Best Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Depression & Mental Illness Books
Here you will get Best Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Depression & Mental Illness Books For you.This is an up-to-date list of recommended books.
1. All the Bright Places
Author: by Jennifer Niven
Ember
English
416 pages
NOW A NETFLIX FILM, STARRING ELLE FANNING AND JUSTICE SMITH! The New York Times bestselling love story about two teens who find each other while standing on the edge. Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might kill himself, but every day he also searches forand manages to findsomething to keep him here, and alive, and awake.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her small Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at schoolsix stories above the ground it’s unclear who saves whom.
Soon it’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink…. A do-not-miss for fans of Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars, and basically anyone who can breathe.
Justine Magazine At the hearta big oneof All the Bright Places lies a charming love story about this unlikely and endearing pair of broken teenagers. The New York Times Book Review A heart-rending, stylish love story. The Wall Street Journal A complex love story that will bring all the feels.
2. Speak
Author: by Laurie Halse Anderson
Square Fish
English
224 pages
Freshman year at Merryweather High is not going well for Melinda Sordino. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, and now her friendsand even strangersall hate her. So she stops trying, stops talking. She retreats into her head, and all the lies and hypocrisies of high school become magnified, leaving her with no desire to talk to anyone anyway.
But it’s not so comfortable in her head, eitherthere’s something banging around in there that she doesn’t want to think about. She can’t just go on like this forever. Eventually, she’s going to have to confront the thing she’s avoiding, the thing that happened at the party, the thing that nobody but her knows.
She’s going to have to speak the truth.
3. Turtles All the Way Down
Author: by John Green
Penguin Books
English
320 pages
The critically acclaimed, instant #1 bestseller by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our StarsA tender story about learning to cope when the world feels out of control. PeopleA sometimes heartbreaking, always illuminating, glimpse into how it feels to live with mental illness.
NPRJohn Green, the award-winning, international bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed, returns with a story of shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship. Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate.
So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis.Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
4. Every Last Word
Author: by Tamara Ireland Stone
English
400 pages
1484723643
New York Times Bestseller Northern California Book Award Shortlist Goodreads Choice Awards Semifinalist NCIBA Golden Poppy Award Winner Cybils Young Adult Fiction Award WinnerGeorgia Peach Book Award Winner Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teens’ Top Ten Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) Teen Reads Top TenSouth Carolina Young Adult Book Award NomineeIf you could read my mind, you wouldn’t be smiling.
Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can’t turn off.
Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn’t help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she’d be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school.
5. Darius the Great Is Not Okay
Author: by Adib Khorram
Penguin Books
English
336 pages
Darius doesn’t think he’ll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA. Winner of the William C. Morris Debut AwardHeartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I’d live in this book forever if I could.
Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens AgendaDarius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persianhalf, his mom’s sideand his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life.
Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder.
Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioushthe original Persian version of his nameand Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he’s Darioush to Sohrab.
6. Mental Health Workbook: 6 Books in 1: The Attachment Theory, Abandonment Anxiety, Depression in Relationships, Addiction Recovery, Complex PTSD, Trauma, CBT Therapy, EMDR and Somatic Psychotherapy
Author: by Emily Attached
B0884H7N1S
English
434 pages
This book includes: 6 Manuscripts 1 ATTACHMENT THEORY 2 ABANDONMENT RECOVERY 3 THE ADDICTION RECOVERY 4 COMPLEX PTSD, TRAUMA AND RECOVERY 5 EMDR THERAPY 6 SOMATIC PSYCHOTHERAPYATTACHMENT THEORYYou can start to redress the balance to build stronger relationships with those close to you, with chapters that cover:How anxiety disorder developsHow to become self-disciplined with your emotionsLearning to communicate effectivelyHow positive reinforcement worksHow your physical health affects your mental stateDealing with conflictEmpathetic listening and its link to happiness.
And moreABANDONMENT RECOVERYYou will learn how to cope with the feelings of abandonment through chapters that examine:What affecting abandonmentAbandonment anxietyHow abandonment can change a lifeDepression in RelationshipsBuilding healthier relationshipsThe power of forgiveness. And moreTHE ADDICTION RECOVERYIn this book, you will find the necessary help to get you on the road to recovery, with chapters that cover:How to replace your addiction and find the peace you craveEducating yourself about your addictionWhat to avoid when you are developing new habits.
7. It's Kind of a Funny Story
Author: by Ned Vizzini
English
464 pages
078685197X
Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at lifewhich means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right jobCraig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does.
That’s when things start to get crazy. At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn’t brilliant compared to the other kids; he’s just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleepinguntil, one night, he nearly kills himself.
Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
8. Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel
Author: by Val Emmich
0316420239
Poppy (October 9, 2018)
English
From the show’s creators comes the groundbreaking, bestselling novel inspired by the hit Broadway show Dear Evan Hansen and soon to be a major motion picture! Dear Evan Hansen, Today’s going to be an amazing day and here’s why… When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family’s griefover the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong.
He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend. Suddenly, Evan isn’t invisible anymore-even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy’s parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend.
As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he’s doing can’t be right, but if he’s helping people, how wrong can it be? No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose.And a website.He’s confident.
9. We Are Not from Here
Author: by Jenny Torres Sanchez
English
368 pages
1984812289
A poignant novel of desperation, escape, and survival across the U.S. Mexico border, inspired by current events. A Pura Belpr 2021 Young Adult Author Honor Book! A BookPage Best Book of 2020! A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of 2020!
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2020! A New York Public Library 2020 Top 10 Best Book for Teens! Pulga has his dreams. Chico has his grief. Pequea has her pride. And these three teens have one another. But none of them have illusions about the town they’ve grown up in and the dangers that surround them.
Even with the love of family, threats lurk around every corner. And when those threats become all too real, the trio knows they have no choice but to run: from their country, from their families, from their beloved home. Crossing from Guatemala through Mexico, they follow the route of La Bestia, the perilous train system that might deliver them to a better life-if they are lucky enough to survive the journey.
With nothing but the bags on their backs and desperation drumming through their hearts, Pulga, Chico, and Pequea know there is no turning back, despite the unknown that awaits them. And the darkness that seems to follow wherever they go.
10. Holding Up the Universe
Author: by Jennifer Niven
Ember
English
416 pages
A New York Times BestsellerFrom the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someoneand love someonefor who they truly are. Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed America’s Fattest Teen.
But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief.
Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.
Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces.
11. Counting Down with You
Author: by Tashie Bhuiyan
Inkyard Press
English
464 pages
“A witty, romantic, deeply insightful debut.” Emma Lord, author of Tweet CuteIn this sparkling and romantic YA debut, a reserved Bangladeshi teenager has twenty-eight days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school’s resident bad boy.
How do you make one month last a lifetime? Karina Ahmed has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents’ ruleseven if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet.
Instead, one simple lie unravels everything. Karina is my girlfriend. Tutoring the school’s resident bad boy was already crossing a line. Pretending to date him? Out of the question. But Ace Clyde does everything righthe brings her coffee in the mornings, impresses her friends without trying, and even promises to buy her a dozen books (a week) if she goes along with his fake-dating facade.
Though Karina agrees, she can’t help but start counting down the days until her parents come back. T-minus twenty-eight days until everything returns to normalbut what if Karina no longer wants it to?”I.Love.This. Book.” Mark Oshiro, award-winning author of Anger Is a Gift and Each of Us a Desert”A must-have addition to any YA bookshelf.” Sabina Khan, author of Zara Hossain Is Here and The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali”Hand to fans of Netflix hit Never Have I Ever.” Booklist
12. Heartstopper Volume Three
Author: by Alice Oseman
English
320 pages
1444952773
Boy meets boy.Boys become friends.Boys fall in love. An LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the third volume of HEARTSTOPPER, for fans of The Art of Being Normal, Holly Bourne and Love, Simon.
Charlie didn’t think Nick could ever like him back, but now they’re officially boyfriends. Nick’s even found the courage to come out to his mum. But coming out isn’t just something that happens once – there’s Nick’s older brother, and a school trip to Paris, not to mention all the other friends and family – and life can be hard, even with someone who loves you by your side.
As their feelings for each other get more serious, Charlie and Nick will need each other more than ever before. Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.
‘The queer graphic novel we wished we had at high school.’ Gay TimesThis is the third volume of Heartstopper, with more to come.
13. Boy21
Author: by Matthew Quick
English
272 pages
0316127965
You can lose yourself in repetition-quiet your thoughts; I learned the value of this at a very young age. Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in broken-down Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries.
At home, his dad works nights, and Finley is left to take care of his disabled grandfather alone. He’s always dreamed of getting out someday, but until he can, putting on that number 21 jersey makes everything seem okay. Russ has just moved to the neighborhood, and the life of this teen basketball phenom has been turned upside down by tragedy.
Cut off from everyone he knows, he won’t pick up a basketball, but answers only to the name Boy21-taken from his former jersey number. As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, a unique friendship may turn out to be the answer they both need.
14. Challenger Deep
Author: by Neal Shusterman
Quill Tree Books
English
320 pages
National Book Award * Golden Kite Award Winner * Six Starred ReviewsA captivating novel about mental illness that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman. Caden Bosch is on a ship that’s headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.
Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior. Caden Bosch is designated the ship’s artist in residence to document the journey with images. Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.
Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny. Caden Bosch is torn. Challenger Deep is a deeply powerful and personal novel from one of today’s most admired writers for teens. Laurie Halse Anderson, award-winning author of Speak, calls Challenger Deep “a brilliant journey across the dark sea of the mind; frightening, sensitive, and powerful.
15. I Wish You All the Best
Author: by Mason Deaver
PUSH
English
336 pages
Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli, Mason Deaver’s stunning debut will rip your heart out before showing you how to heal from tragedy and celebrate life in the process.”Heartfelt, romantic, and quietly groundbreaking. This book will save lives.” – Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs.
The Homo Sapiens AgendaIt’s just three words: I am nonbinary. But that’s all it takes to change everything. When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met.
Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents’ rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school. But Ben’s attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing.
16. How It Feels to Float
Author: by Helena Fox
English
384 pages
052555436X
“Profoundly moving … Will take your breath away.” -Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces”Give this to all your friends immediately … It tackles mental health, depression, sexual identity, and anxiety with beauty and empathy.” -Cosmopolitan. ComA Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the YearA Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of the YearBiz knows how to float, right there on the surface-normal okay regular fine.
She has her friends, her mom, the twins.She has Grace. And she has her dad, who shouldn’t be here but is. So Biz doesn’t tell anyone anything-not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy.
And not about seeing her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. But after what happens on the beach, the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Her dad disappears and, with him, all comfort. It might be easier, better, sweeter to float all the way away?
Or maybe stay a little longer, find her father, bring him back to her. Or maybe-maybe maybe maybe-there’s a third way Biz just can’t see yet. Debut author Helena Fox tells a story about love, grief, and inter-generational mental illness, exploring the hard and beautiful places loss can take us, and honoring those who hold us tightly when the current wants to tug us out to sea.”I haven’t been so dazzled by a YA in ages.” -Jandy Nelson, author of I’ll Give You the Sun (via SLJ)”Mesmerizing and timely.” -Bustle”Nothing short of exquisite.” -PopSugar”Immensely satisfying” -Girls’ Life* “Lyrical and profoundly affecting.” -Kirkus (starred review)* “Masterful…
