Middle grade fiction is a genre of chapter book that generally appeals to readers in the upper elementary grades through middle school. The books in this list have themes and characters that are either centered on or portray an aspect of mental health. Each selection includes a content warning, so you may read or avoid any topics not right for you or your child at this time. If you are looking for more books on mental health, or would like to read about a more specific topic, please chat with a librarian to obtain a list of custom selections that will best fit you or your child.
A tale based on true events following the coming-of-age of a girl who is motivated by an act of racism at school to learn about her ancestral heritage and...Show more
A tale based on true events following the coming-of-age of a girl who is motivated by an act of racism at school to learn about her ancestral heritage and her grandparents’ experiences as lost children during the Korean War. Content warning: Anxiety, suicidal ideation, war, bullying, racism.
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A tale based on true events following the coming-of-age of a girl who is motivated by an act of racism at school to learn about her ancestral heritage and...Show more
A tale based on true events following the coming-of-age of a girl who is motivated by an act of racism at school to learn about her ancestral heritage and her grandparents’ experiences as lost children during the Korean War. Content warning: Anxiety, suicidal ideation, war, bullying, racism.
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For two years, twelve-year-old Hazel has coped with her Mum's accidental death by overprotecting her sister and Mama, but when Mama reconnects with her fi...Show more
For two years, twelve-year-old Hazel has coped with her Mum's accidental death by overprotecting her sister and Mama, but when Mama reconnects with her first love, roles begin to shift. Content warning: PTSD, untreated trauma, parental death, and psychologically damaging parenting.
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For two years, twelve-year-old Hazel has coped with her Mum's accidental death by overprotecting her sister and Mama, but when Mama reconnects with her fi...Show more
For two years, twelve-year-old Hazel has coped with her Mum's accidental death by overprotecting her sister and Mama, but when Mama reconnects with her first love, roles begin to shift. Content warning: PTSD, untreated trauma, parental death, and psychologically damaging parenting.
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Middle-schooler Natalie's year-long assignment to answer a question using the scientific process leads to truths about her mother's depression and her own cultural identity. Content warning: Depression.
Middle-schooler Natalie's year-long assignment to answer a question using the scientific process leads to truths about her mother's depression and her own cultural identity. Content warning: Depression.
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Middle-schooler Natalie's year-long assignment to answer a question using the scientific process leads to truths about her mother's depression and her own cultural identity. Content warning: Depression.
Middle-schooler Natalie's year-long assignment to answer a question using the scientific process leads to truths about her mother's depression and her own cultural identity. Content warning: Depression.
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If middle school were a race, Joseph Friedman wouldn’t even be in last place—he’d be on the sidelines. With an overactive mind and phobias of everything f...Show more
If middle school were a race, Joseph Friedman wouldn’t even be in last place—he’d be on the sidelines. With an overactive mind and phobias of everything from hard-boiled eggs to gargoyles, he struggles to understand his classes, let alone his fellow classmates. So, he spends most of his time avoiding school bully Charlie Kastner and hiding out in the Resource Room, a safe place for misfit kids like him. Content: Generalized anxiety.
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If middle school were a race, Joseph Friedman wouldn’t even be in last place—he’d be on the sidelines. With an overactive mind and phobias of everything f...Show more
If middle school were a race, Joseph Friedman wouldn’t even be in last place—he’d be on the sidelines. With an overactive mind and phobias of everything from hard-boiled eggs to gargoyles, he struggles to understand his classes, let alone his fellow classmates. So, he spends most of his time avoiding school bully Charlie Kastner and hiding out in the Resource Room, a safe place for misfit kids like him. Content: Generalized anxiety.
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Clea can’t control her thoughts. She knows she has to do her homework, but she gets distracted. She knows she can’t just say whatever thought comes into h...Show more
Clea can’t control her thoughts. She knows she has to do her homework, but she gets distracted. She knows she can’t just say whatever thought comes into her head, but sometimes she can’t help herself. She knows she needs to focus, but how can she do that when the people around her are always chewing gum loudly or making other annoying noises? Content: ADHD.
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Clea can’t control her thoughts. She knows she has to do her homework, but she gets distracted. She knows she can’t just say whatever thought comes into h...Show more
Clea can’t control her thoughts. She knows she has to do her homework, but she gets distracted. She knows she can’t just say whatever thought comes into her head, but sometimes she can’t help herself. She knows she needs to focus, but how can she do that when the people around her are always chewing gum loudly or making other annoying noises? Content: ADHD.
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Astronomy-loving Calliope June has Tourette syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces or noises that she doesn’t mean to make. When she and her mother move y...Show more
Astronomy-loving Calliope June has Tourette syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces or noises that she doesn’t mean to make. When she and her mother move yet again, she tries to hide her TS. But it isn’t long before the kids at her new school realize she’s different. Only Calliope’s neighbor, who is also the popular student body president, sees her as she truly is—an interesting person and a good friend. But is he brave enough to take their friendship public?
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Astronomy-loving Calliope June has Tourette syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces or noises that she doesn’t mean to make. When she and her mother move y...Show more
Astronomy-loving Calliope June has Tourette syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces or noises that she doesn’t mean to make. When she and her mother move yet again, she tries to hide her TS. But it isn’t long before the kids at her new school realize she’s different. Only Calliope’s neighbor, who is also the popular student body president, sees her as she truly is—an interesting person and a good friend. But is he brave enough to take their friendship public?
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When the cops show up at Jesse’s house and arrest her dad, she figures out in a hurry that he’s the number one suspect in the missing library fund money c...Show more
When the cops show up at Jesse’s house and arrest her dad, she figures out in a hurry that he’s the number one suspect in the missing library fund money case. With the help of her (first and only) friend Springer, she rounds up suspects (leading to a nasty confrontation with three notorious school bullies) and asks a lot of questions. But she can’t shake the feeling that she isn’t exactly cut out for being a crime-solving hero. Jesse has a neuro-processing disorder, which means that she’s “on the spectrum or whatever.” As she explains it, “I get stuck on lots of stuff, like words and phrases and numbers and smells and pictures and song lines and what time stuff is supposed to happen.” But when a tornado strikes her small town, Jesse is given the opportunity to show what she’s really made of—and help her dad. Content: Autism.
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When the cops show up at Jesse’s house and arrest her dad, she figures out in a hurry that he’s the number one suspect in the missing library fund money c...Show more
When the cops show up at Jesse’s house and arrest her dad, she figures out in a hurry that he’s the number one suspect in the missing library fund money case. With the help of her (first and only) friend Springer, she rounds up suspects (leading to a nasty confrontation with three notorious school bullies) and asks a lot of questions. But she can’t shake the feeling that she isn’t exactly cut out for being a crime-solving hero. Jesse has a neuro-processing disorder, which means that she’s “on the spectrum or whatever.” As she explains it, “I get stuck on lots of stuff, like words and phrases and numbers and smells and pictures and song lines and what time stuff is supposed to happen.” But when a tornado strikes her small town, Jesse is given the opportunity to show what she’s really made of—and help her dad. Content: Autism.
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Charity may have mad math skills and a near-perfect memory, but with a mouth that can’t speak and a body that jumps, rocks, and howls unpredictably, most ...Show more
Charity may have mad math skills and a near-perfect memory, but with a mouth that can’t speak and a body that jumps, rocks, and howls unpredictably, most people incorrectly assume she cannot learn. Charity’s brain works differently from most people’s because of her autism, but she’s still funny, determined, and kind. So why do people treat her like a disease or ignore her like she’s invisible? Content warning: Autism, bullying.
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Charity may have mad math skills and a near-perfect memory, but with a mouth that can’t speak and a body that jumps, rocks, and howls unpredictably, most ...Show more
Charity may have mad math skills and a near-perfect memory, but with a mouth that can’t speak and a body that jumps, rocks, and howls unpredictably, most people incorrectly assume she cannot learn. Charity’s brain works differently from most people’s because of her autism, but she’s still funny, determined, and kind. So why do people treat her like a disease or ignore her like she’s invisible? Content warning: Autism, bullying.
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Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger—it’s the first time a teacher is going into space, and kids across Ame...Show more
Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger—it’s the first time a teacher is going into space, and kids across America will watch the event on live TV in their classrooms. Nova and her big sister, Bridget, share a love of astronomy and the space program. They planned to watch the launch together. But Bridget has disappeared, and Nova is in a new foster home. Content warning: Autism, parental death, neglect.
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Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger—it’s the first time a teacher is going into space, and kids across Ame...Show more
Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger—it’s the first time a teacher is going into space, and kids across America will watch the event on live TV in their classrooms. Nova and her big sister, Bridget, share a love of astronomy and the space program. They planned to watch the launch together. But Bridget has disappeared, and Nova is in a new foster home. Content warning: Autism, parental death, neglect.
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Willa likes certain things to be certain ways. Her socks have to be soft and definitely can’t have irritating tags on the inside. She loves the crunch of ...Show more
Willa likes certain things to be certain ways. Her socks have to be soft and definitely can’t have irritating tags on the inside. She loves the crunch of popcorn and nachos—but is grossed out by the crunch of a baby carrot. And slimy foods? Those are the worst. Content: Sensory processing.
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Willa likes certain things to be certain ways. Her socks have to be soft and definitely can’t have irritating tags on the inside. She loves the crunch of ...Show more
Willa likes certain things to be certain ways. Her socks have to be soft and definitely can’t have irritating tags on the inside. She loves the crunch of popcorn and nachos—but is grossed out by the crunch of a baby carrot. And slimy foods? Those are the worst. Content: Sensory processing.
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For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Ba...Show more
For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter. But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet. Content: Autism.
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For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Ba...Show more
For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter. But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet. Content: Autism.
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Twelve-year-old Westin Hopper gets in trouble—a lot. At home, at school, at his grandparents’ house—his ADHD always seems to mess with his brain, making him do impulsive things. Content: ADHD.
Twelve-year-old Westin Hopper gets in trouble—a lot. At home, at school, at his grandparents’ house—his ADHD always seems to mess with his brain, making him do impulsive things. Content: ADHD.
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Twelve-year-old Westin Hopper gets in trouble—a lot. At home, at school, at his grandparents’ house—his ADHD always seems to mess with his brain, making him do impulsive things. Content: ADHD.
Twelve-year-old Westin Hopper gets in trouble—a lot. At home, at school, at his grandparents’ house—his ADHD always seems to mess with his brain, making him do impulsive things. Content: ADHD.
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Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It’s hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she reme...Show more
Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It’s hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she remembers what matters—a time when her family was whole and home made sense. When Dad returns from deployment, Emilia expects that her life will get back to normal. Instead, it unravels. Content: ADHD.
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Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It’s hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she reme...Show more
Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It’s hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she remembers what matters—a time when her family was whole and home made sense. When Dad returns from deployment, Emilia expects that her life will get back to normal. Instead, it unravels. Content: ADHD.
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Thirteen-year-old Annabelle struggles in school, no matter how hard she tries. But as soon as she dives into the pool, she’s unstoppable. She’s the fastes...Show more
Thirteen-year-old Annabelle struggles in school, no matter how hard she tries. But as soon as she dives into the pool, she’s unstoppable. She’s the fastest girl on the middle school swim team, and when she’s asked to join the high school team over the summer, everything changes. Suddenly, she’s got new friends, and a high school boy starts treating her like she’s somebody special—and Annabelle thinks she’ll finally stand out in a good way. She’ll do anything to fit in and help the team make it to the Labor Day Invitational, even if it means blowing off her old friends. But after a prank goes wrong, Annabelle is abandoned by the older boy and can’t swim. Who is she without the one thing she’s good at? Heartwarming and relatable, "Up for Air" is a story about where we find our self-worth. Content warning: Learning difficulties, eating disorder, alcoholism, underage drinking.
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Thirteen-year-old Annabelle struggles in school, no matter how hard she tries. But as soon as she dives into the pool, she’s unstoppable. She’s the fastes...Show more
Thirteen-year-old Annabelle struggles in school, no matter how hard she tries. But as soon as she dives into the pool, she’s unstoppable. She’s the fastest girl on the middle school swim team, and when she’s asked to join the high school team over the summer, everything changes. Suddenly, she’s got new friends, and a high school boy starts treating her like she’s somebody special—and Annabelle thinks she’ll finally stand out in a good way. She’ll do anything to fit in and help the team make it to the Labor Day Invitational, even if it means blowing off her old friends. But after a prank goes wrong, Annabelle is abandoned by the older boy and can’t swim. Who is she without the one thing she’s good at? Heartwarming and relatable, "Up for Air" is a story about where we find our self-worth. Content warning: Learning difficulties, eating disorder, alcoholism, underage drinking.
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Lucy Callahan’s life was changed forever when she was struck by lightning. She doesn’t remember it, but the zap gave her genius-level math skills, and she...Show more
Lucy Callahan’s life was changed forever when she was struck by lightning. She doesn’t remember it, but the zap gave her genius-level math skills, and she’s been homeschooled ever since. Now, at 12 years old, she’s technically ready for college. She just has to pass one more test—middle school! Content warning: OCD, acquired savant syndrome, bullying.
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Lucy Callahan’s life was changed forever when she was struck by lightning. She doesn’t remember it, but the zap gave her genius-level math skills, and she...Show more
Lucy Callahan’s life was changed forever when she was struck by lightning. She doesn’t remember it, but the zap gave her genius-level math skills, and she’s been homeschooled ever since. Now, at 12 years old, she’s technically ready for college. She just has to pass one more test—middle school! Content warning: OCD, acquired savant syndrome, bullying.
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