August 2025 list by Morgan Olson |
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Breaking into sunlight
by John Cochran
When his dad overdoses, seventh-grader Reese moves into a rundown trailer where he meets Meg and Charlie, who have also been stranded by circumstances beyond their control, and with these new friends, Reese gains hope for the future. Simultaneous eBook.
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College mental health 101 : a guide for students, parents, and professionals
by Christopher Willard
"College Mental Health 101: A Guide for Students, Parents, & Professionals reviews the various factors and considerations involved with managing the college admissions, selection, and enrollment processes with mental health concerns, as well as how to manage mental health as a college student. It provides guidance around relevant topics such as choosing a college; therapists and therapy modalities; accommodations; handling difficult conversations; self-care; supporting others; mental health diagnoses; hospitalization; neurodivergence; medication; and being a student in a marginalized group. It includes reflection questions, exercises, and checklists throughout for one to explore and support their mental health needs. It also provides quotes from current and former college students, parents, and college-related or mental health professionals to support one in their own understanding of their college mental health experience"
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Concrete kids
by Amyra Leâon
"Concrete Kids is an exploration of love and loss, melody and bloodshed. Musician, playwright, and educator Amyra Leâon takes us on a poetic journey through her childhood in Harlem, as she navigates the intricacies of foster care, mourning, self-love, and resilience"
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Darius the Great is not okay
by Adib Khorram
Clinically depressed Darius Kellner, a high school sophomore, travels to Iran to meet his grandparents, but it is their next-door neighbor, Sohrab, who changes his life
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Enlighten me
by Minh Lãe
After standing up to a bully who made fun of his Vietnamese heritage, Binh is forced to participate in a silent meditation retreat where he unexpectedly loses himself in the stories of the Buddha's many past lives, finding inner peace and belonging. Simultaneous and eBook. Illustrations.
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Halfway there : a graphic memoir of self-discovery
by Christine Mari
The half American-half Japanese author shares her year abroad in Japan where she seeks to reconcile both sides of her biracial identity but instead finds the two cultures isolating her in ways she never imagined. Simultaneous and eBook. Illustrations.
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How it all blew up
by Arvin Ahmadi
Fleeing to Rome in the wake of coming out to his Muslim family, a failed relationship and blackmail, 18-year-old Amir Azadi embarks on a more authentic life with new friends and dates in the Sistine Chapel before an encounter with a U.S. Customs officer places his hard-won freedom at risk. By the author of Girl Gone Viral. Simultaneous eBook.
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How it feels to float
by Helena Fox
Biz's world turns from balance to grief and depression when her father, whom she has been seeing since his death when she was seven, suddenly stops appearing to her, and she must find a new normal
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How to talk to your succulent
by Zoe Persico
Eleven-year-old Adara and her dad are moving from California to Michigan after Mom's passing and he's bringing Mom's houseplants, including a succulent named Perle, whom Adara tries to care for, in a book about loneliness, mental health, empathy and openness
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I have lost my way
by Gayle Forman
When they collide in Central Park, three teenagers, Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel, who all feel lost, begin to find purpose in their lives
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Let's talk about it : the teen's guide to sex, relationships, and being a human
by Erika Moen
Presented in the accessible style of a graphic novel, a practical guide to adolescence by the creators of the Oh Joy Sex Toy sex-education webcomic shares compassionate and relatable advice on subjects ranging from body image and identity to healthy relationships and safe sex. Simultaneous and eBook. Illustrations.
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Love your amazing self : joyful verses for young voices
by Ofosu Jones-Quartey
With words that call out to be spoken, recited or sung aloud, this original collection encourages kids to affirm the positive in themselves and their lives, in this celebration of joy, resilience, empowerment and self-compassion. Simultaneous eBook. Illustrations.
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Project you : more than 50 ways to calm down, de-stress, & feel great!
by Aubre Andrus
Written with insights from a mindfulness educator, a guide to navigating stress and living a life of healthy balance counsels middle-grade readers on such techniques as making protein smoothies for busy mornings, writing in a journal, practicing yoga, scheduling priorities and developing a sleep-supporting nighttime routine. Original.
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Stars in their eyes
by Jessica Walton
"Maisie is on her way to Fancon! She's looking forward to meeting her idol, Kara Bufano, the action hero from her favorite TV show, who has a lower-leg amputation, just like Maisie. But when Maisie and her mom arrive at the convention center, she is stopped in her tracks by Ollie, a cute volunteer working the show. They are kind, charming, and geek out about nerd culture just as much as Maisie does. And as the day wears on, Maisie notices feelings for Ollie that she's never had before. Is this what it feels like to fall in love"
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This moment is your life (and so is this one) : a fun and easy guide to mindfulness, meditation, and yoga
by Mariam Gates
"This lively, hands-on guide to meditation, mindfulness, and yoga is a perfect introduction for tweens and teens. Don't just do something, be here.The key to happiness is being able to find comfort in this moment, here and now. When you are completely present and not distracted by regrets, worries, and plans, even for a little while, you begin to feel more confident and can deal more easily with everything you experience. This is mindfulness: paying attention to this very moment, on purpose and without judgment--simply being present with curiosity.This engaging guide, packed with simple exercises and endearing full-color artwork, provides a handy starting point for bringing mindfulness into your daily life. Chapters on meditation, yoga, and mindful breathing explain the benefits of these practices, and you are free to pick and choose what to try. There are quick exercises throughout, and a more extensive tool kit at the end of each chapter. The final chapter offers satisfying five-day challenges that mapout ways to pull all of the book's mindfulness techniques together in your day-to-day life. With the appeal of a workbook or guided journal, and full of examples relevant to tweens and teens today, this book will be your trusted companion as you begin the valuable, stress-relieving work of being still with skill"
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Turtles all the way down
by John Green
"Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there's a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett's son Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts."--Page 4 of cover
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The valley and the flood
by Rebecca Mahoney
"When Rose Colter hears a voicemail from her own phone playing on her car radio, she follows the broadcast to the small town of Lotus Valley, where she discovers that she's the prophesied bringer of a catastrophic flood"
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We are okay : a novel
by Nina LaCour
Running back to college and shutting out everyone from her life in California after a traumatic summer that nobody else knows about, Marin is forced to confront what happened during a lonely, fateful winter break. By the award-winning author of Hold Still. Simultaneous eBook.
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We should hang out sometime : embarrassingly, a true story
by Josh Sundquist
The Paralympic ski racer, YouTube star and motivational speaker documents his coming of age as an amputee cancer survivor and his efforts to investigate past dates gone wrong to discover why he was still single. Simultaneous eBook. 30,000 first printing.
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What comes after
by Katie Bayerl
"Cynical, sixteen-year-old Mari has only ninety days to remember how she died and to finally make peace with her mother or risk spending eternity adrift in a vast nothingness"
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Whisper to me
by Nick Lake
Writing a letter to a heartbroken boy to explain why she pushed him away, Cassie asks for his forgiveness while reflecting on her father's anger over their relationship, the reasons for her occasional disappearances and the traumatic long-ago night that she does not want to remember. By the award-winning author of In Darkness.
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