This dual-POV novel addresses big issues like gender identity and depression with due seriousness but a prevailing sense of hope.
Recommended grade level: 5-8
Pages: 352 (for ISBN 9780553536744)
Genre(s) and keywords: realistic fiction, LGBTQA+
Tone/Style: hopeful, insecure, emotional
An intensely honest and personal memoir about physical and emotional recovery.
Recommended grade level: 8 and up
Pages: 336 (for ISBN 9781400096428)
Genre(s) and keywords: nonfiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction
Tone/Style: personal, honest, humorous
Pace: moderate
Topics: burn recovery, suicide
Themes: healing, mental illness, regaining something that was lost, discovering the purpose for one’s own actions
Summary: In 1991, fourteen-year-old Brent Runyon came home from school, doused his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and lit a match. Continue reading
This book about a girl’s struggle with bulimia is realistic but not too mature, making it a good choice for middle schoolers of all ages.
Recommended grade level: 6-9
Pages: 172 (for ISBN 9781571316516)
Genre(s) and keywords: realistic fiction
Tone/Style: depressed
Pace: moderate to fast
Topics: bulimia, therapy groups, loss of a parent, parents with mental illness, friends who are negative influences
Themes: grief and loss, unhealthy coping, siblings, parent/child relationships, family
Summary: Isabelle Lee is a typical, wisecracking, middle-of-the-pack girl who happens to be dealing with some big issues. Her father has died and no one—especially her mother—wants to talk about it. Meanwhile, Isabelle’s sister, who used to be nine and charming, has ruined everything by ratting Isabelle out to their mom about her eating disorder. Continue reading
Elizabeth Berkley of Saved by the Bell fame shares advice and encouragement with teen girls in this scrapbook-style self-help book.
Recommended grade level: 7-12
Pages: 240 (for ISBN 9780399254499)
Genre(s) and keywords: nonfiction, girls’ nonfiction, self-help
A sweet story about homelessness and the foster system.
Recommended grade level: 4-7
Pages: 240 (for ISBN 9780670012893)
Genre(s) and keywords: realistic fiction
A mind-bending horror great for reluctant readers.
Recommended grade level: 4-8
Pages: 256 (for ISBN 9781481432320)
Genre(s) and keywords: horror, psychological
Anna discovers some surprising things about herself and her loved ones as she struggles to come to terms with her mother’s suicide attempt in this painfully honest depiction of life with a bipolar parent.
Recommended grade level: 6-9
Pages: 272 (for ISBN 9780374302306)
Genre(s) and keywords: realistic fiction, Kylie’s favorites
