Disability Pride: Books for Teens

Updated June 28, 2025
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Find more Mental health resources for teens here. This list includes self-help guides, novels, nonfiction, memoirs, graphic novels, websites, and help lines.

Maybe we're electric
Emmich, Val
Paper Book
From Val Emmich, the bestselling author of Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, comes a deeply affecting story of two teens who find themselves thrown together overnight during a snowstorm and discover a surprising connection--perfect for fans of Nina LaCour, David Arnold, and Robin Benway.
We are inevitable
Forman, Gayle
Paper Book
"No one writes about love like Gayle Forman. Lose yourself in her passionate mash note to rock music, indie bookstores and best of all, the miracles that can happen when you take chances on other people." -- E. LOCKHART, #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and...
Where you see yourself
Forrest, Claire (Young adult author)
Paper Book
A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book What does it take to follow your dreams? Where You See Yourself is a relatable, romantic, and necessary story about a girl who has to figure out what--and who--will bring her the happiness she deserves. By the time Effie...
The silence between us
Gervais, Alison
Paper Book
"The Silence Between Us is eminently un-put-down-able." (NPR) Schneider Family Book Award, Best Teen Honor Book 2020 "This is a great YA contemporary (clean) romance that follows Maya as she navigates a new school and plans for her future. The addition of...
Time and time again
Greenfield, Chatham
Paper Book
A Stonewall Honor Book A Reese Witherspoon Book Club LitUp Pick In this debut YA speculative romance perfect for fans of Rachael Lippincott, two queer, disabled, Jewish teens find themselves stuck in a time loop--and falling love. Phoebe...
A face for Picasso : coming of age with Crouzon syndrome
Henley, Ariel
Paper Book
A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book for Teens "Raw and unflinching . . . A must-read!" --Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends "[It] cuts to the heart of our bogus ideas of beauty." -Scott Westerfeld,...
Let's call it a doomsday
Henry, Katie
Paper Book
An engrossing and thoughtful contemporary tale that tackles faith, friendship, family, anxiety, and the potential apocalypse from Katie Henry, the acclaimed author of Heretics Anonymous. There are many ways the world could end. A fire. A catastrophic flood. A super...
Sunshine : how one camp taught me about life, death, and hope
Krosoczka, Jarrett
Paper Book
The extraordinary -- and extraordinarily powerful -- follow-up to Hey, Kiddo. When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried:...
One for All
Lainoff, Lillie
Paper Book
"There are no limits to the will--and the strength--of this unique female hero." --Tamora Pierce, writer of the Song of the Lioness and the Protector of the Small quartets One for All is a gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, in which a girl...
One in a million
Lordon, Claire
Paper Book
Debut graphic novelist Claire Lordon's medical misfortunes may be one in a million in this relatable memoir, but so is her determination, grit, and passion to beat the odds and reclaim her life. Something is wrong with Claire, but she doesn't know what. Nobody does, not even her...
Conditions of a heart
Mangle, Bethany
Paper Book
For fans of Talia Hibbert and Lynn Painter comes a funny and unflinchingly honest story about a teen who must come to terms with her disability and what it means for her identity, her love life, and her future. Brynn Kwan is desperate for her high school persona to be real....
Just breathe
McGovern, Cammie
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author of Say What You Will and A Step Toward Falling comes a deeply emotional new novel, perfect for fans of Five Feet Apart and The Fault in Our Stars. David Scheinman is the popular president of his senior class, battling cystic fibrosis. Jamie...
Lakelore
McLemore, Anna-Marie
Paper Book
In this young adult novel by award-winning author Anna-Marie McLemore, two non-binary teens are pulled into a magical world under a lake - but can they keep their worlds above water intact? Everyone who lives near the lake knows the stories about the world underneath it, an...
The oracle code : a graphic novel
Nijkamp, Marieke
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp and artist Manuel Preitano unveil a graphic novel that explores the dark corridors of Barbara Gordon's first mystery- herself. After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed below the waist, Barbara Gordon undergoes physical and...
Ellie Haycock is totally normal
Schreiber, Gretchen
Paper Book
The Breakfast Club meets Five Feet Apart in this big-hearted novel from debut author Gretchen Schreiber. Ellie Haycock has always separated her life into sections: Ellie at home and Ellie at the hospital. At home, Ellie is a proud member of her high school's...
Give me a sign
Sortino, Anna
Paper Book
Jenny Han meets CODA in this big-hearted YA debut about first love and Deaf pride at a summer camp. Lilah is stuck in the middle. At least, that's what having a hearing loss seems like sometimes-when you don't feel "deaf enough" to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to...
On the bright side
Sortino, Anna
Paper Book
A hopeful novel about love, disability, and the inevitability of change by the author of Give Me a Sign. "Poignant, romantic, and deeply heartfelt." -Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be Ellie's Deaf boarding...
Dust
Stine, Alison
Paper Book
"An immediate classic that holds its own alongside the greats of American Literature, Dust brings the haunting echoes of our past to a weather-beaten future. Every word of Dust is as familiar as a childhood friend. You understand--instantly--that you will carry it with you for...
Chronically Dolores
Van Wagenen, Maya
Paper Book
Winner of The Schneider Family Book Award, for excellence in portraying the disability experience! Maya Van Wagenen, bestselling author of Popular, tells Dolores's story with humor, heartache, and an occasional bit of telenovela flair. "A striking...
Navigating with you
Whitley, Jeremy
Paper Book
Neesha Sparks is a disabled, vocal community activist with a passion for costume design. Gabby Graciana is an optimistic surfer - and, like Neesha, a new kid at school. When the two girls discover that they like the same manga series, Navigator Nozomi, they become more than just fellow new kids. But...
Sunrise nights
Zentner, Jeff
Paper Book
Two young artists have a chance meeting on the last night of summer arts camp in this YA novel in verse and dialogue cowritten by acclaimed authors Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro. Jude loves photography, and he's good at it, too. Between his parents' divorce and his anxiety, being...

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