Starry Nights

Reach for this book when your teenager is feeling invisible while a sibling's mental health struggles take center stage at home. It is a deeply resonant choice for families navigating the quiet, often overlooked collateral damage of a domestic crisis. Through the eyes of Jess, we see the impact of her brother's declining mental health and the way it transforms her once-familiar family dynamics into something fragile and unrecognizable. This novel explores themes of anxiety, sibling loyalty, and the search for identity amid chaos. It is appropriate for readers aged 13 and up who are ready for a realistic, nuanced look at serious family issues. Parents will appreciate how Clarke validates the 'healthy' sibling's feelings of loneliness and resentment, providing a safe space to discuss the heavy burden of empathy and the necessity of self-preservation.