6 Brilliant Books on Mental Health

The Overthinkers’ Club is the story of Birdie, an anxious, overthinking twelve-year-old who desperately wants to stop being such a tangled ball of angst. So her teacher, Ms Mulder (so nice, but intense coffee breath), suggests she makes a ​“Happy List”. This is a list of new h abits and good ideas to help Birdie be happier. 

If you are a bit like Birdie, here are some books that could help you with your mental health in a variety of different ways: 

Michael Rosen’s Sad Book is the story of Michael’s grief after his son, Eddie, died of meningitis. My brother had meningitis too, but we were very lucky, he survived, and this book makes me extra-grateful for this. This book is illustrated by Quentin Blake who used to do all of the illustrations for Roald Dahl’s books, and the style suits the story perfectly. 

How to Get Magically Popular by Radhika Sanghani teaches you about using mindfulness and yoga to live in the present. Birdie tries the mindfulness and I have tried yoga. I don’t think either of us are very good at them, but Radhika’s book shows you how to try. 

Sometimes you don’t want a story, you want some information, and Looking After Your Mental Health by Alice James is a brilliant non-fiction book which gives you lots of tools and tips. Birdie would absolutely love this book; she is always looking for solutions. 

Cafe Chaos by Catherine Wilkins deals with bullying, which is gross but sadly there’s a lot of it in the world. Hope Crumble concocts a scheme with her best friend to overcome being bullied, hurray! And her mum learns about the importance of a work/​life balance, which is a very common way that adults stress themselves out and make their lives less fun. 

In The Overthinkers’ Club, Birdie has to experience her family in a new configuration when she, her dad and her brother move in with her dad’s girlfriend, Maxie, and her young daughter and teenage son. So I wanted to find another book that deals with this situation, because it’s a huge thing but also happens to a lot of us, and it’s comforting to read a book where you can see other people experiencing it. 

The Light in Everything by Katya Balen is a book about blended families and finding new love in your heart for new people, which is a lovely way of looking at it. 

And I’m aware that a lot of these books are about girls having adventures through mental health, and it is something that affects all of us, so maybe you’re looking for a story about a boy. The Gray by Chris Baron is a really thoughtful look at a boy with anxiety who is told to ​“toughen up”. (Spoiler: that neeeeever works and we shouldn’t tell anyone to do this.)