Recommended Reading for Mental Health Awareness Month

In their bestselling picture book All Are Welcome, Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman celebrate kindness, inclusivity, and diversity. Now with Big Feelings, they help children navigate the emotional challenges they face in their daily lives.

From social-emotional learning expert Trudy Ludwig and award-winning picture book illustrator Patrice Barton (co-creators of The Invisible Boy) comes a story about managing anxiety and finding the courage to stand up for yourself and others.

Get your kids ready to conquer back  to school anxiety with this collection of 30 mindfulness meditations and exercises to help kids feel calm, focused, and energized wherever they are.

For Henry, lockdown drills can be scary. Staying quiet and still is tough, but with the support of his teacher, he’s able to stay calm. This reassuring story explores the complex emotions surrounding school lockdown drills and includes helpful resources from a school psychologist and safety expert.

In this whimsical picture book, a misunderstood girl with overwhelming emotions creates an origami boat and journeys to sea where she can feel free. Fans of Where the Wild Things Are will adore this fantastical tale of big feelings and boundless imagination.

A comforting primer in emotional literacy and mindfulness that suggests we approach the feeling of sadness as if it is our guest.

Give kids tools to calm their inner worry monster with this interactive, vibrantly illustrated book! Tried-and-true methods from a child pscyhologist will have little ones mindfully breathing, practicing gratitude, and gracefully surfing their worry waves.

Young readers love laughing away their worries with Scaredy Squirrel! This anxious little fella’s new graphic chapter book series is perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly and Pizza and Taco.

Fa la la LOTS to do! Scaredy is getting ready for the holiday season! Sure, it is a lot for one squirrel to handle—the planning, the decorating, the wrapping, and, of course, being an outstanding host! Luckily, Scaredy has his friends to remind him of the greatest gift of all—celebrating with your loved ones!

Scaredy Squirrel is exactly the squirrel your child needs–a little bit anxious, a lot adorable, and totally lovable. He likes the safety of his nut tree, but not so much the great outdoors. And he’s about to go . . . camping?!

The time is now for this anxious little guy: Meet Scaredy Squirrel in his brand-new graphic novel series! He’s funnier (and scared-ier) than ever, and perfect for readers of Narwhal and Jelly.

Being scared is nothing new to Scaredy Squirrel. But Halloween is on a whole other level. Talking to strangers? Haunted houses? CAVITIES?! No thank you. Luckily, with a little help from his friends, Scaredy can still have a good time…and maybe even get a little spooky!

Scaredy exercises, eats healthy foods, and stays very, very safe.  But even healthy squirrels need to get a regular check up! Going to the vet can be scaaary, especially if you’re Scaredy.

As young listeners see Scaredy face his fears in the silliest of ways, they gain perspective and courage, empowering them to tackle their own worries with a big smile.

When Autumn becomes the secret voice of the advice column in her middle school newspaper, she is faced with a dilemma—can she give fair advice to everyone, including her friends, while keeping her identity a secret?

From award-winning author Tehlor Mejia comes a spine-tingling tale of transformation, mystery, and the monsters we face—inside and out.

What big teeth…

A coming-of-age tale about a boy who proves that with superhero courage—and a few great sidekicks—you can take on even the toughest of odds. Adapted from a story that first appeared in Flying Lessons & Other Stories and perfect for fans of The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson.

How do you speak up when it feels like no one is listening? In this moving novel in verse, one girl takes on seventh grade while facing mental health challenges, and must find her voice to advocate for the help and understanding she deserves.

For readers who enjoyed Wonder and Counting by 7’s, award-winning author Donna Gephart crafts a compelling story about two remarkable young people: Lily, a transgender girl, and Dunkin, a boy dealing with bipolar disorder. Their powerful journey will shred your heart, then stitch it back together with kindness, humor, bravery, and love.

EIGHT STARRED REVIEWS! The reassuring book kids and families need right now.

At a time when everything is changing for Bea and her family, the important things will always stay the same. A soon-to-be classic by the Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach Me.

A lightning strike gave her a super power…but even a super genius can’t solve the problem of middle school. This smart and funny novel is perfect for fans of The Fourteenth Goldfish, Rain Reign, and Counting by Sevens.

Middle schooler Pia is dealing with grief as she finds herself on the biggest adventure of her life—a bus tour stopping at weird and wacky roadside attractions. Inspired by a real life road trip and touching on tough topics, but filled with warmth and humor—Next Stop is a “remarkable debut” (The Horn Book) about family, friendship, and moving on.

Natalie’s uplifting story of using the scientific process to “save” her mother from depression is what Booklist calls “a winning story full of heart and action.”

Eggs are breakable. Hope is not.

The Pura Belpré Honor winning novel in verse, in which a lost dog helps a lonely girl find a way home to her family . . . only for them to find family in each other along the way. From the Newbery Honor winning author of Iveliz Explains It All.

For any kid struggling to deal with pressure from school, friends, grades, or life in general, Superpowered is a journey of self-discovery. Psychology experts Renee Jain and Dr. Shefali Tsabary make readers the superheroes of their own stories with easy-to-understand methods for recognizing anxious behaviors, identifying the root causes of worried thinking, and realizing that strength can be found in reclaiming one’s inner superpowers.

Hatchet meets Survivor in this high-action, humor-filled middle grade adventure about two kids stranded in the wilderness, whose annoyance with each other rivals the roaring rapids and ferocious predators they must face.

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • A powerful, genre-bending mosaic of fiction and poetry that celebrates the humanity, grace, and resilience of teenage New Yorkers riding out the pandemic—from the award-winning author of Chlorine Sky.

Exploring the harsh reality of OCD and violent intrusive thoughts in stunning, lyrical writing, this novel-in-verse conjures a haunting yet hopeful portrait of a girl on the edge. From the author of Dear Medusa, which New York Times bestselling author Samira Ahmed called “a fierce and brightly burning feminist roar.”

When a San Francisco treasure hunt ropes two ex-besties back together, they’ll end up digging into their own complicated, buried feelings in this queer YA rom com!

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin delivers a gripping romance about two teens: a certified genius living with a diagnosed mental disorder and a politician’s son who is running from his own addiction and grief. Don’t miss this gut punch of a novel about mental health, loss, and discovering you are worthy of love.

A struggling teen discovers solace in technology that lets him view the erased memories of others. As he delves into the past of another boy harboring a dark secret, he embarks on a thrilling journey that uncovers a love he was forced to forget. Perfect for fans of They Both Died at the End.

A psychological thriller about a night of babysitting that turns fatal and a girl determined to figure out if the gas leak was an accident, perfect for fans of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars.

A deeply moving portrait of a girl in a world that owes her nothing, and has taken so much, and the journey she undergoes to put herself back together. Kathleen Glasgow’s debut is heartbreakingly real and unflinchingly honest. It’s a story you won’t be able to look away from.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically acclaimed author of Girl in Pieces comes a raw, heart-wrenching novel about a teenager facing down her struggles with alcohol—and the journey she must take to heal.

A bold new dystopian thriller about an experimental mental health retreat center for young adults where everything is not what it seems—and one boy who will risk everything to escape.

A multicultural teen struggles to fit into her elite prep school, her diverse Queens neighborhood, and even her own home. A hilarious, poignant, and powerful YA novel from the award-winning author of Re Jane.

After a recent OCD diagnosis, a teen girl embarks on a trip to Greece with her best friend, when she meets a captivating local girl. As their relationship heats up under the Mediterranean sun, she learns to balance the needs of those she loves with that of her own heart.

A poignant coming-of-age story told in two alternating voices: a California teenager railing against the Vietnamese culture, juxtaposed with her father as an eleven-year-old boat person on a harrowing and traumatic refugee journey from Vietnam to the United States.

In the vein of powerful reads like The Hate U Give and The Poet X, comes poet Morgan Parker’s pitch-perfect novel about a Black teenage girl searching for her identity when the world around her views her depression as a lack of faith and Blackness as something to be politely ignored.

A beautifully realistic, relatable story about mental health and the healing powers of art—perfect for fans of Girl in Pieces and How It Feels to Float.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically acclaimed author of Girl in Pieces comes a stunning novel that Vanity Fair calls “impossibly moving” and “suffused with light”. In this raw, deeply personal story, a teenaged girl struggles to find herself amidst the fallout of her brother’s addiction in a town ravaged by the opioid crisis.