Start the new year with empowering mental health reads for all ages. From self-care for young readers to fiction and memoirs for teens and adults, these books offer diverse perspectives on understanding and resilience.
Self-Care by William Anthony
Simple text with photos and illustrations gives readers the tools they need to keep their minds and body healthy. Ages 6-8.
A Mind Like Mine: 21 Famous People And Their Mental Health by Rachael Davis and Islenia Mil
A stigma-busting collection of biographies of some of the great people from history who have lived with mental health conditions. Ages 9-12.
Where To Start: A Survival Guide To Anxiety, Depression, And Other Mental Health Challenges by Gemma Correll
It can be extremely hard to figure out what’s going on in our own heads when we are suffering—when we feel alone and unworthy and can’t stop our self-critical inner voice. And it’s even more difficult to know where to go for answers. This book is a perfect first step. Here you’ll find clear, honest, reassuring information about all the most common mental illnesses and what you can do to find help and to practice self-care. Ages 12+.
Speak: The Graphic Novel, by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll
An adaptation of Anderson’s 1999 modern classic, Speak, this graphic novel adds a stunning visual layer to a powerful story about a Grade 9 girl named Melinda, shunned by her classmates after breaking up a big party. Unable to vocalize her dark secret about what really happened, Melinda falls into a depression, experiencing nervous tics, intrusive thoughts and an almost complete inability to speak at all. Through her art class, Melinda can begin dealing with the unspeakable and eventually finds her voice to speak the truth. Ages 12+.
The New David Espinoza by Fred Aceves
When a video goes viral of 17-year-old David Espinoza getting slapped by the school’s bully, he vows to lose his skinny guy reputation and joins a gym. He is soon introduced to “gear” — steroids — by a new friend and becomes obsessed with building muscles, ignoring his friends and family. A gritty and, at times, gut-wrenching YA novel about bullying, male body image disorder and the destructiveness of steroid addiction.
All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton
From Canadian author L.D. Crichton comes a YA novel about Lennon Davis, a girl with severe OCD who has recently lost her mother, and Kyler Benton, the brooding boy next door, scarred by a childhood accident. Brought together by a school project, the two explore their feelings for each other while healing from past tragedies. A 2020 White Pine Award Nominee, Crichton’s story is a deeply satisfying and smartly written novel which you’ll never want to end.
The Art Of Feeling Better: How I Heal My Mental Health (And You Can Too) by Matilda Heindow
At just 23, Matilda Heindow has been through more than her fair share of mental health struggles. Anxiety, PTSD, bipolar — she's been there and got the therapy. In this beautiful collection of original illustrations, accompanied by short pieces written from the heart that are easy to dip into when you need comfort or advice, Matilda holds the reader's hand through those tough moments when feelings are too much.
One Sunny Afternoon: A Memoir Of Trauma And Healing by Rowan Jetté Knox
From the bestselling author of Love Lives Here, a deeply personal memoir about facing life-long trauma head-on and bravely healing the scars that endure.
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
A searing memoir of reckoning and healing from an acclaimed journalist and former This American Life producer investigating the little-understood science behind Complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life.
