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Mental Health Awareness Mental health and well-being among teens are becoming increasingly critical issues that require attention. Some of the mental health disorders that affect teens include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Whether you want to gain insight and empathy towards those struggling with mental health issues or get a better understanding and care for your own well-being, this list is for you. This booklist contains sensitive materials related to mental health that may be triggering for some readers. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, it's important to seek help immediately. Reach out to a trusted adult, call a hotline, or use online resources such as
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All the bright places by Jennifer NivenMeeting on the ledge of their school's bell tower, misfit Theodore Finch and suicidal Violet Markey find acceptance and healing that are overshadowed by Finch's fears about Violet's growing social world. Grade level: 10 - 12 Fiction; Romance
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Chaos theory by Nic StoneA senior at Windward Academy, Shelbi, who has a diagnosed mental illness, keeps to herself until she forms a connection with Andy Criddle, who is battling addiction, but the closer they get, the more the past threatens to pull them apart. Grade level: 10 - 12 Fiction; Romance
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Guts by Raina TelgemeierDeveloping a chronic stomachache that she initially dismisses as a bug, young Raina discovers that her symptoms are related to her anxieties about school, food and changing friendships, in a story based on the Eisner Award-winning author's childhood. Grade level: 6+ Graphic Novel; Memoir
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Hungry ghost by Victoria YingAfter the sudden death of her father, 16-year-old Valerie Chu, who is hiding an eating disorder from her friends and family, reevaluates her life, her choices and her own body as she tries to find the strength to seek help. Grade level: 10 - 12 Graphic Novel; Realistic Fiction
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Hey, kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett's life. His father is a mystery -- Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents -- two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along. Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and tracking down his father. Hey, Kiddo is a profoundly important memoir about growing up in a family grappling with addiction, and finding the art that helps you survive. Grade level: 7 - 9 Graphic Novel; Memoir
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Iveliz explains it all by Andrea Beatriz ArangoTwelve-year-old Iveliz is trying to manage her mental health and advocate for the help and understanding she deserves, but in the meantime her new friend calls her crazy and her abuela Mimi dismisses the therapy and medicine Iveliz needs to feel like herself. Grade level: 6+ Fiction; Novel in Verse
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List of Ten by Halli GomezTen: three little letters, one ordinary number. For Troy Hayes, a 16-year-old suffering from Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder, the number ten dictates his life, forcing him to do everything by its exacting rhythm. Fed up with the humiliation, loneliness, and physical pain, Troy creates a list of ten things to do by the tenth anniversary of his diagnosis—culminating in suicide. But the process of working his way through the list changes Troy. He becomes friends with Khory, who unwittingly helps Troy cross off items on his list, even as she shows him that life may have more possibilities than he imagined. Grade level: 10 - 12 Fiction, Realistic Fiction
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The Words We Keep by Erin StewartAfter her sister Alice was found hurting herself, Lily, who has secret compulsions of her own, learns the healing powers of art while working with a new student who was in the same treatment program as her sister. Grade level: 7 - 9 Fiction; Realistic Fiction
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