After Zero Author Christina Collins Shares 5 Middle Grade Novels Starring Kids with Mental Health Conditions
After Zero
Hardcover $16.99
After Zero
In Stock Online
Hardcover $16.99
When it comes to mental health representation in middle grade fiction, there seems to be an “adults only” tendency. That is, a fair number of middle grade novels feature a character with a mental health condition, but that character is usually a parent or other adult in the young protagonist’s life. Seldom is that character the protagonist. Why might this be?
When it comes to mental health representation in middle grade fiction, there seems to be an “adults only” tendency. That is, a fair number of middle grade novels feature a character with a mental health condition, but that character is usually a parent or other adult in the young protagonist’s life. Seldom is that character the protagonist. Why might this be?
One possible reason is a belief that readers of middle grade age are not yet old enough to experience mental health problems of their own. This belief is of course a misconception, as I know first-hand. Selective mutism, an anxiety condition that the twelve-year-old narrator in my novel After Zero struggles with and that I used to struggle with, primarily affects kids. And according to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the median age of onset is six for anxiety disorders, eleven for behavior disorders, and thirteen for mood disorders.
Do you know a middle grade reader living with a mental health condition? Stories recognizing their struggle can be a huge comfort to them. Here are five exceptions to the above mentioned “adults only” tendency—all of which are #OwnVoices for the conditions they portray—that can let kids know they’re not alone and also build empathy in others.
Good Enough: A Novel
Hardcover $17.99
Good Enough: A Novel
Hardcover $17.99
Good Enough, by Jen Petro-Roy
A twelve-year-old girl with an eating disorder must find the strength to recover in this moving novel written by an eating disorder survivor and activist. Though this book doesn’t come out until February 2019, it is one to pre-order; it will be an important read for many young people.
Good Enough, by Jen Petro-Roy
A twelve-year-old girl with an eating disorder must find the strength to recover in this moving novel written by an eating disorder survivor and activist. Though this book doesn’t come out until February 2019, it is one to pre-order; it will be an important read for many young people.
OCDaniel
Paperback $8.99
OCDaniel
By Wesley King
In Stock Online
Paperback $8.99
OCDaniel, by Wesley King
In this coming-of-age story, a thirteen-year-old boy’s life revolves around hiding his obsessive-compulsive disorder—until he gets a mysterious note that changes everything. The novel offers a candid account of life with OCD, inspired by the author’s own experience with the anxiety disorder.
OCDaniel, by Wesley King
In this coming-of-age story, a thirteen-year-old boy’s life revolves around hiding his obsessive-compulsive disorder—until he gets a mysterious note that changes everything. The novel offers a candid account of life with OCD, inspired by the author’s own experience with the anxiety disorder.
Some Kind of Happiness
Paperback $8.99
Some Kind of Happiness
In Stock Online
Paperback $8.99
Some Kind of Happiness, by Claire Legrand
This novel offers a poignant portrayal of an eleven-year-old girl’s experience with anxiety and depression, which the author struggled with herself in childhood. Many readers will be able to relate to the protagonist as she tries to hide her suffering and retreats to a special place called the Everwood.
Some Kind of Happiness, by Claire Legrand
This novel offers a poignant portrayal of an eleven-year-old girl’s experience with anxiety and depression, which the author struggled with herself in childhood. Many readers will be able to relate to the protagonist as she tries to hide her suffering and retreats to a special place called the Everwood.
This Is Not the Abby Show
Hardcover $16.99
This Is Not the Abby Show
Hardcover $16.99
This Is Not the Abby Show, by Debbie Reed Fischer
A twelve-year-old girl is living life with ADHD in this humorous, heartwarming novel. The author draws partly from her own experience in portraying the protagonist, explaining in her author’s note, “While I’ve never formally received a diagnosis of ADHD, a doctor did tell me that I meet a lot of the criteria.”
This Is Not the Abby Show, by Debbie Reed Fischer
A twelve-year-old girl is living life with ADHD in this humorous, heartwarming novel. The author draws partly from her own experience in portraying the protagonist, explaining in her author’s note, “While I’ve never formally received a diagnosis of ADHD, a doctor did tell me that I meet a lot of the criteria.”
Stanley Will Probably Be Fine
Hardcover $16.99
Stanley Will Probably Be Fine
By
Sally J. Pla
Illustrator
Steve Wolfhard
In Stock Online
Hardcover $16.99
Stanley Will Probably Be Fine, by Sally J. Pla
The comics-trivia-loving hero of this story is a seventh grader who worries a lot and grapples with anxiety along with a sensory processing disorder. The author herself has suffered from varying degrees of social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and sensory processing issues since she was a kid, and those experiences helped to inform her protagonist.
Stanley Will Probably Be Fine, by Sally J. Pla
The comics-trivia-loving hero of this story is a seventh grader who worries a lot and grapples with anxiety along with a sensory processing disorder. The author herself has suffered from varying degrees of social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and sensory processing issues since she was a kid, and those experiences helped to inform her protagonist.
After Zero is on B&N bookshelves now.