Books about Displacement, Homelessness, and Poverty
“One of the things we can do as artists is to be truthful about what the world holds.”
—Tony Abbott, author of The Great Jeff and Firegirl
Literature is a powerful tool that both reflects our world and widens it, allowing readers to see themselves and to see how people different from themselves live. One of the most important things literature does is allow us approach tough topics. It gives us both imagined and real spaces to explore subjects like displacement, homelessness, and poverty, gives us words to describe the emotional and psychological landscapes those realities engender, gives us trailblazers, truthtellers, and characters who populate those landscapes. Here at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers we’ve a curated list of titles that can help you address these topics with the young readers in your classrooms and libraries. They cover everything from how a parent losing her job can lead to homelessness, to a hurricane forcing a young girl and her family to find a new home, to the stories of the children of migrant workers. We’re confident these books can help spark difficult conversations that need to be held, and keep those conversations going.
The Great Jeff
by Tony Abbott
Perfect for fans of Gary D. Schmidt comes the companion to the modern classic Firegirl from acclaimed writer Tony Abbott.
Life hasn't been great for Jeff Hicks. After years at his beloved St. Catherine's, he's forced to spend eighth grade in the public middle school, which he hates. He's no longer speaking to his former best friend, Tom Bender, because of "that burned girl" Jessica Feeney. But worst of all, his family is changing, and it's not for the better.
When his mom comes home announcing that she's lost her job, Jeff begins to worry about things far beyond his years: How will they pay the rent? Will his absentee dad step up and save the day? Is his mom drinking too much? And ultimately, where will they live?
The Great Jeff is a powerful look at the life of a troubled boy who finds his life spiraling out of control.
The End of the Wild
by Nicole Helget
Now available in paperback, this timely coming of age novel takes on the controversial issues of fracking and environmental protection.
Refugee 87
by Ele Fountain
A young refugee crosses continents in this timely, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting novel of survival.
We Are Displaced
by Malala Yousafzai
Zaynab was out of school for two years as she fled war before landing in America. Her sister, Sabreen, survived a harrowing journey to Italy.
Ajida escaped horrific violence, but then found herself battling the elements to keep her family safe.
****
In her powerful new book, Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times-bestselling author Malala Yousafzai introduces some of the people behind the statistics and news stories about the millions of people displaced worldwide.
Malala's experiences visiting refugee camps caused her to reconsider her own displacement -- first as an Internally Displaced Person when she was a young child in Pakistan, and then as an international activist who could travel anywhere in the world except to the home she loved. In We Are Displaced, which is part memoir, part communal storytelling, Malala not only explores her own story, but she also shares the personal stories of some of the incredible girls she has met on her journeys -- girls who have lost their community, relatives, and often the only world they've ever known.
In a time of immigration crises, war, and border conflicts, We Are Displaced is an important reminder from one of the world's most prominent young activists that every single one of the 68.5 million currently displaced is a person -- often a young person -- with hopes and dreams.
Minna's Patchwork Coat
by Lauren A Mills
In this charming historical novel, acclaimed artist Lauren A. Mills reimagines her beloved picture book, The Rag Coat, with fifty delicate pencil illustrations and an expanded story about a resilient little girl, her patchwork coat, and how the two bring a community together.
Minna and her family don't have much in their small Appalachian cabin, but "people only need people," Papa always reminds her. Unable to afford a winter coat to wear to school, she's forced to use an old feed sack to keep her warm. Then Papa's terrible cough from working in the coal mines takes him away forever, and Minna has a hard time believing that anything will be right again...until her neighbors work tirelessly to create a coat for her out of old fabric scraps. Now Minna must show her teasing classmates that her coat is more than just rags--it's a collection of their own cherished memories, each with a story to share.
Sorta Like a Rock Star
by Matthew Quick
Amber Appleton lives in a bus. Ever since her mom's boyfriend kicked them out, Amber, her mom, and her totally loyal dog, Bobby Big Boy (aka Thrice B) have been camped out in the back of Hello Yellow (the school bus her mom drives). Still, Amber, the self-proclaimed princess of hope and girl of unyielding optimism, refuses to sweat the bad stuff. But when a fatal tragedy threatens Amber's optimism--and her way of life, can Amber continue to be the rock star of hope?
With an oddball cast of characters, and a heartwarming, inspiring story, this novel unveils a beautifully beaten-up world of laughs, loyalty, and hard-earned hope. The world is Amber's stage, and Amber is, well...she's sorta like a rock star. True? True.
Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
by Ashley Herring Blake
I Am Malala
by Malala Yousafzai
With Patricia McCormick
The bestselling memoir by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
I Am Malala. This is my story.
Malala's powerful story will open your eyes to another world and will make you believe in hope, truth, miracles and the possibility that one person -- one young person -- can inspire change in her community and beyond.
The Red Pencil
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by Shane Evans
Ninth Ward
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
From the New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Boys and Towers Falling, Ninth Ward is a deeply emotional story about transformation and a celebration of resilience, friendship, and family--as only love can define it.
Diamond Boy
by Michael Williams
Voices from the Fields
by S. Beth Atkin
Now in paperback, this critically acclaimed book features photographs, poems, and interviews with nine children who reveal the hardships and hopes of today's Mexican-American migrant farm workers and their families.