Research Guides: Mental Health in Children's and Young Adult Literature: Anxiety

About Anxiety

"Everyone experiences anxiety. Speaking in front of a group makes most of us anxious, but that motivates us to prepare and do well. Driving in heavy traffic is a common source of anxiety, but it keeps us alert and cautious to better avoid accidents. However, when feelings of intense fear and distress are overwhelming and prevent us from doing everyday things, an anxiety disorder may be the cause.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the United States. Approximately 8% of children and teenagers experience the negative impact of an anxiety disorder at school and at home."

- National Alliance on Mental Illness

Picture Books

Wilma Jean - the Worry Machine by
Julia Cook
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2011
"This fun and humorous book addresses the problem of anxiety in a way that relates to children of all ages."
Anti-Test Anxiety Society by
Julia Cook
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2014
Teaching children how to deal with test anxiety in school.
Silly Billy by
Anthony Browne
Call Number: YE BRO
Publication Date: 2006
"To help with his anxiety, Billy uses the worry dolls his grandmother recommends, but he finds that they do not quite solve his problem."
Dealing with Feeling... Worried by
Isabel Thomas
Call Number: Y 152 T
Publication Date: 2013
Topics covered within the book include what it feels like to be worried, how to stop feeling worried, and how to help other people who might be feeling worried.
I Used to Be Afraid by
Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Call Number: YE SEE
Publication Date: 2015
"A novelty picture book exploring the many forms fear can take and the importance of overcoming it."
Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by
Emily Gravett
Call Number: YE GRA
Publication Date: 2008
"Little Mouse draws pictures of some of the many things he is afraid of and provides the correct scientific name for each of his fears."
Something Might Happen by
Helen Lester
Call Number: YE LES
Publication Date: 2003
"Twitchly Fidget the lemur worries about almost everything until his Aunt Bridget Fidget pays him a visit and shows him another way to live."
What If... ? by
Anthony Browne
Call Number: YE BRO
Publication Date: 2014
"As Joe and his mother walk down the street on their way to a party, Joe starts to worry about such things that could possibly happen."
Wemberly Worried by
Kevin Henkes
Call Number: YE HEN
Publication Date: 2000
"A mouse named Wemberly, who worries about everything, finds that she has a whole list of things to worry about when she faces the first day of nursery school."
When I'm Afraid by
Jane Aaron; Barbara Gardiner
Call Number: Y 152 A
Publication Date: 1998
"Explains fear as a normal part of life and discusses how to deal with it."
Worry Wart by
Lisa Kildahl
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2012
"Chloe Lore is a worrywart. She is a sweet young girl but worries about everything, even things out of her control! Chloe is anxious all the time until she realizes that she doesn't have to worry anymore!"
Some Things Are Scary by
Florence Parry Heide
Call Number: YE HEI
Publication Date: 2000
"A list of scary things includes "roller skating down hill when you haven't learned how to stop, getting hugged by somebody you don't like, and finding out your best friend has a best friend who isn't you.""
Ready for Anything! by
Keiko Kasza
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2009
"Raccoon is anxious about all of the things that could spoil a picnic, from bees to dragons, until Duck convinces him that surprises can be fun."
Noni Is Nervous by
Heather Hartt-Sussman
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2013
"Noni is nervous about playdates, and global warming, and most of all, about the first day of school. Her parents are worried too, and even her brother is a little wary. But Noni finds a friend, someone a little more outgoing than herself, and discovers that through friendship, she can belong and succeed in a world that once filled her with dread."
Keep Calm! My Stress-Busting Tips by
Gina Bellisario
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2014
"Anna is one busy girl! She plays soccer and takes piano lessons. She has homework and chores. Sometimes she feels stressed, so she learns how to shrink her stress and feel better!"
Scaredy Squirrel by
Mélanie Watt
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2006
"Scaredy Squirrel thinks about all the things that could happen to him if he left the safety of his home, but he has no choice when he accidently drops his emergency kit." Book 1 in the series.

Early Readers & Tweens

What to Do When You Worry Too Much by
Dawn Huebner
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2005
An interactive self-help book designed to guide 6-12 year olds and their parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in the treatment of generalized anxiety.
Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters by
Rachel Vail
Call Number: Y VAI
Publication Date: 2010
"It's the start of the school year, and nothing feels right to Justin. He didn't get the teacher he wanted, he's not in the same class as his best friend, and his little sister, Elizabeth, is starting kindergarten at his school. Elizabeth doesn't seem nervous at all. Justin is very nervous about third grade." Book 1 in the series.
The World from up Here by
Cecilia Galante
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2016
"Wren Baker is an anxious twelve-year-old, so when her mother goes into a hospital for depression, and she and her younger brother, who has Asperger's syndrome, go to live with her aunt and her cousin, Silver, who have just recently moved to Pennsylvania, her stress level soars."

Books for Teens

I Crawl Through It by
A. S. King
Call Number: Y KIN
Publication Date: 2015
"Four teenagers are on the verge of exploding. The anxieties they face at every turn have nearly pushed them to the point of surrender: senseless high-stakes testing, the lingering damage of past trauma, the buried grief and guilt of tragic loss."
Umbrella Summer by
Lisa Graff
Call Number: Y GRA
Publication Date: 2009
"After her brother Jared dies, ten-year-old Annie worries about the hidden dangers of everything, from bug bites to bicycle riding, until she is befriended by a new neighbor who is grieving her own loss."
Will and Whit by
Laura Lee Gulledge
Call Number: Y 741 G
Publication Date: 2013
"Wilhelmina "Will" Huxstep is a creative soul struggling to come to terms with a family tragedy. Little does she know that she will get her wish in the form of an arts carnival and a blackout, courtesy of a hurricane named Whitney, which forces Will to face her fear of darkness."
Some Kind of Happiness by
Claire Legrand
Call Number: Y LEG
Publication Date: 2016
"Finley Hart is sent to her grandparents' house for the summer, but her anxiety and overwhelmingly sad days continue until she escapes into her writings which soon turn mysteriously real and she realizes she must save this magical world in order to save herself."
Underwater by
Marisa Reichardt
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2016
"Ever since the mass shooting at her California high school, junior Morgan Grant has become increasingly agoraphobic until even the idea of stepping outside her door can bring on a panic attack, a situation not made any easier by the fact that her parents are divorced--but when Evan moves in next door she finds herself attracted to him and begins to find herself longing for the life she has been missing."
The 10 PM Question by
Kate De Goldi
Call Number: Y DEG
Publication Date: 2010
"Twelve-year-old Frankie Parsons has a quirky family, a wonderful best friend, and a head full of worrying questions that he shares with his mother each night, but when free-spirited Sydney arrives at school with questions of her own, Frankie is forced to face the ultimate ten p.m. question."
I Don't Want to Be Crazy by
Samantha Schutz
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2006
"After going away to college and finding the independence she desired difficult to handle, the author begins to suffer from incapacitating anxiety attacks that change everything she had planned. Written in verse."
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by
Patrick Ness
Call Number: Y NES
Publication Date: 2015
"What if you aren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you're like Mikey? Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life." Mikey, the main character, is coping with anxiety while his sister, Mel, recovers from anorexia.
Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by
Evan Roskos
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2013
"A sixteen-year-old boy wrestling with depression and anxiety tries to cope by writing poems, reciting Walt Whitman, hugging trees, and figuring out why his sister has been kicked out of the house."
Stuck in the Middle by
Ariel Schrag (Editor)
Call Number: Y 741 S
Publication Date: 2007
"Seventeen comics from an unpleasant age". On page 38 begins the comic of Eric Enright's experience with anxiety during middle school.
Highly Illogical Behavior by
John Corey Whaley
Call Number: Y WHA
Publication Date: 2016
"Agoraphobic sixteen-year-old Solomon has not left his house in three years, but Lisa is determined to change that-- and to write a scholarship-winning essay based on the results."
Freaking Out: Real Life Stories About Anxiety by
Polly Wells
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2013
"These 13 powerful, true stories are told by teens whose anxiety spans the spectrum, from heightened angst to full-blown disorders. As they explore anxiety's power to take over their thoughts and affect their entire lives, they also address the different ways to deal with overwhelming worry, and how to ultimately unshackle themselves from its grip."
Don't Touch by
Rachel M. Wilson
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2014
"16-year-old Caddie struggles with OCD, anxiety, and a powerful fear of touching another person's skin, which threatens her dreams of being an actress--until the boy playing Hamlet opposite her Ophelia gives her a reason to overcome her fears."
Walkaway by
Alden R. Carter
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2008
"Fifteen-year-old Andy, fed up with his alcoholic father and annoying older brother, leaves their northern Wisconsin cabin on his version of a walkabout, leaving his medications to combat depression, anxiety, and delusions behind."
Finding Audrey by
Sophie Kinsella
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2015
"Fourteen-year-old Audrey is making slow but steady progress dealing with her anxiety disorder when Linus comes into the picture and her recovery gains momentum."
School Made Easier: A Kid's Guide to Study Strategies and Anxiety-Busting Tools by
Wendy Moss
Call Number: Not in our collection.
Publication Date: 2014
"The authors focus on how to manage that academic stress and the emotions that might interfere with academic success. They teach students ways to reduce their anxiety, increase their confidence in school, and study more effectively. Also includes case studies of real kids, self-assessment checklists, and lots of quick tips to help you stay calm on test day."

Mental Health in Children's and Young Adult Literature

About Anxiety

Picture Books

Early Readers & Tweens

Books for Teens

More Resources