Mark SEL Day 2022 with a Good Book!
A Minuteman Reads Book List: Social Emotional Learning Day
On March 11th, Minuteman High School will observe International SEL Day. Books provide windows into many Social Emotional Learning (SEL) themes including resiliency, collaboration, choices, empathy, and reflection.
Reading books can help relax your body, calm your mind, lower your heart rate, and reduce stress up to 68%. Like mindfulness and exercise, reading benefits your overall health (World Literacy Foundation; HuffPost Wellness).
This list highlights some of the SEL themed books that are available at the Minuteman High School Library Media Center or on Sora, our e-book platform.
Nonfiction
Being a teenager is both wonderful and challenging. In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, author Sean Covey applies the timeless principles of the 7 Habits to teens and the tough issues and life-changing decisions they face. In an entertaining style, Covey provides a step-by-step guide to help teens improve self-image, build friendships, resist peer pressure, achieve their goals, get along with their parents, and much more. In addition, this book is stuffed with cartoons, clever ideas, great quotes, and incredible stories about real teens from all over the world.
This book can be your guide out of the spiraling stress of anxiety and get you back on track to living a happy and healthy life. Getting good grades, keeping up with social media, maintaining friendships... you have a lot on your plate and it's more difficult when you add anxiety to the mix. You may even be avoiding situations, events, or people that could trigger your anxiety. So, how do you stop yourself from missing out on life? With Anxiety Relief for Teens, Dr. Regine Galanti teaches you how CBT-based skills and mindfulness techniques can help you manage your anxiety and reverse negative patterns.
In Courage to Soar, the official autobiography from four-time Olympic gold-winning and record-setting American gymnast Simone Biles, Simone shares how her faith, family, passion, and perseverance has made her one of the top athletes and gymnasts in the world—and how you too can overcome challenges in your life.
Stop comparing yourself to others--you're special just as you are!" That's the message psychologist Michelle Skeen and her daughter, Kelly Skeen, instill in teen readers with this unique self-help guide. With this fun and engaging book, teens will learn how to silence their nit-picky inner critic, overcome feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness, cultivate self-acceptance and self-compassion, and discover what really matters to them
(also on Sora)
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university's slogan, "What starts here changes the world," he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better.
Making Every Day Count: Daily Readings for Young People on Solving Problem, Setting Goals, and Feeling Good About Yourself by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick
To help face life's challenges, this positive book contains a year's worth of daily inspiration, affirmation and advice, and helps plan for the future and appreciate unique qualities. Each all-new entry includes a thought-provoking quotation, a brief essay, and a positive I-statement that relates the entry to readers' lives.
Wolfpack: How Young People will Find their Voice, Unite their Pack, and Change the World by Abby Wambach (also on Sora)
From rising young star to co-captain of the 2015 Women’s World Cup Champion team, Abby Wambach’s impressive career has shown her what it truly means to be a champion. Whether you’re leading from the bench or demanding the ball on the field, real success comes when you harness your inner strength, forge your own path, and band together with your team.
Fiction
Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon (also on Sora)
A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks....
A first meeting. Long-time friends. Bitter exes. And maybe the beginning of something new.
When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight.
It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat—by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for "A Room to Talk"), they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them—everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.
Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew coming out to his Muslim family would be messy - he just didn't think it would end in an airport interrogation room. But when faced with a failed relationship, bullies, and blackmail, running away to Rome is his only option. Right? Soon, late nights with new friends and dates in the Sistine Chapel start to feel like second nature...until his old life comes knocking on his door. Now, Amir has to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to a US Customs officer, or risk losing his hard-won freedom. At turns uplifting and devastating, How It All Blew Up is Arvin Ahmadi's most powerful novel yet, a celebration of how life's most painful moments can live alongside the riotous, life-changing joys of discovering who you are.
Rivals by Tommy Greenwald (also on Sora)
The people of Walthorne love their basketball—and one of the things they love most is the special rivalry between the Walthorne North School Cougars and the Walthorne South School Panthers. As the season begins, two star players are feeling the heat: Austin Chambers, captain of Walthorne North, worries that he’s not good enough to live up to his father’s legacy, while across town, the brilliantly talented Carter Haswell, captain of Walthorne South, is already under pressure to get a scholarship that might ease his family’s financial stress. While both boys do whatever they can to make sure their team wins, Alfie Jenks, a school sports reporter, discovers that behind-the-scenes scandals are just as much a part of youth sports as on-the-court action. When she blows the story wide open, the whole season is jeopardized.
Anthologies
The Hero Next Door: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology (also on Sora)
Not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes teach martial arts. Others talk to ghosts. A few are inventors or soccer players. They're also sisters, neighbors, and friends. Because heroes come in many shapes and sizes. But they all have one thing in common: they make the world a better place.
Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, this vibrant anthology features thirteen acclaimed authors whose powerful and diverse voices show how small acts of kindness can save the day. So pay attention, because a hero could be right beside you. Or maybe the hero is you.
We all experience moments when we struggle to understand the state of the world, when we feel powerless and--in some cases--even hopeless. The teens of today are the caretakers of tomorrow, and yet it's difficult for many to find joy or comfort in such a turbulent society. But in trying times, words are power.
Some of today's most influential young adult authors come together in this highly personal collection of essays and original stories that offer moments of light in the darkness, and show that hope is a decision we all can make.
Graphic Novels
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (also on Sora)
Charlie Mackesy offers inspiration and hope in uncertain times in this beautiful book, following the tale of a curious boy, a greedy mole, a wary fox and a wise horse who find themselves together in sometimes difficult terrain, sharing their greatest fears and biggest discoveries about vulnerability, kindness, hope, friendship and love. The shared adventures and important conversations between the four friends are full of life lessons that have connected with readers of all ages.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole.
“Kind,” said the boy.
Sometimes, the world is too much for Mona Starr. She’s sweet, geeky, and creative, but it’s hard for her to make friends and connect with other people, and her depression seems to take on a vivid, concrete form. She calls it her Matter. The Matter seems to be everywhere, telling Mona she’s not good enough and that everyone around her wishes she’d go away. But with therapy, art, writing, and the persistence of a few good friends, Mona starts to understand her Matter and how she can turn her fears into strengths. Heartfelt, emotionally vulnerable, and visually stunning, The Dark Matter of Mona Starris a story about battling your inner doubts and fears—and finding your creative genius.
Himawari House by Harmony Becker (also on Sora)
Living in a new country is no walk in the park―Nao, Hyejung, and Tina can all attest to that. The three of them became fast friends through living together in the Himawari House in Tokyo and attending the same Japanese cram school. Nao came to Japan to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, while Hyejung and Tina came to find freedom and their own paths. Though each of them has her own motivations and challenges, they all deal with language barriers, being a fish out of water, self discovery, love, and family.
Ms. Kara Gleason, Library Media Specialist
Email: kgleason@minuteman.org
Website: https://minutemanhs.libguides.com/mediacenter
Location: Minuteman High School, 758 Marrett Road Lexington, MA 02421
Phone: 781-372-2879