Titles for Grief and Loss

This listicle is a helpful guide for anyone looking to understand how to even begin helping a friend through a loss. Grief is complicated, and this page talks through some uncomfortable truths, such as the speed of the grieving process and what to do if you think the grief is turning unhealthy. Experts are consulted at multiple points within the article. Click to Check it Out on Teen Vogue!

King of Staten Island dir. by Judd Apatow (2020) Run time: 2hrs 16 min Rating: R Recommended Age: 16+ (Common Sense Media) Click Here to Reserve a Copy Scott Carlin is 24 and lives with his mom. His dad died fighting a fire when he was seven, and he suffers from that loss even to this day. But when his mother begins to date another firefighter, Scott gets himself kicked out of his mom’s house and told it’s time to try and move on. Scott struggles to find a place to stay, and more importantly, to belong.

Onward dir. by Dan Scanlon Runtime: 1hr 42min Rating: PG Age Recommendation: 7+ (Common Sense Media) Click Here to Reserve a Copy Ian, a teenaged elf, never knew his father; he died right after Ian was born. The only thing he has left of him is his sixteenth birthday present: a staff, a gem, and a letter describing a spell that can resurrect his father for a single day. But before Ian can finish casting the spell, his brother Barley interrupts him, leaving the spell—and their father—half-finished. Together, they must take a fantastical van ride to who-knows-where in the hopes that they can bring their father back completely.

A website run by teens, for teens. This website was started by Natalie Adams after she lost her dad at the beginning of high school. The site offers weekly stories about grief from teens to feel like you aren’t alone, and teens are invited to upload their own stories for publication. There is also a “notes of hope” page where teens can leave messages of comfort to each other or vent in a safe space anonymously. Click to Check Out Their Website!

The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver (2021) Click Here to Reserve a Copy Liam Cooper’s older brother is killed in a hit-and-run, and now Liam must face the world without him. They struggle with the isolation and failing friendships, finding solace in in the time they spend with their brother’s best friend, Marcus, the one person who might know what Liam is going through.

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay (2020) Click Here to Reserve a Copy Jay Ruguero wanted nothing more than to live a normal life the summer before he headed to University of Michigan. But then he gets the news: his cousin has been murdered by Duterte’s war on drugs, and no one will tell him what happened. So Jay travels to the Philippines, determined to understand his cousin’s death, for better…or for worse.

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros (2021) Click Here to Reserve a Copy Alter Rosen wants nothing more than to rescue his mother and sisters from Romania and bring them to his side in Chicago. It’s the 1893 World’s Fair, and in the middle of all the wonder and excitement, he knows the day is coming near that his family will be reunited. But when his best friend is murdered—the latest in a string of serial murders of Jewish boys—Alter is possessed by his friend’s dybbuk. Together, they must solve the murder, before the murderer comes for them again.

Turtle Under Ice by Juleah del Rosario (2020) Click Here to Request a Copy Click Here to Learn More This novel-in-verse tells the story of Rowena, whose mom dies and whose sister drifts away from her, further, further, until she disappears completely in the middle of a snowstorm. Rowena is left to put the pieces together and figure out what has happened to the only family she has left.

Vampires, Hearts & Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston (2021) Click Here to Reserve a Copy Vampires are real, and they announced it on TV. Victoria and her dad are obsessed with the idea of finding one of the elusive beings, forced back into hiding after the public outcry to their reveal was so terrible. And when her dad is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Victoria knows there’s only one thing she can do: pack up and head to New Orleans, hunting a for a vampire that will help her save her father.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan (2018) Click Here to Reserve a Copy When Leigh’s mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird. Leigh, half-Asian and half-white, knows this to be true. She travels to Taiwan, meeting her grandparents for the first time and set on finding the bird that is her mother. But her family’s strangeness has no end, and she must unravel the mysteries and secrets that bind her family together while reckoning with the life her mother left behind.

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao (2021) Click Here to Reserve a Copy Julie and Sam have their lives figured out: college, Japan, getting out of their small town. But then Sam dies, and Julie is left adrift and alone. She skips the funeral, spirals downward, and calls his voicemail one last time to hear his voice. And then Sam picks up, and Julie gets a second chance at a goodbye.

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle (2021) Click Here to Reserve a Copy Rue’s mother is shot dead at their front door, and Rue barely has a moment to breathe before the father she’s never met collects her and brings her to Ghizon, an island hidden away filled with magic users who will do anything to protect their powers. But when Rue breaks the rules and runs away to find her little sister, she finds things at home are even worse than she could have possibly known, and that the trouble in Houston bears a striking resemblance to the darkness lurking in Ghizon.

Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder (2020) Click Here to Reserve a Copy A graphic novel memoir, this book recounts the experiences of its author as she loses her mother her sophomore year of college. Equal parts funny and heartbreaking, this is a cathartic reminder that grief is full of confusing, conflicting emotion and you should embrace all of it in due time.

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle (2017) Click Here to Reserve a Copy Tim’s sister is dead and now he doesn’t leave the house. He used to write screenplays, and now he doesn’t even shower. His sister is dead, and his mother is grieving, and he can’t go to school. But when his best friend Geoff forces him out, finally, to go to a college party, he realizes there is still a world out there, and he can’t stay hiding forever.