Best Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Homelessness & Poverty Books
Here you will get Best Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Homelessness & Poverty Books For you.This is an up-to-date list of recommended books.
1. On The Come Up
Author: by Angie Thomas
Balzer + Bray
English
464 pages
#1 New York Times bestseller Seven starred reviews Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book For all the struggle in this book, Thomas rarely misses a step as a writer. Thomas continues to hold up that mirror with grace and confidence. We are lucky to have her, and lucky to know a girl like Bri.
The New York Times Book ReviewSixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill.
But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral …
For all the wrong reasons. Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn’t just want to make itshe has to.
2. Homecoming (1) (The Tillerman Cycle)
Author: by Cynthia Voigt
English
400 pages
1442428783
The iconic start to the timeless, Newbery-winning series from Cynthia Voigt is repackaged with a fresh new look.It’s still true. That’s the first thing James Tillerman says to his older sister, Dicey, every morning. It’s still true that their mother has abandoned the four Tillermans in a mall parking lot somewhere in the middle of Connecticut.
It’s still true that they have to find their own way to Great-aunt Cilla’s house in Bridgeport. It’s still true that they need to spend as little as possible on food and seek shelter anywhere that is out of view of the authorities.
It’s still true that the only way they can hope to all stay together is to just keep moving forward. Deep down, Dicey hopes they can find someone to trust, someone who will take them in and love them. But she’s afraid it’s just too much to hope for….
3. Golden Arm
Author: by Carl Deuker
English
368 pages
0358012422
In this riveting story about baseball and brotherhood, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks finds himself pitching his way out of povertyone strike at a time. By a premier author of provocative YA sports novels (The Bulletin).
Lazarus Laz Weathers has always been shy, and his issue with stuttering when he speaks hasn’t helped. Stuck in a Seattle trailer park, Laz finds baseball helps him escape from the world of poverty and drugs. When he gets an opportunity to pitch for the rich kids across town, he has a chance to get drafted by the major leagues.
But playing for the other team means leaving behind his family, including Antonio, Laz’s younger brother, who more and more, seems to be drawn to the dark world of the Jet City’s drug ring. Now Laz will have to choose between being the star pitcher he always dreamed of becoming and the team player his family needs.
4. Lyddie (A Puffin Novel)
Author: by Katherine Paterson
Puffin Books
English
182 pages
From two-time Newbery award-winning author Katherine Paterson. When Lyddie and her younger brother are hired out as servants to help pay off their family farm’s debts, Lyddie is determined to find a way to reunite her family once again. Hearing about all the money a girl can make working in the textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, she makes her way there, only to find that her dreams of returning home may never come true.
Includes an all-new common core aligned educator’s guide.”Rich in historical detail… A superb story of grit, determination, and personal growth.” The Horn Book, starred review”Lyddie is full of life, full of lives, full of reality.” The New York Times Book ReviewAn ALA Notable Book An ALA Best Book for Young Adults A Booklist Editor’s Choice American Bookseller “Pick of the Lists” School Library Journal Best Book Parents magazine Best Book
5. In Real Life
Author: by Cory Doctorow
English
192 pages
1596436581
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom acclaimed teen author Cory Doctorow and rising star cartoonist Jen Wang, In Real Life is a sensitive, thoughtful look at adolescence, gaming, poverty, and culture-clash. Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role playing game that she spends most of her free time on.
It’s a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It’s a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends. Gaming is, for Anda, entirely a good thing. But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer – a poor Chinese kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable objects and then sells them to players from developed countries with money to burn.
This behavior is strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize that questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person’s real livelihood is at stake. This title has common Core connections.
6. Trash
Author: by Andy Mulligan
0385752164
Ember
English
In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three dumpsite boys make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city. One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious.
So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers.
It’s up to Raphael, Gardo, and Ratboys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no moneyto solve the mystery and right a terrible wrong. Andy Mulligan has written a powerful story about unthinkable povertyand the kind of hope and determination that can transcend it.
With twists and turns, unrelenting action, and deep, raw emotion, Trash is a heart-pounding, breath-holding novel.
7. Ember of Night
Author: by Molly E. Lee
B08K77NMTP
May 4, 2021
English
What to read after A Court of Thorns and Roses! Full of twists you’ll never see coming! UppercaseYAI’ve never been a stranger to the darkness. But when darkness comes knocking and looks that good, who wouldn’t invite him in? Draven is mysterious, evasive, and hot as sin.
The only thing more infuriating than how much he won’t say is how obnoxious he is every time he does open his mouth. But when a group of strangers attacks me and he fights back, causing them to vanish into a cloud of black dust, I know Draven is more than he seems.
He finally shows me there’s a veil separating the world I know from a world of demons living all around us. Turns out, good and evil are just words. Some of the demons don’t fall into either category. And I’m realizing just how easily I fit in among the ancient warlocks, the divine soldiers, and the twisted supernaturals…
There’s so much more to me.To my past. And to what I am truly capable of than I ever thought possible. So when all signs point to me having the ability to unleash Hell on earth? I’ll have to decide if I want to do the world a solid and save it, or give it one hell of a makeover.
8. Where the Lilies Bloom
Author: by Bill Cleaver
HarperTeen
English
224 pages
An award-winning novel about the resilience of the human spirit, the power of duty, the fragile relationship between humans and nature, and the sacrifices we make for family. Mary Call has promised her dying father to keep her brother and sisters together forever in their home in the Great Smoky Mountains, and to never to take any help from strangers.
She is determined to keep her wordand her pride.No matter what. At first she is sure she can manage. Romey, Ima Dean, and Devola help gather herbs to sell in town; the riches of the mountains will surely keep the family clothed and fed.
But when winter comes, fast and furious, Mary Call learns that the land where the lilies bloom can be a cruel and unforgiving place, and it will take more than a promise to keep her family together. This classic coming of age story explores issues of poverty, character, and perseverance.
A strong option for classroom, homeschool, or independent reading.
9. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Dover Children's Classics)
Author: by Margaret Sidney
English
224 pages
0486452670
Times are tough around the little brown house! The widowed Mrs. Pepper has to sew all day long just to earn enough to pay the rent and to feed the five growing Peppers. But she faces poverty and trouble with a stout heart, a smiling face, and the help of her jolly brood: blue-eyed Ben, the eldest and the man of the house at the age of 11; pretty Polly, so eager to cook for the family and make everyone happy and comfortable; and the three littlest Peppers, Joel, Davie, and baby Phronsie.
A favorite of children, parents, and teachers for generations, this heartwarming classic first appeared in 1880. Since then, it has inspired countless young imaginations with its tender tales of the ways in which courage and good cheer can overcome adversity.
10. Runner
Author: by Carl Deuker
Clarion Books
English
224 pages
Sonya Sones, award-winning author of What My Mother Doesn’t Know, delivers a gripping, funny, and inspiring novel in verse about what happens when the person you set out to save ends up saving you. Right before winter break, fourteen-year-old Molly Rosenberg reluctantly volunteers to participate in Santa Monica’s annual homeless count, just to get her school’s community service requirement out of the way.
But when she ends up meeting Red, a spirited homeless girl only a few years older than she is, Molly makes it her mission to reunite her with her family in time for Christmas. This turns out to be extremely difficultbecause Red refuses to talk about her past.
There are things Molly won’t talk about either. Like the awful thing that happened last winter. She may never be ready to talk about that. Not to Red, or to Cristo, the soulful boy she meets while riding the Ferris wheel one afternoon.
When Molly realizes that the friends who Red keeps mentioning are nothing more than voices inside Red’s head, she becomes even more concerned about her well-being. How will Molly keep her safe until she can figure out a way to get Red home?
12. The Midwife's Apprentice
Author: by Karen Cushman
B003K16PJQ
Clarion Books
March 27, 1995
From the author of Catherine, Called Birdy comes another spellbinding novel set in medieval England. The girl known only as Brat has no family, no home, and no future until she meets Jane the Midwife and becomes her apprentice. As she helps the sharp-tempered Jane deliver babies, Bratwho renames herself Alycegains knowledge, confidence, and the courage to want something from life: A full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world.
Medieval village life makes a lively backdrop for the funny, poignant story of how Alyce gets what she wants. A concluding note discusses midwifery past and present. A Newbery Medal book. This ebook includes a sample chapter of CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY.
13. Now Is the Time for Running
Author: by Michael Williams
English
240 pages
0316077887
When tragedy strikes, Deo’s love of soccer is all he has left. Can he use that gift to find hope once more? Just down the road from their families, Deo and his friends play soccer in the dusty fields of Zimbabwe, cheered on by Deo’s older brother, Innocent.
It is a day like any other .. Until the soldiers arrive and Deo and Innocent are forced to run for their lives, fleeing the wreckage of their village for the distant promise of safe haven. Along the way, they face the prejudice and poverty that await refugees everywhere, and must rely on the kindness of people they meet to make it through.
Relevant, timely, and accessibly written, Now Is the Time For Running is a staggering story of survival that follows Deo and his mentally handicapped older brother on a transformative journey that will stick with readers long after the last page.
14. Scorpions, 25th Anniversary Edition
Author: by Walter Dean Myers
Amistad
English
216 pages
The Scorpions are a gun-toting Harlem gang, and Jamal Hicks is about to become tragically involved with them in this authentic tale of the sacrifice of innocence and the struggle to steer clear of violence. This Newbery Honor Book will challenge young men to consider their own decisions as they come of age in a complex and often frustrating society.
Pushed by a bully to fight and nagged by his principal, Jamal is having a difficult time staying in school. His home life is not much better, with his mother working her fingers to the bone to try to earn the money for an appeal for Jamal’s jailed older brother, Randy.
Jamal wants to do the right thing and help earn the money to free his brother by working, but he’s afraid to go against the Scorpions. Jamal eventually pulls free of the gang’s bad influence, but only through the narrowest of escapes.
Walter Dean Myers, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, sensitively explores the loyalty and love between friends faced with hard choices. Scorpions is 25 years old, but the issues of poverty and violence make it a timeless powerful readsadly as relevant as ever.
15. The Life I'm In
Author: by Sharon G. Flake
English
336 pages
1338573179
The powerful and long-anticipated companion to The Skin I’m In, Sharon Flake’s bestselling modern classic, presents the unflinching story of Char, a young woman trapped in the underworld of human trafficking. My feet are heavy as stones when I walk up the block wondering why I can’t find my old self.
In The Skin I’m In, readers saw into the life of Maleeka Madison, a teen who suffered from the ridicule she received because of her dark skin color. For decades fans have wanted to know the fate of the bully who made Maleeka’s life miserable, Char.
Now in Sharon Flake’s latest and unflinching novel, The Life I’m In, we follow Charlese Jones, who, with her raw, blistering voice speaks the truths many girls face, offering insight to some of the causes and conditions that make a bully.
Turned out of the only home she has known, Char boards a bus to nowhere where she is lured into the dangerous web of human trafficking. Much is revealed behind the complex system of men who take advantage of vulnerable teens in the underbelly of society.
16. On the Come Up Collector’s Edition
Author: by Angie Thomas
Balzer + Bray
English
512 pages
This collector’s edition of the acclaimed, bestselling novel contains a letter from the author, deleted scenes, a picture of the author as a teen rapper, an annotated playlist, Angie’s top 5 MCs, an annotated rap, illustrated quotes from the book, and an excerpt from Angie’s next novel.
#1 New York Times bestseller Seven starred reviews Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor BookFor all the struggle in this book, Thomas rarely misses a step as a writer. Thomas continues to hold up that mirror with grace and confidence. We are lucky to have her, and lucky to know a girl like Bri.
The New York Times Book ReviewSixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill.
But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral …
