On A Scale of One to Ten by Ceylan Scott - OPTIONAL

On A Scale of One to Ten, by Ceylan Scott, 288 pages.  Scholastic Book Services, 2019. $15. 

Language: R; Mature Content: R (Referenced - Suicide, Self Harm, Sex, Drinking), Violence: R (Suicide Attempt, Self Harm, Fighting)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Tamar is a 16 year old girl who is living at Lime Grove, a psychiatric hospital for teenagers due to her recent suicide attempt. But Tamar doesn’t want to kill herself, she is trying to punish herself. She believes she is the reason her best friend died of an alcohol overdose/drowning a year ago and so she keeps increasing the self harm. Lime Grove is filled with teenagers with issues from eating disorders to bipolar disorder and Tamar learns how to navigate their issues and her guilt in the hospital. 

A lot of teen mental health books glorify self harm or escaping life, this book is written to show the darker side of psychiatric hospitals and that some teens really need to be there and it shouldn’t be used as a travel destination. Tamar makes poor choices in self pity and gets her friends hurt and she has to deal with the consequences. This is a well written book that reads very true to life, dark, and gritty. If a teen struggling with mental stability is reading it, a trusted adult should process the book with them. 

Dina W. - ELA teacher