Mental health and wellbeing

This is a succinct, gentle story about managing overpowering thoughts and dealing with the stress they can cause. Thirteen-year-old Josh lives with his mum and older brother Charlie. Josh’s brain chatters to him so much he has named it Brian. Sometimes Brian has helpful or fun suggestions for Josh, but as his mum and Charlie’s relationship deteriorates, Josh’s brain sends him increasingly negative and overwhelming messages. However, when he goes to stay with his estranged grandmother in the countryside, Josh discovers new ways to cope with his noisy brain.

Inspired by Lipinski’s non-binary character Jamie Rambeau, and the world of non-binary skateboarder Alana Smith, this empathetic story of schoolgirl and skater boy Elliott is heart-warming. Emotional words about identity meet with expressive and moody monochrome panels depicting the inner struggle of a teen trying to be three people in their search for their true self.

How far would you go to go viral? This is the question this book asks of the reader, as we get a peek into the close friendship of Alma Rose and Willow. They’re best friends who share a love of performing and a dream of being famous and adored. Even their different home lives don’t affect their friendship … too much. How do two teenagers negotiate two very different home lives? Will Willow discover Alma Rose’s secret? And will their friendship survive?

Compiled by the LGBTQ+ charity ShoutOut, Faithfully Queer is a pamphlet aiming to show the connection between queer identities and faith. Funded as part of the LGBTI+ Community Services Fund 2023 from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, it’s a free resource available in both printed and digital format.

Seventeen-year-old Jessie, aka Mouse, is running from an abusive family situation and Brooke, her schoolgirl crush, is also on the run, but from a different form of family distress. Initially, Jessie is at the bus stop, and Brooke is in a dark red, vintage Mustang. Despite being poles apart, in a rich girl/poor girl social hierarchy, the two girls grow to admire each other. Their journey takes them from Seattle in a high-speed joy ride across America.

Lovers of Greek legends will enjoy being whisked into Phoebe’s own odyssey as she gets swept up into a fantasy world, led there by her grief. Phoebe’s beloved grandmother Cass, once a talented artist before she began forgetting all she knew, is slipping away. Everything that was once certain is now foggy, and as we go with Phoebe to places where she must face her fears, both mythological and very real. With every page, it is clear that Gray has expertly weaved grief and escapism, adventure and poignancy into one epic tale that will surely inspire and challenge eager readers.

After Rowan’s father dies, she and her mother move from sunny Arizona to the cold, dreary Irish town where he grew up. Even in summertime, it is always cold; the sun never shines and the loss of the warmth and love Rowan felt when her father was alive is palpable. But even more troubling than the loss of sun are the strange things that are happening in her new hometown; lights turning on when no one is around, the kettle boiling on its own …

Set in Dublin in 1986, Gwen is bright, imaginative and has been homeschooled by her mother for as long as she can remember. This changes dramatically when her mother becomes too ill to care for her and Gwen is sent to Loughmoe Abbey, a mysterious boarding school in the countryside.

Jodie Jones is obsessed with words, with sentences, with everything we say, and the spaces left by the things we don’t. Struggling to reconcile with her experience of a terror attack on London Bridge and holding together the pieces of her broken family together, Jodie Jones feels utterly powerless. The only way to cope with her lack of agency is to practice making micro-choices; she will only answer when called by her full name, she will stop trying in school and most importantly – she will find a way to tell somebody what really happened on the bridge five years ago.

Milo really wants to climb a mountain. It’s all that he can think about; it consumes him. The only problem is that Milo has a hard time turning this desire into reality. Even when he tries to take action, there’s always a reason (or a convenient excuse!) that stops him in his tracks. Can Milo achieve his goal and reach the top of the mountain?