Tag: mental health

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2027) Feature Review: One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram

When Dayton takes a dare and shouts the f slur at a visiting author, the fallout is immediate and severe. Dayton receives a 3 day in school suspension. His friends stop speaking to him. The fallout also affects Farshid who is questioning his sexuality. Farshid is also dealing with anxiety and body dysmorphia issues which are exacerbated by the use of the f slur. 

A powerful novel and a great read. Khorram shows how one poor choice can spiral and how slurs used while “just joking” cause harm. The story is told from a dual POV, However, the chapters are clearly labelled enabling the reader to know which character is speaking. Khorram skillfully and sensitively deals with the issues of body dysmorphia , toxic masculinity and being different from your peers. Short chapters and a fast moving plot make this a great Quick Pick!

Similar titles include Here to Stay by Sarah Farizan and Dragging Curtis County by Curtis Campbell. 

–Beth Slade

Check out of interview with the author of One Word, Six Letters Adib Khorram!

5 Cli-Fi Reads for Earth Day + Resources

Earth Day was just this Wednesday, and we are marking the occasion by sharing some titles and resources that are sure to make think.

From Floods to Fire: Here are the Titles

The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it’s still there, waiting for him to come back…or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start and an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life.

An exhilarating dystopian YA recalling The Last of Us and Divergent—Climate Of Chaos is a hard-hitting survival story featuring a disabled protagonist that explores the chilling effects of climate change and medical debt.

Eliza and Javi are both dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and while their circumstances are different they are co-presidents of the environmental club school. This story explores climate change induced anxiety and how inequalities are increased by climate change.

  • Dust
  • By Alison Stine
  • Genre: Disability, Dystopia, Science Fiction
  • Publish Date: 2024
  • Wednesday Books
  • 978125878731

In this haunting, speculative coming-of-age novel about finding your place in an unforgiving environment, a partially deaf teen questions everything she knows about family, love, and her future.

Practical Magic meets Twister in this debut contemporary fantasy standalone about heartbreaking power, the terror of our collapsing atmosphere, and the ways we unknowingly change our fate.- Goodreads.

  • Two Degrees
  • By Alan Gratz
  • Genre: Realistic Fiction, Adventure
  • Publish Date: 2022
  • Scholastic Press
  • 9781338735673

Akira, Owen, George, and Natalie are all swept up in the devastating effects of climate change. They are also connected in ways that will shock them–and could alter their destinies forever.

Check out our Interview with Alan Gratz

Resources on Climate Inequalities

Gender Inequality & the Climate Crimate Crisis: Zonta Says Now

Climate Change and Inequality: Oxfam

Climate Change and Youth Voices

Youth in Action & the United Nations

Climate Mental Health Network


Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2026) Featured Review: Cope Field by T.L. Simpson

In a version of the near future, high school senior ‘Wayne (the “D” is invisible) Le receives an invitation to join a prestigious study, administered by a well-established university and complete with financial perks upon successful completion of the study. He accepts the invitation, believing that it will appease his perpetually disappointed father and knowing it will delight his information-brokering, hacker friend, Kermit. He is joined by fellow classmate, Jane, with whom he has agreed to meet for regular debriefs about their experiences with the study. As the circumstances and mechanisms of the study become increasingly bizarre, the trio of teens take a plunge down a conspiracy-theory-rabbit-hole, questioning what, exactly, the study is designed to reveal and how far the study’s authors will go in order to achieve the desired results. 

With snarky, self-deprecating humor, ‘Wayne’s first person narrative (complete with footnotes) rotates amongst various ephemera like letters, text conversations, screenshots from the study’s phone app that detail daily assignments, documents, and even interjections from both Jane and the author herself. As the mystery of the study unfolds, so too do ruminations on mental health, identity, origami, technology, and personal growth. This book is unusual in just about every sense, but readers will be sucked in by the quick pacing and puzzle-box plot. By the end readers will be desperate to discuss their own theories with others who experienced this weird, thought-provoking book.  

Teens who seek something smart and offbeat will find this debut particularly satisfying. This doesn’t read like a traditional YA book, so teens who gravitate towards adult books will appreciate that it doesn’t spell everything out for them. Fans of weird sci-fi novels like M.T. Anderson’s Landscape with Invisible Hand or Ian X. Cho’s Aisle 9 will be drawn to This Moth Saw Brightness. This will likely also have appeal to fans of other offbeat YA authors like A.S. King and Sean McGinty. 

– Courtney Waters

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: tinyurl.com/bfya2026

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2026) Feature Review: The Poetry of Car Mechanics by Heidi E.Y. Stemple


Dylan is lost. He feels like an outsider everywhere he goes. His mother is absent. His grandfather, with whom he lives, doesn’t seem to care. The only place he finds peace is in the woods behind his grandfather’s auto shop. One afternoon, he finds an injured hawk and alerts a sanctuary. At the sanctuary, he finds new purpose and connection. 

This heartfelt novel in verse about finding yourself and reimagining your community will inspire readers who have also felt unseen. Dylan’s poetry is rough and sometimes feels immature, giving it an authentically teenage feel. Additionally, Dylan is a compelling character. The subject matter is relatable to others in small towns. As a verse novel, there is plenty of white space, and the cover, while quiet, hides a compelling story of mental health and life in all its messiness. With the title, this book will appeal to both the nature lover and the auto mechanic who just needs to feel seen. 

Great for readers who loved the verse format of Jason Reynolds’s Track series, but are looking for a little bit more John Green-like content. 

–Josie Snow

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2026) Featured Review: Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand and Tara Anand

  • Fitting Indian
  • by Jyoti Chand and Tara Anand
  • HarperAlley/ HarperCollins Books
  • Publication Date: May 13, 2025
  • ISBN-13: 9780063237537

Nitashi Gupta is having a rough junior year. She is struggling with her traditional Indian parents, the boy she likes is taking another girl to homecoming, and she’s worried she’s losing her best friend. She’s using alcohol and cutting to cope. But when a humiliating picture of her goes viral, it all becomes too much, and she lands in the psychiatric ward after a suicide attempt. Through the help she receives there is definitely making a difference, it’s going to take some work to help her family and friends overcome the taboos and cultural misconceptions about mental health.

Chand’s story is a gritty look at teen mental health. Teens will be inspired by Nitashi’s growth into a passionate advocate for mental health. Though some of her family and friends’ attitudes about mental health make it difficult for her to receive the help she needs, she finds several advocates within her community who support her as she tries to challenge unhealthy attitudes. Anand uses a palette of rich jewel tones that effectively illustrate Nitashi’s moods. 

Offer this to teens who have been inspired by other books offering insight into teen mental health issues such as Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, and Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar features another Indian American teen who finds solace in creating art.

 -Heather Christensen


Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2026) Featured Review: Pick the Lock by A.S. King

  • Pick the Lock
  • by A.S. King
  • Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books
  • Release date: September 24th, 2024
  • ISBN: 9780593353974

Jane has finally figured out that her father lies – to her, to her brother, to God. After years of standing by while her father dictates her punk-rock legend mother’s movements throughout their house via a system of pneumatic tubes, Jane discovers the tapes from their house security system. As she secretly watches the footage that reveals the extraordinary degree of manipulation of which her father is capable, her frustration and fury drive her to begin picking apart the lies that have locked her family up and write a punk opera to channel her rage.

In signature A.S. King style, this ambitious novel explores a number of challenging themes in unique ways. The narrative is primarily Jane’s but other voices, like that of her equally manipulative aunt and her pet rat Brutus, also share their perspectives. Readers will be spellbound as they piece together the machinations along with Jane and the libretto for Jane’s punk opera will feel cathartic. For as unusual as the narrative, characters and setting may be, universal themes of agency, truth, feminism and identity will resonate with readers. This thought-provoking novel will stick with readers long after they finish turning the pages. 

Teens who appreciate challenging and sophisticated novels will embrace this book.Fans of A.S. King’s earlier works, particularly works like Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future and Dig, will not be disappointed in her latest YA outing.

– Courtney Waters

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: tinyurl.com/bfya2026

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2026) Featured Review: Octopus Moon by Bobbie Pyron

  • Octopus Moon
  • by Bobbie Pyron
  • Narrated by Karissa Vacker
  • Penguin Random House
  • Publication Date: March 25, 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593616291 

Pearl loves her family, her friends, the Texas beach town she calls home and the gulfarium her mother works at. But lately Pearl hasn’t been enjoying the things she normally does. She barely has the energy to get out of bed in the morning. 

After a shocking parent-teacher conference, Pearl starts seeing Dr. Jill, who explains what’s been happening. Depression. 

Dr. Jill asks Pearl to place a bead on a string for every impossible task she does every day. Learning these tools and information about depression helps Pearl find her way through the deep and back into the light. 

This novel is short but contains multitudes. Pyron covers multiple facets of depression, including diagnosis, self-blame, support systems, and societal doubt/disbelief. Pyron uses very lyrical prose to explain the emotion and physicality of depression. Vacker uses her voice to amplify the prose so the listener can almost feel the same weight keeping Pearl from doing the things she loves. 

Octopus Moon is similar to the Berrybrook Middle School series by Svetlana Chmakova, which focuses on a big issue that affects young readers. The lyrical prose feels similar to Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga. Older teens who enjoy Sarah Dessen’s writing would also enjoy this novel. 

–Katie Cree

Great Graphic Novels (#GGN2026) Featured Review: Halfway There: A Graphic Memoir of Self-Discovery by Christine Mari

Christine is a young adult who is half American/half Japanese and has never really felt close to either side. After growing up in America, she decides to spend a year in Tokyo determined to find herself but instead feels even more out of place. This book follows Christine as she navigates living in a new place and learns who she is and what it is she wants out of life.

Mari blends humor and relatable personal struggles in a visually engaging format. The memoir explores themes of belonging, identity, and personal growth while offering a raw look at adolescence and mental health. The dynamic art style mimics the tone of the story as it progresses through Christine’s journey. Teens will be able to relate to Chrisine’s experiences of self-doubt, family dynamics, and the search for purpose.


Readers who enjoy self discovery and learning about the other half of oneself like in Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang would find this read equally appealing. For those looking for something that can help describe anxiety and depression like Everything is OK by Debbie Tung will want to grab this book.


—Jessica Duong

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2025) Featured Review: All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr

Sixteen-year-old, Amina Conteh clashes with her religious father in many ways, and is forced to spend more time at their church because of her rebellious ways. When she is assaulted by a church leader, Amina uses poetry to find her voice and seek justice for what happened to her and to what has happened to other girls in the congregation.

This book is an incredibly powerful novel in verse that captures the ripped-from-the-headlines pain of a young sexual assault survivor working to seek justice in a world where it is so often denied. The growth of the relationship with her father is well done and different than what is normally depicted with young adult/parent relationships. The ending is cathartic and pays off well for all the readers who find themselves getting hooked and living through every poem and page.

Teen readers that enjoy novels in verse, introspective poetry, fast-paced, and authentic realistic fiction will find this book appealing. Fans of Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson, Muted by Tami Charles, and Red by Ani Cardi will appreciate the similar story lines, but with another offering of unique storytelling and an ending that still sets it apart from the rest.

–Molly Dettmann

Other Nominated Titles

September 19, 2023
January 30, 2024

The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA25TeenFB

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2025) Featured Review: The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow

Bella shared a secret with her beloved grandma, Laurel: every so often they share a glass of something “sweet” over a game of Scrabble. Now that Laurel has passed, Bella is finding herself taking the edge off the anxiety of warring parents, a needy younger sister, a job, her broken heart after an unwanted break up, and academic demands with her bottle of Sprodka–a mixture of Sprite and vodka in the unassuming Sprite bottle.  The problem is, her reliance on her Sprodka is increasing and her memory of its aftermath is decreasing. When she loses control at a party and mixes recreational drugs with her alcohol, her “friends” leave her on her mother’s doorstep where Bella falls and nearly dies. After a stint at a rehab facility, Bella must try to pick up the pieces of her life.

Kathleen Glasgow established herself as a credible voice in realistic fiction with Girl in Pieces, so this is a title with a built in readership, and Bella’s story does not disappoint. Glasgow writes from a place of personal experience using a plot inhabited by realistically flawed characters.  The inclusion of Bella’s internal monologue ratchets up the reader’s sense of her anxiety while Glasgow’s portrayal of a loving, but dysfunctional, family and the social dynamics of high school are immediately recognizable. Despite the bleakness of the subject matter, this is ultimately a story of hope and healing that ends on the precipice of Bella’s success.

Teens who are on their own journeys to sobriety will find a lot to love about this plot. Not quite as gritty as Jas Hammond’s Thirsty, it will scratch the same itch. Bella’s recovery via nature is similar to Wren’s in Wendelin Van Draanen’s Wild Bird, and shares some similarity to Mia’s path in Jessie Ann Foley’s You Know I’m No Good.

– Jodi Kruse

Other Nominated Titles

Released: March 12, 2024
Release: March 19, 2024
Release: July 30, 2024

Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA25TeenFB