Being a teen is rough. Sometimes you have questions that are difficult to ask, or you’re just not sure how to ask them. The library is a great place to start, we have tons of books on teen topics that will help you. For extra privacy, we have self-check-out stations you can use. Always remember, you belong at your library.
Life Topics
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The Survival Guide to Bullying
"The Survival Guide to Bullying covers everything from cyber bullying to how to deal with fear and how to create the life you dream of having. From inspiring 'roems' (rap poems), survival tips, personal stories, and quick quizzes, this book will light the way to a brighter future. This updated edition also features new, never-before-seen content including a chapter about how to talk to parents, an epilogue, and an exclusive Q&A with the author."--Amazon.com.
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It Doesn't Have to Be Awkward
From celebrity M.D. Dr. Drew Pinsky and his daughter Paulina Pinsky comes an entertaining and comprehensive guide to sex, relationships, and consent in today's #MeToo era. Perfect for teens, parents, and educators to facilitate open and positive conversations around the tricky topic of consent.
When it comes to sex, relationships, and consent, establishing boundaries and figuring out who you are and what you want is never simple--especially as a teenager. What's the line between a friendship and a romantic partner? How can you learn to trust your body's signals? And what if you're not quite sure what your sexuality is?
In this book, renowned celebrity M.D. Dr. Drew and his daughter Paulina Pinsky take on those awkward, incredibly important questions teens today are asking themselves and parents wish they had a better grasp on.
Filled with tangible and accessible resources, and featuring humorous and raw personal anecdotes, this is the perfect guide for teens, parents, and educators to go beyond "the talk" and dive into honest and meaningful conversations about sex, relationships, and consent.
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Period Power
PERIOD founder and Harvard College student Nadya Okamoto offers a manifesto on menstruation and why we can no longer silence those who bleed—and how to engage in youth activism.
Throughout history, periods have been hidden from the public. They’re taboo. They’re embarrassing. They’re gross. And due to a crumbling or nonexistent national sex ed program, they are misunderstood. Because of these stigmas, a status quo has been established to exclude people who menstruate from the seat at the decision-making table, creating discriminations like the tampon tax, medicines that favor male biology, and more.
Period Power aims to explain what menstruation is, shed light on the stigmas and resulting biases, and create a strategy to end the silence and prompt conversation about periods. -
Chill : stress-reducing techniques for a more balanced, peaceful you
Feeling overwhelmed? This easy-to-follow guide to stress management is the perfect solution for teens in desperate need of downtime.
With schedules packed full of obligations ranging from academic to athletic to social, today’s teens know all too well the heavy toll that stress can take. And with the ever-present pull of technology, the idea of unplugging feels practically impossible.
But there’s a way to relax without sacrificing productivity, and Chill will show you how. Explore a variety of techniques—including time management, visualization, exercise, and other creative outlets—that can take away tension and help organize your life. From de-cluttering your desktop to declining unimportant invites, the info, insight, and tools offered in Chill will leave you with less stress, more happiness, and a blissfully balanced life.
So take a deep breath, get ready to feel better, and Chill. -
A Little Book of Self Care: Breathwork
Use breathwork to transform every area of your life.
New science has revealed the effectiveness of breathwork to balance the body, relieve stress, control anxiety, boost self-esteem, and more.
In a beautifully illustrated package, Breathwork gives you 50 step-by-step practices that you can use at home, each with expert advice on body position, depth of breath, speed of breath, visualization, duration, and repetition. Techniques include conscious connected breathing, pranayama, and qigong breathwork.
With internationally renowned author and teacher Nathalia Westmacott-Brown, you'll learn how to breathe mindfully and with control, using different breath practices for targeted outcomes - from overcoming insomnia to releasing anger or relieving depression.
Breathing with purpose can help you to heal - and become the healthiest and happiest you can be. -
Let's Talk About It
Is what I'm feeling normal? Is what my body is doing normal? Am I normal? How do I know what are the right choices to make? How do I know how to behave? How do I fix it when I make a mistake?
Let's talk about it.
Growing up is complicated.
How do you find the answers to all the questions you have about yourself, about your identity, and about your body? Let's Talk About It provides a comprehensive, thoughtful, well-researched graphic novel guide to everything you need to know.
Covering relationships, friendships, gender, sexuality, anatomy, body image, safe sex, sexting, jealousy, rejection, sex education, and more, Let's Talk About It is the go-to handbook for every teen, and the first in graphic novel form. -
Teen Guide to Managing Mental Health
The percentage of American teens struggling with mental health concerns is rising every year. Learning to recognize the signs of both everyday stress and serious mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression, can help teens respond in healthy and constructive ways. This book examines some of the most well-studied and successful ways to maintain positive mental health.
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Caste (Adapted for Young Adults)
In this young adult adaptation of the Oprah Book Club selection and New York Times bestselling nonfiction work, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson explores the unspoken hierarchies that divide us across lines of race and class. Revealing and timely, this work will speak to young people who are engaged more than ever with the world around them, or to anyone who believes in a more just existence for all.
Readers will be fascinated by this young adult adaptation of the New York Times bestselling nonfiction work as they follow masterful narratives about real people that reveal an insidious phenomenon in the United States: a hidden caste system. Caste is not only about race or class; it is about power—which groups have it and which do not. Isabel Wilkerson explores historical social hierarchies, including those in India and Nazi Germany, and explains how perpetuating these rankings dehumanizes vast sections of society. Once we learn the reasons behind caste and see the often heartbreaking effects, Wilkerson says, we can bridge the divides and make way for an inclusive future where we are all equal. -
Relationship Skills 101 for Teens
In Relationship Skills 101 for Teens, Sheri Van Dijk--author of Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens--offers powerful tools based in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help you regulate your emotions so you can build better relationships with your parents, friends, and peers.
Do you ever feel like your emotions are out of your control? Is it hard for you to make friends, get a date, or get along with your parents? You aren't alone. For some people, good relationships seem to come easily. But if you are like many others, you may need a little help. This book offers evidence-based strategies you can use to take control of your emotions and reactions in order to respond effectively to peer pressure, bullying, cyberbullying, and gossip, allowing you to navigate the many social issues that make these years so challenging.
This book outlines three core skills to help you manage your emotions and create better relationships. First, you'll discover how mindfulness can help you face each life experience with awareness and acceptance. Second, you'll find more effective ways of communicating with others so you can develop healthier, more balanced relationships. Finally, you'll learn powerful skills to regulate your emotions so you don't end up taking things out on the people you care about. With these combined skills, you'll learn how to act in healthier ways so you don't end up pushing people away.
Like most teens, you want to make and keep friends. You also want to date! And you'd probably like to have a good relationship with your parents. This book will give you the skills to reach these goals and live a happier, more fulfilling life--well beyond your teen years. Why not get started now? -
Being You
From early childhood boys often feel pressured to be athletic and muscular. But what impact does this have on physical and mental well-being through their teens and beyond? Worryingly, a third of teen boys are trying to 'bulk up' due to body dissatisfaction, and boys and men account for 25% of eating disorder cases. What can we tell our boys to help them feel happy and confident simply being themselves? Being You has the answers! It's an easy-to-read, evidence-based guide to developing a positive body image for boys aged 12+. It covers all the facts on puberty, diet, exercise, self-care, mental health, social media, and everything in-between. Boys will find answers to the questions most on their mind, the truth behind many diet and exercise myths, and real-life stories from other boys. Armed with this book, they will understand that muscles don't make a man - it's enough simply being you!
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The 988 Suicide & Crisis lifeline provides free and confidential support anytime by dialing 988. Chat is available through their website.
Crisis Text Line
The Crisis Text Line provides free 24/7 crisis support by texting HOME to 741741.
A Safe Place
A Safe Place provides services addressing domestic violence and human trafficking in Lake County, Illinois.
24-Hour Helpline: (847) 249-4450
The Cuba Township Food Pantry
The Cuba Township Food Pantry provides non-perishable foods, paper products, cleaning supplies, and toiletries for those in need of assistance.
Phone: (847) 381-1924
Email: info@cubatwpil.gov
CYN Counseling Center
The Community Youth Network Counseling Center is a non-profit comprehensive community-based counseling center that serves children, adolescents, and adults who are struggling with a variety of mental health issues.
Phone: (847) 548-6000
Lake County Health Department
Lake County Health Department: Access information and connect with various health services that include preventative care, behavioral health, environmental health, maternal and child health services, healthy living programs, animal control, and more.
Phone: (847) 377-8000
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Lake County
The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health conditions, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers, and the public. HelpLine staff and volunteers are experienced, well-trained, and able to provide guidance.
Phone: English (847) 249-1515
Spanish (224) 818-6264
PADS Lake County
PADS Lake County is a community-based organization that Provides Advocacy, Dignity & Shelter to individuals and families experiencing a housing crisis.
Phone: (847) 689-4357
United Way of Lake County 211
Community resources including mental health, housing, food, and immigration help.
Call 211 or Text 898211 24/7 English and Spanish
Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center
The Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center is a place where survivors of sexual assault and abuse can heal and also mobilizes the community toward action to end sexual violence.
Direct Voicemail: (847) 244-1187
24-Hour Helpline: (847) 872-7799
Gay Straight Alliance Network
The Gay Straight Alliance Network is an LGBTQ racial and gender justice organization that empowers and trains queer, trans and allied youth leaders to advocate, organize, and mobilize an intersectional movement for safer schools and healthier communities.
It Gets Better Project
The It Gets Better Project is a nonprofit organization with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe.
PFLAG
PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies.
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
24-Hour Helpline: (866) 488-7386
Text: START to 678-678
ANAD: Eating Disorder Support Groups and Services
The association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders is for anyone struggling with anorexia, bulimia, or another type of eating disorder.
Helpline: (888) 375-7767
National Runaway Safeline
National Runaway Safeline serves as the national communication system for runaway and homeless youth.
24-Hour Helpline: (800) 786-2929