IF YOU LIKE...A CHILD CALLED IT

FICTION:

When Jeff Comes Home
by Catherine Atkins (YA ATKINS) 231p HS
After years of being kidnapped by a pedophile, Jeff must face his family & community.

The Facts Speak for Themselves
by Brock Cole (YA COLE) 184p HS
A 13-year-old Linda witnesses a murder. The victim? A man. Her lover.

Chinese Handcuffs
by Chris Crutcher (YA CRUTCHER) 202p HS
Still troubled by his brother's suicide, Dillon is further torn by his friend Jennifer’s secret of what her stepfather is doing to her.

Forged by Fire
by Sharon Draper (YA DRAPER) 156p MS/HS
Gerald has spent years protecting his fragile half-sister from their abusive father; now there will be one final confrontation.

Breathing Underwater
by Alex Flinn (YA FLINN) 263p HS
Nick tries to deal with his abusive past and stop a future where he is the abuser.

Me & Emma
by Elizabeth Flock (FIC FLOCK) 299p HS
Carrie & her sister Emma endure living with their abusive stepfather, while the adults around them pretend not to notice.

Ellen Foster
by Kaye Gibbons (FIC GIBBONS) 146p HS
"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy. I would figure out this or that way and run it down through my head until it got easy."

Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey!
by Margaret Peterson Haddix (YA HADDIX) 125p MS/HS
Tish chronicles changes in her life when her abusive father returns from a
2-year absence.

You Don’t Know Me
by David Klass (YA KLASS) 262p MS/HS
John creates alternative realities to try to cope with abuse, a crush, and other problems at school.

America
by E.R. Frank (YA FRANK) 242p HS
America, a not-black, not-white, not-anything boy, tries to piece his life together after years in institutions for anti-social behavior.

Waiting for Christopher
by Louise Hawes (YA HAWES) 224p MS/HS
A lonely, 14-year-old bibliophile is reminded of her infant brother who died and decides to care for an abused, abandoned child with help from a new friend.

Never So Green
by Tim Johnston (YA JOHNSTON) 227p MS/HS
Even his deformed hand doesn't stop Tex from having a great summer of baseball--until he learns about a "dirty little secret."

Silent to the Bone
by E.L. Konigsburg (YA KONIGSBURG) 261p MS/HS
Branwell is falsely accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister and then he stops talking.

Fifth Born
by Zelda Lockhart (FIC LOCKHART) 210p HS
“I lived in fear so much I couldn’t show you any love.”

So Much to Tell You
by John Marsden (YA MARSDEN) 119p MS/HS
Marina, a disfigured Australian girl who refuses to speak, begins a diary to uncover her thoughts and feelings.

When She Was Good
by Norma Fox Mazer (YA MAZER) 228p HS
Em survived years of abuse & neglect by her family. Now that she's on her own, can she survive?

Hate You
by Graham McNamee (YA MCNAMEE) 119p HS
Alice tries to reconcile her feelings for herself and her abusive father.

Born Blue
by Han Nolan (YA NOLAN) 277p HS
She may be poor, abused, and self-destructive, but Leshaya is determined to be a famous singer like Etta James.

33 Snowfish
by Adam Rapp (YA RAPP) 179p HS
A homeless boy and a 15-year-old prostitute are on the run from the police and her boyfriend.

Black-eyed Suzie
by Susan Shaw (YA SHAW) 167p MS/HS
Suzie stays in a box, an imaginary shelter where she doesn’t have to eat, sleep, or speak. Can anyone help her?

Treacherous Love: The Diary of an Anonymous Teenager
by Beatrice Sparks (YA SPARKS) 164p HS
Jennie is already confused and in anguish, but all that pales when she falls for her teacher.

The Tale of One Bad Rat
by Bryan Talbot (YA GRAPHIC TALBOT) HS
Helen Potter becomes the armored knight confronting her own personal demons, including sex abuse.

When She Hollers
by Cynthia Voigt (YA VOIGT) 177p MS/HS
Tish has endured abuse from her stepfather for far too long. Now she will stop it. Whatever the cost.

Bruises
By Anke de Vries (YA VRIES) 168p MS/HS
Michael meets Judith who blames herself for the abuse she receives from her mother.

Back to Top

REAL LIFE STORIES:

As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl
(305.9066 COL) 279p HS
A boy sex-changed to female as an infant remains traumatized through-out his life until the truth is revealed.

The State Boys Rebellion
(362.1968 DAN 2004) 308p HS
In 1949, Freddie was given a rudimentary IQ test and sent to an institution for the feeble-minded, along with many other normal boys.

Ghost Girl: The True Story of a Child in Peril & the Teacher Who Saved Her
(362.1989 Hay) 307p HS
The story of an 8-year-old girl who refuses to speak because of sex abuse and possible exposure to satanic rituals.

They Cage the Animals at Night
(362.73 BUR) 293p HS
The story of an abandoned boy shuffled through orphanages and foster homes with only a tattered stuffed animal to cling to.

Becoming Anna: The Autobiography of a 16-year old
(362.76 MIC) 256p HS
“In a world that had never been anything but oppressive and cruel to any of us, they thought it was crazy for me to still have some innocence…”

The Lost Boy
(362.76 PEL) 340p HS
The sequel to A Child Called It.

A Man Named Dave
(362.76 PEL) 284p HS
The third installment following A Child Called It and The Lost Boy.

A Brother’s Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse
(362.76 PEL 2005) 262p HS
A companion to A Child Called It, tells the tale of Richard, David’s brother who becomes their mother’s target after David is removed.

Wayne: An Abused Child’s Story of Courage, Survival & Hope
(362.76 THE) 212p HS
Wayne, along with 11 brothers and sisters struggled to survive one of the worst recorded cases of child abuse.

Whatever Mother Says
(364.1523 CLA 1995) 265p HS
The tale of the terrifyingly horrible abuse and murder of Teresa’s older sisters by their mother.

Cruel Deception
(364.1523 OLS 2005) 336p HS
The tale of Tanya Reid, a mother eventually convicted of child abuse and first degree murder.

In My Father’s Arms: A True Story of Incest
(364.1536 DEM) 133p HS
The author tells the story of his repeated sexual abuse by his father, who went on to molest neighborhood children.

Beautiful Child
(371.9 HAY) 326p HS
7-year-old Venus finally gets the help she needs.

First Person Plural: My Life as a Multiple
(616.85 WES) 319p HS
West’s chronicle of his life developing and dealing with multiple personalities.

Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood
(616.8582 GRE 2003) 244p HS
A memoir of a child made sick by her mother.

Nightmares Echo
(616.8583 STE 2003) 113p HS
A woman recalls her childhood’s abuse by her father.

Angelhead
(616.8982 BOT) 207p HS
High on LSD, Michael, 14, lost his mind. His brother, Greg, 10, watches helplessly and is severely beaten by his brother. That’s just the beginning.

Learning to Swim: A Memoir
(811.54 TUR) 115p HS
The shame and confusion of sexual molestation.

Finding Fish
(921 FISHER) 339p HS
Antwone fisher, raised in institutions and the streets enlists in the Navy where he finds salvation.

Blackbird: A Childhood Lost & Found
(921 LAUCK) 406p HS
A memoir of six years during which Lauck lost both her parents.

This Boy’s Life
(921 WOLFF) 288p HS
A story of boyhood in the 50s and Toby, separated from his father and brother, who learns to trust his mother.

Chinese Cinderella
(951 MAH) 205p MS/HS
Adeline’s powerful, affluent family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her.

MS = Most appropriate for middle schoolers
MS/HS = Most appropriate for middle/high schoolers
HS = Most appropriate for high schoolers

Back to Top

Back to Great Reads