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Topic: Mental Health

Chapter book

Maya and Rose won’t talk to each other.

Even though they are sisters.

Not since the accident.

Maya is running wild, and Rose doesn’t know what to do.

Now Maya and Rose have to go away together on a week-long school journey. But will the trip – and a life-threatening adventure – fix their relationship… or break it for good?

An uplifting story of family, forgiveness, and finding out who you are, from the author of the highly-acclaimed Ella on the Outside.

Chapter book

Middle school is the one problem Lucy can’t solve in this middle-grade novel perfect for fans of The Fourteenth Goldfish, Rain Reign, and Counting by 7s. Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning. She doesn’t remember it, but it changed her life forever. The zap gave her genius-level math skills, and ever since, Lucy has been homeschooled. Now, at 12 years old, she’s technically ready for college. She just has to pass 1 more test–middle school! Lucy’s grandma insists: Go to middle school for 1 year. Make 1 friend. Join 1 activity. And read 1 book (that’s not a math textbook!). Lucy’s not sure what a girl who does calculus homework for fun can possibly learn in 7th grade. She has everything she needs at home, where nobody can make fun of her rigid routines or her superpowered brain. The equation of Lucy’s life has already been solved. Unless there’s been a miscalculation? A celebration of friendship, Stacy McAnulty’s smart and thoughtful middle-grade debut reminds us all to get out of our comfort zones and embrace what makes us different.

A story for children inspired by children. Written by an integrative child and adolescent therapist (MBACP) & primary school teacher, Freya’s funny feeling is a beautifully illustrated picture book provides young children aged 4-7 years a tool to understand the various emotions they often cannot comprehend. Feelings of anxiety, excitement or mixed emotions and its idiom – the butterflies in your tummy. Using the analogy of the butterfly cycle, the story cleverly draws an association between Freya’s anxious feelings and the commonly used idiom ‘the butterflies in your tummy ‘ enabling young readers to visualise the two concepts simultaneously. Occasional use of alliteration and simple rhyming patterns makes Freya’s Funny Feeling a pleasurable story to read. Visually there are many different communities represented across the book so children of many walks of life and cultural backgrounds can identify with the characters.

Picturebook

In a soft comfy nest in a safe warm place there snoozed a great big orange thing called the Yes. He was snug, but the Yes had a Where to go to. So he left his nest and went trundling out. But the Where was an endless place of Nos. They teemed and seethed. They picked and nipped, and snipped and snicked. The Yes yessed in all his goodness and bigness and yesness. But was he strong enough to overcome them?

Non-fiction

Confidence is like a muscle, and everyone’s confidence can benefit from a bit of coaching to stretch and strengthen that muscle. Following tried and tested techniques, children will learn how to build empathy and interact with confidence. From dealing with friendship wobbles to embracing mistakes and coping with change, the activities at the heart of this book are designed to help children discover just what they can do.

Chapter book

Lark needs a break. Her mother is ill, her sister has stopped speaking and she’s fallen out with her best friend. When her family arrives at a caravan site on the windy Welsh coast, she and her little sister rush off to explore. But soon this freedom get frightening. Is there a figure in the fog? What happened at the ruined house in the woods? Why is her sister so fascinated by a girl in a green dress that no one else can see? As the storms get wilder and events get stranger, Lark must face a long-buried secret to try to save her family.

Picturebook

Is there a recipe for happiness? Meg certainly thinks so. She collects all the necessary ingredients in a jar, which she uses to cheer up her friends and family when they’re feeling low.

But what happens when her special jar mysteriously disappears? Will Meg feel sad forever more, or will she find other ways to be happy?

Picturebook

Celeste thinks she is the happiest dog in the world. But when she notices something different about her human, Rupert, she wonders if things will ever be the same again.

Charmingly illustrated, this heart-warming story for children aged 3+ reflects some of the feelings and experiences that a child whose parent or carer has depression may face. When it comes to periods of low mood in a parent or carer, children can often feel that they are to blame, or even that the parent doesn’t love them anymore. The story provides reassurance by explaining what depression is and how it is possible to find help. With a comprehensive guide for parents and professionals written by Dr Pooky Knightsmith that provides advice on discussing the topic with children, this is a truly valuable resource that will be of interest to social workers, child and school counsellors, psychologists, parents and foster parents.

Chapter book

When Alfie Turner loses his mum, it feels like his world is falling apart. She was the glue that held their family together and, now that she’s gone, Alfie and his dad don’t really know how to be a family without her.

And then Alfie meets Alice.

Alice is a force of nature and has her own set of problems, but at least when Alfie’s with her he can forget about his.

Or can he? Because no matter how hard you run, life will always catch up in the end.

Despite everything holding them back, together Alfie and Alice learn two things: that friendship can help dig you out of even the blackest hole, and that it’s not the falling down that matters, it’s the getting back up.

Enormously heartfelt and insightful, this fiercely uplifting novel is Eve Ainsworth at her best.

Picturebook

An inspiring, encouraging story for budding artists everywhere, the acclaimed illustrator of The Dot , Sky Colour and the Judy Moody series tells the story of Ramon, who loves to draw. Anytime. Anything. Anywhere. Drawing is what Ramon does. It’s what makes him happy. But in one split second, all that changes. A single remark by Ramon’s older brother, Leon, turns Ramon’s carefree sketches into joyless struggles. Luckily for Ramon, though, his little sister, Marisol, sees the world differently and she opens his eyes to something a lot more valuable than getting things exactly right…

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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