ANXIETY BOOK LIST

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After Zero
Christina Collins
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

After a lifetime of homeschooling with her distant mother, Elise is finally starting eighth grade in a public school with her best friend, Mel.. However, school is different than Elise had imagined. In an effort to avoid embarrassment, she begins to talk as little as possible. Her goal is to speak no words at all. 

Eventually, Elise isn’t sure she even remembers how to talk to others. This begins to affect her relationships, and her performance at school and family life begin to suffer for it. Elise must find the courage to examine her fears and learn to communicate again.

In the Red
Christopher Swiedler
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Michael Prasad is smart. Super smart. But, even the brightest kids make terrible decisions. Like when he and Lilith decide to sneak out on the surface of Mars one night without any grownups, without telling anyone where they were going, and without really thinking about the fact that Michael has panic attacks when he puts his suit on. 

But out they go, and when a melting ice caps, dust storms, and more leave them stranded without a way to get home it is up to Michael to stay calm and use his smarts to save their lives. 

Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes
Mary E. Lambert
TPL Book, WorldCat

Annabelle doesn’t want anyone near her home because her family lives under piles of her mom’s many “collections”. The only place in the house that is clean is her room. Soon, she becomes obsessed over what comes in and out of her room, and because of her mom’s hoarding, she’s finding it more and more difficult to even be home. Annabelle feels the need to get away but also feels bad about leaving her sister behind. 

Frazzled: Ordinary Mishaps and Inevitable Catastrophes
Booki Vivat
TPL Book, WorldCat

Abbie Wu is trying to find her place in the new world of middle school and the larger world in general. The only problem is that she lives in a constant state of crisis. Middle school is tough on everyone but it has Abbie freaking out 24/7. Her mom doesn’t understand, her brother is perfect, and her best friends are growing apart from her. Will she be able to work through her worries to find her own voice?

Girls Who Code: Spotlight on Coding Club!
Michelle Shusterman
TPL Book, WorldCat

Erin loves her coding club at school. Almost as much as she loves to perform. When her school switches up the yearly talent show format to include online voting, it gives her a chance to enjoy both her loves at the same time. The only problem is that Erin has anxiety. When she takes on too much to distract her from her anxiety it can backfire with panic attacks. Will she be able to manage her commitments and her anxiety?

Guts
Raina Telgemeier
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Bullying

Growing up can be gross. For Raina, that grossness makes it even tougher since she has a phobia about barfing. It makes it tough to eat, share food, be near sick people, and more. All these things spike her anxiety which doesn’t help her tummy troubles. Will she be able to find a way to calm herself and her stomach so that she can enjoy fifth grade?

Harriet’s Monster Diary: Awfully Anxious (But I Squish It, Big Time)
Dr. Raun Melmed and S.E. Abramson
TPL Book, TPL eBook, WorldCat

Harriet was having a great day. She had a delicious breakfast, made it to school on time, and got to work with her friends during class. Everything was going wonderfully until Monsterology when she found out that she had a report that was due on Friday. Not so bad since she had all week to do it. What was bad? That she had to read it in front of class! Speaking in front of the class made her feel like she was sick. Will she be able to find a way to cope before her project is due?

In Your Shoes
Donna Gephart
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Death

Miles struggles with his anxiety everyday, going to bed every night worried about something — death, daily conversations with others, decisions to be made. With the wisdom of his grandfather, Miles one day awakes with a deeper purpose and a better sense of self. Will he be able to overcome his anxiety and change the world?

It’s the End of the World As I Know It
Matthew Landis
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Death

Derrick is convinced the world is coming to an end. In fact, he’s so convinced, that he built himself a shelter in his backyard shed in preparation for doomsday. His friends and family let him talk constantly about his project, but they see that “talking about doomsday” is not truly helping him cope with a major loss in his life. With the support of loved ones, Derrick must confront the past in order to move on to the future.

Just My Luck
Cammie McGovern
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Benny has a pretty tough life. He can’t ride a bike, and he’s in the 4th grade. His best friend moved away, his dad is sick, his mom is stressed, and he’s having to look after his older brother who has autism. Benny learns to navigate these daily challenges, but he refuses to get on his bike. Nearly every week, Benny’s dad asks him to go for a bike ride, but Benny is terrified because the last time he rode his bike, bad things happened. Will he ever be able to overcome his fears?

Naked Mole Rat Saves the World
Karen Rives
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

When Kit was born her mother called her her tiny naked mole rat, a nickname that she grew to hate. Now Kit is not as small and she’s in middle school. Everything is going smoothly until one day when her world is turned topsy-turvy because she turns into the thing she hates-a naked mole rat! Will she be able to find a way to change back and save the day?

Owl’s Outstanding Donuts
Robin Yardi
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Death

When Mattie’s mother died in a car accident she went to live with her aunt in Big Sur. Things begin to settle down for her, but Mattie is still very nervous about riding in cars, being near highways, and of course having to ride the school bus in just a couple weeks.

One night an owl flies into her life and points out mysterious polluters across the highway. When the actions of these litter bugs begin to threaten her aunt’s donut shop will she be able to overcome her fear of cars to help save the day?

Peeves
Mike Van Waes
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Slim Pickings is a big time worrier. Every day from start to finish if filled with anxiety teetering on a full blow panic attack. Little did he know that what started out as a normal trip into the office with his dad would  end up turning his worries and frights into to living-breathing creatures! Will Slim be able to figure out what is going on and how to fix it before his entire town is destroyed by peeves? 

Planet Earth is Blue
Nicole Panteleakos
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Death

Nova is a 12-year-old girl in love with space exploration but is especially interested in the Challenger’s launch. Severely autistic and nonverbal, Nova immersives herself in learning more about space every day. When she is separated from her sister in foster care, Nova anxiously awaits being reunited with her sister Bridget who is the only person she feels understands her.

Real Friends
Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Bullying

Adrienne has been Shannon’s best friend forever. But as they are getting older things are changing. Now everyone wants to be best friends with Jen, one of the most popular girls in school. So, Shannon is stuck trying to figure out if staying friends with one of her oldest pals is worth it.

The Right Hook of Devin Velma
Jake Burt
TPL Book, WorldCat

Devin and Addison are close friends. Even their families get together for dinner. When Devin finds out his father is in the hospital, he starts to think of ways to make money in order to help with expenses. Fame is his answer. Addison isn’t keen on Devin’s idea of becoming famous which causes strain on their relationship. Will Devin and Addison be able to agree on their differences?

Sara and the Search for Normal
Wesley King
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warnings: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child Abuse 

Follow Sara and her search for normal as she experiences daily mental health challenges on top of maintaining a new friendship. Sara and Erin meet in group therapy, and while Sara is hesitant at first, the two quickly become best friends. Sara find herself in a dilemma when she discovers that Erin has a family secret. Not a good secret. Should Sara attempt to intervene in order to help Erin or will this draw them apart?   

Side Tracked
Diana Harmon Asher
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Joseph Friedman has been sitting on the sidelines of middle school, letting it pass him by. His anxiety and phobias make it hard for him to participate. Now that he’s running (despite that he’s terrible at it) Joseph finds himself in the race, both at school and at cross country meets. He makes friends with the star runner on his team, a new girl named Heather, and starts facing his fears.

Some Kind of Happiness
Claire Legrand
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Alcoholism, Death

Finley has a secret. She has blue days. Not just your regular old sad days, or where you aren’t feeling particularly cheerful. These are dark days. Stay under your covers and don’t come out days. But she can’t tell anyone, not even her mom and dad. Instead she escapes into the Everwood, and magical forest that she writes about filled with fantastic creatures, adventure, and danger. She fills notebook after notebook full of stories about this wonderful place. 

Now she is being carted off to her grandparents (whom she’s never met)  for the summer while her parents spend some time “figuring things out.” And it is here that she discovers the real life Everwood full of its own secrets, adventure and danger. Will the Everwood be able to help Finely find her way out of her blue days?  

Stanley will Probably be Fine
Sally J. Pla
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Stanley is the master of comic book trivia. He lives for comic books, super heroes, their stories, and their creators. It is what he disappears into when the outside world overwhelms him. He couldn’t be more excited when he finds out that if he can win this year’s Trivia Quest, he will score two free VIP passes to Comic Fest, the biggest comic book convention ever. Will he be able to embrace the chaos of the outside world in order for the chance to go to Comic Fest and meet his heroes?

Swing Sideways
Nancy Terner Steveson
Hoopla, WorldCat

Trigger Warnings: Death, Eating Disorder

Annabel’s life has been ridged. Her time was scheduled to the minute and ruled by spreadsheets of her weekly schedule. But this summer will be different. This summer she will be free. With new goals set by the psychologist that she is seeing for her eating disorder recovery, Annabel and her parents are traveling to their house by the lake for some quality time together-no schedules allowed. Annabel has her heart set on adventure and when they pass a barefoot girl standing in a field on the way to their house, Annabel has no idea just how much adventuring she is about to get into.