Author Cindy L. Rodriguez shares the inspiration behind her middle grade novel, Lola Reyes is So Not Worried. Mental health is front of mind for so many educators, librarians, and caregivers. In Lola Reyes, there are worries both tangible (in the form of worry dolls come to life) and intangible, like those about food insecurity and changing friendships. Read on to hear about the power of responding to a child's worry with empathy and help.

One of my most memorable moments during my 22 years of teaching didn’t occur in the classroom and had nothing to do with literature, reading, or writing—the things I was highly trained in and certified to teach.

The memorable moment happened in a bathroom.

I was standing on a toilet, peering over the stall at a seventh-grade girl who was crying.

When I asked her what was wrong, she used some unfiltered language to tell me middle school was horrible. I responded in a way that surprised her.

“You’re right,” I said.

She laughed.

I added, “Do you want to talk about it?”

She shrugged. I told her it didn’t have to be with me, but it should be with someone. She nodded, then left the bathroom and stayed in my classroom until her counselor was able to meet with her.

That moment has replayed in my mind often during my teaching career and later as a parent, reminding me of two important truths: young people’s worries need to be validated and talking about problems instead of keeping them inside helps.

The worst thing I could have done that day was to say something like, “Oh, it’s not so bad,” and sent her on her merry way to her next class. Yes, this is entirely unsympathetic, yet I saw this exact thing happen. Some adults have forgotten what it felt like to have raging hormones ricocheting through your body as you try to manage new, daily social, emotional, and physical pressures.

Years later, and especially post-pandemic, I like think that we’ve become more aware of the importance of mental health, paying more attention to individual and collective concerns and how to address them since we saw a spike in anxiety and depression worldwide and a mental health crisis among adolescents.

My experiences as a teacher, parent, and person managing anxiety and depression inform my writing. My latest novel, Lola Reyes is So Not Worried, is no exception.

On one level, the narrative is a ton of fun. Lola’s story has lots of humor and shenanigans, after her dad’s cursed but well-meaning worry dolls come to life, continue to grow, and run around town.

On another level, though, Lola, her friends, and her Mama struggle with serious worries of their own, including food insecurity, the pressure to win in athletics, changing friendships, and grief.

To shrink the dolls down to size and to feel better about their individual issues, everyone has to exercise the two truths mentioned above: validate the worries and talk about them instead of keeping them inside.

And, to play it safe, Lola will likely use run-of-the-mill, totally normal worry dolls from now on!