 A
Gathering of Days:
A
New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-32
by Joan W. Blos
Newbery Medal 1980
Ages 9–12
This novel is written in the form of
a diary kept for a year by Catherine Cabot Hill, a 13-year-old
girl in New Hampshire. Catherine’s mother has died, and she must
keep house for her father and younger sister. During the year,
Catherine undergoes school discipline, encounters runaway slaves,
loses a friend, and faces new relationships when her father remarries
a woman with children of her own. |
|
 Dear
Mr. Henshaw
by Beverly Cleary
Newbery Medal 1984
Ages 8–12
Leigh begins writing to Mr. Henshaw,
an author, when he is in 2nd grade as a school assignment. Leigh
is lonely and unhappy. He’s the new kid in town with recently
divorced parents, his lunch is stolen every day, and he doesn’t
even have a dog. Mr. Henshaw writes back and encourages Leigh
to keep a journal to express his feelings. This outlet allows
Leigh to slowly develop confidence in himself. The reader will
enjoy watching Leigh’s writing improve over the four years covered
in the book. |
|
 Walk
Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
Newbery Medal 1995
Ages 10–14
Salamanca Tree Hiddle’s mother leaves
home on a spiritual quests, but promises to return. She doesn’t,
and Sal and her father move from Kentucky to Idaho. Her new friend
Phoebe is also 13 and also has a mother who vanished. Sal convinces
her grandparents to drive to Idaho in search of her mother while
telling the story of Phoebe. Sal’s journey through the grieving
process of denial, anger, and acceptance is presented realistically
and with compassion. |
|
 The
Last Exit to Normal
by Michael Harmon
Ages 14–up
When 17-year-old Ben’s father announces
he’s gay and the family splits up, Ben figures it can’t
get worse. But then his father and boyfriend move with
Ben from big-city Spokane to a rural Montana town—no
place for a boy with spiked hair, a skateboard habit, and
two dads. |
|
 Bird
Lake Moon
by Kevin Henkes
Ages 10–14
Mitch (12) is brooding about
his parents’ upcoming divorce when he meets Spencer (10)
who has been shaken by a drowning at Bird Lake. Told
in alternating chapters from both viewpoints, this novel
explores secrets, loss, and acceptance of what cannot
be changed. |
|
 How
I Saved My Father’s Life
(and
Ruined Everything Else)
by Ann Hood
Ages 11–up
Madeline (11) believes she saved
her father from an avalanche, and is hoping for another
miracle to undo her parents’ divorce and father’s remarriage.
Perceptive view of divorce from a child’s perspective. |
|
 Outside
Beauty
by Cynthia Kadohata
Ages 12–up
When 12-year old Shelby’s beautiful
mother is critically injured in a car crash, Shelby and
her three sisters are parceled out to their four different
fathers. As Shelby plans to reunite the sisters, she
begins to appreciate her father’s kindness and begins
to understand the difference between beauty and perfection. |
| |
|
 I
Know It’s Over
by C.K. Kelly Martin
Ages 14–up
Still coping with his parents’
divorce, 16-year-old Nick is stunned when his ex-girlfriend
Sasha tells him she is pregnant. Nick struggles to
do the right thing by Sasha. His pain and uncertainty
are portrayed with frankness in this emotionally complex
coming-of-age story. |
|
 How
to Build a House
by Dana Reinhardt
Ages 12–up
Harper Evans is shaken by her
father’s second divorce and her separation from her beloved
stepmother and best friend stepsister. Participating
in a summer program to build a house for a needy family
helps Harper see how both houses and relationships can
be resurrected through hard work, hope, and teamwork. |
|
 My
So-Called Family
by Courtney Sheinmel
Ages 9–12
When Leah Hoffman-Ross’s family
moves to New York shortly before the start of the 8th
grade year, she decides to try and pass as normal, instead
of the child of Donor 730 from a Maryland sperm back.
Her mother thinks her new stepfather and little brother
should be all the family she needs, but Leah finds the
database of the sperm registry and discovers she has
a half-sister her own age. This thought-provoking book
encourages readers to think about what really makes a
family. |
|
 The
Dancing Pancake
by Eileen Spinelli, Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
Ages 8–12
Bindi (11) had a normal and
happy life until her parents announced they were separating.
After her father moves to another city, Bindi’s mother
and aunt open a diner, The Dancing Pancake, to make
ends meet. Told entirely in verse from Bindi’s perspective,
this accessible book presents Bindi’s struggles to
deal with her new reality and her wildly changing emotional
state in a light-hearted way. |
|
 Me,
the Missing, and the Dead
by Jenny Valentine
Ages 14–up
Fifteen-year-old Lucas finds
an abandoned urn of ashes in a London cab depot and discovers
the truth about the disappearance of his father five
years earlier. This British novel raises questions about
death, euthanasia, and broken families while retaining
a healthy sense of humor. |
|
 Brenda
Berman, Wedding Expert
by Jane Breskin Zalben, Victoria
Chess
Ages 6–9
Headstrong Brenda is crushed
when her favorite uncle announces that he is getting
married, especially when she learns that the bride
does not intend to attire the flower girl in gold
lamé. And worst of all, Brenda will have to
share that starring role with the golden-curled niece
of the bride. This early chapter book pairs lively
text with amusing watercolor illustrations that perfectly
capture our heroine’s facial expressions. |
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