Amanda MacGregor

In this overview of SLJ's 2023 starred titles to date, grief, intergenerational bonds, and other key topics are trending topics.

Themes in this year’s stellar works of fiction for children and teens.

The author of Home Home stresses the importance of openly discussing mental health issues and offering hope to young people experiencing anxiety and depression.

Pluto, the main character of Melleby's How I Became a Planet, just wants to love things again like she used to. Depression changes her, but with a support system and time, Pluto knows she will be okay. 

While writing stories involving mental illness, the author of My Life in the Fish Tank strives to "still create fun, complex characters and entertaining plots that keep readers turning the pages." 

Middle grade and YA authors including  Joy McCullough, Reem Faruqi,  and others discuss the power of verse to address emotional topics and craft innovative narratives.

With empathy and wit, the creator of the graphic novel Living with Viola portrays anxiety as a malicious person who won't leave the main character alone. 

The author of My Ex-Imaginary Friend says that bookending funny chapters with ones including hard conversations "helped to show that even when things are tough, there is hope and humor on the other side."  

The author of Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom discusses having obsessive-compulsive disorder as a child, the feelings of shame that came with it, and those who would try to keep stories about mental health from kids.