Stop Pretending

A parent would reach for this book when their teenager is struggling to cope with a sibling or family member's sudden mental health crisis or hospitalization. It is an essential resource for a child who feels they must hide a family secret or who feels guilty for being the healthy one. The story follows thirteen-year-old Cookie as she navigates the emotional fallout of her older sister's breakdown and diagnosis of manic depression on Christmas Eve. Written in accessible free-verse poetry, the book captures the raw, shifting emotions of adolescence, from intense shame and fear to deep love and eventual hope. It is highly appropriate for middle and high schoolers, offering a mirror for their own confusing feelings. Parents might choose this to break the silence around mental illness in the home, providing a safe way to show their child that their feelings of anger and embarrassment are normal and valid.