Ab(solutely) Normal:
​Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

Honors

Praise

"AB(SOLUTELY) NORMAL is a beautiful, funny, honest, heart-aching, heart-affirming read, one I know I'll go back to again and again...Dear readers everywhere, you need this book!" 
                               -Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times best
                                    selling author of All the Bright Places
"AB(SOLUTELY) NORMAL is absolutely extraordinary and necessary. We need these stories."
                            -Rita Williams-Garcia, New York Times
                                  best selling author and Newbery winner
"Adults take note: this book is for you. Teens take note: this book is for you. I highly recommend it." 
                              -A.S. King, author of the Michael L. Printz                                                                       Award Winner Dig
"By turns cathartic, inspiring, authentic, and deeply felt, this is easily the most essential book of the year for teen readers. Don't miss it!"
                      -Rob Costello, author of The Dancing Bears:
​                                               Queer Fables for the End Times
"This anthology is an English teacher's dream. It can be used as a powerful mentor text because the book contains many different genres: poetry, a one-act play, epistolary, transcript, a graphic story, and fiction that is organized in unique ways. The possibilites for teaching various organizations patterns are one reason alone for using this book...a one-stop wonder book for the classroom and our homes." 
                                              -Dr. Susan Densmore-James,
                                                      The Book Dealer & Director
                                                      of the Emerald Coast 
​                                                      Writing Project
"AB(SOLUTELY) NORMAL should be required reading for all teens, and their parents and teachers. Teens with mental health issues will feel seen, while those without them will learn empathy and kindness. Oh, how I wish this book had been around when I was in high school!"
                             -Tanya Guerrero, award-winning author of
                                 How to Make Friends with the Sea,
​                                 All You Knead is Love, and Adrift
"Excellent and much needed. Every story is strong and important...there are no duds here. As editors, Nora Shalaway Carpenter and Rocky Callen made superb choices in both content and format. Whenever someone requests titles dealing with mental health, AB(SOLUTELY) NORMAL will be my first recommendation."
                                    -Gary Anderson, ELA educator &
                                      professional development instructor 
"Covering topics such as anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and PMDD, this sensitive work authentically portrays its teen characters as complex beings whose positive relationships—with friends and family, and with their own mental health—exude hope. Back matter includes resources."
                                                                                                                                  -School Library Journal