Hailey Carrell

When I discovered young adult fiction, I was interested to see so many books that

honestly and respectfully handled the topic of mental illness. I have suffered from anxiety my

whole life, but I used to be embarrassed about it. After reading books about teens dealing with

metal health, I began to accept this disorder. Now, I am no longer ashamed to discuss my anxiety.

In fact, I am proud to talk about it with others. I credit YA books with helping me learn to accept

myself. This is a large part of why I am so passionate about YA literature and youth services. If I

can share these books that have helped me, maybe they can help someone else, too. This is my

reasoning for choosing the three books I did for my booktalk. I chose Every Last Word by

Tamera Ireland Stone, a book about Sam, who struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

(OCD); Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, which follows Alex's battle with schizophrenia; and

Kiss of Broken Glass by Madeleine Kuderick, that gives an honest look into the world of self-

harm.

My audience for this booktalk was the participants in Moore Public Library's "Girls Who

Code" program. This is a program we offer every Monday for a semester in the spring and fall.

This group of girls, from grades 6-12, meets weekly to work on a community service project.

This round we have ten girls, from 6th, 7th 9th, and 10th grades. The project they are currently

working on is a website about depression and anxiety. They want to create a site that shows

adults that depression and anxiety are real issues kids and teens face, and not growing pains.

Because they are currently working on a project relating to mental health, I thought they would

be a great audience for this booktalk.

The week before I performed my booktalk, I attended the “Booktalking for Youth

Services” Workshop sponsored by Oklahoma Library Association’s Children and Teen Services
Round Table. Amanda Kordeliski, was also present at the workshop, and her advice from the

Booktalk for Teens video included some of the same tips. For my booktalk, I had a physical copy

of each book that I held in my hands. As Amanda advised, I taped my notes on the back of each

book. I also made sure that we had copies of the books available to check out. Unfortunately, I

was unable to get a copy Every Last Word, but I brought a couple of read-alike books, and let the

girls know there was a digital copy available. At the end of my booktalk, Kiss of Broken Glass

and Made You Up checked out, along with one read-alike.

I also tried to include a hook at the beginning of each book. As Amanda mentioned, I

wanted to start with something to grab their attention. From there, I would give just enough to

tease the book, but leave a sense of mystery.

My main approach for this booktalk was to speak honestly about the books. I wanted to

let them know that they tackle some really tough issues, but they do it well and have helped me

through my battle with anxiety. I also spoke honestly about why I chose each book. Every Last

Word made me lay face down in the floor, questioning everything. I mostly picked up Made You

Up because I loved the cover. Including things like this help keep the talk relatable. I even got a

few chuckles, which was important. While I wanted to highlight the books and their seriousness,

I also wanted to keep the tone light. While the books themselves may be heavy, booktalking

them doesn't have to be.

Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ1UdEiJZMA&t=2s

Books

Kuderick, Madeleine. 2014. Kiss of Broken Glass. New York: HarperTeen.

Stone, Tamera Ireland. 2015. Every Last Word. New York: Hyperion.

Zappia, Francesca. 2015. Made You Up. New York: HarperCollins.