Common Sense Media Review
By Mandie Caroll
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Uplifting story collection about teens and mental health.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
The sixteen stories in AB(SOLUTELY) NORMAL focus on teens' emotional and psychological lives. A girl finds tools for living with depression as a wrestler. A vampire with social anxiety has to save the world. A teen gets to make one wish at a magic well -- will they wish to be the most handsome genderqueer person around or to be rid of their PTSD? A teen with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder seeks to win back her ex-boyfriend in a romcom-esque short story. In prose, verse, comics, and plays, these stories represent a wide variety of mental health issues and the creative, hopeful, and culturally-specific ways teens defy mental health stereotypes to heal from trauma and cope with mental illness. End pages include author bios and mental health resources.
Is It Any Good?
This mixed-genre story collection is incredibly uplifting and inspiring to read. Editors Shalaway and Callen have done a great service for teens in creating Ab(solutely) Normal. The 16 authors drew on their own experiences for these stories, and a particularly tender aspect of the book is the brief author's notes at the end of each selection. They often speak directly to the reader about their efforts to overcome trauma and how they now live well with mental illness. In addition to the diverse, inclusive nature of the characters and relatable settings and situations, the authors' stories and notes give readers genuine encouragement for recovery. A couple of the stories are less well-written than others, but the collection as a whole is wonderfully constructed and a joy to read. Despite what can be an intense and heavy topic, the book is ultimately about growth, triumph, and hope. A fantastic pick for all teens, even those who've not faced childhood trauma and/or mental illness, who will benefit from being exposed to practices for better mental health.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the variety of mental health issues characters face in the stories in Ab(solutely) Normal. Can you relate to the struggles any of the characters have? How so? If not, how have you helped friends or family with mental health concerns? What did you learn from the book that might help you in the future?
What are some of the tools and strategies characters use to manage things like anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, PTSD, etc.? Can people without major mental illness benefit from using some of these tools? In what situations might you apply these techniques to help manage negative feelings or experiences?
These stories are told in different ways -- in verse, in comics, as a play, and in short stories that are realistic or fantasy based. Which type of story resonated with you the most? Why? Why do you think the editors decided to include such different types of writing?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Genre : Short Stories
- Topics : Activism , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Empathy , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Candlewick
- Publication date : April 11, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 336
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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