Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Six Middle Grade Books about Anxiety
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As a person who has struggled with anxiety since I was a teenager, and likely younger, I
don’t think anything was more meaningful for me in my mental health journey than feeling
understood and seen. And as a result, accepting myself for who I was.
But growing up, I didn’t really come across any mental health or anxiety rep in the books
I read. I struggled to put a name to what was happening to me. When my negative voice would think mean things about myself, I believed it to be true. When my worries felt so loud that they were all I could hear, I didn’t realize it was anxiety. I thought I was just being…dramatic. And I should just get over it through sheer will power.
I shamed myself for how I felt.
It took until I was postpartum with my fourth child that I officially sought a doctor to name what was happening to me, and figure out how to manage it so I could be a better mom to
my kids -- 'manage' being the key word here, because there is no real cure to anxiety and intrusive thoughts.
During my years as a middle school English teacher, I also noticed anxiety symptoms in
some of my students. Moments of worry and self-doubt that mirrored how I felt about myself.
And in understanding myself better, I was also able to help my students. To let them know that
they will be okay, that they are not alone in experiencing anxiety, and that it isn’t a roadblock to happy relationships, love, and successful careers. That they can survive these struggles, and
learn how to cope with them better as time passes.
And nothing was more meaningful for them (and for me) than having books on hand in
my library that feature young people who deal with anxiety. In reading these narratives, my students felt seen. Feeling seen is a comforting balm. It is knowing that you are not alone.
Here are my top six picks of books featuring accurate anxiety representation.
1. I will start with my very own SISTERS ALONE. It is a story about two sisters,
Rama and Leena, who are still reeling from their mother’s sudden death -- when they are
stranded in their home in a blizzard, and have to heal the cracked relationship between
them in order to survive. Rama, the older sister, deals with intrusive thoughts, which she calls a
“monster” in her mind. Rama is a perfectionist, and like me as a kid, shames
herself for her struggles at first. But by the end of the book, she realizes that leaning on her
sister and father, and seeking treatment for her anxiety, is not weakness. Rather, she is
strong and worthy of love. This story is both a thrilling survival story, as well as a story of
sisterhood and self-love, and the novel in verse format helps show the anxiety very
clearly for young readers through use of font changes, italics, and poetry.
2. “Drawing Deena” by Hena Khan is the prose story of Deena, who struggles with anxiety
while trying to pursue her love of art and managing family expectations. I loved this read
and handed it to many students because it features a main character who struggles to
identify what she is going through, and is helped by her school counselor to tell her
parents about her anxiety and encourage seeking treatment. Deena is a lovable
character and tugs at the heartstrings.
3. Popcorn by Rob Harrell is equal parts humorous and heart-filled. This illustrated
middle grade novel follows a boy, Andrew, on his picture day at school. But don’t be
fooled by the timeline of the tale being only one day- the book has SO MUCH going on!
Mishap after mishap happen as his picture day goes wrong, and the worries gather and
gather like popcorn kernels until they just POP! This one is so accessible to kids with the
imagery of popcorn, and has OCD rep too, which I really appreciated, as these two
struggles do tend to manifest together at times.
4. Mirror to Mirror by Rajani LaRocca is another novel in verse, a story of twin girls Maya
and Chaya, who are headed to summer camp. Maya deals with anxiety as a result of
believing in her mistakes causing the family bad luck, and is pulling away from her sister
and withdrawing. When the girls switch places, they find that stepping into the other’s
shoes might just be what they need to heal their bond. This book is a heartwarming read
that also stresses the importance of honesty and sisterhood in dealing with life’s
struggles.
5. Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara is a heart tugging tale of a young boy struggling with anxiety after his mother’s death, while also trying to hide from his friends that his father has become a “hoarder” in their home. As his dad’s stuff mounts and accumulates, Collin’s worries do too, and he tries to manage it all alone.
When the house catches fire, Collin has to figure out how to survive, and open up to his
friends to get the help he needs. The verse format in this one is super unique, and we
get a lot of insight into Collin’s fears as he writes the worst-case scenarios that he
imagines due to his anxiety.
6. Rain Rising by Courtne Comrie is another novel in verse with a main character who
struggles with mental health issues, one of which is anxiety, due to her own feelings of
lack of self-worth and low self-esteem. When her brother is attacked by racists, she is
thrust into a whirlwind of events that causes her to spiral even lower, even resorting to
self-harm. With the help of loved ones, Rain learns ways to cope and be honest about
her struggles in her journey to love herself.
Many of these beautiful middle grade reads I recommend contain anxiety rep and
handle it with the care and the love that young people need. They might not have happy bow endings with anxiety going away, because anxiety does not go away, but they do have hope and encouragement to lean on trusted loved ones for help.
And love and hope is how we survive.
Shifa Saltagi Safadi is the National Book Award Winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents when she was a young girl. She is a bilingual Arabic/English speaker, and is very familiar with the challenges of learning English and navigating two languages. Shifa has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former English teacher, and is a former reviewer of Muslim books on her blog, Muslim Mommy Blog.
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