Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos (review)

Despite his devotion to the celebratory poetry of Walt Whitman, sixteen-year-old James suffers from anxiety and depression, and his persistent thoughts of suicide lead him to believe that he suffers from more than garden-variety teen angst. His parents, however, disagree; exhausted by the constant rebellion of his older sister (now kicked out of the house), they categorize James as the normal one, a fantasy that he has colluded with to avoid the physical and verbal abuse they heaped upon his sister. Now, though, guilt has combined with his anger, depression, and anxiety, and he decides he needs more than his imaginary therapist, a human-sized pigeon who patiently listens to all of his complaints. James wants two things: to get his sister back where he thinks she belongs, in school and at home, and to have a real therapist who can help him with his anxiety. James is exuberant, both in his depression and his moments when the depression lifts to reveal a world that he really doesn't want to leave; he is witty in conversation with his friends, and he's not a bad poet in his own right, even though it's clear that he is channeling Whitman whether he's narrating his stylized inner monologue in poetry or prose. Many teen readers will recognize their own mood swings as they are amplified through James' pendulum, and they'll be enlightened by his revelation that life can be possible and rewarding even when it's really hard.