Mental Health for Young Teens

Fiction and non-fiction titles for middle schoolers about mental health.

Updated May 11, 2024
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Where to start : a survival guide to anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges
Correll, Gemma
Paper Book
A comforting and useful resource for anyone who's struggling emotionally and looking for help―from the nation's leading community-based nonprofit that addresses the needs of those living with mental illness It can be extremely hard to figure out what's going on in our own...
Crafting calm : art and activities for mindful kids
Borgert-Spaniol, Megan
Paper Book
Mindfulness is a powerful practice to help kids find calm in the midst of everyday stress--but how to make it accessible and fun? In Crafting Calm: Art and Activities for Mindful Kids, kids engage in and practice mindfulness through fun and easy exercises, quizzes, crafts, and...
Under pressure : the science of stress
Kyi, Tanya Lloyd
Paper Book
Adolescents are no strangers to stress. This book explores the science behind that sweaty, heart-racing, under-pressure feeling they sometimes get as they struggle to navigate their changing world. It covers the fight-or-flight reaction to sudden danger, how people cope with chronic stress, how...
The friendship book
Moss, Wendy
Paper Book
Kids will figure out what they want out of their friendships, how to be a good friend, resolve conflicts, and much more in this upbeat book meant to help forge lasting relationships. Full of practical tips, insightful quizzes, and relatable examples, this is a unique resource to help kids...
What can I say? : a kid's guide to super-useful social skills to help you get along and express yourself
Newman, Catherine
Paper Book
From the best-selling author of How to Be a Person, this supportive guide to practical social skills guides kids 10 and up through establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships, communicating effectively, and getting along with others.  Middle school is an...
Perfectly imperfect stories : meet 28 inspiring people and discover their mental health stories
Potion, Leo
Paper Book
Meet 29 icons, from pop stars to sporting heroes, and discover how they overcame a range of mental health issues, from anorexia to depression, to live inspiring lives. At a time when kids' mental health is under more pressure than ever, this book celebrates the message that it's ok not to be ok.
It's OK not to be OK : a guide to well-being
Rae, Tina
Paper Book
A book that aims to increase awareness, encourage dialogue, reduce stigma, and develop understanding of common mental health issues. It's OK Not to Be OK acknowledges and explores common mental health disorders such as depression, eating disorders, and...
Rebel Girls All Things Friendship : a Guide to Celebrating Old Friends, Making New Ones, and Navigating Sticky Social Situations
Paper Book
Celebrate old friends, make new ones, and learn how to navigate sticky friendship situations with this fun and helpful guidebook. Good friends make you laugh until your stomach hurts, support you during tough times, and brighten even the gloomiest of days. But like all relationships,...
Puzzled : a memoir of growing up with OCD
Cooke, Pan
Paper Book
Growing up with undiagnosed OCD sure isn't easy, and here Pan Cooke shares his own experiences with that condition in a graphic-novel memoir that is as funny as it is powerfully candid and openhearted. Pan Cooke is ten years old when anxious thoughts begin to take over his brain...

2024

Growing pangs
Ormsbee, Kathryn
Paper Book
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A PARENTS MAGAZINE BEST BOOK Inspired by a true story! Eleven-year old homeschooled Katie has always felt different . . . and now she can't stop worrying.  Introducing an irresistibly relatable graphic novel about friendship,...
Guts
Telgemeier, Raina,
Paper Book
A true story from Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning author of Smile, Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts!Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mom has one, too, so it's probably just a bug. Raina...
Weirdo
Weaver, Tony, Jr
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Book of the YearA School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year A People Magazine<...
Iveliz explains it all
Arango, Andrea Beatriz
Paper Book
NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER * In this timely and moving novel in verse, a preteen girl navigates seventh grade while facing mental health challenges. A hopeful, poetic story about learning to advocate for the help and understanding you deserve. "Powerful." --Lisa Fipps,...
Simon sort of says
Bow, Erin
Paper Book
NEWBERY HONOR AWARD . LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD . SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD HONOR . FINALIST FOR THE AUDIE AWARD FOR BEST MIDDLE GRADE AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR "Funny, poignant and-most important-hopeful." -New York Times Simon O'Keeffe's biggest...
Fifty-four things wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers
Carter, Caela
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Notable and Charlotte Huck Honor Book Forever, or a Long, Long Time comes a moving own-voices story that shines a light on how one girl's learning differences are neither right nor wrong...just perfectly individual. For fans of Alyson Gerber,...
In the Key of Us
Lockington, Mariama J.
Ebook
STONEWALL HONOR BOOK ● From the author of the critically acclaimed novel For Black Girls Like Me and the Schneider Family Book Award Winner Forever Is Now, comes a coming-of-age story surrounding the losses that threaten to break us and the friendships that make us...
Shannon in the Spotlight
Miller, Kalena
Paper Book
After Shannon accidentally lands a lead role in the summer musical, she realizes she has bigger things to worry about than stage fright in this contemporary middle-school novel about strained friendships, the positive power of theater, and the realities of being a tween with OCD. ...
Glitch girl!
Oet, Rainie
Paper Book
"Each poem is as raw as it is beautiful." --Alex Gino, author of ALA Stonewall Award-winning novel Melissa For fans of Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff, a poignant novel in verse about a trans girl with ADHD who plays a computer game to process...
Ultraviolet
Salazar, Aida
Paper Book
A PURA BELPRÉ AWARD HONOR BOOK Sometimes life explodes in technicolor. In the spirit of Judy Blume, award-winning author Aida Salazar tells it like it is about puberty, hormones, and first love in this hilarious, heartwarming, and highly relatable coming-of-age...
Louder than hunger
Schu, John
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book "Every so often a book comes along that is so brave and necessary, it extends a lifeline when it's needed most. This is one of those books." --Katherine Applegate, author of the Newbery Medal-winning,...
Boys will be human : a get-real gut-check guide to becoming the strongest, kindest, bravest person you can be
Baldoni, Justin
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! From filmmaker, actor, and author Justin Baldoni comes a real-talk, self-esteem-building guidebook that helps boys ages 11 and up embrace their feelings and fears instead of repress them. Highly designed and filled with activities,...

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