Reading Well for Children

Reading Well for children supports the mental health and wellbeing of children, providing them and their families and carers with information, advice and support for coping with feelings and worries, daily life and getting through a tough time.

The books have been chosen and endorsed by leading health professionals in partnership with children and families. The book selection panel included colleagues from public libraries, NHS England, Mind, the Royal College of GPs, and the School Library Association.

The books are aimed at children in Key Stage 2 (aged 7-11) but includes a wide range of reading levels to support less confident readers, and to encourage children to read together with their siblings and carers.

Healthy minds

• What's Going on Inside my Head? - Molly Potter
• Healthy for Life: Self-esteem and Mental Health - Anna Claybourne
• How Not to Lose It: Mental Health Sorted - Anna Williamson

Feelings

• How Are You Feeling Today? - Molly Potter
• Mindful Me: Exploring Emotions - Paul Christelis
• Feeling Angry! - Katie Douglass
• Sometimes I Feel Sad - Tom Alexander

Worries

• Ruby's Worry - Tom Percival
• Questions and Feelings About: Worries - Paul Christelis
• Grobblechops - Elizabeth Laird
• Me and My Fear - Francesca Sanna
• All Birds Have Anxiety - Kathy Hoopmann
• Worry Angels - Sita Brahmachari
• Outsmarting Worry - Dawn Huebner

The world around you

At school

• Dealing With Bullying - Jane Lacey
• Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet - Zanib Mian
• Ella on the Outside - Cath Howe

Online

• #Goldilocks - Jeanne Willis

In the news

• Something Bad Happened: A Kid's Guide to Coping with Events in the News - Dawn Huebner

Dealing with tough times

When someone dies

• Mum's Jumper - Jayde Perkin
• Michael Rosen's Sad Book - Michael Rosen
• If All the World Were - Joseph Coelho
• Clownfish - Alan Durant

Tough times at home

• The Boy Who Built a Wall Around Himself - Ali Redford
• Up and Down Mum - Child's Play
• The Colour Thief: A Family's Story of Depression - Andrew Fusek Peters and Polly Peters

When you have a condition

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Can I Tell You About ADHD? - Susan Yarney
• Check Mates - Stewart Foster

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

• Questions and Feelings About: Autism - Louise Spilsbury
• M is for Autism - The Students of Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin

Dyslexia

• The Illustrated Guide to Dyslexia and Its Amazing People - Kate Power and Kathy Iwanczak Forsyth

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Double Felix - Sally Harris

Having a disability

• Questions and Feelings About: Having a Disability - Louise Spilsbury

For more suggestions about useful reading and advice please visit the Reading Well website.

Many of the children's titles are available as eBooks and eAudiobooks with OverDrive.

Reading Well for teenagers and young adults

Reading Well can help you cope with the pressures of life, feel better about yourself and boost your confidence using books.

The Reading Well books have been chosen by young people and health experts to help you with difficult feelings and experiences that affect your wellbeing.

Look out for the books on the Reading Well list. They offer tips and ideas to help you understand and manage your emotions as well as cope with difficult situations. It's free to join the library and it's free to borrow the books. Take one home today!

These are the books included in the latest October 2022 Reading Well for Teens booklist.

Healthy Minds

• Be Resilient: How to Build a Strong Teenage Brain for Tough Times - Nicola Morgan
• Be Happy Be You: The Teenage Guide to Boost Happiness and Resilience - Penny Alexander and Becky Goddard-Hill
• You Can Change the World! - Margaret Rooke
• One in a Hundred Thousand - Linni Ingemundsen

Managing Feelings

• The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workout for Teens - Paula Nagel
• My Intense Emotions Handbook - Bridie Gallagher, Sue Knowles and Hannah Bromley

Anxiety and Depression

• My Anxiety Handbook - Sue Knowles, Bridie Gallagher and Phoebe McEwen
• Anxiety is Really Strange - Steve Haines
• Depression (A Book About) - Holly Duhig
• Hope - Rhian Ivory

Body Image

• The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Fearless - Charlotte Markey
• Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys - Charlotte Markey, Daniel Hart and Douglas Zacher
• Appearance Anxiety - National and Specialist ODC, BDD and Related Disorders Service, Maudsley Hospital
• Jemima Small Versus the Universe - Tamsin Winter
• The Year I Didn't Eat - Samuel Pollen

Neurodiversity

• Wired Differently - 30 Neurodivergent people You Should Know - Joe Wells
• Frankie's World - Aoife Dooley

Understanding Bereavement and Loss

• You Will Be Okay - Julie Stokes
• A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness
• When Shadows Fall - Sita Brahmachari

Sexuality, Gender and Mental Health

• Coming Out Stories - Emma Goswell and Sam Walker
• Queer Up: An Uplifting guide to LGBTQ+ Love, Life and Mental Health - Alexis Caught
• Welcome to St Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure - Lewis Hancox

Learning About Life

• Booked - Kwame Alexander
• Stay a Little Longer - Bali Rai

Boost Your Confidence

• Social Anxiety Relief for Teens - Bridget F Walker

Surviving Online

• Social Media Survival Guide - Holly Bathie

For more suggestions about useful reading and advice please visit the Reading Well website.

Many of the teen and young adult titles are also available as eBooks and eAudiobooks with OverDrive.

Reading Well has been developed by The Reading Agency in partnership with Libraries Connected and Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians. The scheme is funded by Arts Council England and the Wellcome Trust.