Books like Cracked by K. M. Walton

A poignant young‑adult tale of two teens—Hazel and Augustus—who meet in a cancer support group, and whose unlikely romance forces them to confront love, illness, and the meaning of life.

At Culver Creek Boarding School, Miles "Pudge" Halter leaves his uneventful home life to find adventure, only to be drawn into the complex world of Alaska Young – a brilliant, enigmatic student whose presence challenges and changes him forever.

A coming‑of‑age epistolary novel that follows introverted teen Charlie through his freshman year in a 1990s Pittsburgh suburb as he navigates high school, friendship and the challenges of adolescence.

When Clay Jenkins discovers 13 tapes left by his classmate Hannah Baker, who recently committed suicide, he must confront the 13 reasons that drove her to end her life—one of which is him.

Eleanor & Park follows two sixteen‑year‑old high school misfits who, across a single school year, find an extraordinary first love that pushes them to confront their insecurities and the challenges of adolescence.

A luminous twins’ story of love, loss, and family that follows Jude and Noah from carefree adolescence to a painful rift, as each seeks healing and a return to one another.

310 pages ; 22 cmHL740L Lexile

Rafe Khatchadorian arrives at Camp Wannamorra, where he and his bunkmates must contend with the popular kids who try to sabotage their summer, turning boredom into adventure and friendship.

Valley’s senior year is shattered after a violent school shooting tied to a hateful list she helped create. Haunted by guilt and family drama, she strives to heal and make amends while navigating friendships and the victim she saved.

Jamie Grim spends a summer turning obstacles into laughs as she aims to become the next stand‑up comedian.

A young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers that tackles the real‑world issues of school violence, bullying, and family strain, offering a sober look at the emotional challenges faced by teens in a high‑school setting.

Nine‑year‑old Kip set a child on fire, spent years in a juvenile ward, and now seeks a fresh start—until the ghosts of his past demand justice and force him to confront his hidden truth: he is—or was—a murderer.

17-year-old Adele is tormented by bullying, abuse, and a father's betrayal, leading her to gain weight and be targeted for rape.

When Stewart’s mother dies and his father moves in with his new girlfriend—Ashley’s mother—the twins’ teen lives collide in a blended family, forcing them through bullying, grief, and the complexities of adolescence.

Felton Reinstein, a sixteen‑year‑old who hurls a sudden growth spurt right before his 16th birthday, transforms from a timid boy known as “Squirrel Nut” into a powerful athlete, gaining new friends, a first love and the courage to tackle his family's hidden and current troubles.

A 16‑year‑old and a 17‑year‑old siblings find love while stepping into parenting roles after their alcoholic mother neglects them.

When You Were Mine follows high‑schooler Rosaline Caplet as she navigates love, loyalty, and family drama when her cousin Juliet moves back into town and pursues her boyfriend Rob.

Two high‑school friends face bullying, loss, and the fear that a trusted companion may turn against them.

A socially awkward teenager who has endured trauma and a parental divorce moves to a new high school, where he uses diary entries to confront and reinvent himself amid complex family dynamics and adolescent relationships.

A fifteen‑year‑old drummer named Gray Wilton endures relentless bullying at his high school while his father disregards his interests, culminating in a dramatic shooting incident that forces the school and family to confront deep issues.

Fourteen‑year‑old Adam struggles with obsessive‑compulsive disorder while navigating family turmoil and a budding romance with his best friend, Robyn, in a high‑school setting where both must confront personal demons and mysterious threats.

In an effort to enlighten a new generation about its growing reliance on psychiatry, this illuminating volume investigates why psychiatry has become the fastest-growing medical field in history; why psychiatric drugs are now more widely prescribed than ever before; and why psychiatry, without solid scientific justification, keeps expanding the number of mental disorders it believes to exist. This revealing volume shows that these issues can be explained by one startling fact: in recent decades psychiatry has become so motivated by power that it has put the pursuit of pharmaceutical riches above its patients' well being. Readers will be shocked and dismayed to discover that psychiatry, in the name of helping others, has actually been helping itself. In a style reminiscent of Ben Goldacre's Bad Science and investigative in tone, James Davies reveals psychiatry's hidden failings and how the field of study must change if it is to ever win back its patients' trust.