Title: Harry Potter Series

Author: J.K. Rowling

Themes: Anxiety, Bullying, Blended Families, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Friendship, Gratitude, Grief, Humor, Individuation, Self-Esteem

Age Recommendation: Elementary through High School

Summary: The Harry Potter series is very well-known among adolescents and preteens, but I am finding that many kids under the age of 10 aren't as familiar with it. Chances are, however, if you're reading this post, you are familiar with this series and it's fantastic array of characters and themes! As with most stories, the books are definitely better than the movies, so pick them up and read them if you haven't already! 

Ideas / Interventions: There really are endless ways to use the Harry Potter series for bibliotherapy. My favorite way to reference Harry Potter in a session is to draw similarities between client's fears of ____________ and everyone's fear of Voldemort in the stories. By overcoming the dread of saying Voldemort's, or even Tom Riddle's, name out loud, characters in the story realize a previously untapped power within themselves. The same is true of our own fears and anxieties. When children avoid talking about difficult or frightening topics,their feelings of powerlessness over that event/thought/emotion is increased. When they are coached in talking about the topic in a safe setting, they are empowered - just like saying "Voldemort" empowered characters in the Harry Potter series. Clinically, this process falls under the category of exposure/response prevention techniques.  

Title: Hound Dog True

Authors: Linda Urban

Themes: Anxiety, Blended Families, Bullying, Communication, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Perspective, Developing Empathy, Friendship, Gratitude, Self Esteem, Social Skills, Validation

Age Recommendation:  Elementary through Junior High School

Summary: Hound Dog True is the story of Mattie, a little girl with a sensitive temperament and clinical levels of anxiety who changes schools frequently; the story opens as Mattie starts at yet another new school, dreading what she assumes will be another awful year. Mattie has been the victim of bullying in the past, which reinforces her natural tendency to isolate herself from her peers. Mattie is an avid writer and the book is essentially her journal. There are some painful, yet realistic, depictions of bullying and it's effects on self esteem in this book, but overall it is a sweet, hopeful story.

Ideas / Interventions:  Read this story with clients who struggle with self esteem, have been the victims of bullying, are dealing with adjustment issues, or who spend much of their energy each day just managing their anxiety. Because this is written as a personal narrative, cognitive distortions are expressed regularly. Have your client or child identify these negative automatic thoughts and suggest replacement thoughts for Mattie. 

Title: Half Magic

Author: Edward Eager

Themes: Autism, Blended Families, Communication, Coping Skills, Developing Perspective, Humor, Friendship, Individuation, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Elementary through Junior High School

Summary: Half Magic is a fun read! The story follows Jane, Mark and Katharine through their adventures with a magic coin, that grants half-wishes. As the siblings figure out how to use the coin, they also figure out a lot of life lessons related to families, friendship, and themselves. 

Ideas / Interventions: This is a great book to read with kids who are very concrete and literal, which is why I included it in the "autism" category. There is an excellent audio book version of this story that you could use if you are working with kids who have limited attention span or who struggle with the language usage in the book, which is a little old fashioned for some. Half Magic has an Amelia Bedelia feel to it; when the kids wish on their coin, they literally get half of what they are asking for, which can take some hilarious turns. These moments in the book are a great time to pause and discuss the difference between literal and figurative meanings. Try to engage kids who are especially concrete thinkers in activities focused on broadening their ability to express themselves in more nuanced ways. One example is to help them create a matching game for phrases and their meanings; another is to have them illustrate a phrase in two ways - the first if it were taken literally and the second if it were taken figuratively. Learning to understand non-literal meanings is an important social skill as kids get older and communication becomes more complex. 

Title: The London Eye Mystery

Authors: Siobahn Dowd

Themes: Anxiety, Autism, Blended Families, Coping Skills, Communication, Grief, Developing Perspective, Developing Empathy

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Summary: The London Eye Mystery tells the story of Ted, a teenager with mild autism, and his sister, Kat, who solve the mystery of their missing cousin, Salim. Salim is struggling to manage his anxiety about moving to New York with his mom and has complicated grief related to his dad. In addition to providing insight into the challenges of change and blended families, this book does an excellent job of depicting events through the eyes of an autistic child.

Ideas / Interventions: This book is a great bibliotherapy resource for families with children on the autistic spectrum. Focusing on the strengths of Ted's unique perspective creates an opportunity to reframe challenges that other autistic children face as important abilities. I recommend that parents read this book with their autistic child as part of special, dedicated one-on-one time, and come to sessions ready to discuss what they learned and appreciate about each other from the process. 

Title: Turn Left At The Cow

Authors: Lisa Bullard

Themes: Anxiety, Coping Skills, Grief, Social Skills, Developing Perspective, Friendship, Individuation, Blended Families

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Summary: Turn Left At The Cow is a fun mystery that tells the story of Trav, a 13 year old who runs away from his mom and stepdad in California and "finds himself" (both literally and figuratively) in a small Minnesota town with his paternal grandmother. While living with her, he creates deep friendships, learns the truth about his deceased father, confronts fears stemming from his mom's new marriage, and develops a sustaining sense of self. Trav initially uses sarcasm as his primary coping skill, but gradually learns to replace it with genuine expression, modeling growth and individuation for readers.

Ideas / Interventions: This is a great book to use in conjunction with motivational interviewing techniques. Have clients read a few chapters at a time, between sessions, and then use values sorting activities to compare and contrast their own values with those of the characters in the book.