Looking for an unforgettable collection of YA books about schizophrenia in teens? As an award-winning author and veteran blogger about issue-driven YA fiction, I know how powerful stories can open conversations about difficult topics, such as bullying and mental illness.
Top Three Recommendations
Friendship: Unquiet Riot by Khristina Chess - when bullying goes too far, a teenage psychopath and his friend with early-onset schizophrenia spiral into a deadly game of lies, loyalty, and violence in this explosive psychological thriller.
Identity: Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton - a beautiful story about a boy with schizophrenia, told through journal entries to a therapist.
Friendship: The Wicker King by K. Ancrum - a dizzying, chilling story about two teen boys, their friendship, and the mental illness that binds them.
You’ll find detailed reviews of several favorites for Schizophrenia Awareness Week in the roundup below. Each offers a window into the richness and complexity of what it means to live in a world where a person’s perception of reality and social interactions become altered by illness. I know you’ll love all of these titles.
Unquiet Riot by Khristina Chess
why you’ll love it - Relationships affected by mental illness
“Henry used a type of camouflage—in his case, those corny jokes and the way he dressed—to hide the game. No one could be allowed to know his special ability to detect who was real and who was an agent. Not even me.“― Khristina Chess from Unquiet Riot
What happens when everyone knows something’s wrong but says nothing?
Dark, smart, and unsettling—this brilliant YA thriller will mess with your head and make you question everything! The protagonist is an unreliable narrator named Riley who doesn’t experience emotions like other people—but he’s not a psychopath.
At least, that’s what he says.
Henry is a fascinating new arrival in school. Henry is dangerous. He believes the world is crawling with robot impostors, that shadows escape from electrical wires, that knives beneath his mattress will keep the monsters away. For Riley, stepping into Henry’s world is like visiting a foreign country—thrilling, unpredictable, alive.
Then Henry vanishes. The police come knocking. And Riley lies.
Now it’s a game. If Henry talks, Riley loses.
If We Need to Talk about Kevin left you breathless and craving more books about mental illness in teens, you’ll love Unquiet Riot—a mind-bending YA book about early-onset schizophrenia in teens that unravels friendship, deception, and the quiet complicity that allows tragedy to happen.
Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton
why you’ll love it - Identity in context of mental illness
“Real is subjective. There are a lot of things that aren't actually real to everyone. Pain, for example. It's only real to the one experiencing it. Everyone else has to take your word for it.”― Julia Walton from Words on Bathroom Walls
This story about a character with schizophrenia is told through journal entries or letters to a therapist, and so it took me a long time to connect to Adam. I'm glad I stuck with it, though, because I really enjoyed how the book ended. I appreciated that there weren't easy answers for his illness and that the people in his life came through for him in unexpected ways.
Check out this small but compassionate YA book about schizophrenia that depicts a character with this disease in a loving, beautiful, and hopeful way.
The Wicker King by K. Ancrum
why you’ll love it -Relationships affected by mental illness
"Perception is relative. So is sanity, if you think about it. It's totally a Minority vs. Majority thing. If you fall on one side of the line, take a ticket and proceed. If you fall on the other, shit gets real." ― K. Ancrum from The Wicker King
This novel is a fast-paced read with super-compelling characters in a relationship that evolves into a more dangerous thing with each passing page. I had a paperback copy and enjoyed the layout and visual design of the experience of the book. You can physically see the descent into darkness on the side of the pages. The creativity in this technique makes this book special.
There are moments between these two boys that are truly chilling, when Jack's dominance over August goes too far:
"We have to drown you," Jack continued bluntly. "Or just nearly enough that you pass through the gates, but not so much that you can't come back from there."
I won't give any more away. The psychological dynamic between these two characters will draw you in and keep the pages turning!
I recommend splurging on the paperback for this one so you can enjoy the visuals. For compassionate YA books about schizophrenia, The Wicker King is one of the best!
Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
why you’ll love it - Identity in context of mental illness
““Sometimes I think people take reality for granted.” ― Francsca Zappia from Made You Up
The ending was super confusing to me. I can't decide if:
a) I wasn't paying close enough attention and missed something critical in those last, rushed chapters
b) It was supposed to be confusing
Maybe both. The protagonist is a teenage girl who has been diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia, so I entered the story with an expectation of hallucinations. Okay, fine. Weird things will happen (and did). The plotting started out slow, but I really fell in love with Alex. She's trying so hard. Her heart is just out there in the open, so big and lovely.
I read this one in less than a week, and the story and characters are very engaging. I wanted to know that Alex would be okay. I wanted her to have a happy ending because in fiction, that's possible. I hope that's what happened.
Readers in search of compassionate YA books about schizophrenia will enjoy this one. I did.
Other Compassionate YA Books about Schizophrenia and Mental Health Issues
You can find also several great Goodreads Schizophrenia Lists, such as YA Psychotic Disorders/Schizophrenia Fiction, and if depression and anxiety are the mental health issues that you want to understand more deeply, be sure to look at my post on 6 Gripping Young Adult Novels on Depression and Anxiety Struggles.
You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of YA books by type of tough topic.
Author Bio
Khristina Chess is an award-winning author of a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Hollow Beauty, her book about eating disorders, was named a finalist in the Next Generation India Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.
In a recent interview from her alma mater, she described how her experience in the creative writing program prepared her for success.
