
Teen Librarian Toolbox
June 12, 2023 by Amanda MacGregor
When I began to write All the Dead Lie Down, I was imagining what it would be like to have anxiety and be dropped into the middle of an actual Gothic novel.
September 27, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor
Haven's eco-anxiety is not unique to her, but by witnessing her experiences with it, readers get an important look at how anxiety about climate change is affecting kids and, for those who feel the same as Haven, an important look at another kid feeling how they feel.
September 15, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor
You may see yourself in all those squares, but, friend, there is only one you. The you yourself, a you with your own epic story, as every creature and human being who ever lived has an epic story.
August 26, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor
Funeral Girl is about sixteen-year-old Georgia Richter who lives in her family’s funeral home--she is literally surrounded by death, which doesn’t help her death anxiety. To make matters more difficult, she can speak to the dead.
August 18, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor
While this book was really good, had wonderful dialogue, and kept me guessing what was happening as we toggled back and forth in time, it's this specific representation of a Black teen boy living with anxiety and panic attacks and getting help that I want to draw your attention to.
August 15, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor
Every time I write and illustrate a new adventure for Marisol, I’m reaching back thirty-five years, whispering to a younger version of myself, saying: You are not invisible. You are not alone.
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July 21, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor
I'm glad to see more books addressing climate change and eco anxiety, to see more books showing teenagers as engaged in their communities, as activists. The beautiful verse adeptly captures the passion Eliza feels.
June 21, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor
Growing up with undiagnosed and untreated anxiety—let’s call it what it is, mental illness—was what led me to write the main character in my debut middle grade horror, The Clackity, as a young girl with anxiety
December 2, 2021 by Amanda MacGregor
When the pocket world Kiki has created in her sketchbooks turns out to be real, and Kiki is now in it, her anxiety has to morph from "oh no, if I left the door unlocked a goose may eat my mom!" to "can I get out of my own way far enough to save everyone in this world?!"
November 29, 2021 by Amanda MacGregor
I am so glad that not only are we seeing so many more middle grade stories that address mental health concerns, but that we're seeing these stories presented in a variety of ways. The graphic novel format is well-suited for this story as readers will see the impact of what it's like to have a mental illness tagging along beside your every move.
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Teen Librarian Toolbox
by Amanda MacGregor
Heavy Medal
by Emily Mroczek-Bayci
The Classroom Bookshelf
by Erika Thulin Dawes
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