01
Why it matters
It renders an altered inner world with empathy and formal imagination.
A celebrated work
Challenger Deep
Neal Shusterman2015 selection · Young readers
Challenger Deep
A teenager's imagined ocean voyage intertwines with his experience of severe mental illness and hospitalization.
02
Read this if…
You want challenging fiction about mental health.
03
Ideas inside
mental healthfamilyperceptionrecovery
Get or borrow
Continue with this book.
Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. Editorial selections are independent.
Further reading
Read the critics
Independent reviews and criticism from established publications. Links open at the original outlet.
Primary record
Verify the selection
Every inclusion traces back to the organization that made the selection.
National Book Award for Young People's Literature — official winner recordOfficial record↗ (opens in a new tab)Continue reading
From the same conversation
Brown Girl Dreaming
- National Book Award for Young People's Literature
- NPR Books We Love
A verse memoir recalls Woodson's childhood in South Carolina and New York during the civil-rights era.
The Thing About Luck
- National Book Award for Young People's Literature
A Japanese American girl spends harvest season working with her grandparents while her parents are abroad.
Far from the Tree
- National Book Award for Young People's Literature
- NPR Books We Love
Three biological siblings separated by adoption meet and navigate family secrets, loyalty, and belonging.