Book picks similar to
A Crack in the Sidewalk by Ruth Wolff
young-adult
childhood-books
family-relationships
f-ya-childrens
Darkwing
Kenneth Oppel - 2007
. . .DuskHe alone can fly and see in the dark, in a colony where being different means being shunned--or worse. As the leader's son, he is protected, but does his future lie among his kin?CarnassialHe has the true instincts of a predator, and he is determined that his kind will not only survive but will dominate the world of beasts.
Shrinking Violet
Danielle Joseph - 2009
. . .High school senior Teresa Adams is so painfully shy that she dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class. But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out - doing mock broadcasts for Miami's hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tere surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into confident, sexy Sweet T - and to everyone's shock, she's a hit! Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ's awesome taste in music. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest - and a prom date with Sweet T is the grand prize - Sweet T's dream could turn into Tere's worst nightmare. . . .
Ten Cents a Dance
Christine Fletcher - 2008
But in the 1940s, the only opportunities open to a Polish-American girl from Chicago's poor Yards is a job in one of the meat packing plants. Through a chance meeting with a local tough, Ruby lands a job as a taxi dancer and soon becomes an expert in the art of "fishing": working her patrons for meals, cash, clothes, even jewelry. Drawn ever deeper into the world of dance halls, jazz, and the mob, Ruby gradually realizes that the only one who can save her is herself. A mesmerizing look into a little known world and era.
The Amazing and Death-Defying Diary of Eugene Dingman
Paul Zindel - 1987
On his fifteenth birthday, precocious Eugene Dingman begins the amazing and death-defying diary of his summer spent as a waiter at a ritzy Adirondack resort.
The Player Next Door
Natalie - 2019
When she ran over his most prized possession, her world changed. She had to pay him back for every dime of damages, and the favors he called in weren't just about money. She had to pay him back, and everyone knows how payback is a... This is a love story. Hot boys like Luke Dawson never pay attention to nobodies like Millie. But here they were, two kids from opposite ends of the chain, set to turn the whole hierarchy upside down. Because no one can stop attraction. When opposites attract, the spontaneous reaction can be combustion or a downright explosion. With Luke, my money's on the explosion. We're talking public humiliation, roller-coaster emotions, drama among cliques, prissy sisters, crazy mothers, and a whole lot of hotness from resident bad boy and neighbor, Luke Dawson.
The Legacy: James (The Legacy Series Book 1)
Tricia Wentworth - 2020
Qualify for the Culling. Find a woman. Win the presidency.It was a carefully cultivated plan that dictated all his life’s decisions . . . until two women upend everything.Twenty-one years after his parents won the presidency, a Culling is called. James has waited his entire life for this moment, a chance to carry on his parents’ legacy. Meanwhile, whispers in Denver of an “Heir’s Curse” make a Reed winning the presidency seem impossible. A presidential heir has never won a Culling before, but there has also never been a Culling where three heirs could qualify. James and his siblings are determined to break the so-called curse and prove them all wrong.But when forced to choose between the easy love that could secure the presidency and a difficult one, what will James do?*This is book 1 of 4 in the spinoff for The Culling series.
Leftovers
Laura Wiess - 2008
In this follow-up to her heartbreaking debut, Such a Pretty Girl, Laura Wiess once again spins a shattering tale of the tragedies that befall young women who are considered society's Leftovers.Blair and Ardith are best friends who have committed an unforgivable act in the name of love and justice. But in order to understand what could drive two young women to such extreme measures, first you'll have to understand why. You'll have to listen as they describe parents who are alternately absent and smothering, classmates who mock and shun anyone different, and young men who are allowed to hurt and dominate without consequence. You will have to learn what it's like to be a teenage girl who locks her bedroom door at night, who has been written off by the adults around her as damaged goods. A girl who has no one to trust except the one person she's forbidden to see. You'll have to understand what it's really like to be forgotten and abandoned in America today.Are you ready?
The Rules of Survival
Nancy Werlin - 2006
A heart-wrenching portrait of family crisis, this is perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why. For Matt and his sisters, life with their cruel, physically abusive mother is a day-to-day struggle for survival. But then Matt witnesses a man named Murdoch coming to a child’s rescue in a convenience store; and for the first time, he feels a glimmer of hope. Then, amazingly, Murdoch begins dating Matt’s mother. Life is suddenly almost good. But the relief lasts only a short time. When Murdoch inevitable breaks up with their mother, Matt knows that he’ll need to take some action. Can he call upon Murdoch to be his hero? Or will Matt have to take measures into his own hands?National Book Award Finalist LA Times Book Prize Finalist ALA Best Books of the Year ALA Quick Pick
The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman
Louise Plummer - 1995
What do you do if you've lived a real romance with a great guy and he loves you as much as you love him? Simple, I wrote a romance novel with help from THE ROMANCE WRITER'S PHRASE BOOK. Nothing is made up. I want truth and conflict even in romance. I'm betting you'll want the same.
My Sister's a Popstar
Kimberly Greene - 2006
But it seems things are only going to get weirder, as Danni's been given her own reality TV series - & they're all going to be filmed. No way does Sam want her life on screen, but the director convinces her to give it a go. Can she handle her starring role as a pop star's little sister?
Zitface
Emily Howse - 2011
She knows what she wants to do with her life—be an actress. And she’s already on her way. She just landed a national ad campaign that should get her noticed.But then her luck runs out. A little pimple turns into a full-blown case of acne, with serious side effects for her career, her relationships, and her self-esteem. Now all she wants to do is hide, but she can’t. She goes from being the girl at school who everyone wants to be . . . to Zitface, a girl who is teased, dumped, and even fired.What do you do when you’ve lost control of everything in your life? Olivia has to find out the hard way. And maybe, what she finds isn’t so bad after all.
Betty's Child
Donald R. Dempsey - 2009
Twelve-year-old Donny is a real-life cross between Huckleberry Finn and Holden Caulfield. Donny is doing his best to navigate the world he shares with his cruel and neglectful mother, his mother's abusive boyfriends, churchgoers who want to save Donny's soul, and a best friend who wants Donny to go to work for a dangerous local thug doing petty theft and dealing drugs. Donny does everything he can to take care of himself and his younger brothers, but with each new development, the present becomes more fraught with peril--and the future more uncertain. "Heartrending and humorous. In scene after vivid scene, Dempsey presents his inspiring true story with accomplished style. Dempsey's discipline as a writer lends the real-life tale the feel of a fictional page-turner." Kirkus Reviews "This memoir is for everyone who has ever known someone abandoned, someone unloved, someone with barriers that seem impenetrable. With wit and delicacy, Dempsey exposes wounds that we would prefer to ignore, without ever pushing the reader away with any sense of melodrama. A truly unforgettable memoir." San Francisco Book Review--An estimated 700,000 children are victims of child maltreatment in the United States each year: 78% suffer neglect, 18% are physically abuse, 9% are sexually abused, 8% are psychologically maltreated, and an astonishing 78% suffer neglect. (Source: National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System) Don Dempsey experienced childhood abuse and neglect first hand, but went on to find business success and a fulfilling family life as an adult. "If you're lucky, you make it to adulthood in one piece," says Don. "But there's no guarantee the rest of your life is going to be any better. Abused kids are often plagued by fear and insecurity. They battle depression and have trouble with relationships. In the worst cases, abused children perpetuate the cycle." But Don is living proof that you can overcome a childhood of abuse and neglect. "You start by letting go of as much of the guilt (yes, abused kids feel guilty) and as many of the bad memories as possible. At the same time, you hold on to the things that helped you survive. For me, it was the belief that you can make life better by working at it and earning it. It helps to have a sense of humor, too." Some of Don's experiences will make you cringe, but you'll want to keep reading because of Don's natural storytelling ability and sense of humor. And in the end, you'll appreciate hearing Don's inspiring story.
Before I Die
Jenny Downham - 2007
a brilliantly crafted novel, heartbreaking yet life-affirming.Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of ‘normal’ life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallised in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out.
Switched
Jessica Wollman - 2007
. .Laura Mellon has never met a fabric she couldn't soften or a stain she couldn't remove. She's tired of cleaning houses with her starry-eyed mom. But it's the only way she'll save enough $$$ for college.To riches . . .Willa Pogue can't enjoy being an heiress. She's too busy worrying about fitting in at Fenwick, her snooty new Connecticut boarding school. Then she meets Laura, her new maid. Laura's the spitting image of Willa!Soon Laura is trading vacuums for Fenwick's ivy-covered campus, and Willa is sinking blissfully into the anonymity of the hired help. But then Laura begins to fall for preppy Caleb Blake, and Willa discovers a brandnew (and completely unacceptable for a Pogue) passion. Can the girls ever return to their old lives?
The Christmas Quilt
Thomas J. Davis - 2000
It will endear you not only to its storyline, but to the pictures it paints of Sunday dinners, of picking blackberries, of running train tracks, of a revival meeting, and of Granny creating a quilt for her long-absent son."