Reading Lists
Abuse
Juvenile Fiction | Young Adult Fiction | Juvenile Non-Fiction
Juvenile Fiction
Comen, Carolyn
What Jamie Saw
Having fled
to a family friend's hillside trailer after his mother's boyfriend tried
to throw his baby sister against a wall, nine-year-old Jamie finds himself
living an existence full of uncertainty and fear.
The Lottery Rose
A young victim of child abuse gradually overcomes his fears and suspicions when placed in a home with other boys.
Irwin,
Hadley
Abby, My Love
In love since
junior high, Chip and Abby finally share Abby's secret: her father is
sexually abusing her.
Pfeffer,
Susan Beth
Nobody’s Daughter
In 1913 when she is sent to the Austen Home for Orphaned Girls,
eleven-year-old Emily copes with her difficult circumstances with the
help of the town librarian and the hope of finding her younger sister.
Rodowsky,
Colby F.
Hannah in Between
As she starts seventh grade, twelve-year-old Hannah can no longer
ignore her mother's increasingly erratic behavior caused by drinking.
Sachs,
Marilyn
A December Tale
A lonely foster child struggling to change her unhappy life
is weakened by the bribes of an abusive foster mother, yet strengthened
by imaginary conversations with Joan of Arc.
Stevenson,
James
The Bones in the Cliff
Pete, a lonely and timid eleven-year-old who has just made friends
with an adventurous girl named Rootie, hides out on Cutlass Island with
his alcoholic father, waiting for the gunman his father fears will kill
him.
Young Adult Fiction
Alphin, Elaine Marie
Counterfeit Son
When serial killer Hank Miller is killed in a shoot-out with police,
his abused son Cameron adopts the identity of one of his father's victims
in order to find a better life.
Burgess,
Melvin
Smack
After running away from their troubled homes, two English teenagers
move in with a group of squatters in the port city of Bristol and try
to find ways to support their growing addiction to heroin.
Crutcher,
Chris
Chinese Handcuffs
Still troubled by his older brother's suicide, eighteen-year-old
Dillon becomes deeply involved in the terrible secret of his friend
Jennifer, who feels she can tell no one what her stepfather is doing
to her.
Crutcher,
Chris
Staying Fat for
Sarah Byrnes
The daily class discussions about the nature of man, the existence
of God, abortion, organized religion, suicide and other comtemporary
issues serve as a backdrop for a high-school senior's attempt to answer
a friend's dramatic cry for help.
Marsden,
John
Letters From the Inside
The relationship between two teenage girls who become acquainted
through letters intensifies as their correspondence reveals some of
the terrible problems of their lives.
Quarles,
Heather
A Door Near Here
Four siblings struggle to maintain a semi-normal home life when
their single mother’s alcoholism becomes debilitating.
Ross,
Raymond Royal
Harper & Moon
Although twelve-year-old Harper has always liked Moon, an abused,
orphaned older boy, their friendship is tested by a discovery Harper
makes when Moon joins the Army in 1943.
Stoehr,
Shelley
Crosses
Unhappy at home, Nancy and her friend Katie adopt punk lifestyles
and find relief in cutting themselves, until Nancy is forced to confront
her problems.
Juvenile Non-Fiction
The Safe Zone : A Kid's Guide to Personal Safety (JUV 613.608 CHAIET)
Discusses various self-defense options which may be used when in an uncomfortable or unsafe situation and suggests what solutions might work in real life.
Greenberg,
Keith
Family Abuse: Why Do
People Hurt Each Other? (JUV 362.82GREENBERG)
Uses photos, charts, and graphs to present well-rounded discussions
that encourage children to form their own conclusions or pursue the
subject further.
Hyde,
Margaret O.
Know About Abuse
(JUV 362.76 HYDE)
Describes cases of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; their effects;
and how to prevent maltreatment.
Sexual Abuse-Let’s Talk About It (JUV 362.704 HYDE)
Discusses the sexual abuse of children, how they can protect themselves, where they can seek help, the kinds of help available, and how to increase public awareness of this problem.
Spelman,
Cornelia
Your Body Belongs To
You! (JUV 613 SPELMAN)
Explains what to say and do if someone touches your body when you do
not want to be touched, especially when the action involves the touching
of private parts.