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Challenger Deep

Challenger Deep

Illustrated by:
Brendan Shusterman
Age Level:
Middle Grade
Genre:
Fiction
Published:
2015

Challenger Deep is a stand-alone novel by Neal Shusterman, author of The Unwind Dystology. It deals frankly with issues surrounding teenage mental illness. Caden, the narrator, experiences paranoid and delusional thinking and is hospitalized. A character attempts suicide. Violence in the book is mostly imaginary and centered on a fantastical ship on which the captain and his parrot want to kill each other. Language is mild, with an instance or two each of “hell,” “damn,” “bastard,” and “ass.” Sexual content is limited to hand-holding and one night of cuddling in bed. Caden’s parents are mildly intoxicated in one scene. Caden takes a “cocktail” of prescribed medications, and the regimen helps him heal.

Watch our video interview with Neal Shusterman.

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Book lists this appears on

Young woman leaning against a blank wall hugging her legs.

Themed Booklists

Mental Health: Empathy and Understanding

YA novels are a safe place for young adult readers to understand mental health illnesses from multiple perspectives and within a multitude of contexts. This collection of authors deftly delve into the many aspects of mental illness and the sprawling impact on everyone and everything around it.