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Books for Family Illness for Ages 12–18 – Wonderlit | Wonderlit

Browse → Ages 12–18 → Life Moments → Family Illness → Ages 12–18

Books for Family Illness for Ages 12–18

Watching someone you love be seriously ill as a teenager means confronting mortality at an age when you're supposed to feel invincible. These 1,031 books explore that confrontation with honesty, anger, and the particular grief of growing up faster than you wanted to.

1,031 books

Cover of Counting Thyme

Melanie Conklin

Moving to Manhattan is supposed to be a temporary fix for her brother's medical trial, but Thyme struggles with the fear

Cover of You'd Be Home Now

You'd Be Home Now

Kathleen Glasgow

Emory has always played the role of the good sister, but a tragic accident forces her to redefine herself amidst her bro

Cover of The Girl from Earth's End

The Girl from Earth's End

Henna leaves her solitary home on a quest for a rare miracle seed that could save her family. Detailed spot illustration

Cover of The Graduation of Jake Moon

1 2 3...43

The Graduation of Jake Moon

Barbara Park

Standing in a parking lot while friends shout insults at a confused old man, Jake realizes the person in the dumpster is

Ages 9–13

Cover of Nobel Genes

Sonny spends his days caring for his mother while hunting for clues about the Nobel Prize-winning father he has never me

Cover of Saying it Out Loud

Saying it Out Loud

A moving story for teens facing the loss of a parent. This book explores the complex grief and changing family dynamics

Cover of Invisible

Dougie lives through his model trains and his popular best friend Andy, but the lines between his imagination and realit

Cover of Saint Vitus' Dance

Saint Vitus' Dance

Melanie navigates the fear of her mother’s incurable illness while facing the daunting question of whether the same fate

Cover of The Willoughby Spit Wonder

The Willoughby Spit Wonder

Jonathon Scott Fuqua

In 1950s Virginia, Carter channels the spirit of a comic book superhero to help his father find the strength to keep fig

Cover of A Blind Spot for Boys

A Blind Spot for Boys

While dealing with her father's vision loss, sixteen-year-old Shana travels to Machu Picchu where she meets a boy hiding

Cover of Going Home

For siblings navigating the weight of a parent's illness, this tense adventure follows two children relying on each othe

Cover of Thursday

Catherine Storr

A quiet and steady devotion fuels a fifteen-year-old girl's mission to reach a boy struggling through deep emotional tur

Cover of Red-Dirt Jessie

Red-Dirt Jessie #1

Red-Dirt Jessie

Amidst the dust and despair of the Depression, young Jessie finds hope as she attempts to tame a wild dog and help her f

Cover of The Museum of Intangible Things

The Museum of Intangible Things

Seventeen-year-olds Hannah and Zoe flee their New Jersey lives to chase storms across the West in a gritty search for ha

Cover of Kepler's Dream

Ella travels to New Mexico to stay with her grandmother, where she hunts for a stolen rare book while her mother undergo

Cover of How Hard Can Love Be?

The Spinster Club #2

How Hard Can Love Be?

For the teenager navigating the complicated emotions of a parent with a drinking problem while trying to understand the

Cover of An Early Winter

An Early Winter

Marion Dane Bauer

Eleven-year-old Tim hopes a fishing trip will help his grandfather remember who he is, but a difficult day at the pond b

Cover of Leaving Gee's Bend

Leaving Gee's Bend

Ludelphia leaves her Alabama home for the first time on a dangerous trek to find medicine for her mother, guided by the

Cover of The First Time She Drowned

The First Time She Drowned

After escaping a mental hospital at eighteen, Cassie tries to build a new life at college until her mother returns to ch

Cover of Sunny: Diary Three

California Diaries #8

Sunny: Diary Three

Twelve-year-old Sunny shares the intimate and difficult journey of watching her mother battle terminal cancer through th

Cover of Lucy in the Sky

Lucy in the Sky

Seventh grade is off to a rocky start, but Lucy finds a new rhythm when she discovers her father’s old Beatles records a

Cover of Pink Hair and Other Terrible Ideas

Pink Hair and Other Terrible Ideas

For the child navigating the complex emotions of a parent's serious medical diagnosis while trying to balance the social

Cover of The Implosion of Aggie Winchester

The Implosion of Aggie Winchester

Aggie suspects her principal mother has rigged the prom queen election, forcing her to choose between family loyalty and

Cover of Mel

Seventeen-year-old Mel copes with her mother's breakdown by fixing up the house and starting a neighborhood cleanup, eve

More Ages 12–18 Books

Books for Potty Training for Ages 12–18(3)Books for Food Allergies for Ages 12–18(12)Books for Wearing Glasses for Ages 12–18(32)Books for LGBTQ+ Families for Ages 12–18(34)Books for Sharing with Siblings for Ages 12–18(67)Books for Bedtime Struggles for Ages 12–18(68)Books for Visiting the Doctor for Ages 12–18(74)Books for New Sibling for Ages 12–18(90)

Family Illness for Other Ages

Books for Family Illness for Ages 4–7(196)Books for Family Illness for Ages 8–11(677)

Also by Format

Chapter Books(454)Young Adult(199)Middle Grade(33)Graphic Novels(30)Picture Books(4)Early Readers(3)