8 Middle Grade Books with Families Touched by Mental Illness

Some Kind of Happiness, by Claire Legrand
Eleven-year-old Finley suffers from what she calls “blue days,” which keen readers will observe as depression and anxiety exacerbated by her home life. Her parents are “having problems” and “need some space to work it out,” so they are sending Finley to her estranged grandparents’ house for the summer with cousins she’s never met. Thankfully, she has her list-making and the Everwood into which she can retreat. The Everwood is a fictional forest kingdom of Finley’s own creation that lives only in the pages of her notebook—or so she thinks until she discovers it’s real and lies in the endless woods behind her grandparents’ house. Fantasy and reality blend seamlessly in this amazing and touching coming-of-age tale.

Lily and Dunkin, by Donna Gephart
Being 13 is hard enough even without the added challenges faced by eighth-graders Lily and Dunkin. Lily, whose birth name was Timothy, is a transgendered girl who was “born with boy parts,” while Dunkin is a teenage boy dealing with bipolar disorder and having just moved to a new town. Both are outsiders with tightly held secrets and are desperate for acceptance and a sense of belonging—something with which most tweens (and adults) can identify. This sensitively told story is both heartbreaking and inspiring and would make a great read for anyone who’s ever struggled with feeling different.

Courage for Beginners, by Karen Harrington
Red-headed Mysti has her fair share of hardships to handle as she enters seventh grade—among them are her agoraphobic mother who never leaves the house and Mysti’s former best friend, Anibal, who has abandoned her in favor of becoming a “hipster” in order to win over his new crush. Worst of all, Mysti’s father has just been hospitalized and is in a coma after falling off a ladder, leaving Mysti home alone with her little sister and mother, who can’t even go to the store to replenish their groceries. Mysti’s strength and bravery is inspiring as she faces her fears in this well-written tale that celebrates life’s little victories.

Small as an Elephant, by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Eleven-year-old Jack awakens in his tent in Acadia National Park to find his mom, her gear, and their car gone—a disconcerting scenario for him but one that’s not all that surprising. This happened once before when he was only 7. Though his mother’s moods swing wildly from excited and loving to depressed and neglectful, he doesn’t want to alert the authorities that he’s been left behind. He’s afraid they’ll send him back to live with his “evil” grandmother, so he sets off alone for his home in Boston. His incredible journey brings him realizations about himself, his family, and his mother’s mental illness.

OCDaniel, by Wesley King
Thirteen-year-old Daniel’s first-person fictional narrative tells a compelling story of a boy tortured by his obsessive compulsive disorder. He lives in fear of someone noticing his strange habits, which he calls Zaps—avoiding the number four or flipping a light switch on and off dozens of times. The aspiring young writer’s life becomes even more complicated when Sara, a selectively mute girl at school who hasn’t spoken once in the eight years Daniel has known her, institutes him to help her solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance. Daniel’s voice is engaging and his experiences relatable whether or not readers personally have experience with OCD.

Umbrella Summer, by Lisa Graff
Annie Richard’s brother was just 11 years old when he died four months ago of an undiagnosed heart condition. The formerly adventurous 10-year-old girl has now turned into an anxiety-ridden, overly cautious hypochondriac who believes that the only way to be safe is “to know exactly what could get me and all the ways to stop it.” She then meets her new neighbor, 70-year-old Mrs. Finch, who is a recent widow, and the two bond over their loss and grief. As Mrs. Finch notes to Annie, sometimes “it’s easier to be worried than to be sad.” This beautiful story of love, loss, and acceptance is sad, funny, and uplifting and will appeal to both young readers and adults.

Nest, by Esther Ehrlich
Just before Naomi “Chirp” Orenstein starts sixth grade, her professional dancer mother begins experiencing symptoms that are eventually diagnosed as multiple sclerosis. The diagnosis sends her mom, Hannah, into a spiraling depression, and her psychiatrist father ends up admitting her to a psychiatric hospital. Despite months of therapy, Hannah tragically ends her life, leaving Chirp, her older sister, and their father to navigate this terrifying new normal. Chirp finds comfort with the birds surrounding her in Cape Cod as well as her friend and neighbor, Joey, who is dealing with “significant issues” at home as well. The book delicately handles difficult subjects and reveals a poignant, insightful narrative for older middle grade readers.

Swing Sideways, by Nanci Turner Steveson
Annie suffers from panic attacks and an eating disorder in this powerful debut middle grade novel, and at her therapist’s recommendation, she is offered an unstructured summer of freedom with her parents at their lake house—away from her fake friends and controlling mother’s spreadsheets and rigid scheduling. While there, she meets a girl who changes her life—California, a free spirit who is visiting her grandfather’s farm. Middle grade readers will love this unforgettable tale of healing, friendship, and transformation.
What middle grade books dealing with mental illness would you recommend?