Pickerington Public Library

We all have a reality show that we love, whether it involves just watching the everyday drama of people’s lives, watching chefs cook food that you wish you could make yourself, or watching ordinary people take on extraordinary challenges. We love to watch the unscripted magic of people being people.

But, as much as we love reality TV, it also comes with its dangers. There are issues of privacy and of whether or not show creators go too far when it comes to getting the reactions or drama that they want to make a reality show more appealing. These issues are raised in author Gina Damico’s new book, Waste of Space, which is being released on July 11. The book follows a group of teens that are cast on a reality show in which they think they are taking a trip into space on a spaceship. What the teens don’t realize is that the space adventure is all just Hollywood magic. They are really just on a replica spaceship on a sound stage with advanced special effects. What happens when the show creators make the teens believe that their ship is in danger?

Sound awesome? Then try these other titles that explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of reality TV!

Reality Boy, by A.S. King

For Real, by Alison Cherry

Life in a Fishbowl, by Len Vlahos

Something Real, by Heather Demetrios

Rumor Central, by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Everybody Knows Your Name, by Andrea Seigel

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

The Pretty App, by Katie Sise

Countdown, by Michelle Rowen

Royce Rolls, by Margaret Stohl

Scripted, by Maya Rock

The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High, by Laurie Boyle Crompton

The Vault of Dreamers, by Caragh M. O’Brien

Need a terrific summer read about music, or fandom, or what happens when real life and fandom collide? Meet your next eight books! 

Grace and the Fever, by Zan Romanoff

Songs about a Girl, by Chris Russell

Kill the Boy Band, by Goldy Moldavsky

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Gena/Finn, by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson

Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here, by Anna Breslaw

Eliza and Her Monsters, by Francesca Zappia

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 1 in 5 children ages 13-18 have, or will have, a mental illness, and 50% of lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14. What this implies is that mental illness often begins to exhibit itself in the teenage years. It’s important for parents, teachers, and others who work closely with teens to be trained to spot the warning signs of mental illness and to encourage teens not to stigmatize those with mental illness. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we offer you a list of novels featuring teenagers with mental illness to read and share with the teens in your life:

Ten Miles One Way, by Patrick Downes (bipolar disorder)

Whisper to Me, by Nick Lake (schizophrenia)

Something Like Normal, by Trish Doller (PTSD)

A World Without You, by Beth Revis (suicide)

Schizo, by Nic Sheff (schizophrenia)

Every Last Word, by Tamara Ireland Stone (OCD)

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful, Eric Lindstrom (bipolar disorder)

The Rest of Us Just Live Here, by Patrick Ness (OCD)

When We Collided, by Emery Lord (depression)

The Weight of Zero, by Karen Fortunati (bipolar disorder)

Highly Illogical Behavior, by John Corey Whaley (agoraphobia)

Fans of the Impossible Life, by Kate Scelsa

It’s Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini (depression)