THE WORDS WE KEEP - YA Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award

Keeping with this year's theme of resilience, this week I'm sharing two award-winning young adult books. The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart won the 2023 Schneider Family Book Award this year for the best teen title. This award showcases books that highlight the disability experience. 

Lily embarks with a fellow student on a search to find poetry in unexpected places for a class project. In the process, she learns to use art and verse to deal with anxiety and depression.. The book speaks to anyone dealing with any sort of mental health challenge or any challenge at all. In addition to anxiety and depression, the story tackles bipolar disorder, self-harm, suicide, and OCD. Ultimately, through the voice of the protagonist, it lets teens know they are not alone in their struggles whatever those struggles might be. 

Breathe and Count Back from Ten, written by Natalia Sylvester, is a Schneider Family Teen Honor Title. It is also a Pura Belpre Honor Book. The latter award is given to Latina/Latino authors and illustrators. Like the author, the main character is a Peruvian-American who suffers from hip dysplasia. See the author interview at Publisher's Weekly where Natalia Sylvester talks about her own experiences with being an immigrant with hip dysplasia. The story is so personal, she could have written a memoir but decided to create a work of fiction instead. It's interesting to read her reasons for that choice. It helps us understand how much personal information can go into a work of fiction. It might be interesting for high school students to compare this book to the picture book memoir, Watercress by Andrea Wang which reflects on her experiences as a Chinese American.

In the novel, Breathe and Count Back from Ten, the main character, Veronica swims as a form of therapy. When she wants to become a "mermaid" at a local Florida attraction, she clashes with her traditional Peruvian parents. The book explores themes of immigration, body image, and disability justice. It also delves into mermaid mythology in a variety of cultures.