This article is the second in a series of two that provides a list of wonderful books for teens who are moving through the challenge of grief. It’s difficult for teens, who are already moving through developmental challenges, to also experience grief and loss. These books are a resource for both teens and parents alike.

Death is Hard to Live With: Teenagers Talk About How to Cope with Loss by Janet Bode and Stan Mack (Illustrator)

This is for the student who loses a close friend to school violence or suicide. One day you’re feeling like your friend is great! And the next day, she’s dead. The pain of loss is well described in this book.

 

When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner

This book describes grief and loss with such clarity that it might help a teen break through the pain of losing someone.

 

Companion Through the Darkness: Inner Dialogues on Grief by Stephanie Ericsson

This is an intimate and heart warming guide for those in grief. The author shares her own experience with many kinds of loss and provides a rich guide for other teens.

 

Bereaved Children and Teens: A Support Guide for Parents and Professionals by Earl. A. Grollman

This is a comprehensive guide for helping tens cope with loss while exploring the religious, social, and physical aspects of loss.

Teen Grief Relief by Heidi Horsley, Psy.D.

This is another guide for parents to help their teens grieve in a healthy way. Teenage grief, especially because of the life stage that adolescents are in, can feel lonely and painful. This is a guide for parents to help their teen through the emotional challenges of loss.

 

Helping Teens Cope with Death by Dougy Center for Grieving Children

This book provides unique responses of teenagers and how they responded to the specific challenges that they experienced.

 

When Will I Stop Hurting? Teens, Loss and Grief, It Happened To Me (The Ultimate Teen Guide) by Kelly Adams

This is a self-help guide for teens who are struggling with the bereavement process.

 

You Are Not Alone: Teens Talk About Life After the Loss of A Parent by Lynne B. Hughes

The author of this book is also the founder of Comfort Zone, a camp for grieving children and teens. She believes that sharing stories are essential for the healing process.

 

When A Friend Dies: A Book For Teens About Grieving and Healing by Marilyn E. Gootman and Pamela Espeland

This book contains sixteen short chapters that offer helpful information and asks essential questions, such as, “How can I stand the pain?” and “How should I be acting?” and “What is normal?”

 

Teenagers Face to Face with Bereavement by Karen Gravelle and Charles Haskins

A psychotherapist and social worker who asked 17 teens to tell their stories about grief and loss wrote this book.

If you are a teenager who feels that the process of grief you’re in needs more attention, talk to a parent or a caregiver about talking to a therapist. A mental health professional, especially one that specializes in adolescence, can help you move through your process of healing.