Books About Anxiety & Worry for Ages 12–18

Anxiety in adolescence can be paralyzing. Social anxiety, performance anxiety, the spiral of worst-case thinking that feels impossible to interrupt. These 538 books take all of it seriously and offer characters who are learning to function alongside the worry rather than waiting for it to disappear.

538 books

Joey Pigza #1

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Jack Gantos

For children who feel different or struggle to fit in, this story explores a boy's chaotic world as he tries to understa

Ages 8–12

Heartstopper #3

Heartstopper

Alice Oseman

For teens navigating the complexities of first love, coming out, and finding courage amidst the sweet and sometimes chal

Ages 13–18

The Baby-Sitters Club #3

The Truth about Stacey

Ann M. Martin

Stacey McGill has a secret: she has Type 1 diabetes. She's afraid to tell her new friends in the Baby-Sitters Club, espe

Ages 8–12

Diary of a Minecraft Zombie #11

Diary of a Minecraft Zombie

Herobrine Publishing

Zombie is experiencing strange new feelings, weirder than anything a 13-year-old Minecraft Zombie is used to. Can he get

Ages 8–12

The Aqua Net Diaries: Big Hair, Big Dreams, Small Town

Jennifer Niven

Jennifer Niven shares her unforgettable journey through 1980s high school in Richmond, Indiana, filled with bad fashion,

Ages 14–18

Crave #1

Crave

Tracy Wolff

When Grace is forced to attend a mysterious academy, she discovers it's a world of gods and monsters, where she's the on

Ages 12–18

Dragon's Rock

Tim Bowler

Benjamin's life is plagued by horrific nightmares of a dragon after he takes a stone from Dragon's Rock. When he returns

Ages 8–12

Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School #1

We the Children

Andrew Clements

Ben Pratt's world is changing, from his parents' separation to the threat of his school being demolished. When a mysteri

Ages 8–12

Comics Will Break Your Heart

Faith Erin Hicks

Miriam's family lost out on a fortune from a smash-hit comic series, leaving them struggling. When she falls for a charm

Ages 12–18

Willodeen

Katherine Applegate

In a village plagued by environmental woes, 11-year-old Willodeen adores the 'unlovable' screechers. When a magical birt

Ages 10–14

Joey Pigza #2

Joey Pigza Loses Control

Jack Gantos

For parents navigating a child's ADHD or family mental health, this book explores a boy's challenging summer with his un

Ages 9–12

The Upside of Unrequited

Becky Albertalli

Molly, grappling with unrequited love, rejection fears, and self-consciousness, navigates first relationships, self-disc

Ages 14–18

My Life as a Rhombus

Varian Johnson

High school junior Rhonda grapples with her own abortion three years prior as she tutors a pregnant classmate. This poig

Ages 12–18

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me

Mariko Tamaki

For teens navigating the complexities of first love and difficult breakups, this graphic novel explores self-worth, frie

Ages 14–18

The Children and the Wolves

Adam Rapp

Three troubled teenagers abduct a four-year-old girl, Frog, who finds solace in a video game about wolves that eerily mi

Ages 12–18

Merci Suárez #3

Merci Suárez Plays It Cool

Meg Medina

As Merci Suárez enters eighth grade, she faces the challenge of reinventing herself while balancing new friendships, sch

Ages 12–14

Ask Amy Green #3

Ask Amy Green: Wedding Belles

Sarah Webb

Amy's mom is getting married on Amy's fourteenth birthday, but wedding bells are mixed with boy troubles, best friend dr

Ages 12–18

Dork Diaries #12

Dork Diaries: Crush Catastrophe

Rachel Renée Russell

As the school year ends, Nikki Maxwell juggles tough summer plans and an unexpected crush catastrophe. A new kid is inte

Ages 10–14

Star Wars: The High Republic #1

Into the Dark

Claudia Gray

Padawan Reath Silas prefers archives to adventures, but a galactic disaster strands him on a mysterious space station. H

Ages 12–18

The Spell Key #2

The Glass Salamander

Ann Downer

As Caitlin trains to become a seer, her lost love investigates a mysterious madness. When the evil necromancer Myrrhlock

Ages 12–18

Joey Pigza #5

The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza

Jack Gantos

For the child navigating challenges with self-control, medical diagnoses, and feeling different, this book offers a raw

Ages 12–16

A Smart Girl's Guide #1

A Smart Girl's Guide: Middle School

Julie Williams Montalbano

Starting middle school can feel overwhelming, but this guide offers practical tips and fun quizzes to help girls confide

Ages 10–14

The New Girl #1

The New Girl

Cassandra Calin

Lia's world is turned upside down when her family moves across the Atlantic, leaving Romania behind. As she struggles wi

Ages 10–14

Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights #3

1:35AM

Scott Cawthon, Andrea Waggener, Elley Cooper

Dive into three unsettling novellas where characters confront their deepest anxieties, mysterious employers, and the pai

Ages 12–18

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Joey Pigza

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