Best Teen & Young Adult Mental Illness Fiction eBooks
A New York Times Notable Book • A New York Times Critics’ Top Book of the Year • An NPR Best Book of the Year • A TIME Best Book of the Year • A Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year • A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year • An Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year • A Seventeen Best Book of the Year • A Southern. Living Best Book of the Year • A Publishers. Weekly Best Book of the Year • A Booklist Editors' Choice Selection • A BookPage Best Book of the Year • An SLJ Best Book of the Year • An A.V. - Featured on Fresh Air, Studio 360, Good Morning Amercia, The TODAY Show “This novel is by far [Green’s] most difficult to read. A must-read for those struggling with mental illness, or for their friends and family.” — San Francisco Chronicle “A powerful tale for teens (and adults) about anxiety, love and friendship.” —The Los Angeles Times. John Green has crafted a dynamic novel that is deeply honest, sometimes painful, and always thoughtful .” – Mashable. “ A thoughtful look at mental illness and a debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder that doesn’t ask but makes you feel the constant struggles of its main character . Turtles explores the definition of happy endings, whether love is a tragedy or a failure, and a universal lesson for us all: ‘You work with what you have.’” – USA Today. ★ “ A richly rewarding read …the most mature of Green’s work to date and deserving of all the accolades that are sure to come its way.” – Booklist. ★ “A deeply resonant and powerful novel that will inform and enlighten readers even as it breaks their hearts. The Fault in Our Stars is a love story, one of the most genuine and moving ones in recent American fiction, but it’s also an existential tragedy of tremendous intelligence and courage and sadness.” — Lev Grossman, TIME Magazine “This is a book that breaks your heart—not by wearing it down, but by making it bigger until it bursts.” — The Atlantic “Remarkable . “John Green deftly mixes the profound and the quotidian in this tough, touching valentine to the human spirit.” —The Washington Post “[Green] shows us true love—two teenagers helping and accepting each other through the most humiliating physical and emotional ordeals—and it is far more romantic than any sunset on the beach.” — New York Times Book Review. With his brother, Hank, John is one half of the Vlogbrothers and co-created the online educational series CrashCourse. You can join the millions who follow him on Twitter @johngreen and Instagram @johngreenwritesbooks or visit him online at johngreenbooks.com.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It’s the most powerful and open book about mental illness that I have read, and it’s required reading for everyone, but especially those who don’t understand the intensity of OCD and extreme anxiety. Read this book."
"While I did appreciate that he didn't tie everything up with a happy little bow at the end, but was realistic in showing that, yes, mental illness is something you live with and fight (or don't) your entire life, but there are still moments of happiness, was great - but her rationale for Aza choosing to write *this* story down didn't seem to connect to her life as an adult. Because Green's books are usually so well-written, I can't help but wonder if he did write from personal experience, and was maybe too close to the subject to write with the clear writer's eye he usually has."
"This style of inner monologue conveys truths about the disease that can be intellectually understood through other means, but are only properly appreciated (as much as one who does not suffer from such a disease can understand) by being felt so viscerally by the reader. John Green does a masterful job of relying on his own experience to impart this understanding, and the result is a novel that does what all good novels should: increase the reader's understanding of the human condition."
"Green continues to demonstrate his capability for capturing the day-to-day lives of teens in the second decade of the twenty-first century, especially the way that online communities offer just as much, if not more, connection and belonging than ones in real life."
"I have yet to read a book of his that I didn't enjoy."
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. Caroline introduces Sam to the Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. ["While the beginning is slow and requires some suspension of disbelief, the climax and resolution are resounding enough to rise above any shadows of doubt": SLJ 6/15 review of the Hyperion book. - Booklist "A brilliant and moving story about findingyour voice, the power of words, and true friendship. I couldn't put it down" - Elizabeth Eulberg, Author of The Lonely Hearts Club "Brilliant, brave, andbeautiful." - Kathleen Caldwell, A Great Good Place for Books "This tender novel shows how powerful and helpful the brain can be under stress without being clinical or detached. - Melanie Koss, Professor of Young Adult Literature, NorthernIllinois University"Romantic, unpredictable, relatable, and sovery enjoyable."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I truly enjoyed this book and it's story line I wasn't sure what to expect since the main character is dealing with a mental illness."
"I am a reader and record for our local library, and I liked this book so much when I recorded it that I ordered it for my granddaughter."
"I totally got the whole concept of her keeping her craziness to herself and not letting anyone know her thoughts. It's a great book to understand the disorder and walk in her shoes as she battles her own thoughts."
"Through poetry, and her new friend Caroline, Sam finally breaks free of the 'Crazy 8' and is able to meet new people more accepting of her."
"This book....this book made me feel a lot of things I rarely feel when I read. It's rare for a book to have a few characters you could relate to."
"So many parts of this hit me right in the feels, and there was a bit towards the end that gave me goosebumps all over my body when I was reading."
"I was, therefore, greatly surprised when I actually opened it the other day and found a completely different and wonderful story of a teenaged girl, struggling with not only the normal challenges of being 16, but some special ones as well."
"Great characterization, I learned a lot about a disorder I knew little about, I enjoyed a cute love story in the process, and lastly, I LOVED the twist."
3 Speak
The first ten lies they tell you in high school. "Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute... Laurie Halse Anderson's first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I didn't think I'd be so gripped by this book but the author captures the pains and troubles of everyday high school life with such honesty and emotion that I couldn't help recognize half the characters from my own high school days."
"This book has content warnings for bullying, rape and assault. While this works to show the ignorance people have around the subject of sexual assault — as annoying as it was, it was unfortunately realistic — it really made the book drag, and that’s really hard when the book is already less than 200 pages long to begin with. There wasn’t much of an actual plot; it was describing Melinda’s year at school without providing much of a through storyline outside of the rape, and that didn’t really work to hold all of the book together because it was more of a covert storyline."
"Melinda rings true as a normal but depressed teen-ager, and I loved that the book depicted Melinda as a multi-facted person - someone dealing with having been raped, but who isn't defined by it. But the thing I loved the very most about this book was that it was so honest. A lot of YA fiction seems like there's a tragedy involved but only as the backdrop to a story which is ultimately a cheap fantasy - everyone rallies around the selfless, popular, and beautiful heroine."
"The author was spot on, I feel, with Melinda's voice."
"Just wanted to slap her parents, who seemed dysfunctional, and have them notice their child needs help."
"If you are a parent and your school is not having students read this book I would recommend you read this book first to see if you think your tween/teen is ready to handle the content."
"This was extremely thought provoking and I really think everyone should read it."
Best Teen & Young Adult Depression & Mental Illness Fiction eBooks
A New York Times Notable Book • A New York Times Critics’ Top Book of the Year • An NPR Best Book of the Year • A TIME Best Book of the Year • A Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year • A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year • An Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year • A Seventeen Best Book of the Year • A Southern. Living Best Book of the Year • A Publishers. Weekly Best Book of the Year • A Booklist Editors' Choice Selection • A BookPage Best Book of the Year • An SLJ Best Book of the Year • An A.V. - Featured on Fresh Air, Studio 360, Good Morning Amercia, The TODAY Show “This novel is by far [Green’s] most difficult to read. A must-read for those struggling with mental illness, or for their friends and family.” — San Francisco Chronicle “A powerful tale for teens (and adults) about anxiety, love and friendship.” —The Los Angeles Times. John Green has crafted a dynamic novel that is deeply honest, sometimes painful, and always thoughtful .” – Mashable. “ A thoughtful look at mental illness and a debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder that doesn’t ask but makes you feel the constant struggles of its main character . Turtles explores the definition of happy endings, whether love is a tragedy or a failure, and a universal lesson for us all: ‘You work with what you have.’” – USA Today. ★ “ A richly rewarding read …the most mature of Green’s work to date and deserving of all the accolades that are sure to come its way.” – Booklist. ★ “A deeply resonant and powerful novel that will inform and enlighten readers even as it breaks their hearts. The Fault in Our Stars is a love story, one of the most genuine and moving ones in recent American fiction, but it’s also an existential tragedy of tremendous intelligence and courage and sadness.” — Lev Grossman, TIME Magazine “This is a book that breaks your heart—not by wearing it down, but by making it bigger until it bursts.” — The Atlantic “Remarkable . “John Green deftly mixes the profound and the quotidian in this tough, touching valentine to the human spirit.” —The Washington Post “[Green] shows us true love—two teenagers helping and accepting each other through the most humiliating physical and emotional ordeals—and it is far more romantic than any sunset on the beach.” — New York Times Book Review. With his brother, Hank, John is one half of the Vlogbrothers and co-created the online educational series CrashCourse. You can join the millions who follow him on Twitter @johngreen and Instagram @johngreenwritesbooks or visit him online at johngreenbooks.com.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It’s the most powerful and open book about mental illness that I have read, and it’s required reading for everyone, but especially those who don’t understand the intensity of OCD and extreme anxiety. Read this book."
"While I did appreciate that he didn't tie everything up with a happy little bow at the end, but was realistic in showing that, yes, mental illness is something you live with and fight (or don't) your entire life, but there are still moments of happiness, was great - but her rationale for Aza choosing to write *this* story down didn't seem to connect to her life as an adult. Because Green's books are usually so well-written, I can't help but wonder if he did write from personal experience, and was maybe too close to the subject to write with the clear writer's eye he usually has."
"This style of inner monologue conveys truths about the disease that can be intellectually understood through other means, but are only properly appreciated (as much as one who does not suffer from such a disease can understand) by being felt so viscerally by the reader. John Green does a masterful job of relying on his own experience to impart this understanding, and the result is a novel that does what all good novels should: increase the reader's understanding of the human condition."
"Green continues to demonstrate his capability for capturing the day-to-day lives of teens in the second decade of the twenty-first century, especially the way that online communities offer just as much, if not more, connection and belonging than ones in real life."
"I have yet to read a book of his that I didn't enjoy."
Best Teen & Young Adult Sexual Abuse Fiction eBooks
The first ten lies they tell you in high school. "Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute... Laurie Halse Anderson's first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I didn't think I'd be so gripped by this book but the author captures the pains and troubles of everyday high school life with such honesty and emotion that I couldn't help recognize half the characters from my own high school days."
"This book has content warnings for bullying, rape and assault. While this works to show the ignorance people have around the subject of sexual assault — as annoying as it was, it was unfortunately realistic — it really made the book drag, and that’s really hard when the book is already less than 200 pages long to begin with. There wasn’t much of an actual plot; it was describing Melinda’s year at school without providing much of a through storyline outside of the rape, and that didn’t really work to hold all of the book together because it was more of a covert storyline."
"Melinda rings true as a normal but depressed teen-ager, and I loved that the book depicted Melinda as a multi-facted person - someone dealing with having been raped, but who isn't defined by it. But the thing I loved the very most about this book was that it was so honest. A lot of YA fiction seems like there's a tragedy involved but only as the backdrop to a story which is ultimately a cheap fantasy - everyone rallies around the selfless, popular, and beautiful heroine."
"The author was spot on, I feel, with Melinda's voice."
"Just wanted to slap her parents, who seemed dysfunctional, and have them notice their child needs help."
"If you are a parent and your school is not having students read this book I would recommend you read this book first to see if you think your tween/teen is ready to handle the content."
"This was extremely thought provoking and I really think everyone should read it."
Best Teen & Young Adult Environmental Conservation & Protection eBooks
From the young "silver people" whose back-breaking labor built the Canal to the denizens of the endangered rainforest itself, this is the story of one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, as only Newbery Honor-winning author Margarita Engle could tell it. This masterfully written novel in verse brings to life every bit of Panama, from the horrible working conditions of the islanders, forced to dig the canal for next-to-nothing wages, to the lush forest and wildlife. Mateo's relationships with Henry, a Jamaican laborer; Anita, a Panamanian herb collector; and Augusto, a Puerto Rican geologist, are elegantly developed and assist in highlighting the extreme segregation and prejudice faced by those building the canal. In this compelling story, Engle paints a picture of an often-looked era and highlights the struggles of the people and the arrogance of the Americans.—Ellen Norton, White Oak Library District, Crest Hill, IL. *Starred Review* In 1906, 14-year-old Mateo, who is desperate to leave his Cuban home, lies about his age to secure a job digging the Panama Canal. Engle’s extraordinary book is a tour de force of verisimilitude and beautifully realized verse that brings to empathetic life the silver people, especially her wonderful characters Mateo, Anita, Henry, and Augusto.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Wanted a book for my child to read over the summer and they loved it."
"BEAUTIFUL>."
"The story starts with Mateo, a fourteen year old boy from Cuba who lies about his ethnicity in order to get passage to and work in Panama. He’s mixed, and even though this takes place over 100 years ago, the feeling of not fully belonging to one part of yourself or culture is still relevant. A structure of segregation is placed: “Americans, Frenchmen, and Dutch./ Spaniards, Greeks, Italians./ Jamaicans, Barbadians, Haitians” leaving Mateo wondering how any of them will be able to work together. During the night, the monkeys howl and insects bite; Mateo ends up wondering “How can I miss the place/ I was so desperate to leave?” When I read that I thought to myself that even now, that’s the immigrant struggle. At the end of the day, no matter where the working men came from, whether they wanted home, refuge, gold, silver, they were still joined in one thing: surviving the rain forest. Henry, a Jamaican worker who watches as the medium-dark Spaniards get to sit for their meals while he has to stand, finds an unlikely friend in Mateo. Unlike Mateo and other newcomers who are there to blow up the trees and remove entire landmasses, Anita feels she belongs to the forest itself. This blog post could be 10 pages long because each poem packs such a punch and makes you stop and think about what Mateo, Anita, and Henry are going through."
"The characters were missing something, and the story could have been helped with pictures or a stronger storyline, more personal details in lieu of flat representations of the different groups that came together in building the panama canal."
"The 14-year-old boy from Cuba who ran away from his abusive father, the man from Jamaica who dreamed of earning enough to support his mother and little brothers and sisters, the orphaned herb-girl raised by a local healer, the educated geologist from Puerto Rico: each one has a unique story and opinions and viewpoint, but their voices all sound alike. For example, when Mateo is hospitalized with malaria, he says this about the nurses: "… Most of them were hired. on my home island, where they gained. their healing experience. during the war they call Spanish-American, even though it was really our war. for independence from Spain, a Cuban war. that was seized by the United States. for its own purposes." Such complex syntax and vocabulary just don't sound like an uneducated young boy who is feverish with malaria. Most of the non-human voices are similar to each other."