This paper explores the impact of books on young readers, and briefly examines several titles that can help children and adolescents understand the world around them. Following a brief review of research studies that have shown that reading literature affects the values that children hold, the paper discusses titles dealing with death, personal fears, disabilities, differences, and identity. A final section cautions against using the titles in any intentional bibliotherapy effort. A list of 49 books for children and young people concludes the paper. (HTH)