Thirteen-year-old Olivia is excited about going on a road trip back to California with her sister and their uncle and aunt. Their family moved to Tennessee from California three years ago, and the girls had buried a time capsule before their move. Olivia’s big sister Ruth is now 16 and clinically depressed. She has good and bad days and is on medication to manage her depression. Olivia feels responsible for Ruth’s happiness and has a plan to recover their time capsule, while doing a photo project during their trip to remind Ruth of good times and make her just a little happier. But she soon finds out that with mental illness, it’s not always so simple.
Review | The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
I fell for The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling just for its name alone. Thankfully, the premise is equally as captivating. Anna Chiu is a high schooler who has her hands full caring for her little brother and sort of watching over her younger teen sister. Their father runs a restaurant in a nearby town (about two hours away by car) and their mother is so depressed, she hasn’t gotten out of bed in weeks. When Anna convinces her dad to let her work at their restaurant on weekends, she starts a relationship with Rory, the new delivery boy.
As Anna gets to know Rory (and his own mental illness struggles), things at home go from bad to worse. Anna’s mother gets out of bed, but begins acting erratic and her relationship with her sister, as well as their father becomes strained as Anna has to step in to provide her mother the support she needs.
Graphic Novel Review | Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Guts is based on Telegmeier’s experience with anxiety as a tween. After a case of the stomach flu in their family, Raina becomes terrified of vomit and vomiting. Her anxiety manifests physically as a stomachache which further exacerbates her fear of vomiting and intensifies her anxiety. Her parents take her to see a doctor who after multiple tests assures them that Raina is “healthy as a horse.” Unsure what to do next, they take her to see a therapist.
Jennifer Camiccia, Author of the Memory Keeper, on the Link Between Science and Storytelling
In this interview, we chat about why she wrote about such a strong grandparent-grandchild bond, parental mental illness, HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory), and why science and storytelling will always be linked to her. Of course, we talk about more fun stuff like traveling and horses.
32 YA Books About Mental Illness
The list features picks with young people or their parents/relatives dealing with a mental illness. Conditions covered include PTSD, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, alcoholism, and eating disorders.
30 Middle-Grade Books About Mental Illness
30 hopeful middle-grade books about mental illness accurately depicting the struggles of mental health issues — from anxiety (OCD, PTSD), hoarding, schizophrenia, and major depression.
