Mental health – the proper care and maintenance of your emotional state – seems more important than ever. Here are some new novels showing teens finding their way through challenging times.
Amelia Diane Coombs’ book All Alone with You follows loner Eloise as she works her way back from a depressive episode that cost her some friends. Now she helps out at a senior center with a highly enthusiastic boy her age and the elder rock star they assist.
René Peña-Govea’s novel Estela, Undrowning, follows Estela as she deals with racism, possible eviction, and pressure to succeed while being true to her Latina roots. When tension threatens to overwhelm her, she must find a way to love her community and herself.
After nearly dying of alcohol poisoning, Bella must attend rehab and face her addiction before it kills her, in The Glass Girl, by Kathleen Glasgow.
Cesar is getting the help he needs and feels ready to win back his ex-boyfriend Jamal, in Sonora Reyes’ novel The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar. When a manic episode brings him to the brink of suicide, he must gather all his strength to ask for help.
In R.L. Toalson’s novel in verse, Love, Sivvy, young Sylvia Plath tells her story as she faces pressure to conform to traditional gender standards while making a name for herself as a famous poet.
High school graduate Megh struggles with depression in Right as Rain, by Tashie Bhuiyan, which manifests as a literal cloud following her wherever she goes. Can her new co-intern Lev help her find a way to make the cloud go away?
~ posted by Wally B.
