then, on the first day of seventh grade, two important things happen. First, his Resource Room teacher encourages (i.e., practically forces) him to join the school track team, and second, he meets Heather, a crazy-fast runner who isn't going to be pushed around by Charlie Kastner or anybody else.

With a new friend and a new team, Joseph finds himself off the sidelines and in the race (quite literally) for the first time. Is he a good runner? Well, no, he's terrible. But the funny thing about running is, once you're in the race, anything can happen.

Living with Viola
Child with anxiety Published: March 21, 2023
Livy is already having trouble fitting in as the new girl at school-and then there's Viola. Viola is Livy's anxiety brought to life, a shadowy twin that only Livy can see or hear. Livy tries to push back against Viola's relentless judgment, but nothing seems to work until she strikes up new friendships at school. Livy hopes that Viola's days are numbered. But when tensions arise both at home and at school, Viola rears her head stronger than ever. Only when Livy learns how to ask for help and face her anxiety does she finally figure out living with Viola.

Rosena Fung draws on her own early experiences with anxiety and the pressures of growing up as the child of Chinese immigrant parents to craft a charming, deeply personal story that combines the poignancy of Raina Telgemeier's Guts with the wacky humor of Lumberjanes. Exuberant, colorful art brings Livy's rich imaginative world-filled with everything from sentient dumplings to flying unicorns-to life on the page.

Mirror to Mirror
Child with anxiety Published: June 13, 2023
Twins Maya and Chaya, although opposites are inseparable. Where Maya is quiet and reserved, Chaya is outgoing. Both girls also share a few similar interests, top of which is their love for music. They even share friends, although they each have a different best friend. Suddenly, Maya starts to pull away from Chaya and the two begin to fight more.

Concluding that her sister needs space from her, Chaya starts trying to distinguish herself - getting a pink streak in her hair and dropping music and trying a new art form. But the girls keep butting heads. This is an immersive middle grade verse novel about sisterhood, friendships, anxiety, and the imperfections in family. LaRocca is a brilliant verse novelist, and this story is enrapturing, relatable, and compulsively readable.

The Gray
Related: Interview with Chris Baron About The Gray Child with anxiety Published: November 30, 2021
It's been a tough year for Sasha―he's been bullied at his middle school and his anxiety, which he calls the Gray, is growing. Sasha's dad tells him to "toughen up"―and he does, but with unfortunate, hurtful results. His parents and therapist agree that a summer in the country with his aunt might be the best medicine, but it's the last place he wants to be. He'll be away from his best friend, video games, and stuck in the house that reminds him of his beloved uncle who died two years earlier.

His aunt is supportive, and there are lots of places to explore, and even some potential new friends. When Sasha is introduced at a local ranch to a horse coincidentally-incredibly-nicknamed the Gray, he feels he's found a kindred spirit.

But his own Gray is ever-present. When one of his new friends disappears, Sasha discovers that the country is wilder and more mysterious than he imagined. He tries to muster enough courage to help in the search . . . but will the Gray hold him back?

Stuntboy in the Meantime

Portico Reeves's superpower is making sure all the other superheroes-like his parents and two best friends-stay super. And safe. Super safe. And he does this all in secret. No one in his civilian life knows he's actually...Stuntboy!
Child with OCD Published: April 12, 2016
His parents are fighting all the time. They're trying to hide it by repeatedly telling Portico to go check on a neighbor "in the meantime." But Portico knows "meantime" means his parents are heading into the Mean Time which means they're about to get into it, and well, Portico's superhero responsibility is to save them, too-as soon as he figures out how.

Only, all these secrets give Portico the worry wiggles, the frets, which his mom calls anxiety. Plus, like all superheroes, Portico has an arch-nemesis who is determined to prove that there is nothing super about Portico at all.

Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

OCDaniel
Child with OCD Published: October 18, 2016
Daniel is the back-up punter for the Erie Hills Elephants. Which really means he's the water boy. He spends football practice perfectly arranging water cups-and hoping no one notices. Actually, he spends most of his time hoping no one notices his strange habits-he calls them Zaps: avoiding writing the number four, for example, or flipping a light switch on and off dozens of times over. He hopes no one notices that he's crazy, especially his best friend Max, and Raya, the prettiest girl in school. His life gets weirder when another girl at school, who is unkindly nicknamed Psycho Sara, notices him for the first time. She doesn't just notice him: she seems to peer through him.

Then Daniel gets a note: "I need your help," it says, signed, Fellow Star Child-whatever that means. And suddenly Daniel, a total no one at school, is swept up in a mystery that might change everything for him.

With great voice and grand adventure, this book is about feeling different and finding those who understand.
Child with OCD Published: February 28, 2017
Finding Perfect

Molly Nathans's mom has moved to Canada for work, right in the midst of her separation from Molly's dad. Her father is constantly engrossed in his work and is often too busy to pay attention to his kids. While Molly's sister, Kate is convinced that their mom has left them for good, Molly is certain of her return. In the meantime, she works on a plan to ensure this: she's going to win her middle school slam poetry contest.

However, as the story progresses, we quickly see that Molly is struggling with intrusive thoughts and compulsive responses. She lines up her figurines one inch apart (measured with her ruler), otherwise, she thinks "something bad" will happen. Other compulsions include brushing her hair and washing her hands for extended periods, and an obsessive orderliness. These manifestations impact Molly's relationships with her best friend, Hannah, and even her little brother, Ian.

The Goldfish Boy
Child with OCD Published: May 1, 2018
Lisa Thompson's debut novel is a page-turning mystery with an emotionally-driven, complex character study at its core - like Rear Window meets The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Matthew Corbin suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He hasn't been to school in weeks. His hands are cracked and bleeding from cleaning. He refuses to leave his bedroom. To pass the time, he observes his neighbors from his bedroom window, making mundane notes about their habits as they bustle about the cul-de-sac.

When a toddler staying next door goes missing, it becomes apparent that Matthew was the last person to see him alive. Suddenly, Matthew finds himself at the center of a high-stakes mystery, and every one of his neighbors is a suspect. Matthew is the key to figuring out what happened and potentially saving a child's life... but is he able to do so if it means exposing his own secrets, and stepping out from the safety of his home?
Parent with OCD Published: August 22, 2017
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

I enjoyed this book so much, which says a lot for a Math hater! Lucy acquires savant Level Math skills after being struck by lightning as a child. She also becomes obsessive-compulsive and reclusive after the incident. So her grandmother insists she goes to middle school for at least a year, in addition to other social requirements.

The narration of this book is so well done! I can't recommend it enough for math lovers, but everyone will enjoy following Lucy's social miscalculations and her journey to seeing how much having people in your life can enrich it.

Kat Greene Comes Clean
Child with PTSD Published: August 30, 2016
Kat Greene lives in New York City with her mom and attends an unconventional middle-school (where no one gets disciplined). Since her parents' divorce and her mom's job loss, Kat's mom has been cleaning and washing her hands a bit too often. Her hands are red and chapped, and she has to wipe down cans at the grocery store before she can buy them - no matter how long it takes.

Kat wants to talk to another adult about her mom's habits, but is worried she'll get taken away from her. Her dad has a new wife and son, all of which have a good relationship with Kat and her mom, but her dad is always asking her to move in with them. Kat Greene Comes Clean is a moving addition to a too-short list of middle-grade books about mental illness. This novel also tackles friendship issues, blended families, and of course, is set in New York!
Child with PTSD Published: January 31, 2023
Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

Ghost
Child with PTSD Published: January 8, 2015
Running. That's all Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons-it all started with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems-and running away from them-until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who sees something in Ghost: crazy natural talent. If Ghost can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed, or will his past finally catch up to him?

Simon Sort of Says
Parent with PTSD Published: August 6, 2019
After surviving a school shooting, Simon and his parents (one a priest, the other a mortician) move to a town in America's National Quiet Zone with no internet or TV. As Simon tries to stay under the radar, new friends, a new mission, and a warm community draw him out in thisfunny, quirky, and moving release about science and PTSD. This is a good one for older kids ages 11+ who like off-beat humor, astronomy, and science.

The War That Saved My Life

Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada's twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn't waste a minute-she sneaks out to join him.

So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan-and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?

Each Tiny Spark
Parent with PTSD Published: March 26, 2019
Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It's hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she remembers what matters: a time when her family was whole and home made sense. When Dad returns from deployment, Emilia expects that her life will get back to normal. Instead, it unravels.

Dad shuts himself in the back stall of their family's auto shop to work on an old car. Emilia peeks in on him daily, mesmerized by his welder. One day, Dad calls Emilia over. Then, he teaches her how to weld. And over time, flickers of her old dad reappear.
Grandparent with PTSD Published: May 3, 2016
But as Emilia finds a way to repair the relationship with her father at home, her community ruptures with some of her classmates, like her best friend, Gus, at the center of the conflict.

The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins

When it comes to American history or defending the underdog or getting to the bottom of things, no one outsmarts or outfights Lyndie B. Hawkins. But as far as her family goes, her knowledge is full of holes: What exactly happened to Daddy in Vietnam? Why did he lose his job? And why did they have to move in with her grandparents? Grandma Lady's number one rule is Keep Quiet About Family Business. But when her beloved daddy goes missing, Lyndie faces a difficult choice: follow Lady's rule and do nothing-which doesn't help her father-or say something and split her family right down the middle.

As Brave As You
Parent with PTSD Published: May 11, 2021
Genie's summer is full of surprises. The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia-in the COUNTRY! The second surprise comes when Genie figures out that their grandfather is blind. Thunderstruck, Genie peppers Grandpop with questions about how he hides it so well (besides wearing way cool Ray-Bans).

How does he match his clothes? Know where to walk? Cook with a gas stove? Pour a glass of sweet tea without spilling it? Genie thinks Grandpop must be the bravest guy he's ever known, but he starts to notice that his grandfather never leaves the house-as in NEVER. And when he finds the secret room that Grandpop is always disappearing into-a room so full of songbirds and plants that it's almost as if it's been pulled inside-out-he begins to wonder if his grandfather is really so brave after all.

Then Ernie lets him down in the bravery department. It's his fourteenth birthday, and, Grandpop says to become a man, you have to learn how to shoot a gun. Genie thinks that is AWESOME until he realizes Ernie has no interest in learning how to shoot. None. Nada. Dumbfounded by Ernie's reluctance, Genie is left to wonder-is bravery and becoming a man only about proving something, or is it just as important to own up to what you won't do?

The Road to Wherever
Parent with depression; child with selective mutism Published: June 15, 2021
11-year-old June (Henry Junior) Ball's mother sends him off on the road with his adult second cousins after his father disappears without a word. Cousins Thomas and Cornell are "Ford Men" traveling throughout the US to fix people's old Ford trucks for free. The Ford owners only have to buy spare parts.

As the road trip progresses, the men teach June about Ford trucks, fixing cars, and being kind. June also processes his father's absence while expanding his heart by meeting just as many broken humans as Ford trucks.

Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness (Selective Mutism)
Child with selective mutism Published: September 4, 2018
The Magical Imperfect

The Magical Imperfect is a middle grade verse novel about a boy named Etan. Etan develops selective mutism after his mom has to go to a treatment facility for a mental disorder in 1980's San Francisco. Around that time, mini-earthquakes are frequent and Etan tries to keep up his daily schedule, which is basically school and then time with his grandfather. Sometimes, he helps an older shopkeeper in the neighborhood walk her dog and run errands. It is while he is on one of those errands that he meets Malia, a Filipina-American girl with severe eczema.

Etan and Malia become fast friends and he gets a closer look at how debilitating her eczema is. He also realizes that Malia loves singing and has a beautiful singing voice. Etan wants to take Malia's suffering away, and he thinks his grandfather's Dead Sea clay can make a difference - perhaps even heal Malia's eczema. He also suggests that she sing in the community's talent show. But will the clay work? And will Malia and Etan's friendship survive the challenges it faces?

After Zero
Child with eating disorder Published: March 5, 2019
Elise carries a notebook full of tallies, each page marking a day spent at her new public school, each stroke of her pencil marking a word spoken. A word that can't be taken back. Five tally marks isn't so bad. Two is pretty good. But zero? Zero is perfect. Zero means no wrong answers called out in class, no secrets accidentally spilled, no conversations to agonize over at night when sleep is far away.

But now months have passed, and Elise isn't sure she could speak even if she wanted to-not to keep her only friend, Mel, from drifting further away-or to ask if anyone else has seen her English teacher's stuffed raven come to life. Then, the discovery of a shocking family secret helps Elise realize that her silence might just be the key to unlocking everything she's ever hoped for...

Middle Grade Books About Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating

The Year I Didn't Eat

Fourteen-year-old Max doesn't like to eat, and the only one he can confess his true feelings to is Ana-also known as his eating disorder, anorexia. In a journal that his therapist makes him keep, he tells Ana his unfiltered thoughts and fears while also keeping track of his food intake. But Ana's presence has leapt off the page and into his head, as she feeds upon all of his fears and amplifies them.
Child with disordered eating Published: May 2, 2023
When Max's older brother Robin gives him a geocache box, it becomes a safe place where Max stores his journal, but someone finds it and starts writing to him, signing it with "E." Is it a joke? Could it be the new girl at school, Evie, who has taken an interest in Max? Although Max is unsure of the secret writer's identity, he takes comfort in the words that appear in his journal as they continually confide in one another about their problems.

As Max's eating disorder intensifies, his family unit fractures. His parents and brother are stressed and strained as they attempt to deal with the elephant in the room. When Robin leaves home, Max is left with two parents who are on the verge of splitting up. Max thought he could handle his anorexia, but as time goes on, he feels himself losing any semblance of control.
Child with eating disorder Published: February 19, 2019
Will anorexia continue to rule Max's life, or will he be able to find a way to live around his eating disorder?

A Work in Progress
Main character's sister with eating disorder Published: May 19, 2020
Will is self-conscious about being the only chubby kid in his class - a fact worsened by the bullying he endures for being larger. As a result, he starts restricting his food intake and exercising excessively. But when he meets another kid at school named Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.

Good Enough

I liked this book about a girl in treatment for anorexia. The author does a fantastic job depicting the experience of struggling with an eating disorder and how non-linear the healing process can be. The story feels authentic and is highly insightful about the therapy process. I also liked the diary-style format.
Side character recovering from eating disorder Published: May 7, 2019
What Happens Next

Astronomy lover, Abby McCourt and her family are thrown off balance when her sister Blair is diagnosed with anorexia. As Blair goes off to rehab, leaving a potential ballet career in the lurch, the McCourt's small town is abuzz with a highly anticipated solar eclipse. Abby is not handling her sister's absence very well. Especially because she was closest to Blair and doesn't have the best relationship with her more brash middle-sister, Jade.
Parent with eating disorder; child with panic attacks Published: May 3, 2016
At the same time, she stumbles upon a famous astronomer who's staying at her family's lodge. He enlists her to assist him in locating a lost telescope. Eager to avoid the pain of her sister's situation, Abby throws herself into helping Professor Lacamoire. Interestingly, this story is told in alternating timelines, simultaneously showing readers how things went wrong for Blair and how Abby is coping with Blair's departure and pending return from rehab.

Up for Air

Annabelle is a fantastic swimmer who happens to have learning difficulties. She's happy to finally be getting something right when she's moved up to the high school team in the summer. However, things get a bit complicated when an older boy starts showing her attention and her estranged father seems to want to return to her life. A distant side character in this book struggles with disordered eating.

Swing Sideways
Child with disordered eating pattern; parent recovering from eating disorder Published: May 18, 2021
Annie has been promised a summer of freedom in the country. Freedom from a difficult school year, freedom from her fake "friends" back in the city, and, most of all, freedom from her mom's life-governing spreadsheets and rigid schedules.

When Annie meets California, who is visiting her grandfather's farm, it seems she has found the perfect partner for the summer she's always craved. Especially when California offers Annie a real-life adventure: if she and Annie can find the ponies her mom rode as a girl, surely it will remind her mom how wonderful the farm is-and fix what's broken between her mom and her grandfather.

But Annie's summer of freedom is sprinkled with secrets, and everything she has learned about bravery and love will be put to the test when the truth behind the ultimate secret changes her life forever.

Taking Up Space (Disordered Eating)

Sarah loves basketball more than anything. Crushing it on the court makes her feel like she matters. And it's the only thing that helps her ignore how much it hurts when her mom forgets to feed her.

But lately Sarah can't even play basketball right. She's slower now and missing shots she should be able to make. Her body doesn't feel like it's her own anymore. She's worried that changing herself back to how she used to be is the only way she can take control over what's happening.
Child with hoarding disorder Published: October 15, 2019
When Sarah's crush asks her to be partners in a cooking competition, she feels pulled in a million directions. She'll have to dig deep to stand up for what she needs at home, be honest with her best friends, and accept that she doesn't need to change to feel good about herself.

Related: Author Interview; Alyson Gerber on Taking Up Space

Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness (Hoarding Disorder)
Grandparent with hoarding disorder Published: April 17, 2018
Give and Take

Maggie and her family are recovering from her Nana's death when Maggie's mom announces that they'll start fostering babies temporarily. Maggie was traumatized by her Nana's Alzheimer's, marking the first day Nana did not recognize her as "Forgot-Me Day." As a result, she holds on to objects as a way to preserve memories, becoming enraged when anyone tries to touch her stuff.

Although knowing that Izzie, the new baby her family gets is only theirs for a short time, Maggie secretly hopes the baby will stay and her hoarding tendencies also begin to worsen. This is a sweet middle grade book about the impact of dementia, mental health challenges, and the joy of team sport.
Parent with hoarding disorder Published: February 28, 2017
The Battle of Junk Mountain

Twelve-year-old Shayne Whittaker has always spent summers on the Maine coast, visiting her grandmother Bea and playing with her BFF Poppy. Both Shayne and Bea are collectors, in their own ways: Shayne revels in golden memories of searching for sea glass and weaving friendship bracelets with Poppy, while Bea scours flea markets for valuable finds, much of which she adds to a growing pile in her house that Shayne jokingly calls Junk Mountain.

This summer, though, everything has changed. Poppy would rather talk about boys than bracelets, and Bea's collecting mania has morphed into hoarding. Only Linc, the weird Civil War-obsessed kid next door, pays attention to her. Turns out Linc's collected a secret of his own, one that could enrage the meanest lobsterman on the planet, his grandpa. What begins as the worst summer of Shayne's life becomes the most meaningful, as she wages an all-out battle to save her friendships, rescue her grandmother, and protect the memories she loves the most.

Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes

Annabelle has a secret . . . a secret so big she won't allow friends within five miles of her home. Her mom collects things. Their house is overflowing with stuff. It gives Annabelle's sister nightmares, her brother spends as much time as he can at friends' houses, and her dad buries himself in his work.
There they are: 50+ of the best middle grade books about mental illness. I have read and loved several of the books on this list and they do a phenomenal job of presenting real, difficult issues in a sensitive way. Which of these books have you read and loved? I'd love to know!
So when a stack of newspapers falls on Annabelle's sister, it sparks a catastrophic fight between their parents-one that might tear them all apart-and Annabelle starts to think that things at home finally need to change.

Is it possible for her to clean up the family's mess? Or are they really, truly broken?

Mary E. Lambert's moving and heartbreakingly funny debut novel about the things we hold dear-and the things we let go-will resonate with anyone whose life has ever felt just a little too messy.

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More Middle Grade Book Lists

Pin This Post - 50+ Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness

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50+ Best Middle Grade Books About Mental Illness

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These middle grade books about mental illness feature children and family members with mental illnesses like depression, hoarding, PTSD, etc.

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Middle Grade Books That Deal With Mental Health (32 books)

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32 books based on 14 votes: After Zero by Christina Collins, Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Smack Dab in t...

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Once again Lesley Roessing has a remarkable list of novels for your consideration. Check out all of her other contributions at this link.

No one can doubt that this is an especially traumatic time for our students. While children aren't becoming sick from the coronavirus in the same numbers as adults, the impact-present and future-of the pandemic on our students cannot be measured. Children are worrying about sick and vulnerable relatives and friends and suffering grief over the death of loved ones. They are experiencing the psychosocial impact of social isolation, heightened anxiety, lack of mental healthcare-counselling and psychotherapy-provided by schools, mental strain that past public crises show children typically suffer, suspected reduction in abuse reporting, and an increase in family job and food insecurity.

There are students who already were struggling for various reasons, and they are particularly vulnerable. These are the children that may be hiding in plain sight in our classrooms or, more typically now, in our remote classes.

Three years ago, YA Wednesday posted my guest-blog " Hiding in Plain Sight: A Different Diversity " about some of these children-children of incarcerated parents, children who are homeless or living in poverty, children experiencing mental illness or children whose parents exhibit mental illness, and children living in foster care. Statistics show that it is likely that they are in our classrooms in unimagined numbers.

This blog is an update of " Hiding in Plain Sight," limited to novels that I have read since that writing and featuring characters who represent those children.

It is essential for children to see their lives reflected in books, appreciating those stories as mirrors acknowledging and valuing their struggles and acknowledging their resilience. They can also employ these stories as maps to help them navigate their lives. But it is equally vital for readers to see the lives of those they may see as different from themselves-their classmates and peers who are experiencing these challenges-to gain understanding and compassion, stories as windows into the lives of others. Today, thanks to perceptive, empathetic authors-many of whom experienced these same challenges, these novels with their unforgettable characters are available to diversify school, classroom, community, and home libraries.

Currently, an estimated 2.7 million children-or 1 in 28 of those under the age of 18-have a biological mother or father who is incarcerated in a local jail, state prison, or federal prison. According to the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated, approximately 10 million children have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives.

The Paris Project - Donna Gephart
​Seventh-grader Cleveland Rosebud Potts has her future planned out. She is going to do everything she needs to get away from boring Sassafras, Florida, and move to Paris for eighth grade. She has been saving money from her dog-walking business and learning French from CDs borrowed from the library. As part of her Paris Project, she still needs to learn to cook a French meal, eat in a French restaurant, view French Impressionist paintings, and be accepted and earn a full scholarship to attend the American School of Paris. She has been wearing the beret her father gave her daily as inspiration.

However, many roadblocks have occurred on her way. Her father is a gambler, betting on dog races, and stole not only from his boss which has earned him a 7-month jail sentence, but took all of Cleveland's savings, and as the daughter of a criminal, most of her clients have fired her. Her mother cleans houses to try to keep ahead of the bills, and her older sister Georgia works many jobs saving for her dream, to attend the University of Vermont the following year. When she video visits her father in prison, she has ambivalent feelings-she misses the funny father she loves but is furious with his actions and their effect on the family. Because of her father's crime, the other girls at school ignore or laugh at her and she sits alone at lunch; in fact, people in town are wary of the whole family. "Life got divided into 'before' and 'after' that awful day when Dad was arrested for stealing money from Mr. Ronnie Baker." (64)

Cleveland is not only determined and focused, she is spunky-she doesn't complain the she only has a few outfits, her sneakers have holes, and her stomach frequently rumbles from hunger. And she does have one true friend-an eighth grader who also lives in the trailer park and is working on becoming a chef like the mother who left him and his father. Declan teaches her to cook French food, helping her to check that off her Paris Project list. However, when he becomes friends, and maybe more, with the son of her father's former boss' (the man who put her father in jail), Cleveland has to decide how to act. "'Do you like Todd?... I mean do you 'like' him?" "Yes." I understood that the words I said next mattered. A lot. I took a slow breath and gathered my thoughts. "That's really great, Declan." (162-3)

One friend decides to leave the pack of mean girls, and Declan and Todd stop by Cleveland's locker with hugs and high fives, and "When it came to sisters, [she'd] hit the lottery," (178). Together her support system, along with her strong mother, Cleveland navigates life after and "after that" when her dad is released from prison. Preparing for the Paris Project ends up taking on a whole new meaning as Cleveland sets new goals.

​ Every Shiny Thing - Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison (This also would fit under "Foster Care")

Readers follow the journey of two new friends from different types of lives as they discover themselves and how to navigate their lives.

Lauren is a wealthy teen who goes to a Quaker school. She is very close to her brother Ryan but, when he is sent to a boarding school for teens on the autism spectrum, Lauren is sure that he isn't happy, that the school is not meeting his needs, and that her parents sent him away. She then realizes that all teens who need it can't afford the help Ryan is getting and she designs a scheme to raise money, selling the "shiny things" that she feels her affluent family and friends don't really need. Her scheme spirals out of control as she begins stealing items from stores, family, and friends, selling them on line, and the thrill of stealing takes over. She even involves her new friend Sierra.

Sierra's father, a drug addict, is in jail; her mother, an alcoholic, who Sierra has cared for years in a life of poverty, is also in jail. What she wants is her family; what she needs is a stable loving family-and a friend, but not a friend who gets her involved with her own addiction.

Sierra moves in next door to Lauren with her foster parents Carl and Anne, an interracial Quaker couple who are surviving the trauma of losing their own child. She pushes them away, anxious to get back to her old life, but "In the end, he [Carl] had me find the proof/ before the statement./ A new way to think." (p 235) Sierra and Lauren's friendship guides them in finding a new way of thinking. Sierra realizes she can love her mother but she can't help her, and she can let Carl and Anne help her. "I know I can't be your mom, Sierra,/ but I can be your Anne." (p. 333) Lauren realizes that she can stop worrying about Ryan who is happy in his new environment and she can't save the world, but "I do know this: I'm not going to forget about Hailey or zone out when I walk past someone asking for money on the street. I won't. Because someday, maybe, I'll be able to do something more." (p. 353)

Lauren's and Sierra's narrations are written by each of the authors in their own unique style: Lauren's narratives in prose and Sierra's in free verse, styles which fit the characters' personalities and lives, lives populated by culturally diverse friends and their families as they traverse the Philadelphia I know so well.

​ Wish - Barbara O'Connor

"Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it."
Charlie Reese was very careful what she wished for, and she made sure to make her wish every day since 4th grade. Charlie knew every way there was to make wishes and never missed an opportunity.

Charlie's family was "broken"-her Mam hadn't "put her feet on the ground" or paid attention to her in a long time, her father, Scrappy, had a temper and was in prison getting "corrected," and Jackie, her older sister, was living with a girlfriend, graduating from high school, and working.

Charlie is sent to live with her mother's older sister Bertha and her husband Gus in the Blue Ridge Mountains where people may or may not eat squirrel. Bertha and Gus are loving, try hard, and even though the cheesy Cinderella pillowcases, Bertha's endless stories, and Gus' "Butterbean" nickname for her may not be appreciated by Charlie, they never stop trying. "No, me and Gus are the lucky ones, right, Gus?" (157)

Author Barbara O'Connor sweeps the reader into the story from the first page through Charlie's voice. "My name is Charlie. Charlemagne is a dumb name for a girl and I have told my mama that about a gazillion times. I looked around me at all the hillbilly kids doing math in their workbooks." (3) Charlie is lost, but in Colby she meets Howard, a true friend, and Wishbone, her adopted dog, knowing that he was for her the first time she saw him, even before she caught him and he became her constant companion. "...I sent my thoughts zipping through the trees to wherever Wishbone was. I wanted him to know he didn't have to be a stray like me." (79)

The characters were all well-developed and unique, Howard, the boy with the up-down walk who ignores the bullies and the mean kids, whose wish is to have Charlie as a friend, and becomes her moral compass; the numerous Odom kids and the loving Mrs. Odom who is accepting of everyone with their quirks. "I'm so glad to have a feisty female around here to help me keep these boys under control. I been needing a girl on my team." (109)

Charlie's older sister Jackie comes to visit and as positive, gregarious, and appreciative of Charlie's new town as she is, Charlie learns that Jackie has grown up with the knowledge that, when she was seven and Charlie was a baby, their mother left them. "Nothing's gonna change, Charlie.....Scrappy is gonna keep being Scrappy and Mama is gonna keep being Mama and you and I are on our own. (178) But her visit helps to show Charlie just how lucky she is to have a new start in her new town. "You got a good life here, Charlie." (179)

Sometimes you get what you wish for, but sometimes you get even more.

​The term "childhood mental disorder" means all mental disorders that can be diagnosed and begin in childhood, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, depression and other mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. Based on the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine report, it is estimated that 13-20 percent of children living in the United States experience a mental disorder in a given year.

​​ Anything But Typical - Nora Raleigh Baskin

As a former classroom teacher and one who now works with classroom teachers, I especially appreciated reading Nora Raleigh Baskin's novel Anything But Typical which is narrated by Jason, a sixth grader who has autism. The reader sees the world through Jason's eyes and thoughts as he navigates middle school and home life and translates that world into his story writing. We learn that, like most adolescents, Jason has insecurities, teachers who lack knowledge about him, a longing for friends and a girlfriend, and anxieties about fitting in. What Jason does have is a loving, sensitive, accepting family-his nuclear family, not his relatives, therapists who teach him coping mechanisms, and a talent for writing.

As our classrooms become more and more diverse, we need to offer readers more diverse books so that everyone can see themselves represented and valued in books and readers can learn to respect others who may be different from them through books. This novel would pair well with Kathy Erskine's novel Mockingbird and M is for Autism written by the students of Limpsfield Grange School as well as Planet Earth is Blue and Same But Different, also reviewed in this section.

​ Focused - Alyson Gerber

In Alyson Gerber's first novel Braced, readers were given the opportunity to learn the story of Rachel Brooks, a middle grades student who has scoliosis but also who has persistence and resilience. Rachel learns to re-see herself and her strengths, and she provided, for many readers, a mirror to their lives and the chance to see themselves and their physical struggles valued in a novel. And maybe more importantly, Braced gave readers who have not had to face such challenges an awareness, empathy, and understanding for those who do.

In the same way, Gerber's new novel Focused shares the story of Clea Adams, a seventh grader who has ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Clea works as hard as she can on her schoolwork but just cannot seem to complete all the tasks; she doesn't always follow directions, finish assignments, or remember what she needs to do. She feels that she isn't trying hard enough or isn't smart enough to achieve. She is also affected socially as she blurts out whatever she is thinking, interrupting conversations and sharing the secrets of others.

Luckily, on the plus side, she has a best friend Red, a new girlfriend Sanam, a supportive family, and she is really good at chess, which she loves. Chess is the one activity where she seems to be able to focus. But when her lack of focus and impulsivity cause her to lose her friendship with Red and possibly forfeit her chance to remain on the chess team, Clea needs to take action. She is tested for ADHD and learns that it is her condition that controls her actions, rather than lack of intelligence or willingness to support her friends.

Clea learns that she needs to follow the advice of her psychiatrist, parents, and school counselor and to advocate for herself. "I don't notice if anyone starts whispering about me when I walk back into the room, but I don't care if they do, because for the first time all year, I got exactly what I needed and I know for sure I did my best." (262)

According to the American Psychiatric Association, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. As of August 2018, an estimated 10 percent of children (over 6 million school-age children) had been diagnosed with ADHD. And that is one reason this novel offers not only a good story, but is an important read for children with ADHD and those who love, live, and work with them. Focused will provide not only support for some readers who see their struggles valued in a novel but a map to navigate the difficulties of functioning with ADHD, and for others it will provide understanding of, and empathy for, those friends, family, and peers who may be facing some of Clea's challenges.

Planet Earth is Blue - Nicole Panteleakos (This also would fit under "Foster Care")

In 2018 the CDC determined that approximately 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to a study by Boston University, about 30 percent of people diagnosed with ASD "never learn to speak more than a few words."

Nova, an adolescent with nonverbal autism, is locked in her own world with limited communication. She is able to open up this world with the help of her older sister Bridget, the one person who acknowledges her intelligence and takes care of her when their mother can't. Nova and Bridget share a love for space and space exploration, and their knowledge is vast. As they are taken away from their mother and moved from foster home to foster home, Bridget looks forward to turning eighteen when she promised she will be able to take care of Nova on her own.

When the story begins, Bridget and Nova have run away from their last foster home, and Nova has been placed in a new home with loving foster parents and their older daughter; they all want to get to know Nova, her limitations, but also her capabilities. Meanwhile Nova begins school, repeating sixth grade, experiencing endless testing (her social worker has classified her as "severely mentally retarded") and getting to know new peers in her special education room, each with their own challenges and abilities. The classmates bond, but Nova is desperately waiting for the Challenger launch with the first teacher aboard; Bridget has promised to find her so they can watch the launch together.

The story is told in alternating third person-the story of Nova's life with Francine, Billy, Joanie, and school-and first person which the reader views through Nova's letters to Bridget, letters that would be, in actuality, illegible. I found it very effective to read about people and events and then re-read them from Nova's perspective.
​
Having read that the story incorporated the 1986 Challenger space shuttle launch, I began reading this novel with a feeling of trepidation. I assume that this would be experienced in a different way by readers who had not lived through the disaster. It is a moving story, and Nova becomes a character we can all champion as she experiences the disadvantages and finally the benefits of the foster system. Readers will learn a lot about space and our space program, but they will also learn how many times people are judged on assumptions.

Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express - Ryan Elizabeth Peete and RJ Peete

Ryan Elizabeth Peete and RJ Peete's novel Same But Different is based on their own lives. Characters Charlie and Callie are twins; Charlie has autism, and Callie feels that she needs to be his guide, support, rule-maker, and the person who is always there to stand up for him against bullies and those who try to take advantage of his naiveté. This year Callie is starting tenth grade, and Charlie is repeating ninth, but she is still there for him.

In alternating chapters Charlie (RJ) and Callie (Ryan) discuss their lives on the "Autism Express." Charlie takes us into his world where he "may have autism, but autism doesn't have [him]." Ryan takes us into her world where it seems that autism may have her a little more than she wants. Ryan does focus on how Charlie affects her life and her relationships with family and peers. It is clear that she loves Charlie and willingly takes responsibility for helping him, but she does stress the negative aspects.

Although every child affected by autism is at a different point of the spectrum and is affected in different ways, a book explaining at least one family's journey is a valuable addition to the classroom library, as a catalyst for generating important discussions among adolescents. Even though the characters are in high school, the book is appropriate for even young adolescents.
​
Parent-author Holly Robinson Peete provides an insightful introduction, "A Letter from Mom," and conclusion, "A Mother's Hope," as well as a valuable Resource Guide. A very important point she makes is her worry how RJ's future may be affected as a man of color with autism, a person who doesn't necessarily read the signals of our world.

​ Give and Take - Elly Schwartz

"My insides are filled with a missing that can't be fixed with words." (85) Twelve-year-old Maggie's world seems to be filled with good-byes. It all began on the first worst day of her life-"Forgot Me Day," the day her Nana forgot who Maggie was, and then the second worst day, the day Nana died. Maggie becomes anxious that she will forget what is special in her life, and she starts collecting mementoes of small moments. She hides boxes under her bed and in her closet, boxes filled with gifts but also milk cartons and straws from lunches, sticks, rocks, anything that will help her remember.

When the family takes in a foster baby, Maggie knows it is temporary to give the baby a good start until she gets her forever family, but Maggie hides away baby socks and diaper tabs. "A little something. To remember. So my memories don't disappear." (13) Baby Izzie is adopted and Maggie is filled with a "giant missing."

When her secret is discovered, her parents send her to work with Dr. Sparrow, who helps her work toward "a heart big enough to love a lot and a brain healthy enough to let go." (267)

During all this, Maggie meets a new friend, Mason, who joins their formerly all-girl trapshooting team; helps her little brother Charlie makes friends; finds-and loses-a pet turtle; and has to decide whether to tell a friend's secret, a secret that could be hurtful to others, risking the loss of that friendship.

Maggie, who struggles with anxiety manifested through hoarding, joins her author-Elly-Swartz-sisters Frankie, who in Smart Cookie is dealing with the loss of her mother, and Molly who struggles with OCD in Finding Perfect in my heart. Their stories will help some young adolescents see their lives reflected and challenges honored and will give others the empathy to understand their peers. For the adult who read these novels, they may provide a flash of insight into those in our classrooms and families.

​According to the National Institute for Mental Health, 9.8 million Americans aged 18 or older, or 4.2% of the adult population, are living with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder. Because two-thirds of females and one-half of men afflicted with serious mental illnesses are likely to be parents, "There's a significant number of individuals with some level of emotional distress who are raising children (Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center in The Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth University).

​ Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes - Mary E, Lambert

Hoarding disorder (HD) affects an estimated 2% to 5% of the general population. HD is unique from other disorders because its symptoms are tangible and entail a large accumulation of objects that prevent the use of space for necessary or usual human functions. This abundance of objects results from a pathological failure to discard objects and not accumulate more. When hoarding is severe, it presents risk of physical and psychological harm to hoarders and their families. Hoarders cannot see that their behavior subjugates the entire family to a life that is permanently altered. Where severe hoarding exists, families rarely have space for shared activities and they are forced to combine spaces inappropriately. Children often realize if they talk about their family secrets, they could lose their parents and homes.

I had, of course, heard of hoarders but did not realize the extent of the problem or the effect on the children until I lived through Annabelle's secret in Mary E. Lambert's new novel Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes. Annabelle's mother is a hoarder, and almost every room of the house is filled with objects, well-organized objects. Mother lives in muumuus, the colors of which signal her moods, and doesn't leave the house.

One room is the exception. On her tenth birthday, Annabelle tossed everything in her bedroom out the window, clearing the room of anything nonessential; she checks once a week for anything not used within the last week. Her younger sister and older brother are not so lucky and live surrounded by piles of their mother's purchases, new and used. Leslie collects articles about the dangers of hoards and has nightly nightmares; Chad has checked out from family life.

On the day the newspapers, organized by weather report, finally fall off the kitchen shelves onto Leslie, seventh-grader Annabelle was sure things would change. And they did. Their father left home; he knows something has to change, but he doesn't know how to change it. Their grandmother Nora comes to help, and there is a disastrous Family Game Night.

But as difficult as life is in a house filled to the brim with purchases, Annabelle's secret is safe from her friends and potential boyfriend. Annabelle has instituted a strict Five- Mile-Radius Rule. No one is invited to meet within a five-mile radius of the house. When she first visits a new friend's house in fifth grade, "I thought families like Rae's, with houses that perfect, only existed in books or TV shows." (17) When her secret is discovered, she realizes that her friends do not let it affect their friendships; they are real friends.

This is a novel about a strong adolescent who helps her family through a challenge as are many of our students, although their challenges may be different ones.

Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe - Jo Hackl

"Turns out, it's easier than you might think to sneak out of town smuggling a live cricket, three pocketsful of jerky, and two bags of half-paid-for merchandise from Thelma's Cash 'n' Carry grocery store. The hard part was getting up the guts to go." (1)

As the story begins, Ariana "Cricket" Overland's father and grandmother have died, her mother has left, and she is living with her Aunt Belinda who is secretly planning to pawn her off on Great-Aunt Genevieve. Her mother, a creative artist, has struggled between depression and wild adventures for years and is obsessed with a Bird Room she once saw, a room where "Everything was alive." Cricket is sure that her mother will return to lay her grandmother's headstone and, having said she wished her mother could "just be normal" (106) the night before she took off, Cricket wants to find the Bird Room and prove that her mother is not crazy and maybe find a treasure using clues hidden by the mysterious Mr. Bob. "I couldn't stop Mama from leaving, and I couldn't stop Daddy from dying, but I could sure do something now. (11)

When Aunt Belinda abandons her in Thelma's Cash 'n' Carry, Cricket takes her pet cricket, spends all her money on supplies and food, writing an IOU for what she can't afford, and takes off for Woods Time, as her father would say. Living in a tree house and following her father's guidelines for survival, she survives raccoons stealing most of her food and supplies and an ice storm, and explores the ghost town, torn down and abandoned by a lumber company, until clues-and a snake bite-lead her to Miss V, the one person whose house still exists, a woman who helps Cricket discover that not only her mother, but she, "contains multitudes." "I thought about what Miss V had said about Mama being more than what the neighbors thought.... And it wasn't who I was, either. I was my own, whole person....Maybe it was time to start taking chances on me." (203)
​
Ariana Overland is an adolescent a reader wants to champion. She joins the ranks of literary strong girls as the resourceful and resilient hero of an adventure story about family and identity written by a new author with an incredible voice.

​ Small as an Elephant - Jennifer Richard Jacobson
(This novel was also reviewed in "Stories of Surviving Loss & Abandonment")

Jack's mother frequently spins out of control. Sometimes she is sad, sometimes she is normal and sorry about her behaviors, but more often she is "spinning"-loud and excited and full of fun, usually inappropriate fun. She takes Jack out of school to go to amusement parks and makes up games, but she also fights with her mother and takes away Jack's trust of his grandmother. Jack wishes his mother would take her medication more regularly.

On a camping trip in Maine, she leaves Jack and disappears. It is up to this 11-year-old boy to find his way back to Massachusetts and, hopefully, his mother. Obsessed with elephants, Jack steals a toy elephant which becomes his good luck charm and battles weather, a broken finger, hunger, fatigue, and evading the police once he is listed as missing, before he learns to trust a new friend who takes him to Lydia the elephant and to his grandmother who will help make his life safe and filled with love.

Part adventure, part confronting challenges and accepting help, this novel and its resilient character will appeal to many and raise empathy for what too many children face.

​ The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins - Gail Shepherd

This story of 11-year-old Lyndie Baines covers a lot of territory, but it is primarily about truth and the effect of lies or sometimes just not knowing the truth. The novel also shares the effects of war on those who serve, their families, and their communities.

Lyndie's father, his friends, and neighbors served in the war in Viet Nam. Some never returned, some returned with physical scars, and others, like Lyndie's dad, returned with psychological scars, scars which affect their families and lives.

Lyndon Baines (yes, named after that Lyndon Baines), an avid student of history, knows this isn't particular to the Viet Nam conflict; she has read many letters written by Civil War soldiers. She doesn't realize just how damaged her father is, but she suspects that he and her mother, a former activist who now stays in her bedroom with constant headaches, are not quite okay. "I don't think my parents know how to head us in the right direction" (24).

Lyndie struggles in her school, where she doesn't fit in; she struggles in her new home with her parents; Grandpa Tad; her proper Southern grandmother Lady, to whom keeping family secret private and keeping to schedules is primary, even when the family needs help and even if perpetually-grounded Lyddie needs a normal childhood; and she struggles with the type of person she wants to be-more like her altruistic best friend Dawn. She is a fighter, but she also cares about things deeply.

And then D.B. enters the picture, a former foster child released from a juvenile detention center to live with Dawn's family, at least for the school year. Lyndie decides she needs to save D.B. despite her father's words, "Take care, what you lend your heart to" (73). Through her relationship with D.B., Lyndie learns that things are not always what they seem-with him, with Pee Wee, with her family.

When things come to a crisis on her twelfth birthday, Lyndie has to take steps to expose the truth, "'No,' I correct myself. We're not okay. Not really.'" (267) and make things right-for her, her family, and D.B. and put all the scraps together.

​The number of children in foster care has increased in recent years; in 2019, there were approximately 440,000 foster youth nationwide. Each year, approximately 20,000 youth will age out of the foster care system when they turn 18 or 21, or when they finish high school (depending upon the state in which they live).

​ Orbiting Jupiter - Gary D. Schmidt

"You know how teachers are. If they get you to take out a book they love too, they're yours for life" (p.168). Every teacher will want to get this in every middle school and high school student's hands. I read this novel straight through, stopping only to drive to a school and guest-teach a 6th grade class (where I talked about the book) and ran home to finish.

I loved every single character (except the bullies-child and adult). I loved 14-year-old Joseph, a foster child who has been repeatedly hurt by others; to 12-year-old Jack who "has Joseph's back" almost from the beginning and counts how many times Joseph smiles while not giving up on trying to get Joseph to call him Jack, not Jackie; to Jack's parents, Joseph's foster parents who have taken in a teenager who served time in juvenile detention and are trying to help him heal and become whole again; to the teachers and coach who see the positive in Joseph.

As Joseph searches for his baby daughter Jupiter, for someone to love, his past comes to haunt him.

I laughed and I cried through this heartbreaking novel, and I keep re-writing the ending, not because it wasn't well-written, not because it wasn't realistic, but because it was not the ending I wanted.

​According to the Children's Defense Fund, 11.9 million 5 to 17-year-olds live in poverty in America, which is 1 in 6 children; in 2018, the number of poor children was 11.9 million, 16.2 percent of all children. More than 70 percent of these children come from working families. The homeless student population has climbed in recent years. The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) estimates that about 1.36 million public school students experienced homelessness during the 2016-17 school year, an increase of 70% in last decade.

​ The Benefits of Being an Octopus - Ann Braden

"Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they've got to do." (52)

And seventh-grader Zoey has a lot she has to do. She has to pick up the baby from her mom's job; she has to meet her little sister and brother at the bus stop, take them home, and many times feed them. She has to keep them busy in the one bedroom they all share so they don't bother her mother's boyfriend or mess up his perfectly organized, clean trailer. She has to help her friend Fuschia when she is thrown into an abusive situation and her friend Silas when rumors are spread about him. And she has to get through each day, as unnoticed as possible, so she doesn't get teased for her unwashed clothes. If only she were an octopus, she could use her many arms to hold her three siblings, do her homework, help her mother; she could camouflage herself and be even less noticeable; she could change her shape and fit in small places. She could protect herself, her friends, and her family.

Zooey used to have a strong, competent mother. But that was before Lenny, Lenny who breaks her confidence with his verbal abuse. How can Zoey convince her mother to leave; how can they afford to leave?

"It's not enough to know your stuff. Not if one of the things you know for sure is that everyone you're going up against is better than you." (42)

There is one teacher who sees the potential in Zoey and forces her to join the debate team where Zoey learns about discrediting your opponent, thinking from new perspectives, and saying what you think with passion. When she hears Matt Hubbard, the most popular boy in the class-but one who has been nice to her-give a speech, "...suddenly, I know. This isn't some crush on a boy. This is me wanting to feel the way he does. Strong. Confident. Like no one would even think about messing with me." (68) Through her teacher and her mother's friend Connor, she gets to the point "...when you start to wonder if maybe you do have a choice about the kind of person you want to become." (102)

And she needs to help her mother back to the place where she realizes that she has choices and the right to be treated well, even if it means a harder life.

​ Free Lunch - Rex Ogle

On the first day of middle school Rex arrives at school with a black eye and his name in the Free Lunch Program registry. This was supposed to be a great year. "I guess it won't be after all." (25)

When his friends all join the football team, Rex has no one to sit with at lunch. "Having a place to sit in middle school is important. 'Cause it means you have friends. Popular kids sit at one table. Football players sit nearby. Cheerleaders too. Band kids are in one area, school newspaper and yearbook kids at another. Religious kids have a table. So do the kids who play Dungeons & Dragons. The whole cafeteria is that way. Everyone has their place. Everyone except me." (56)

As Rex lives through a year of avoiding being hit by his mentally-unstable mother and her abusive boyfriend; taking care of his little brother; sleeping in a room with only a sleeping bag; having his one possession-his Sony boombox, a present from his real dad-pawned; surviving a teacher who treats him as "less than;" and moving to government-subsidized housing in view of the school, he still feels the responsibility to help his mother. When his friend Liam steals some candy at the grocery "because [he] can," the cashier asks to see Rex's pockets, and Rex learns the double standard for the wealthy and the poor. "I don't get why folks act like being poor is a disease, like it's wrong or something." (53)

On the positive side, Rex makes a new friend at school, Ethan, a boy who may have seems a "total weirdo" at first but turns out to be a good person and true friend and have his own family problems, and Rex's teacher learns to admit and face her own prejudices. Rex comes to the realization that "Mom didn't sign me up for the Free Lunch Program to punish me. She did it so I could have food....Things are not as black and white as I thought. Maybe some things are gray, somewhere in between." (188)

Rex's mother finally obtains a job, and he even receives a present for Christmas. "I may not have a million presents, but I have one. And one is better than none." (188) As Ethan tells him, "...no one has a perfect life. There is no such thing as 'perfect.' It's just an idea." (195)
.
However, some lives are indeed less perfect. About 15 million children in the United States - 21% of all children - live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold. Forty-three percent of children live in families who earn less than necessary to cover basic expenses (NCCP). And Rex Ogle, author, was one of them-and Free Lunch is his personal story.

Ten-year-old Mia becomes an activist and champion of those who cannot, or will not, stand up for themselves ["You don't get it, kid. I've been fighting my whole life. I'm done. It's no use fighting-people are gonna be the way they're gonna be" (105)], teaches others the wrongs of prejudice and injustice, and forms a community from her neighbors, patrons, and fellow immigrants.

Mia and her parents emigrated from China to the United States for a more "free" life. In China her parents were professionals; in America they feel lucky to find a job managing a motel. But the owner, Mr. Yao, is unkind, unjust, cheap, and prejudiced. He reduces their salaries until they are working for lodging and a life of poverty. And while this is a novel about Mia who manages the front desk and helps her parents temporarily hide other Chinese immigrants who have been mistreated, it is really a novel of culture, prejudice, bullying, community, and, most of all, the power of writing. "It was the most incredible feeling ever, knowing that something I wrote actually changed someone's life." (218)

In America there are two roller coasters, and people are born to a life on one or the other, but Mia and her friend Lupe, whose family came from Mexico, have decided to break that cycle. Although bullied in school and warned by her mother that she will never be a "native" English writer, Mia develops her writing skills to help Hank gain employment after a wrongful arrest, free "Uncle" Zhang whose ID and passport were being held by his employer, share her story with her teacher and classmates, and finally persuade friends and strangers to take a chance on her family.

Mia is a representative of the "nearly twenty million immigrant children currently living in the United States, 30 percent of whom are living at or below poverty." (Author's Note). Author Kelly Yang, one of those immigrant children, shares the autobiographical elements of the novel in her Author's Note.

Front Desk, with its very short chapters and challenging topics would be a meaningful and effective 10-minute read-aloud to begin Grade 4-7 daily reading workshop focus lessons. I would suggest projecting Mia's letters since they show her revisions as she seeks to improve her language skills and word choices.

"It's not like I get hit. I don't get touched. I don't get threatened.... We don't always have food but I manage to eat.... I take care of my sister."
"But what does it take to be in danger? What does that even mean? Are things not bad enough? Should things be worse for me before...before I can make them better?"

Gem has been organizing her life and taking care of her younger sister Dixie and her mother most of her life. Her philandering father was kicked out and is a rare presence in their lives, and her mother drinks and uses drugs. I was drawn to Gem from the very beginning when the reader first encounters her as a child taking care of Dixie and leading her on "adventures" in their apartment. As the sisters enter high school, popular, pretty Dixie grows away from the Gem, accepting life as it is and making it work for her. We see Gem, a high school junior, hustling quarters to buy lunch because her father is long gone and her mother won't fill out the paperwork for free lunches. My heart broke for her as, alone and friendless and somewhat sister-less, she navigates life with the help of her school psychologist Mr. Bergstrom.

Their father's return leads to an opportunity for the sisters to leave on a real adventure and although they bond for a few days, Dixie opts to return home while Gem, even though she still worries about Dixie, takes the solution that can make her own life better.

Author Sara Zarr created a character who broke my heart even while I was rooting for her.
"Everything that happened, it was only because we wanted our parents to be better, to know how to take care of us."

​ Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

"We're gonna get evicted again. If we get evicted again, you said you're gonna leave.... I'm tired of coming home and our stuff's on the lawn.... I'm tired of staying in people's basements! Why can't you just pay the rent! Just stop gambling and pay the rent!" (280)

Eighth-grader Genesis Anderson's family has been evicted four times already. Her father has a gambling problem and is an alcoholic but somehow he moves them from Detroit to a house in the fashionable Farmington Hills. But again the rent is not paid, and they will probably lose this home also.

Genesis has other problem, problems with other kids at her schools calling her names based on the darkness of her skin. Her parents are from complicated families with ideas about skin color and class. Genesis hates the color of her skin and the texture of her hair, wishing she looked like her beautiful light-skinned mother. "'I can't stand you, ' I say to my reflection." (10) She thinks her father has rejected her because she is dark like he is. "What if I inherited all Dad's ways? What if no one recognizes that I'm...one of the good ones?" (154) "Every single night I've prayed for God to make me beautiful-make me light. And every morning I wake up exactly the same." (157)

Even though she is finally making friends in her new school, two friends-Todd and Sophia-who know what it's like to be stereotyped and bullied and like Genesis for who she is, she tries to bleach her skin and relax her hair to fit in, become popular, and please her father and grandmother.

Through her chorus teacher's discovery of her singing talent and introductions to the music of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Eta James, Genesis finds the courage to audition for the school talent show and sing. "I can't believe it. I did it. I, Genesis Anderson, stepped out onto that stage and sang. Out loud. In Public. Alone." (249) At the actual performance, she discovers her strength. "I let each word soar. I swoop down to hug the little girl sitting on the curb with all her furniture. I visit the girl in the basement with the wrinkled brown bag passing from hand to hand. I kiss the lonely girl who hears ugly taunts from the mirror. I experience every moment. And I'm not afraid." (348)

​ How to Build a Heart - Maria Padian

According to the DODEA, "Children who experience the loss of a parent or other family member through a military line-of-duty death are likely to face a number of unique issues." Izzy's father died when she was ten, before her younger brother Jack was born. Her small family, estranged from her father's relatives, has moved from place to place as her mother, a nurse's aide, tries to support them.

When she moves to a trailer park in Virginia, Isabella Crawford becomes embroiled in the family drama of her best friend. As a member of the acapella group at the private school where she is a scholarship student, she befriends a freshman who is battling her own demons. To make her life even more complicated, her family becomes the recipient of a Habit for Humanity house, and Izzy has to volunteer hours towards its construction.

In the midst of all this drama, Izzy, who is determined to keep her family's circumstances a secret from her classmates, discovers what friendship and trusting friends-and family-really means as she reconnects with her father's pig-farming family and finds that her wealthy friends and her new boyfriend care about her, not her economic status.

Izzy, an adolescent straddled between two cultures-that of her Puerto Rican mother and her North Carolina father-is not quite sure where she belongs but learns to share her world with others. She is a memorable, well-developed character whom I did not want to leave at the end of Mara Padian's new novel.

​ Isaiah Dunn is My Hero - Kelly J. Baptist

After Isaiah Dunn's father died suddenly of a heart attack, his mother, too depressed to work, took her solace in bottles. "But I do think. About how the world can be good and happy for one person, but bad and sad for somebody else. And how everything can change in just one minute...like it did for me, Mama, Daddy, and Charlie." (21)

Fifth-grader Isaiah, his mother, and his 4-year-old sister Charlise lost their apartment and moved into the "Smokey Inn," which is how Isaiah refers to their motel. But then they lost even that, living in their car until they were rescued by a former neighbor.
"Every day Mrs. Fisher writes a sentence on the board, and we have a few minutes to write something about it. Today she wrote, 'My world is a good and happy place." (21)...I keep my workbook closed, too, cuz there's no way I'm writing and words about being safe and happy." (23) And a few days later, "I wanna tell Mrs. Fisher there's no way I'm writing about 'my favorite room in my house'."(55)

But Isaiah does have his father's notebook of stories of the superhero Isaiah Dunn which he reads slowly and savors, and he has a love of words, a talent for writing poems, and the goal of making enough money somehow to move his family into a house. He truly wants to be Isaiah Dunn, Superhero. But life is tough, and young adolescent lives are complicated under the best of circumstances. The reader follows Isaiah's year as he navigates changing relationships with classmates and faces his own grief, attempting to hold his family together, and we cheer him on as he creates a lasting tribute to his father's memory.

Isaiah Dunn's story began in the short story anthology Flying Lessons, and author Kelly Baptist develops this engaging character in this novel.

Junk Boy - Tony Abbott

Junk Boy introduces reads to two outliers, two dysfunctional families, two stories which become intertwined.

"there is no putting
a tree back up after
it's broken
and fallen
in a storm

maybe with us
with people
it's different" (336)

Bobby Lang, nicknamed Junk by the bullies at school because he lives in a place that has become a junkyard, spends his time flying under the radar, eyes down, not speaking. His father is drunk, abusive, unemployed, and listens to sad country songs; his mother who left when he was a baby is, according to his father, dead. Bobby has no self-confidence and little self-worth, but then he meets Rachel, a talented artist who sees something else in him.

"her eyes could
somehow see a me
that is more me
than I am

that is so weirdly more
so better than
actual
me" (273-4)

But Rachel has her own family problems. Her father has just moved out and her physically-abusive mother wants the local priest to "reformat" Rachel who is gay.

As Rachel moves in and out of Bobby's life, her need helps him figure out
"what was I going to
say
do
be?" (274)

And what he is, or becomes, is a rescuer and protector, a savior. As Father Percy tells him, "It's what she found in you..." (352)

Reading Tony Abbott's first verse novel, I felt like I was watching a movie unfold as I followed the protagonist on his hero's journey.

​ Operation Frog Effect - Sarah Scheerger

When their teacher explains the Butterfly Effect, "It's the idea that a small change in one thing can lead to big changes in other things...Anything and everything we do-positive or negative, big or small-can influence other people and the world." (153, 155) and tasks her 5th graders to think about what they could do within their social-issues projects to make a difference, they do-with repercussions they did not imagine.

Told through their daily journals, readers learn about the lives and feelings of the eight students in Mrs. Graham's classroom. Emily, whose two best friends have "outgrown" her, struggles through the year wondering if she will have friends again; when she is left to team with other students, she is upset but may have found newer, truer friends. Kayley is honest to a fault since she always knows best; she tells everyone, even the teacher, what is best and what to do, not afraid to burn bridges since she will be attending a private middle school next year. Aviva is caught in the middle. She still wants to be friends with Emily and do what's right but is manipulated by what Kayley thinks.

Sharon writes her journal in free verse; a typical loner, she hopes for letters in her desk mailbox as she slowly becomes part of a group of friends. Cecilia was born in America but addresses her journal entries to her Abuelita in Mexico, her mother coming to America for a better life for her child. Blake, who loses his home, draws his entries and turns out to be a tech whiz, while Henry writes his journal as scenes and makes jokes, slowly tearing down Kayley's defenses. Kai, Taiwanese son of professors, is a voracious reader and wants to "be the kind of person who does something." (230)

And Mrs. Graham is the teacher who forces them to think. When she tells them their first-day seats are their teams for the year, some students rebel but they slowly begin to perform and feel like teams, even friends. When Sharon has the idea that her team should experience a night of homelessness as "full immersion" in their social-issues project, serious consequences result, and it is up to the class to fix them-to make the big changes and influence their community. Named Operation Frog Effect in honor of the class frog they saved, the students learn to be part of a team and of a classroom community.

The Great Jeff - Tony Abbott

The Great Jeff is a sequel or companion book, to the 2006 novel Firegirl, and I found it necessary to have read the first book to understand Jeff's feelings about relationships in the new novel. Firegirl left me with questions about Jeff who was not the most sympathetic character and-from his behaviors in that novel-deserved to be ditched by his best friend Tom Bender.

In this well-written, engaging novel, the reader learns more about Jeff and his family and home life, and he becomes a more sympathetic character. Jeff was nine when his father left. Dad is now living with a second girlfriend who is pregnant, and he has stopped paying for Jeff's education at St. Catherine's; as a result Jeff has to change schools for eighth grade. "I still wanted to love my dad. Inside me, I still wanted to." (65)
​
His mother, an alcoholic, loses her job with no savings for rent. Jeff becomes the sensible one and gives up buying his beloved comics and skips lunch every other day. They begin selling their clothing, household items, and furniture until they lose their rented house and become homeless, moving from run-down motel to a friend's home to sleeping in their car to a shelter. "Home. Homeless. Funny how it doesn't take much to go from one to the other." (171)

Through it all Jeff stays positive and becomes resilient for his mom who only infrequently behaves like a responsible adult. "She'd taken over sounding grownup now. She had to sometime." (158) He helps her hide their situation, despite his lack of clothing and the days he smells.

In the shelter Jeff can finally open up and share his problems with other children. "[Jano's] story was different from mine but the same too." (199) And when his mother ends up in the hospital, Jeff learns to trust those who were always his friends.

​ Where the Heart Is - Jo Knowles

"When you learn vocabulary words in school, you memorize the definition. And you have a good idea of what the words mean. But it's not until you feel them that you really grasp the definition. I have known what the word 'helpless' means for a long time. And 'desperate.' But I've never felt them. Feeling them is different. They fill your chest with a horrible sense of 'dread' and 'guilt' and 'despair.' Those are more vocabulary words that you can't fully understand until you feel them. (246)

The summer before eighth grade is full of changes for Rachel. She turns 13; she has a job working with animals on her wealthy neighbors' "farm;" her relationship with Micah changes when she realizes she only wants to remain best friends, not start dating him; she questions her sexual orientation when she realizes that her feelings when she is with Cybil are how she used to feel with Micah; and although her family has always been relatively poor since her mother lost her job, the bank is foreclosing and they are losing their house. If home is where the heart is, as her sister's pillow proclaims, what defines a home.

In this new novel by author Jo Knowles, some readers will seem themselves represented and others will learn empathy for those whose lives may leave them feeling helpless and desperate, as is the case with too many of our adolescents who are in situations they cannot control.

These stories with their resilient characters and challenging issues that will generate important conversations would most effectively be read in book clubs where readers can lead the discussions, offer differing perspectives to a story, and support those to whom these issues may more sensitive. Book club members can meet with members of other book clubs to compare and contrast issues and how they are handled and characters and the decisions they make. Book clubs can be organized under a Resiliency theme, choosing one book from each topic-Incarcerated Parents, Mental Health, Foster Care, and Poverty & Homelessness-or one topic can be chosen for each class, forming book clubs from the novels listed under that topic.

Talking Texts: A Teachers' Guide to Book Clubs across the Curriculum (2019) describes strategies and workshop lessons for planning, organizing, preparing readers, facilitating, and assessing that type of book club reading.

A middle school and high school teacher for twenty years, Lesley Roessing was the Founding Director of the Coastal Savannah Writing Project at Georgia Southern University (formerly Armstrong State University) where she was also a Senior Lecturer in the College of Education. In 2018-19 she served as a Literacy Consultant with a K-8 school. Lesley served as past editor of Connections, the award-winning journal of the Georgia Council of Teachers of English. As a columnist for AMLE Magazine, she shared before, during, and after-reading response strategies across the curriculum through ten "Writing to Learn" columns. She now works independently, writing, providing professional development in literacy to schools, and visiting classrooms to facilitate reading and writing lessons. She can be contacted at lesleyroessing@gmail.com or through Facebook Messenger.

Lesley is the author of
and has contributed chapters to

Young Adult Literature in a Digital World: Textual Engagement though Visual Literacy

Queer Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the English Language Arts Curriculum

Story Frames for Teaching Literacy: Enhancing Student Learning through the Power of Storytelling (in press)

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Once again Lesley Roessing has a remarkable list of novels for your consideration. Check out all of her other contributions at this link .

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Hiding in Plain Sight: A Different Diversity

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This week’s guest contributor is Lesley Roessing. Lesley is not a stranger to the blog or the internet. She posts frequently on Facebook about various aspects of young adult literature. She posted on…

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Algonquin Young Readers
For Pluto, summer has always started with a trip to the planetarium. It's the launch to her favorite season, which also includes visits to the boardwalk arcade, working in her mom's pizzeria, and her best friend Meredith's birthday party. But this summer, none of that feels possible. Pluto has been diagnosed of depression and a big black hole that sits on her chest. Nicole Melleby's How to Become a Planet is "a raw yet honest . . . must-read" (School Library Journal, starred review) about Pluto's journey of self-acceptance and perseverance.

Middle grade books do a lot of work. They get kids into a habit of reading, explore the many nuanced facets of the human experience, and explain hard things in delicate ways. Middle grade books about mental health manage to do all those things while also showing that no one is alone in any of their struggles. They're powerful and essential books, regardless of the reader's age. Below, we offer some suggestions that deal with alcoholism, anxiety, attempted suicide, bullying, child sexual abuse, depression, grief, internalized racism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, schizophrenia.

Middle Grade Books About Mental Health

If you enjoyed this list of middle grade books about mental health, check out these YA books about schizophrenia and picture books about anxiety for little ones who worry.

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8 Powerful Middle Grade Books About Mental Health

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Algonquin Young Readers For Pluto, summer has always started with a trip to the planetarium. It's the launch to her favorite season, which also includes visits to the boardwalk arcade, working in her mom's pizzeria, and her best friend Meredith's birthday party. But this summer, none of that feels possible.

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If you're facing mental health illness in your family or you know someone who is, help your children understand by reading children's picture books and chapter books whose characters have depression, OCD, bipolar disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia, or other mental illnesses.

Depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder are just some of the mental health illnesses that we might be experiencing or know someone who is experiencing.
Reading books, aka. bibliotherapy, can build both understanding and empathy for yourself and others.
But watch out for books that encourage stuffing emotions - or books that label emotions as good and bad. These kinds of books are VERY harmful and actually unhelpful for your child's social-emotional health. Because NO emotion is bad. All emotions are necessary for a healthy life.

I see this a lot with books about anxiety. NO, we should not try to banish it, get rid of it, overcome it- but instead, befriend it and show it compassion. Acceptance actually helps anxiety subside, not fighting it. I speak from experience here and if you've had anxiety, too- you probably know what I mean.

After my first daughter was born, I had Post-Partum Depression which turned into anxiety, and I took medication for an anxiety disorder until recently. ( See my post about crawling.)

Additionally, my daughter has several diagnoses that don't have permission to share but suffice to say, I have navigated SO many kinds of therapy - and highly recommend therapy for everyone, including kids.

For kids under 10, I recommend play and art therapy- not cognitive therapy. After wasting lots of money, my conclusion is that cognitive therapy is not as helpful before age 9 because children don't have the abstract thinking abilities to benefit from it like they do from play therapy.

I also recommend, based on experience, internal family systems, brain spotting, neurofeedback, and somatic experiencing. But, every person is different and what works for one person and age and diagnosis, might not be right for your situation.

After you research, see if you find a therapist you and your child both like. Then, and I can't stress this enough, SIT IN for part of a session - or an update to see how they interact together. I had the opportunity to see a therapist shame the heck out of my daughter - it was awful and cruel and totally informative in the sense that we quit the next day and I saved my daughter from bullying and pain. I would never have found out how mean that lady was if I hadn't seen her in action. (I wouldn't recommend more than once doing this - because your child needs to have confidentiality and trust in the therapeutic relationship.)

I wish for you hope and want you to know that you're not alone. Invisible diseases and conditions are not easy - but there is help out there.

I hope these books remind you that you are not alone. And show you what it's like to walk in another's shoes.

Find good books about emotions and feelings here.

Depression / Bipolar Disorder in Children's Books

The Princess and the Fog by Lloyd Jones
DEPRESSION
picture book
Once upon a time, there lived a princess. When a fog descends on her, she feels different than she used to - she feels sad and doesn't want to do what she used to do or see her friends. Honestly, this is true for me - depression does feel like a fog.

When Monkey Lost His Smile by Stephanie Margolese
SAD FEELINGS
picture book
Monkey is so sad that his special tree is gone which makes his smile go away, too. With help from friends and family, Monkey discovers how he can feel better again. Again, this book is more about feeling sad but could be used to address some kinds of depression.

by Summer Macon
BIPOLAR DISORDER
picture book
The is the BEST book on bipolar disorder for children that I've read. This little girl lovingly discusses her mom's days in bed contrasted with her mom's days of excitement. She shares that she feels many different feelings - and how she stays with her granddad or friends when her mom has to go to the hospital. I'm impressed with how much about this disorder the story covers in kid-friendly, relatable language.

by Victoria M. Remmel
BIPOLAR DISORDER
picture book
This book provides a generalized explanation of bipolar disorder that emphasizes turning to family for support. When Polar Bear is at the North Pole, he feels on top of the world with everything intense and bright. But the South Pole makes him feel big, tired, and heavy.

The Color Thief: a Family's Story of Depression
DEPRESSION
picture book
A son describes what happens when his dad suffers from depression.

by Claire Legrand
DEPRESSION
middle grade chapter book, ages 8 - 12
This is an amazing, beautiful chapter book about facing your feelings, even big, huge depression sadness. It's also a story that mixes the allegory of an imaginary kingdom named Everwood, a place Finley has written about forever but now finds in the back of her grandparent's house, with the hope and healing that only pretend play can offer children. This is also a mystery story - what happened to make Finley's father leave and never return? and why does Finley's grandma hate the neighbors so much? Some Kind of Happiness is multi-layered, thought-provoking, and exquisite that addresses the big topics of divorce, secrets, and depression.

by Laura Tucker, illustrations by Kelly Murphy
DEPRESSION
middle grade chapter book, ages 8 - 12
Art and color are fundamental to this story about a young artist named Olympia, daughter of two artists. After her dad mysteriously disappears and her mom's depression confines her to bed, Olympia bravely tries to hide her home situation from adults while investigating her father's location. Fortunately, her friends love Olympia so much that they are willing to make her mad and tell adults so that Olympia's mom can get help. It's a portrait of friends who are family and the different growing up challenges that come when you have a parent who is depressed.

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
BIPOLAR
middle grade chapter book, ages 8 - 12
This is a story that is packed with issues about growing up differently. Dunkin has bipolar disorder and feels better when he's off his meds which leads to a spiral into mania. His sort-of friend, Lily, is born with boy parts but feels like a girl and while her mother and sister have accepted her as Lily, her dad still calls her Tim and wants him to be a boy. This is their story as these two individuals struggle to find themselves amidst big challenges, including one with a mental illness.

Friends for Life by Andrew Norriss
DEPRESSION / SUICIDE
middle grade chapter book, ages 10+
Jessica is a ghost who only Francis can see until two other outcast kids can see Jessica. The four friends spend happy times together until they decide to figure out how Jessica died. When they discover it was a suicide, the friends each reveal their own struggles with suicidal thoughts. The conclusion is very heart-warming with the message that we often all feel alone but we really aren't if so many others feel the same way, too.

by Mariama J. Lockington
BIPOLAR DISORDER
middle grade chapter book, ages 9 - 12
Just like the author's own experience as an adoptee (#ownvoices), it's hard for Makeda to be a black adopted girl in a white family that she loves but doesn't feel like she fits- or is even seen. But there are even more challenges for Makeda these days, starting with being the little sister to a newly-distant teenager, moving to a new town away from her BFF, having parents who constantly fight, and watching her mom's mental health deteriorate and blaming herself. (Adults will recognize the signs of bipolar disorder.) After her mom's mania takes them on a trip to Colorado which abruptly nose dives into severe depression and a suicide attempt, Makeda reaches out for help. Don't miss this insightful, honest story - it makes you think deeply and will stay with you long after the last page.

middle grade chapter book, ages 9 - 12
Sara wants to be cured of her mental illnesses and be "normal" like other kids so she makes rules for herself. Among other diagnoses, Sara is bipolar for which she blames herself. She hates her out-of-control brain and feels like nobody can help. Meanwhile, she begins group therapy where she makes a friend; a friend who is covered in hidden bruises. Sara and Erin think of themselves as Star Children, kids alien DNA. It's profoundly sad to witness Sara's self-loathing yet her still hoping for a better tomorrow. Sara begins to realize she wants to change her inner dialogue and accept herself. For readers, it's a valuable opportunity to peek inside Sara's mind and see how painful it is to have an invisible disease. It won't make you think like her but will give you compassion.

Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller
DEPRESSION
middle grade chapter book, ages 9 - 12
This children's middle-grade book touched my heart so deeply. Natalie wants to figure out how to help her mother, who we gather is depressed (in her bed all day long, no longer working, clues like that, ...). As Natalie prepares for an egg drop contest with two other kids, she looks at her mother's situation with the same scientific process zeal. Her ultimate plan is to win the contest then use the money to whisk her mother away on a special trip to see the amazing Cobalt Blue Orchids. Throughout the story, we see her friendships develop as well as her understanding of life as not an exact science. It's a well-done, compassionate look at depression.

by Ellen Oh
DEPRESSION
middle grade chapter book, ages 10+
This incredible book packs a big punch because it sensitively and truthfully addresses depression, racism, family relationships, friendship, and strength to stand up against injustice as well as recounts the Korean War from the perspectives of two children, Junie's grandparents. In the present day, Junie faces bullying and microaggressions, then her friends drop her for being too negative. Her sadness and fatigue lead to suicidal thoughts then medication and therapy. Even more helpful are Junie's interviews with her grandparents, immigrants from South Korea who faced their war-filled childhood hardships with determination and courage. Her grandpa's story helps Junie find her strength, helping her see that silence against injustice is complicity and that being a good friend is important. Moving, important, and beautiful. *SENSITIVE READERS: This book includes suicidal thoughts, the violence of war, and a couple of bad words.

by Lisa Allen-Agostini
DEPRESSION
YA book, ages 13+

Kayla's moved from Trinidad to Canada with her aunt after a depressive episode and suicide attempt. She's experiencing debilitating anxiety and self-loathing, making trips to the mall or a restaurant almost impossible. Her aunt and her aunt's girlfriend are very understanding and patient which makes a huge difference in Kayla's recovery. In therapy and her journal, she writes about the difficult relationship she has with her mother who wants her to be smart and pretty, not sick. It also helps when she befriends a good-natured boy named Josh who understands depression. His understanding, along with her aunts' loving acceptance, helps Kayla come to terms with her illness. Her story feels honest, relatable, and important.

Julie Halpern
Get Well Soon by
DEPRESSION
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Anna's living in a mental hospital after her parents have her committed. There she meets and makes friends before eventually getting better.

Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford
DEPRESSION
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Jeff's in a psychiatric ward after a suicide attempt and is in big time denial - about his suicide and his sexuality.

Saving Francesca by Marlina Marchetta
DEPRESSION
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Francesca's mom is suffering from acute depression and Francesca feels lost without her mom especially as she struggles with a new school, friendship challenges, and facing her big feelings.

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos
DEPRESSION & ANXIETY
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Depressed and anxious 16-year old James loves poet Walt Whitman, speaks frequently to his inner therapist (a pigeon called Dr. Bird), and misses his sister who his father kicked out.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
DEPRESSION
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Teens Theodore and Violet meet on the edge of the school's bell tower. Neither jump. Afterward, the two slowly become friends. Reviewers say this book contains heartache, grief, love, and hope.

I Was Here by Gayle Forman
DEPRESSION / SUICIDE
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Cody is devastated after her best friend commits suicide. She learns that Meg hadn't told her a lot about her new college life. After Cody joins a suicide support group, she discovers she needs to forgive both Meg and herself.

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
BIPOLAR / DEPRESSION / SUICIDE
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Hopkins writes gritty, honest novels in verse. This is the story of three teens at Aspen Springs, a mental hospital for kids who have attempted suicide and is the first of two books.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
SUICIDE
YA chapter book, ages 13+
I HATE this book! I really do. But I'll tell you about it anyway... Hannah wants Clay to feel guilty for her suicide so she leaves him audio tapes about her pain, blaming everyone for her actions. Having had a suicide in my own family, I believe that we all are responsible for our decisions, including suicide. This book focused more on blaming others and therefore wasn't for me. (Also would add that his book wasn't about depression or mental illness as much as trauma.) I'm including it simply because you might have heard of it and I wanted to share my opinion.

Anxiety in Children's Books

There are not a lot of really good children's books that talk about anxiety - the diagnosed, severe mental health kind of anxiety. However, there are books about worries so that's a decent place to start I suppose. Below you'll find picture books and middle-grade books that talk about worries but it's not really until middle grade and young adult that books more accurately deal with debilitating anxiety and OCD.

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
WORRY
picture book
Wemberly worries about many things, especially starting school. While this only touches on anxiety, it's a reassuring story that sometimes things we worry about things turn out just fine.

by Victoria M. Sanchez, illustrated by Jess Golden
ANXIETY
picture book
This story about a girl named Pilar shows a child experiencing anxiety - and what she does about it. She notices the sensations in her body like her heart beating fast and her legs prickling. She has strategies that help - breathing and saying, " I can do it. " It's not overly complex but may show kids that they're not alone and anxiety can get better.

by Tom Percival
WORRY
picture book
Ruby loves swinging and exploring. One day, she discovers a yellow blob Worry who grows and grows and won't leave her alone even brushing her teeth and at school. The Worry stopped Ruby from doing things she loved, becoming enormous and all-consuming. When she sees a boy with his own blue Worry, she realizes that other people have Worries, too and that when they talk about them, they become smaller, even going away. Add this to your emotional bookshelf to support kids with sharing their own worries.

by Ross Szabo
ANXIETY
picture book
Szabo clearly differentiates between the feelings of anxiety and nervousness. He explains how he feels when he has anxiety. "Anxiety is an uncontrollable feeling that stops you from doing what you normally do." After this, Szabo retells the story of feeling anxiety and trying strategies he learned from a counselor like deep breathes, focusing on a spot to block out other things, and leaving the situation. " I'm learning how to identify when it happens and what to do to slow it down. "

by Patrice Karst, illustrated by Geoff Stevenson
SEPARATION WORRIES
picture book
The Invisible String is a string that extends from your heart to the heart of people who love you so we are never alone. This children's book is meant to be a warm hug for young kids who are worried about being away from parents or caregivers.

by Lenore Look
FEAR / ANXIETY
chapter book, ages 7 - 10
Second-grader, Alvin Ho, is afraid of everything, especially school. At school he's quiet but at home, he's Firecracker Man, superhero. A decent read about dealing with fears.

by Raina Telgemeier
ANXIETY
middle grade chapter book, ages 8 - 12

Raina shares her own life story, how in elementary school, her fears and anxieties led to terrible stomach aches, days of missed school, and time in therapy. Guts sensitively delves into the mind-body connection, showing therapy in a positive light. I wholeheartedly appreciate that the story shows a kind counselor who gives Raina helpful strategies. My daughter and I both love when Raina bravely presents to her class a strategy she learned in therapy - deep breathing.

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
ANXIETY
middle grade chapter book, ages 8 - 12
After losing their home and living in their van for 3 months, the family is now about to lose their apartment. Although Jackson's parents don't tell him this, he knows the signs. He knows why they're having a yard sale. He knows it's not his dad's fault for having MS but he's mad and worried and alone. It isn't until Crenshaw shows up and pushes Jackson to speak the truth to his parents that Jackson learns that he's not facing this big fear and situation alone. Oh, and who is Crenshaw? He's Jackson's large, imaginary cat friend from when he was little returned to help Jackson in his time of need. I felt like it was a God metaphor. I wonder what you'll think?

Living with Viola by Rosena Fung

ANXIETY
middle grade chapter books, ages 9 - 12
Viola is Livy's anxiety personified. Viola is loud and says mean things and doesn't believe in Liv's capacity. Fung masterfully lets us live inside Livy's mind so we can understand what it's like to have anxiety disorder and just how strong and loud that voice is. Livy's family are Chinese immigrants in Canada and she feels a lot of pressure from her extended family about being an exceptional student and good daughter. Then with friendship struggles on top of her family concerns, Viola's voice is stronger than ever. Livy finally tells her parents and gets a diagnosis and support. Moving, profound, and empathy-building - I highly recommend this story; it's one of the best stories about anxiety that I've read.

middle grade chapter books, ages 9 - 12
Sara wants to be cured of her mental illnesses and be "normal" like other kids so she makes rules for herself. Among other diagnoses, Sara is bipolar for which she blames herself. She hates her out-of-control brain and feels like nobody can help. Meanwhile she begins group therapy where she makes a friend; a friend who is covered in hidden bruises. Sara and Erin think of themselves as Star Children, kids alien DNA. It's profoundly sad to witness Sara's self loathing yet her still hoping for a better tomorrow. Sara begins to realize she wants to change her inner dialogue and accept herself. For readers, it's a valuable opportunity to peek inside Sara's mind and see how painful it is to have an invisible disease. It won't make you think like her but will give you compassion.

Growing Pangs by Kathryn Ormsbee, illustrated by Molly Brooks
OCD
middle grade chapter books, ages 9 - 12
Katie's a bit different than other kids being homeschooled with crooked teeth and red hair but she knows that doesn't matter because she has a best friend forever named Kacey. Until they start camp and Katie makes a new friend and Kacey gets jealous. But what's even harder is the secret Katie's hiding from everyone - she's having buzzing thoughts that tell her to do repetitive things and they're getting worse. During the next school year, Katie and Kacey's friendship deteriorates even more because Katie continues to make new friends and try new things like theater. Eventually, Katie tells her parents about the buzzing and they get her help for what she learns are obsessive-compulsive thoughts. I love this story- the author (and illustrator) skillfully show realistic friendship changes and the challenges of a mental health issue.

Marvel's anxiety makes school feel impossible - especially after freezing on stage during a required full-class participation event. Walking home from school, she finds a dirty, garbage-eating goat being teased by a group of boys. Surprising herself with newfound bravery, Marvel yells at the boys and takes the fainting goat named Butter home with her. Her parents reluctantly allow Marvel to keep Butter but require her to look for the owner. When they're together, Marvel feels the noises in her head diminish and relies on Butter as her emotional support animal. But Marvel is devastated when Butter's owner claims her. The sadness she feels about losing Butter helps her find support in group therapy. Finding new coping skills from her time with Butter, she gets a full-circle, perfect ending.
**Be sure to read Victoria Piontek's essay, " What Animals Taught Me About Managing Anxiety. "

Kate De Gold
The 10 PM Question by
ANXIETY
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Frankie worries about everything. His new friendship with a carefree girl starts to make him wonder if things could be different.

Karen Harrington
Courage for Beginners by
AGORAPHOBIA
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Mysti's mom is too scared to leave the house (agoraphobia) and her dad is in the hospital. How will they get any food? Not to mention, Mysti's only friend pressures her not to talk to him at school.

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff
ANXIETY & DEPRESSION
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Annie is worried about everything and gives up some of her activities just to be sure things will be okay. With help from friends, Annie finds her way out of anxiety and sadness.

by Lisa Allen-Agostini
ANXIETY
YA chapter book, ages 13+

Kayla's moved from Trinidad to Canada with her aunt after a depressive episode and suicide attempt. She's experiencing debilitating anxiety and self-loathing, making trips to the mall or a restaurant almost impossible. Her aunt and her aunt's girlfriend are very understanding and patient which makes a huge difference in Kayla's recovery. In therapy and her journal, she writes about the difficult relationship she has with her mother who wants her to be smart and pretty, not sick. It also helps when she befriends a good-natured boy named Josh who understands depression. His understanding, along with her aunts' loving acceptance, helps Kayla come to terms with her illness. Her story feels honest, relatable, and important.

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) in Children's Books

by Stacy McAnulty
OCD
middle grade chapter book, ages 9 - 12
Wow, do I love this book! The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is a thoughtful coming-of-age story about a girl genius with OCD whose grandma wants her to go to public middle school to make one friend, read one non-math book, and join one school activity. Surprisingly, Lucy does find friends and more than that, too. I love this well-written, heart-warming story!

Trowbridge Road by Marcella Pixley
OCD / GERMOPHOBIA
middle grade chapter book, ages 9 - 12

Heartbreakingly sad, this is a beautiful story of misfit friends set in the 1980s. Both are lost and emotionally abandoned children who become friends when Ziggy's abandoned at his grandmother's house the neighborhood. June Bug's mom suffers from severe mental disorders including fear of germs ever since June Bug's dad died of AIDS. She doesn't get out of bed, she doesn't cook, and she's obsessive about cleanliness. June Bug is starving because there's no food in the house but she doesn't want to tell anyone, even her uncle. Luckily, Ziggy's Nana Jean notices and offers June Bug love, food, and safety. deeply connected to these survivor kids. The friends' imaginary world helps them deal with the neighborhood bullies and family troubles. It's a complex story with friendship, love, and redemption despite the pain of abandonment and the effects of mental illness.

by John Green
OCD
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Absolutely the best book I've ever read to understand what it's like to live with OCD! It feels real because the author, John Green, deals with OCD in his own life. Not only is Aza dealing with the challenges of her brain's loud and intrusive thoughts but she also is a teenager who is just figuring out her life while following her best friend on a missing person's investigation.

Kissing Doorknobsby Terry Spencer Hesser
OCD
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Tara is so worried about everything that her fears turn into obsessive rituals - counting cracks on the sidewalk, prayer, touching doorknobs, and more. She doesn't want to keep doing her rituals but can't stop.

OCD, the Dude, and Me by Lauren Roedy Vaughn
OCD
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Danielle's forced into a social-skills class at her alternative high school after her sometimes inappropriate writing for English class alarms her teachers.

Big Bear Was Not the Same by Joanna Rowland, illustrated by John Ledda
PTSD
picture book, ages 4 - 8
This gentle story explains PTSD in a way that young children can understand-and I highly recommend it. One day Big Bear experiences a scary fire. And after that, Big Bear is not the same. He doesn't want to climb a tree, loud noises startle him, and sometimes he makes a loud roar that frightens animals, including Little Bear. Little Bear offers to hold his hand. He reminds Big Bear that he is sorry for what happened to Big Bear and that he will always be there for him.

Eleven and Holding by Mary Penney
PTSD
middle grade chapter book, ages 9 - 12
This coming-of-age journey has 11-year old Macy longing for her father who is reportedly on a secret project for the government. She's determined to find him and get him to return home. During this time, she and her best friend, Twee help an older woman who has a missing dog. As both plotlines progress, we learn the truth about the dog and her dad who has PTSD and a drinking problem. This is a sad but powerful story about grief, grace, and life.

Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya
PTSD
middle grade chapter book, ages 9 - 12

Laurie Halse Anderson YA chapter book, ages 13+
The Impossible Knife of Memory by
PTSD
Hayley's dad was a truck driver but now that they've settled in one place, his PTSD nightmares and drinking are getting worse. She's worried and doesn't know what to do. I found this to be a well-written glimpse into the unpredictability of PTSD.

Fig by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
SCHIZOPHRENIA / OCD
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Her mother has schizophrenia and Fig has her own issues with anxiety and OCD that make it hard to tell what's real and what's not. But Fig is sure that she can save her mother. If she just does the right things . . .

I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena
SCHIZOPHRENIA
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Kidd, a runaway, lives on the beach with other teens including a pretty girl named Olivia. Life isn't great but it's going okay until former BFF Devon shows up and threatens both Olivia and Kidd.

Calvin by Martine Leavitt
SCHIZOPHRENIA
YAchapter book, ages 13+
Calvin's a teenager with schizophrenia -including the delusion of an out-of-control Hobbes (from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes). Now Calvin is positive that if he can just get a cartoon creator to draw one last comic strip, he will be cured of his mental illness.

Challenger Deep by Neil Schusterman
SCHIZOPHRENIA
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Bizarre. I got about a third of the way through and wanted to abandon this book...until I reread the blurb that it was a journey of schizoaffective disorder. That explained why none of it made much sense! It's a very sad and powerful glimpse into the mind of what Shusterman's own son experienced.

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
SCHIZOPHRENIA
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Alex has the mental illness of schizophrenia and is used to not knowing what's real and what's a delusion but she's determined to stay sane enough to get into college. Then she sees Miles at her school and remembers him from a delusion she had 10 years before.

Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
MENTAL ILLNESS (not specified)
middle grade chapter book, ages 9 - 12
Jack's mom isn't like other moms - she sometimes is wild and energetic and sometimes she forgets him. Like when she leaves him at Acadia National Park. He starts walking to Boston with hopes that he can figure things out on his own before social services do. This powerful chapter book shows Jack's resilience and love for his mother, no matter what.

by Alyson Gerber
BODY DYSMORPHIA & DISORDERED EATING
middle grade chapter book, ages 9 - 12
Sarah's mom's dysfunctional relationship with food is affecting Sarah- who now thinks that her slowness in basketball is related to eating too much or too many "unhealthy" foods, instead of being from the normal growing pains of puberty. She's confused, starving herself, and stressed out. (Her mom has HUGE food issues - she doesn't buy food, often forgets to feed Sarah, gives Sarah passive-aggressive, incorrect messages on what being healthy means, and binges on hidden candy around the house.) Finally, a friend pushes Sarah to get help...and, help is just what Sarah needs to understand the truth about her body, what health truly is, and how her mom's disordered eating has affected her. Girls and boys need this book - they need to know that body image issues and eating disorders happen to other kids, too, that puberty changes their body, and there is NO shame in getting help.

The First Time She Drowned by Kelly Kletter
UNDEFINED MENTAL ILLNESS / TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS
YA chapter book, ages 13+
Now that she's 18, Cassie can leave the mental health institution where she's been for over 2 years. She starts college but just as she's beginning a new, healthy life, her toxic mother starts destroying her mental health again.

Mosquitoland by David Arnold
MENTAL ILLNESS
YA chapter book, ages 13+
I couldn't put this book down - it's got everything: a great plot, excellent writing, and memorable characters. Of course, we aren't sure our narrator, Mim, is reliable. We're with her on a journey to help her mom who has been out of touch and has a disease. During her trip, we learn that Mim is supposed to be taking pills for psychosis and start to wonder if anything she's telling us is real. Then we start to suspect that her mom might not have a physical disease . . . It's a skillfully done young adult book that explores the disorientation when you have a mental illness.
How Anxiety, Sensory Processing, and Food Pickiness Changed For My Kids (and Me)Our Daughter's Anxiety Connected to SPD

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Children's Books Whose Characters Have a Mental Illness

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If you're facing mental health illness in your family or you know someone who is, help your children understand by reading children's picture books and chapter books whose characters have depression, OCD, bipolar disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia, or other mental illnesses.

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The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition ( DSM-5), is the 2013 update to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). In the United States, the DSM serves as the principal authority for psychiatric diagnoses. Treatment recommendations, as well as payment by health care providers, are often determined by DSM classifications, so the appearance of a new version has practical importance. The DSM-5 is the only DSM to use an Arabic numeral instead of a Roman numeral in its title, as well as the only living document version of a DSM.

The DSM-5 is not a major revision of the DSM-IV-TR but there are significant differences. Changes in the DSM-5 include the reconceptualization of Asperger syndrome from a distinct disorder to an autism spectrum disorder; the elimination of subtypes of schizophrenia; the deletion of the "bereavement exclusion" for depressive disorders; the renaming and reconceptualization of gender identity disorder to gender dysphoria; the inclusion of binge eating disorder as a discrete eating disorder; the renaming and reconceptualization of paraphilias, now called paraphilic disorders; the removal of the five-axis system; and the splitting of disorders not otherwise specified into other specified disorders and unspecified disorders.

Many authorities criticized the fifth edition both before and after it was published. Critics assert, for example, that many DSM-5 revisions or additions lack empirical support; inter-rater reliability is low for many disorders; several sections contain poorly written, confusing, or contradictory information; and the psychiatric drug industry may have unduly influenced the manual's content, given many DSM-5 workgroup participants had ties to pharmaceutical companies.

The DSM-5 is divided into three sections, using Roman numerals to designate each section.

Section I describes DSM-5 chapter organization, its change from the multiaxial system, and Section III's dimensional assessments. The DSM-5 dissolved the chapter that includes "disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence" opting to list them in other chapters. A note under Anxiety Disorders says that the "sequential order" of at least some DSM-5 chapters has significance that reflects the relationships between diagnoses.

The introductory section describes the process of DSM revision, including field trials, public and professional review, and expert review. It states its goal is to harmonize with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) systems and share organizational structures as much as is feasible. Concern about the categorical system of diagnosis is expressed, but the conclusion is the reality that alternative definitions for most disorders are scientifically premature.

DSM-5 replaces the Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) categories with two options: other specified disorder and unspecified disorder to increase the utility to the clinician. The first allows the clinician to specify the reason that the criteria for a specific disorder are not met; the second allows the clinician the option to forgo specification.

DSM-5 has discarded the multiaxial system of diagnosis (formerly Axis I, Axis II, Axis III), listing all disorders in Section II. It has replaced Axis IV with significant psychosocial and contextual features and dropped Axis V (Global Assessment of Functioning, known as GAF). The World Health Organization's Disability Assessment Schedule is added to Section III (Emerging measures and models) under Assessment Measures, as a suggested, but not required, method to assess functioning.

Specifiers were added for mixed symptoms and for anxiety, along with guidance to physicians for suicidality.

The term dysthymia now also would be called persistent depressive disorder.

Specific types of phobias became specifiers but are otherwise unchanged.

The PTSD diagnostic clusters were reorganized and expanded from a total of three clusters to four based on the results of confirmatory factor analytic research conducted since the publication of DSM-IV.

Separate criteria were added for children six years old or younger.

For the diagnosis of acute stress disorder and PTSD, the stressor criteria (Criterion A1 in DSM-IV) was modified to some extent. The requirement for specific subjective emotional reactions (Criterion A2 in DSM-IV) was eliminated because it lacked empirical support for its utility and predictive validity. Previously certain groups, such as military personnel involved in combat, law enforcement officers and other first responders, did not meet criterion A2 in DSM-IV because their training prepared them to not react emotionally to traumatic events.

Somatoform disorders are now called somatic symptom and related disorders.

Patients that present with chronic pain can now be diagnosed with the mental illness somatic symptom disorder with predominant pain; or psychological factors that affect other medical conditions; or with an adjustment disorder.

A new diagnosis is psychological factors affecting other medical conditions. This was formerly found in the DSM-IV chapter "Other Conditions That May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention".

Requirements for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder were changed from "at least twice weekly for 6 months" to "at least once weekly over the last 3 months".

The criteria for anorexia nervosa were changed; there is no longer a requirement of amenorrhea.

No significant changes.

Disorders in this chapter were previously classified under disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence in DSM-IV. Now it is an independent classification in DSM 5.

Sleep-wake disorders

DSM-5 has sex-specific sexual dysfunctions.

Sexual dysfunctions (except substance-/medication-induced sexual dysfunction) now require a duration of approximately 6 months and more exact severity criteria.

Subtypes for all disorders include only "lifelong versus acquired" and "generalized versus situational" (one subtype was deleted from DSM-IV).

Two subtypes were deleted: "sexual dysfunction due to a general medical condition" and "due to psychological versus combined factors".

DSM-IV's gender identity disorder is similar to, but not the same as, gender dysphoria in DSM-5. Separate criteria for children, adolescents and adults that are appropriate for varying developmental states are added.

Subtypes of gender identity disorder based on sexual orientation were deleted.

Among other wording changes, criterion A and criterion B (cross-gender identification, and aversion toward one's gender) were combined. Along with these changes comes the creation of a separate gender dysphoria in children as well as one for adults and adolescents. The grouping has been moved out of the sexual disorders category and into its own. The name change was made in part due to stigmatization of the term "disorder" and the relatively common use of "gender dysphoria" in the GID literature and among specialists in the area. The creation of a specific diagnosis for children reflects the lesser ability of children to have insight into what they are experiencing and ability to express it in the event that they have insight.

Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders

Some of these disorders were formerly part of the chapter on early diagnosis, oppositional defiant disorder; conduct disorder; and disruptive behavior disorder not otherwise specified became other specified and unspecified disruptive disorder, impulse-control disorder, and conduct disorders. Intermittent explosive disorder, pyromania, and kleptomania moved to this chapter from the DSM-IV chapter "Impulse-Control Disorders Not Otherwise Specified".

Substance abuse and substance dependence from DSM-IV-TR have been combined into single substance use disorders specific to each substance of abuse within a new "addictions and related disorders" category. "Recurrent legal problems" was deleted and "craving or a strong desire or urge to use a substance" was added to the criteria. The threshold of the number of criteria that must be met was changed and severity from mild to severe is based on the number of criteria endorsed. Criteria for cannabis and caffeine withdrawal were added. New specifiers were added for early and sustained remission along with new specifiers for "in a controlled environment" and "on maintenance therapy".

There are no more polysubstance diagnoses in DSM-5; the substance(s) must be specified.

There is a call for the DSM-5 to provide relevant clinical information that is empirically based to conceptualize personality as well as psychopathology in personalities. The issue(s) of heterogeneity of a PD is problematic as well. For example, when determining the criteria for a PD it is possible for two individuals with the same diagnosis to have completely different symptoms that would not necessarily overlap. There is also concern as to which model is better for the DSM - the diagnostic model favored by psychiatrists or the dimensional model that is favored by psychologists. The diagnostic approach/model is one that follows the diagnostic approach of traditional medicine, is more convenient to use in clinical settings, however, it does not capture the intricacies of normal or abnormal personality. The dimensional approach/model is better at showing varied degrees of personality; it places emphasis on the continuum between normal and abnormal, and abnormal as something beyond a threshold whether in unipolar or bipolar cases.

A distinction is made between paraphilic behaviors, or paraphilias, and paraphilic disorders. All criteria sets were changed to add the word disorder to all of the paraphilias, for example, pedophilic disorder is listed instead of pedophilia. There is no change in the basic diagnostic structure since DSM-III-R; however, people now must meet both qualitative (criterion A) and negative consequences (criterion B) criteria to be diagnosed with a paraphilic disorder. Otherwise they have a paraphilia (and no diagnosis).

It includes dimensional measures for the assessment of symptoms, criteria for the cultural formulation of disorders and an alternative proposal for the conceptualization of personality disorders, as well as a description of the currently studied clinical conditions. It presents selected tools and research techniques focused on diagnosis, taking into account the sociocultural context, and also presents a hybrid-dimensional-categorical model of personality disorders. Specific personalities (antisocial, borderline, avoidant, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, schizotypal) and non-specific disorders were distinguished.

These conditions and criteria are set forth to encourage future research and are not meant for clinical use.

Attenuated psychosis syndrome

Depressive episodes with short-duration hypomania

Persistent complex bereavement disorder

Caffeine use disorder

Internet gaming disorder

Neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure

Suicidal behavior disorder

In 1999, a DSM-5 Research Planning Conference, sponsored jointly by APA and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), was held to set the research priorities. Research Planning Work Groups produced "white papers" on the research needed to inform and shape the DSM-5 and the resulting work and recommendations were reported in an APA monograph and peer-reviewed literature. There were six workgroups, each focusing on a broad topic: Nomenclature, Neuroscience and Genetics, Developmental Issues and Diagnosis, Personality and Relational Disorders, Mental Disorders and Disability, and Cross-Cultural Issues. Three additional white papers were also due by 2004 concerning gender issues, diagnostic issues in the geriatric population, and mental disorders in infants and young children. The white papers have been followed by a series of conferences to produce recommendations relating to specific disorders and issues, with attendance limited to 25 invited researchers.

On July 23, 2007, the APA announced the task force that would oversee the development of DSM-5. The DSM-5 Task Force consisted of 27 members, including a chair and vice chair, who collectively represent research scientists from psychiatry and other disciplines, clinical care providers, and consumer and family advocates. Scientists working on the revision of the DSM had a broad range of experience and interests. The APA Board of Trustees required that all task force nominees disclose any competing interests or potentially conflicting relationships with entities that have an interest in psychiatric diagnoses and treatments as a precondition to appointment to the task force. The APA made all task force members' disclosures available during the announcement of the task force. Several individuals were ruled ineligible for task force appointments due to their competing interests.

The DSM-5 field trials included test-retest reliability which involved different clinicians doing independent evaluations of the same patient-a common approach to the study of diagnostic reliability.

About 68% of DSM-5 task-force members and 56% of panel members reported having ties to the pharmaceutical industry, such as holding stock in pharmaceutical companies, serving as consultants to industry, or serving on company boards.

Beginning with the fifth edition, it is intended that diagnostic guideline revisions will be added incrementally. The DSM-5 is identified with Arabic rather than Roman numerals, marking a change in how future updates will be created. Incremental updates will be identified with decimals (DSM-5.1, DSM-5.2, etc.), until a new edition is written. The change reflects the intent of the APA to respond more quickly when a preponderance of research supports a specific change in the manual. The research base of mental disorders is evolving at different rates for different disorders.

Robert Spitzer, the head of the DSM-III task force, publicly criticized the APA for mandating that DSM-5 task force members sign a nondisclosure agreement, effectively conducting the whole process in secret: "When I first heard about this agreement, I just went bonkers. Transparency is necessary if the document is to have credibility, and, in time, you're going to have people complaining all over the place that they didn't have the opportunity to challenge anything." Allen Frances, chair of the DSM-IV task force, expressed a similar concern.

Although the APA has since instituted a disclosure policy for DSM-5 task force members, many still believe the association has not gone far enough in its efforts to be transparent and to protect against industry influence. In a 2009 Point/Counterpoint article, Lisa Cosgrove, PhD and Harold J. Bursztajn, MD noted that "the fact that 70% of the task force members have reported direct industry ties-an increase of almost 14% over the percentage of DSM-IV task force members who had industry ties-shows that disclosure policies alone, especially those that rely on an honor system, are not enough and that more specific safeguards are needed".

David Kupfer, chair of the DSM-5 task force, and Darrel A. Regier, MD, MPH, vice chair of the task force, whose industry ties are disclosed with those of the task force, countered that "collaborative relationships among government, academia, and industry are vital to the current and future development of pharmacological treatments for mental disorders". They asserted that the development of DSM-5 is the "most inclusive and transparent developmental process in the 60-year history of DSM". The developments to this new version can be viewed on the APA website. During periods of public comment, members of the public could sign up at the DSM-5 website and provide feedback on the various proposed changes.

In June 2009, Allen Frances issued strongly worded criticisms of the processes leading to DSM-5 and the risk of "serious, subtle, [...] ubiquitous" and "dangerous" unintended consequences such as new "false 'epidemics'". He writes that "the work on DSM-V has displayed the most unhappy combination of soaring ambition and weak methodology" and is concerned about the task force's "inexplicably closed and secretive process". His and Spitzer's concerns about the contract that the APA drew up for consultants to sign, agreeing not to discuss drafts of the fifth edition beyond the task force and committees, have also been aired and debated.

The appointment, in May 2008, of two of the taskforce members, Kenneth Zucker and Ray Blanchard, led to an internet petition to remove them. According to MSNBC, "The petition accuses Zucker of having engaged in 'junk science' and promoting 'hurtful theories' during his career, especially advocating the idea that children who are unambiguously male or female anatomically, but seem confused about their gender identity, can be treated by encouraging gender expression in line with their anatomy." According to The Gay City News,

"Dr. Ray Blanchard, a psychiatry professor at the University of Toronto, is deemed offensive for his theories that some types of transsexuality are paraphilias, or sexual urges. In this model, transsexuality is not an essential aspect of the individual, but a misdirected sexual impulse."

Blanchard responded, "Naturally, it's very disappointing to me there seems to be so much misinformation about me on the Internet. [They didn't distort] my views, they completely reversed my views." Zucker "rejects the junk-science charge, saying there 'has to be an empirical basis to modify anything' in the DSM. As for hurting people, 'in my own career, my primary motivation in working with children, adolescents and families is to help them with the distress and suffering they are experiencing, whatever the reasons they are having these struggles. I want to help people feel better about themselves, not hurt them.'"

In 2011, psychologist Brent Robbins co-authored a national letter for the Society for Humanistic Psychology that brought thousands into the public debate about the DSM. Approximately 13,000 individuals and mental health professionals signed a petition in support of the letter. Thirteen other American Psychological Association divisions endorsed the petition. In a November 2011 article about the debate in the San Francisco Chronicle, Robbins notes that under the new guidelines, certain responses to grief could be labeled as pathological disorders, instead of being recognized as being normal human experiences. In 2012, a footnote was added to the draft text which explains the distinction between grief and depression.

The DSM-5 has been criticized for purportedly saying nothing about the biological underpinnings of mental disorders. A book-long appraisal of the DSM-5, with contributions from philosophers, historians and anthropologists, was published in 2015.

The financial association of DSM-5 panel members with industry continues to be a concern for financial conflict of interest. Of the DSM-5 task force members, 69% report having ties to the pharmaceutical industry, an increase from the 57% of DSM-IV task force members.

A 2015 essay from an Australian university criticized the DSM-5 for having poor cultural diversity, stating that recent work done in cognitive sciences and cognitive anthropology is still only accepting western psychology as the norm.

DSM-5 includes a section on how to conduct a "cultural formulation interview", which gives information about how a person's cultural identity may be affecting expression of signs and symptoms. The goal is to make more reliable and valid diagnoses for disorders subject to significant cultural variation.

In 2003, the Treatment and Research Advancements National Association for Personality Disorders (TARA-APD) campaigned to change the name and designation of borderline personality disorder in DSM-5. The paper How Advocacy is Bringing BPD into the Light reported that "the name BPD is confusing, imparts no relevant or descriptive information, and reinforces existing stigma." Instead, it proposed the name "emotional regulation disorder" or "emotional dysregulation disorder." There was also discussion about changing borderline personality disorder, an Axis II diagnosis (personality disorders and mental retardation), to an Axis I diagnosis (clinical disorders).

The TARA-APD recommendations do not appear to have affected the American Psychiatric Association, the publisher of the DSM. As noted above, the DSM-5 does not employ a multi-axial diagnostic scheme, therefore the distinction between Axis I and II disorders no longer exists in the DSM nosology. The name, the diagnostic criteria for, and description of, borderline personality disorder remain largely unchanged from DSM-IV-TR.

The British Psychological Society stated in its June 2011 response to DSM-5 draft versions, that it had "more concerns than plaudits". It criticized proposed diagnoses as "clearly based largely on social norms, with 'symptoms' that all rely on subjective judgements... not value-free, but rather reflect[ing] current normative social expectations", noting doubts over the reliability, validity, and value of existing criteria, that personality disorders were not normed on the general population, and that "not otherwise specified" categories covered a "huge" 30% of all personality disorders.

It also expressed a major concern that "clients and the general public are negatively affected by the continued and continuous medicalisation of their natural and normal responses to their experiences... which demand helping responses, but which do not reflect illnesses so much as normal individual variation".

The Society suggested as its primary specific recommendation, a change from using "diagnostic frameworks" to a description based on an individual's specific experienced problems, and that mental disorders are better explored as part of a spectrum shared with normality:

[We recommend] a revision of the way mental distress is thought about, starting with recognition of the overwhelming evidence that it is on a spectrum with 'normal' experience, and that psychosocial factors such as poverty, unemployment and trauma are the most strongly-evidenced causal factors. Rather than applying preordained diagnostic categories to clinical populations, we believe that any classification system should begin from the bottom up - starting with specific experiences, problems or 'symptoms' or 'complaints'... We would like to see the base unit of measurement as specific problems (e.g. hearing voices, feelings of anxiety etc.)? These would be more helpful too in terms of epidemiology.

While some people find a name or a diagnostic label helpful, our contention is that this helpfulness results from a knowledge that their problems are recognised (in both senses of the word) understood, validated, explained (and explicable) and have some relief. Clients often, unfortunately, find that diagnosis offers only a spurious promise of such benefits. Since - for example - two people with a diagnosis of 'schizophrenia' or 'personality disorder' may possess no two symptoms in common, it is difficult to see what communicative benefit is served by using these diagnoses. We believe that a description of a person's real problems would suffice. Moncrieff and others have shown that diagnostic labels are less useful than a description of a person's problems for predicting treatment response, so again diagnoses seem positively unhelpful compared to the alternatives.

Many of the same criticisms also led to the development of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology, an alternative, dimensional framework for classifying mental disorders.

National Institute of Mental Health director Thomas R. Insel, MD, wrote in an April 29, 2013 blog post about the DSM-5:

The goal of this new manual, as with all previous editions, is to provide a common language for describing psychopathology. While DSM has been described as a "Bible" for the field, it is, at best, a dictionary, creating a set of labels and defining each. The strength of each of the editions of DSM has been "reliability" - each edition has ensured that clinicians use the same terms in the same ways. The weakness is its lack of validity ... Patients with mental disorders deserve better.

Insel also discussed an NIMH effort to develop a new classification system, Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), currently for research purposes only. Insel's post sparked a flurry of reaction, some of which might be termed sensationalistic, with headlines such as "Goodbye to the DSM-V", "Federal institute for mental health abandons controversial 'bible' of psychiatry", "National Institute of Mental Health abandoning the DSM", and "Psychiatry divided as mental health 'bible' denounced". Other responses provided a more nuanced analysis of the NIMH Director's post.

In May 2013, Insel, on behalf of NIMH, issued a joint statement with Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD, president of the American Psychiatric Association, that emphasized that DSM-5 "... represents the best information currently available for clinical diagnosis of mental disorders. Patients, families, and insurers can be confident that effective treatments are available and that the DSM is the key resource for delivering the best available care. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has not changed its position on DSM-5." Insel and Lieberman say that DSM-5 and RDoC "represent complementary, not competing, frameworks" for characterizing diseases and disorders. However, epistemologists of psychiatry tend to see the RDoC project as a putative revolutionary system that in the long run will try to replace the DSM, its expected early effect being a liberalization of the research criteria, with an increasing number of research centers adopting the RDoC definitions.

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The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition ( DSM-5), is the 2013 update to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). In the United States, the DSM serves as the principal authority for psychiatric diagnoses.

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The Memory of Light has 3,232 ratings and 673 reviews. Emily May said: Somewhere in me I probably had the strength to not kill myself. But I was tired ...

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In this middle-grade novel, a girl finds a way forward after the loss of her mother.

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The Vulnerable Heart of Literacy- Self Care Section

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The Vulnerable Heart of Literacy- Self Care Section

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The Vulnerable Heart of Literacy: Centering Trauma as Powerful Pedagogy (Language and Literacy Series)

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Amazon.com: The Vulnerable Heart of Literacy: Centering Trauma as Powerful Pedagogy (Language and Literacy Series): 9780807763124: Dutro, Elizabeth, Ollett, Megan, Campano, Gerald: Books

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Seven Clues to Home [Polisner, Gae, Baskin, Nora Raleigh] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Seven Clues to Home

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Read 258 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkin's comes a new heartbreakingly tende...

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Read 774 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. For fans of Jennifer Holm, a heartfelt and unforgettable middle-grade novel about an irres...

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Stuntboy, in the Meantime (1) [Reynolds, Jason, Raúl the Third] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Stuntboy, in the Meantime (1)

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Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers

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Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers [Angleberger, Tom, Mlynowski, Sarah, Brallier, Max, Buxbaum, Julie, Cartaya, Pablo, Cervantes, J. C., Ogle, Rex, de la Peña, Matt, Gibbs, Stuart, Gidwitz, Adam, Stine, R.L., Hiranandani, Veera, Khan, Hena, Korman, Gordon, Brock, Rose] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers.

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The Truth About Twinkie Pie [Yeh, Kat] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Truth About Twinkie Pie

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Amazon.com: Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe: 9780399557385: Hackl, Jo Watson: Books

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Read 9,493 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical c...

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-Interest Inventories/Diverse Library
-Recon Mission
-Lots of Discussions (precursor to writing)
-Book Talks DAILY
-Responding to Reading
-Research-Based Strategies
-Mental healthy literacy- partner with school psychologist/counselors

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Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Editor), Rocky Callen (Editor)

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Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

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Amazon.com: Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes: 9781536224146: Carpenter, Nora Shalaway, Callen, Rocky: Books

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Read 356 reviews from the world’s largest community for readers. The Brave is about a boy with an OCD issue and his move to a reservation to live with his …

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Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers

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Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers [Angleberger, Tom, Mlynowski, Sarah, Brallier, Max, Buxbaum, Julie, Cartaya, Pablo, Cervantes, J. C., Ogle, Rex, de la Peña, Matt, Gibbs, Stuart, Gidwitz, Adam, Stine, R.L., Hiranandani, Veera, Khan, Hena, Korman, Gordon, Brock, Rose] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers.

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Fostering Mental Health Literacy through Adolescent Literature

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Amazon.com: Fostering Mental Health Literacy through Adolescent Literature: 9781475858808: Eisenbach, Brooke: Books

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Read 1,043 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. A remarkable literary debut by a stunning new voice in children's fiction. Two years af...

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Marcella Pixley (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Trowbridge Road - Kindle edition by Pixley, Marcella. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Trowbridge Road.

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Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet [Dee, Barbara] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet

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An extraordinary new novel from Jasmine Warga, Newbery Honor-winning author of Other Words for Home, about loss and healing-and how friendship can be magical.

Cora hasn't spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year.

Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief. Cora is still grappling with the death of her beloved sister in a school shooting, and Quinn is carrying the guilt of what her brother did.

On the day of Cora's twelfth birthday, Quinn leaves a box on her doorstep with a note. She has decided that the only way to fix things is to go back in time to the moment before her brother changed all their lives forever-and stop him.

In spite of herself, Cora wants to believe. And so the two former friends begin working together to open a wormhole in the fabric of the universe. But as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of time travel to save their siblings, they learn that the magic of their friendship may actually be the key to saving themselves.

The Shape of Thunder is a deeply moving story, told with exceptional grace, about friendship and loss-and how believing in impossible things can help us heal.

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The Shape of Thunder [Warga, Jasmine] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Shape of Thunder

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The Science of Breakable Things [Keller, Tae] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Science of Breakable Things

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Read 391 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. An extraordinary story about a family of runaways who take up residence in a small town, a...

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Amazon.com: The Edge of Anything: 9780762467587: Carpenter, Nora Shalaway: Books

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Elly Swartz reads Chapter 1 of Finding Perfect

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Shared with permission from Trudy Ludwig

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Read 469 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Two teenagers, strangers to each other, have decided to jump from the same bridge at the s...

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Raising Thrivers, Building Resilience | Michele Borba, Ed.D.

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Listed are the most requested topics for Dr. Borba, but because every presentation is customized if you desire something different we should talk. Dr. Borba's presentations range from 20-minute TED style talks, one-hour keynotes, full day or weeklong workshops, question and answer sessions, or any other format you desire.

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The Science of Breakable Things [Keller, Tae] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Science of Breakable Things

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NWP leaders study and share effective practices that enhance youth writing and learning, work collaboratively with other educators, design resources, and…

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When It's Used

Bibliotherapy can be applied to patients suffering from anxiety, depression, or other mood disorders; those struggling with trauma or addiction; or those going through grief, a divorce, or other relationship-related challenges.

Bibliotherapy can be practiced in either individual or group therapy sessions, or without the guidance of a therapist at all. When conducted with a therapist, bibliotherapy is rarely used as a primary or sole modality of treatment; rather, it tends to be used in conjunction with other approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or psychodynamic therapy.

Bibliotherapy is inexpensive, easy to apply, and comes with few (if any) side effects. Thus, it may be particularly useful for patients short on time, those with limited funds, or those whose mental health concerns are mild to moderate.

What to Expect

Typically, a bibliotherapist will recommend a book or books based on their preferred modality and on the patient's specific challenges. A cognitive-behavioral therapist, for instance, may recommend a self-help workbook outlining research-supported CBT principles; a therapist specializing in trauma, on the other hand, may recommend a novel about a character who endured childhood abuse.

The patient will then, on their own time, read the book or complete the workbook exercise as prescribed. Upon returning to therapy, the book or exercise will be discussed and used as a jumping-off point to explore coping mechanisms, personal history, or other factors relevant to the therapeutic experience.

Because patients must read between sessions, bibliotherapy does require additional effort and buy-in outside of the therapy room. However, many therapists who use bibliotherapy report that the practice increases patient engagement and commitment to the therapeutic process.

How It Works

The idea that reading books has a positive effect on mood and mind is not new; indeed, many ancient societies, including the Greeks and the Egyptians, viewed libraries as sacred spaces with (metaphorical) healing properties.

Beginning in the 20th century, psychologists began to conduct formal research on the potential benefits of reading more generally and on bibliotherapy specifically. Overall, the literature suggests that reading books-particularly those offering a new perspective or taking a reader outside their comfort zone-can increase empathy, tolerance for others, and interpersonal skills, such as the ability to read the emotions of others.

In a therapeutic setting, bibliotherapy is thought to be effective because it provides an additional outlet for patients to work through problems and can help an individual recognize that they are not alone in their struggles. Bibliotherapy may also help increase engagement in the therapeutic process, which is critical for overall success.

What to Look for in a Bibliotherapist

Therapists who utilize a wide variety of modalities may make use of bibliotherapy. Thus, when searching for a bibliotherapist, it may be helpful to learn about their primary modality and discuss with them how bibliotherapy will be incorporated into a treatment plan.

Some organizations, such as the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy, offer certifications for interested practitioners and have set official guidelines for the practice of bibliotherapy. But regardless of a therapist's training or preferred modality, it is, above all, important for patients to work with a clinician with whom they feel comfortable.

Rubin, R.J. (1978). Using bibliotherapy: A guide to theory and practice.

Pehrsson, D. E., & McMillen, P. (2007). Bibliotherapy: Overview and implications for counselors (ACAPCD-02). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Find a therapist near me.

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Bibliotherapy is a therapeutic approach employing books and other forms of literature, typically alongside more traditional therapy modalities, to support a patient's mental health. Though the books recommended by therapists can encompass any genre or theme-from philosophy to memoir to self-help-bibliotherapists typically make use of fiction.

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Cultivating Hope:  Amazing Framework for Teachers.  Allow students to share their stories.

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Cultivating Hope:  Amazing Framework for Teachers.  Allow students to share their stories.

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Take time to examine your instructional practices and your 3 space.

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In Cultivating Genius, Dr. Gholdy E. Muhammad presents a four-layered equity framework-one that is grounded in history and restores excellence in literacy education. This framework, which she names, Historically Responsive Literacy, was derived from the study of literacy development within 19th-century Black literacy societies. The framework is essential and universal for all students, especially youth of color, who traditionally have been marginalized in learning standards, school policies, and classroom practices. The equity framework will help educators teach and lead toward the following learning goals or pursuits:

Identity Development-Helping youth to make sense of themselves and others

Skill Development- Developing proficiencies across the academic disciplines

Intellectual Development-Gaining knowledge and becoming smarter

Criticality-Learning and developing the ability to read texts (including print and social contexts) to understand power, equity, and anti-oppression

When these four learning pursuits are taught together-through the Historically Responsive Literacy Framework, all students receive profound opportunities for personal, intellectual, and academic success. Muhammad provides probing, self-reflective questions for teachers, leaders, and teacher educators as well as sample culturally and historically responsive sample plans and text sets across grades and content areas. In this book, Muhammad presents practical approaches to cultivate the genius in students and within teachers.

In Cultivating Genius, Dr. Gholdy E. Muhammad presents a four-layered equity framework-one that is grounded in history and restores excellence in literacy education. This framework, which she names, Historically Responsive Literacy, was derived from the study of literacy development within 19th-century Black literacy societies. The framework is essential and universal for all students, especially youth of color, who traditionally have been marginalized in learning standards, school policies, and classroom practices. The equity framework will help educators teach and lead toward the following learning goals or pursuits:

Identity Development-Helping youth to make sense of themselves and others

Skill Development- Developing proficiencies across the academic disciplines

Intellectual Development-Gaining knowledge and becoming smarter

Criticality-Learning and developing the ability to read texts (including print and social contexts) to understand power, equity, and anti-oppression

When these four learning pursuits are taught together-through the Historically Responsive Literacy Framework, all students receive profound opportunities for personal, intellectual, and academic success. Muhammad provides probing, self-reflective questions for teachers, leaders, and teacher educators as well as sample culturally and historically responsive sample plans and text sets across grades and content areas. In this book, Muhammad presents practical approaches to cultivate the genius in students and within teachers.

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Cultivating Genius : A Four-Layered Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy

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In Cultivating Genius, Dr. Gholdy E. Muhammad presents a four-layered equity framework-one that is grounded in history and restores excellence in literacy education. This framework, which she names, Historically Responsive Literacy, was derived from the study of literacy development within 19th-century Black literacy societies.

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In this stirring follow-up to Cultivating Genius, Muhammad builds upon the framework she introduced therein, adding the pursuit of joy to the four previously identified pursuits of identity; skills; intellect; and criticality, or "developing the ability to read texts to understand power, authority, and anti-oppression." It is through these pursuits, she argues, that educators can work toward making teaching and learning truly student-centered. The author begins by providing historical context for her framework, relying on the literary and educational practices of Black ancestors. From there, she offers practical examples and applications of the framework, including suggested texts, questions for reflection, and sample lesson plans. Muhammad emphasizes the importance of school and district stakeholders undertaking this work in community with one another. The book is firmly grounded in the need for genius, justice, and joy in education, but is also an example of what that can look like; woven throughout the text are poems, artwork, coloring pages, and curated playlists that encourage joy, creativity, and deep reflection. While the author does provide some discussion of her previous work, it is recommended that readers begin with Cultivating Genius. VERDICT Practical, inspiring, and joyous all at once. Outstanding and highly recommended!-Lauren Strohecker

"Hallelujah! Gholdy Muhammad has elevated the conversation about the education of Black and Brown children from detailing their deficits and sterilizing their instruction to creating curriculum that generates joy and genius-for all students, teachers, communities, and ourselves. Her own joy is palpable. She reminds us that we cannot 'harvest joy and genius' without attending to justice. This work does it all. Hers is a call to embrace our full humanity-in classrooms and in the world." She disperses literature, poetry, and classic song lyrics throughout this masterpiece that speaks to her passion for educating, nurturing, and tilling and watering the souls of our babies-the 'revolutionary petunias' and the beautiful 'Black orchids' who she loves so deeply." is THE most important book for educators in a climate that has betrayed the essence of teaching and learning. Through poignant insights, inspirational images, brilliant analysis, and practical examples, Gholdy welcomes us all to replenish the well that springs forth learning. This is a must-have book!!!" "culturally and historically responsive" theory and practice. Sheer genius!" is a celebration of life in the classroom through pedagogy, curriculum, and the power of the arts. As only Gholdy can do, she presents a breathtaking merging of history, theory, and practice that creates the conditions for joy to blossom and flourish, not only in our schools, but also in our everyday lives. Her book is an instant classic that will be read for years to come." is a clarion call for justice-centered, intellectually engaging teaching that is guided by love and joy." is a roadmap for celebrating the inherent worth in each student, and an indispensable treasure."Dr. Muhammad pushes educators into the next (and often, forgotten) steps of liberation-the pathways to joy and love. While most educators merely critique various forms of oppression, she teaches us how to use ancestral and community knowledge to complete all aspects of our humanity in schools. Without joy and love, humanity cannot exist, and schools cannot truly be spaces of liberation and justice." is revolutionary and revolution at the same time. If you want to (re)member the spirit and purpose of your work, read this book. It is layered with joy, wisdom, and practical ideas for creating the kind of curriculum that will not only save education, but also save those who teach, learn, and lead. Dr. Muhammad's clear-eyed framework will make you exhale anything that does not see the genius in Black and Brown children, and breathe in love and joy. Asè.". What Gholdy has created is a gift to our field that will inspire us all. You can't read this book without smiling, feeling loved, and unearthing your joy for teaching. Gholdy has done it again! She is the curriculum scholar of our time. She is in a lane by herself, and we all need to get behind her and follow because not only will our classrooms be better for it, but our world will be, too. In the words of Stevie Wonder, she is education's 'Golden Lady.'" what can happen in classrooms. It is a revolutionary call to action, as well as a text for healing and enriching the lives of its readers. From layered playlists to actionable examples, it is a revelation. Written from a place of deeply felt love for the possibilities in classrooms, Gholdy Muhammad's latest book demands that we sink our hands deep into the loam of pedagogy and start planting for a joyful harvest." is a soul-stirring, magnificently written book that every educator, policymaker, community organizer, caregiver, and family member should read. Centering the tremendously diverse and robust genius of young people, Muhammad shepherds readers into reflective spaces of the cognitive, the intellectual, the affective, the emotional, and the aesthetic to influence, transform, and shape. This is a transdisciplinary book about hope, healing, joy, imagination, design, love, and the human spirit that teaches as it inspires."is a beautiful blend of music, art, poetry, and educational excellence for teaching and learning in schools and classrooms. Revisiting the Black past, this book is helpful for teachers and leaders who seek to unearth the beauty, justice, and joy within each of their students."
-Lisa Delpit, Felton G. Clark Distinguished Professor of Education at Southern University, emeritus, and author of Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom " It is a privilege to spend time inside the beautiful mind of Dr. Muhammad. Unearthing Joy is a continuation of her unparalleled, pedagogical phenomenon, Cultivating Genius. -Derrick Barnes, National Book Award Finalist for Victory. Stand !, and Newbery Honor winner for Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
"Unearthing Joy -Christopher Emdin, author of For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education " Brilliant. Beautiful. Humanizing. Joyful. These words describe Muhammad's Unearthing Joy, a book that asks us to locate joy at the center of teaching and learning because stories matter, human lives matter, and the literacies of Black students matter. This book is -Valerie Kinloch, Renée and Richard Goldman Endowed Dean of the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh; President of the National Council of Teachers of English Unearthing Joy -Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Professor of English Education, Teachers College, Columbia University; author of Love from the Vortex & Other Poems
and The Peace Chronicles Unearthing Joy -Sonja Cherry-Paul, founder of Red Clay Educators; author of Breathing New Life Into Book Clubs: A Practical Guide for Teachers and adapter of Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You Unearthing Joy -Andrea Davis Pinkney, New York Times bestselling author of
Because of You, John Lewis Unearthing Joy, -Muhammad Khalifa, Professor of Educational Administration, The Ohio State University; author of
Culturally Responsive School Leadership Unearthing Joy -Cynthia B. Dillard, Dean and Professor, Seattle University College of Education; author of The Spirit of Our Work: Black Women Teachers (Re)member Unearthing Joy -Bettina L. Love, author of

"Everything we need to tap into the greatest sense of our humanity can be found in this book. Drawing upon the brilliance of the ancestors to inform her own genius, Gholdy creates the melody for (re)imagining curriculum, instruction, and ourselves to cultivate educational spaces where all children thrive. We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom "Unearthing Joy
is so much more than a book about -Antero Garcia, Associate Professor, Stanford University; author of Civics for the World to Come : Committing to Democracy in Every Classroom Unearthing Joy

"Gholdy Muhammad has delivered an essential gift to all of us who care deeply about the importance of revealing brilliance in every child. She presents a fascinating cultural history, as well as an interactive guidebook that revolutionizes how we embolden children. -H. Richard Milner IV, author of Start Where You Are, But Don't Stay There:
Understanding Diversity, Opportunity Gaps, and Teaching in Today's Classrooms Unearthing Joy -Joyce E. King, Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair for Urban Teaching, Learning & Leadership, Georgia State University

"Our children need every single word of

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Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction

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Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction [Muhammad, Gholdy] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction

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Online Literacy (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity)Activism for Students

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Online Literacy (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity)Activism for Students

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Take the time to do an archeological dig (includes a whole lot of reading...)

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Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz is an award-winning Associate Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on racial literacy in teacher education, Black girl literacies, and Black and Latinx male high school students. A sought-after speaker on issues of race, culturally responsive pedagogy, and diversity, Sealey-Ruiz works with K-12 and higher education school communities to increase their racial literacy knowledge and move toward more equitable school experiences for their Black and Latinx students. Sealey-Ruiz appeared in Spike Lee's "2 Fists Up: We Gon' Be Alright", a documentary about the Black Lives Matter movement and the campus protests at Mizzou. Her co-authored book [with Dr. Detra Price-Dennis] Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Toward Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces will be published in April 2021.

Her first full-length collection of poetry Love from the Vortex & Other Poems (Kalediscope Vibrations LLC) was published in March, 2021, and her sophomore book of poetry, The Peace Chronicles will be released in Summer 2021.

Please visit her website at yolandasealeyruiz.com and directly contact her at

Photo credit: Vincent Jones, II

New York University / New York City

English Education, Curriculum & Technology

New York University / New York University

Teachers College, Columbia University / New York City

New York University / New York City

American Literature / African American Literature

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Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz is an award-winning Associate Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on racial literacy in teacher education, Black girl literacies, and Black and Latinx male high school students.

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This post was written by NCTE member Brooke Eisenbach, a member of the NCTE Middle Level Section Steering Committee.
Like so many middle level educators out there, my formal education and training prepared me for classroom instruction with attention to three primary areas of focus: my chosen content area, knowledge of educational theory and research, and tools for effective curriculum development and pedagogy.

Did I know the basics of grammar, composition and literary analysis? Sure! Could I cite primary educational learning theories? You bet! Was I capable of writing a five-page lesson plan with detailed means of differentiation? Absolutely. However, what I quickly discovered as I stepped into my role as an English language arts (ELA) classroom teacher and began to build connections with my students was a real need for a knowledge-base in adolescent social-emotional development. Despite years of preparation, I did not possess the mental health literacy necessary to navigate the reality that awaited me in the middle grades ELA classroom.

I have always believed in the power of literature to open minds, heal hearts, and promote human connection, empathy and understanding of the world. My classroom library shelves were filled with contemporary young adult (YA) novels that featured an array of characters, contexts and lived experiences. And, while my ultimate goal in introducing diverse books to the classroom was one of enhancing student awareness, knowledge, and critical engagement with the world, I couldn't ignore the fact that readers would, at times, encounter stories that resonated on such a deep and personal level that they would pose questions and seek out guidance that I was ill-equipped, or too ill-informed to provide.

Specifically, I noticed that a lot of the YA titles my students found to be particularly engaging and meaningful were those that contained characters with a variety of mental health needs. And why wouldn't they? Research shows us that there is a significant likelihood that adolescents will either experience mental distress or will know someone who experiences a mental illness.

Recent statistics reveal that 20 to 22 percent of adolescents in the US live with a mental health condition, and that about half of all mental health conditions begin in childhood or young adolescence ( Daniszewski et al., 2013; Kirby & Keon, 2006).

In addition, young adolescence is a critical time in which students begin to initiate help-seeking behaviors ( Chandra & Minkovitz, 2007; Lindsey & Kalafat, 1998). For this reason, it seems significant that middle level teachers consider how they might encourage readers' mental health literacy growth while giving attention to their own mental health literacy and considerations of the literature they elect to highlight and use within the classroom.

As a teacher educator, I often find myself reflecting on my initial years in the ELA classroom and will draw upon these experiences to consider questions I wish I had known to ask as I sought to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of learners in the classroom. In considering the inclusion of mental-health themed YA literature in the classroom, specifically at a time when each day seems to bring a new, unforeseen challenge, or globalized trauma to our world, there are a few guiding questions that I ask my preservice teachers to consider as they prepare for their future as middle level ELA teachers:

What do you believe and know about mental health?

Reflecting on our own beliefs on mental health and mental health supports, as well as considering what we know, believe we know, and have yet to learn is crucial to our role as ELA teachers engaging in the teaching of mental-health themed literature. It's important to be honest in understanding ourselves, our own experiences with mental health, and what we have yet to learn before we move forward in bringing this literature and discussion into the classroom space.

Upon reflection, we may come to realize that we are lacking crucial or accurate knowledge of mental health and mental health supports, thereby putting ourselves at risk of holding very stigmatized perceptions of mental health conditions. Therefore, the first step is taking time to ask questions, seek out resources, and learn more to further our own mental health literacy development.

How are you navigating book selection?

It's important to be aware of your process in identifying and selecting books for whole-class, small-group, and independent reading opportunities. Consider asking yourself: Am I striving to avoid toxic tropes and stereotypes within the literature I choose to introduce to readers? Am I seeking out titles that offer hope and a positive exploration of mental health services? Am I identifying literature that features multi-faceted characters and storylines? Take time to do the research, read the books, and consider your goals for student reading and your own literature-based instruction. While authors should never be required to self-disclose their own struggles with mental health, a growing population of YA authors are opting to share their experiences in an attempt to normalize the conversation around mental health and mental health support. Authors often want to help readers see that they are not alone in their mental health concerns or needs.

In searching for titles that reflect an accurate representation of mental health needs and supports, it can be helpful to identify and include a wide variety of voices in your classroom library and curriculum. Just remember that one individual or character's experience with mental health does not speak for a generalized population. Consider selecting a range of titles that reflect a diverse array of experiences, intersections of identity, and encounters with mental health.

What is it you know, or don't know, about your current classroom and community context?

Our students should remain the top priority in all curricular and instructional decision making. For this reason, it is important to keep in mind what we know of our students, their families, their communities, and their daily contexts as we navigate book selection and implementation in our classrooms. While we like to think a commitment to community and connection means we know our students, the truth is no student should feel it necessary to self-disclose their personal experiences, trauma, or mental health needs. As a result, there are always going to be factors in a student's life and personal history that extend beyond our threshold of knowledge. It's important to accept this reality and consider this truth as we navigate book selection and our approach to the teaching of this mental-health themed literature.

How will you integrate this book into your curriculum?

Once you consider your students and potential titles, consider the purpose and goals of your lesson. How might you effectively incorporate the selected title(s) into your curricular objectives? Our approach to a whole-class novel study will vary from our planning of small group or independent book study. We can use what we know of our students, families, community and context, along with our considerations for text selection to guide the direction of our lesson preparation. We can also plan for collaborations with the school's mental health support team to provide additional information and resources that extend beyond our realm of ELA expertise.

For example, might the mental health themes in the text call for preparatory lessons that provide background understanding of particular mental health conditions? In seeking to expand our students' mental health literacy, we might find it essential to dispel myths, provide greater context and introduce foundational knowledge before diving into the storyline. What of the unique needs of our readers? We must consider that some scenes and character experiences within the text could serve as potential triggers for some readers. This should factor into our approach to reading and conversing on a selected text, thereby promoting greater consideration for student choice in book selection and continuation.

It's okay to walk away from a book. We can make space in our curricular planning to prepare alternative texts and opportunities for learners who find a need to transition titles. And, we must be cognizant of what our instructional decisions and assignments ask of our readers. While we can expect that some students will form personal connections as they engage with the story, we must be careful to avoid assignments or prompts that require students to self-disclose.

Who can you refer to for additional support?

Finally, as educators with limited or scant training in mental health, we need to identify avenues for support. We should seek out resources that can enhance our own mental health literacy: books, articles, professional development opportunities, and experts in the field of mental health. In addition, we should have a range of resources and supports available for our students as they navigate their own learning and engagement with the literature. We can identify our school's mental health support team, invite them to be a part of our planning and instructional implementation, and ensure students know who to seek out should they find themselves in need of some form of mental health support. It's also a great idea to have community resources available and accessible for students at all times.

As a novice ELA teacher, there was so much I needed to know and understand in my attempts to effectively integrate mental-health themed literature into the middle level classroom. In reflecting on my tenure in middle level teaching, I remain hopeful that the questions and key considerations that surface now will aid my preservice teachers in their own preparation for bringing this vital literature into their curriculum and classroom space and into the hands of their adolescent readers.
Brooke Eisenbach is an associate professor of middle and secondary education at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA and a former middle level English Language Arts teacher. Her work and teaching focus on middle level education with specific attention to middle grades virtual education and enhancing students' mental health literacy through adolescent literature. She is proud to serve on the Middle Level Section Steering Committee. It is the policy of NCTE in all publications, including the Literacy & NCTE blog, to provide a forum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, the staff, or the membership at large, except in announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified.

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Ponderings on Mental Health, Literature, and the Middle School Classroom

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From the NCTE Middle Level Section Steering Committee This post was written by NCTE member Brooke Eisenbach, a member ...