16 Middle Grade Books About Mental Health

After a surprising announcement from Simone Biles who pulled out of the team finals at the Olympics, I thought it was an ideal time to feature some middle grade titles featuring children and teens (siblings) with mental illness. Although no longer the taboo subject from even ten years ago, mental health is still seen by many as something to be ashamed of or at the very least swept under the rug and hidden away. I would argue that many of the people that I know managing mental illness are stronger than most people know, as mental illness can be absolutely debilitating at times.

Biles is taking the next few days one at a time and with the help of her teammates, coaches, the health professionals at the Olympics, and above all listening to her body and mind will make decisions day by day. Honestly, I’d say the initial announcement was shocking, but it’s not surprising that the pressure is affecting her. People around the globe are expecting perfection from a strong athlete. And that is a lot for anyone to handle.

Bodily Injury vs. Mental Illness

I don’t really understand why people accept injury when it happens to a bone or a muscle. If Biles had twisted her ankle on a vault, we would naturally accept that she couldn’t participate. But, when it comes to a person’s brain, people don’t always “get it.” And maybe that’s it right there, there is so much we still don’t know about how the brain functions that it’s much harder to understand. Pulling a hamstring is just that, but mental health lies on more of a spectrum with a sliding scale that changes day to day and honestly moment by moment. And can also vary drastically from person to person.

I can only begin to imagine what an athlete competing at that level feels at a time like this. Between COVID, training, and an Olympics that looks like none other, it’s got to be difficult. I applaud Biles for her strength to step away at a very public time. And I applaud her even more for using her platform to talk about the stress and pressure and her own mental health. Athletes above all else are people. They aren’t robots. And they shouldn’t be treated as such.

Biles has handled the entire situation with grace and professionalism. She realized that where she was, wasn’t healthy and made a very courageous decision to listen to her mind and body. After she told her teammates, she stayed with them for the rest of the competition being the calm force they needed to be able to focus on the next rotation. And kudos to all the women on the team for stepping up to fill Biles’s spot and earn a silver medal.

Mental Health

Mental health is not just about people with mental illness. Everyone should have a basic understanding of mental health. In fact, it should be taught in school. We should all have healthy coping mechanisms for when our world becomes a little too overwhelming. And honestly, after the past year and a half, I think most people would say their world has become a little too overwhelming at times. Whether it’s something like getting exercise or eating in a healthy way, seeing a therapist, or involving the additional assistance of doctors and medication, no one should be ashamed of managing their mental health.

I know for me, if I need to stop overthinking something that’s happened, I’ve got to write it out. It helps me to process my feelings and gets those thoughts out of my mind enough so that I don’t keep thinking circles around them. I also know that I need to carve out a little time to read almost daily. Even 10-15 minutes helps to clear my mind and gives me more patience and calmness to get through the day. Everyone should find something healthy that they enjoy doing that helps their own mental health.

16 Middle Grade Books About Mental Health

Today, I’m sharing just 16 middle grade books about mental health. Each of these titles focuses on kids (or teens when it comes to a main character’s sibling) that are managing a mental illness. I decided to steer clear of parents or other adults with mental illness for this list because I wanted to be able to show kids that mental illness can affect people as young as they are and from all different backgrounds. There are a number of titles that feature parental figures with mental illness out there. It’s more prevalent than most people realize and that asking for help doesn’t make you weak. Asking for help is a sign of strength.

1. Breathing Underwater by Sarah Allen
2. Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
3. Five Things About Ava Andrews by Margaret Dilloway
4. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
5. Give and Take by Elly Swartz
6. Good Enough by Jen Petro-Roy
7. How to Make Friends with the Sea by Tanya Guerrero
8. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
9. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
10. My Life in the Fish Tank by Barbara Dee
11. Sara and the Search for Normal by Wesley King
12. The Sea in Winter by Christine Day
13. Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher
14. Stanley Will Probably Be Fine by Sally J. Pla, illustrated by Steve Wolfhard
15. A Thousand Minutes to Sunlight by Jen White
16. Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff

If you’re looking for more titles featuring characters with mental illness, you’ve got to check out Afoma Umesi’s extensive list. And I’ve got a few additional titles that I shared last year for World Mental Health Day.