My Anxiety Is Messing Things Up - Paperback

by Jennifer Licate (Author), Suzanne Beaky (Illustrator)

Oscar is a perfectionist with an anxiety problem.

He puts pressure on himself to excel in everything he does. That's why he earns good grades, wins awards, plays sports, performs in the band and makes friends easily. But all his accomplishments come at a price...

Oscar is wracked with anxiety.

He's so afraid of falling short of expectations or disappointing his parents, his teachers and his pals, he can't sleep. He tosses and turns every night. The more sleep he loses, the moodier and more irritable he becomes. Exhausted and stressed, Oscar lashes out at his best buddies. Now his anxiety is topped with feelings of guilt and shame.

When a caring teacher notices Oscar's distress, she invites him to join a school support group for students who struggle with anxiety. What will he do? Is Oscar too embarrassed to seek help, or is he so tired of being tired, he'll try anything for some sleep and relief?

My Anxiety is Messing Things Up is a fast-paced chapter book that examines the emotional and physical toll anxiety has on kids, as well as the empowering strategies they can use to calm their worries. Engaging discussion questions and creative activities at the end of each chapter help readers understand the content more deeply and can guide classroom conversations about anxiety, stress and trying your best.

My Anxiety is Messing Things Up is part of the popular Navigating Friendship book series, which is great for students in Grades 4 through 8.

Help your children overcome their social emotional challenges with the Navigating Friendships book series.

• He's Not Just Teasing! A Book About the Difference Between Teasing and Bullying - Malcolm has a problem, and his name is Joe.
• Am I Weird? A Book About Finding Your Place When You Feel Like You Don't Fit In - When the other girls at school gather they tolerate Eva, but they snipe and gossip about things that make her uncomfortable, and she wonders...AM I WEIRD?
• I Lost My BFF: A Book About Jealousy and Rejection Within Friendships - Sophia and Camila did EVERYTHING together, but when Camila starts spending more time with Christabel, Sophia finds herself thinking...I LOST MY BFF.

Teacher and Parent Activity Guides are available for each book.

Author Biography

Jennifer is an award-winning children's book author who has worked as a school counselor for over a decade. She loves writing social and emotional books to help children and preteens through challenging times. Jennifer's books teach children strategies to work through their issue, and the stories give children the comfort of knowing they're not alone in their struggles. Her books focus on topics such as anxiety, depression, and friendship struggles. Jennifer's books use a quick-read chapter format and are geared toward children ages 9 to 13.

Through working with children of all ages, Jennifer has seen the benefits of social-emotional learning books firsthand. Children lose themselves as they're immersed within the stories. They're able to understand complex issues from so many different perspectives by seeing the story through the eyes of the characters.

Counseling children, as well as raising two children of her own, has taught her a universal truth: all children want to be loved, valued, and respected for the unique individuals they are. She channels this truth, the importance of providing support to children as they navigate social and emotional issues, and her love for creativity into all her children's books. Her goal is that all children who read one of her books will feel like the stories are speaking directly to them.