In this compelling and accessible novel for teen readers, a sixteen-year-old aspiring chef must learn how to accept help from his community after he experiences a first episode of psychosis.
After a first episode of psychosis lands him a stay in a psychiatric hospital, all sixteen-year-old Kai Lum wants to do is reclaim his life. But now that hes back home, everything is different. He has medications to take, his dad is always hovering, and everyone at school keeps staring at him. Kais determined not to let any of that distract him from proving he can make it as a chef, though. He has his culinary arts program to focus on, and he wont let his diagnosis change his plans.But finding his new normal is harder than Kai expects. His medications have side effects that he doesnt know how to control. His dad pushes him to accept more clinical help, even though Kais not sure he wantsor needsit. And Kais best friends are ghosting him. On top of all of that, Kai isnt sure if the voices hes hearing are real or in his head.Kais life begins to spin out of control as he struggles to know who he can trust. With his health and dreams on the line, he has to decide whether hes willing to accept help in order to manage his newly diagnosed mental illness.Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and themes that are relevant for high school students, Horizons Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for teen reluctant readers. Horizon books are written at a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level with an interest level of ages 14 and up.
