I book I have chosen is “Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher”. I agree with this censorship because it contains topics that can be very strong for young readers. The book is about a young girl who committed suicide. Before her death, she tapes thirteen recordings. Each recording is for the thirteen people and why they made her commit suicide. It is a very dark story for young readers. It is not appropriate for any grade level in elementary or middle school. I would introduce topics about mental health with valuable information and resources. However, this book is not a good example of how mental health should be treated. It does not give a guide on how to deal with mental illnesses. This is already a difficult topic to speak about with our students and this book does not give the right direction on how to cope with mental health issues. A show also came out after the book which has made things much worse. Now, these students don’t have to even read the book, they can easily watch the show from their phones or their homes. A study came out that stated 28.9% increase in suicide rates among ages 10-17 in the US in April 2017 when the show was released. A resource for books about mental health that I would provide for our young readers is “Childmind.org.” This website is all about how they can make an impact on children’s mental health. There is so many resources on this website! For books, they have an article on fourty-four children’s books about mental health. It has books for every sort of mental health issue and it provides these topics in a way that is positive. I think all the books mentioned are great, however, if a child needs a book about feelings, I would recommend “In My Heart: A book of Feelings”. This tackles those bad thoughts that young readers might experience. As a class, I would introduce one of these books and make this an open discussion. This will give my students an informative, learning experience about mental health.
Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates. (2019, April 29). Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2019/release-of-13-reasons-why-associated-with-increase-in-youth-suicide-rates.shtml
Cicero, K., & Parents. (n.d.). 44 Children’s Books About Mental Health. Retrieved from https://childmind.org/article/best-childrens-books-about-mental-health/
Children's Literature 