Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

Carpenter (The Edge of Anything) and Callen (A Breath Too Late) bring together 16 authors including Alechia Dow, Nikki Grimes, Sonia Patel, and more to curate a timely fiction anthology about teens living with mental health challenges. In an opening introduction, the editors state they “wanted readers to receive the unstated message that this representation sends: You can struggle with a serious mental health condition and still live a good and full life.” A note from the author follows each entry, and touches on the creator’s inspiration for their story and their own experience living with a mental health condition. In James Bird’s “River Boy,” Hank, an Ojibwe teenager who cries “All. The. Time.” befriends his school’s troublemaker, who claims that “I’ll quit smoking when you quit crying.” In his concluding thoughts, Bird posits that “even when feeling different is difficult, you will, as I did... love every moment of it.” Covering topics such as anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and PMDD, this sensitive work authentically portrays its teen characters as complex beings whose positive relationships—with friends and family, and with their own mental health—exude hope. Back matter includes resources. Ages 14–up. (Apr.)