Books, Books, Books!

If you like A Child Called "It," you might like...

Pelzer, Dave- The Child Called "It" series:

A Child Called It

The Lost Boy

A Man Named Dave

The Privilege of Youth

Fiction:

Atkins, Catherine- When Jeff Comes Home
Sixteen-year-old Jeff, returning home after having been kidnapped and held prisoner for three years, must face his family, friends, and school and the widespread assumption that he engaged in sexual activity with his kidnapper.

Cole, Brock- The Facts Speak for Themselves
At the request of her social worker, thirteen-year-old Linda gradually reveals how her life with her unstable mother and her younger brother lead to her rape and the murder she witnessed.

Coman, 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.

Fitch, Janet- White Oleander
Astrid is the only child of a single mother, Ingrid, a brilliant, obsessed poet who wields her luminous beauty to intimidate and manipulate men.  Astrid worships her mother and cherishes their private world full of ritual and mystery– but their idyll is shattered when Astrid’s mother falls apart over a love.  Deranged by rejection, Ingrid murders the man, and is sentenced to life in prison.  The unforgettable story of Astrid’s journey through a series of foster homes and her efforts to find a place for herself in impossible circumstances.

Flinn, Alex- Breathing Underwater
Sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, Caitlin, and ordered to keep a journal, sixteen-year-old Nick recounts his relationship with Caitlin, examines his controlling behavior and anger, and describes living with his abusive father.

McCormick, Patricia- Cut
Fifteen-year-old Callie isn’t speaking to anybody, not even to her therapist at Sea Pines, the “residential treatment facility” where her parents and doctor sent her after discovering that she cuts herself.  As her story unfolds, Callie reluctantly becomes involved with the other “guests” at Sea Pines—finding her voice and confronting the trauma that triggered her behavior.

Rapp, Adam- 33 Snowfish
A homeless boy, running from the police with a fifteen-year-old, drug-addicted prostitute, her boyfriend who just killed his own parents, and a baby, gets the chance to make a better life for himself.

Shaw, Susan- The Boy From the Basement
A twelve-year-old boy is confined to his basement without food or clothing. 

You might also enjoy the following authors:

Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak
Catalyst 

Chris Crutcher
Chinese Handcuffs
Whale Talk
Ironman 

Sharon Draper
Forged by Fire
Tears of a Tiger
Darkness Before Dawn 

Beatrice Sparks
Finding Katie
Go Ask Alice
It Happened to Nancy

Non-Fiction:

Burch, Jennings Michael- They Cage the Animals at Night
One rainy day in Brooklyn, Jennings Michael Burch’s mother, too sick to care for him, left him at an orphanage, saying only, “I’ll be right back.”  She never returned.  Shuttled through a series of bleak foster homes and institutions, he never remained in any of them long enough to make a friend.  Instead, Jennings clung to a tattered stuffed animal, his sole source of warmth in a frightening world. 
 

Mah, Adeline Yen- Chinese Cinderella
Adeline Yen Mah tells the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair.  Adeline’s affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her.  Life does not get any easier when her father remarries.  She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled.  Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for– the love and understanding of her family.  This is the poignant story of his lost childhood.  But it is also the triumphant tale of a little boy who finally gained the courage to reach our for love– and found it waiting for him.
 

Pelzer, Richard- A Brother's Journey
A memoir from the brother of David Pelzer.  Richard Pelzer tells the courageous and moving story of his abusive childhood.  From tormenting his brother David to becoming himself the focus of his mother’s wrath to his ultimate liberation.
 

Runyon, Brent- The Burn Journals
Brent Runyon was fourteen-years-old when he set himself on fire.  In this book he describes that suicide attempt and his recovery over the following years.
 

Tarbox, Katherine- Katie.com: My Story
When thirteen-year-old Katherine Tarbox used her sister’s laptop to go online, she found a whole new social scene where people were not judged by their looks but by what they had to say.  And there, in an adolescent chatroom, she found Mark.  He was perfect: he listened to her, he understood her, and, according to his message, he loved her.  And through a series of evolving e-mail message, Katie fell in love with Mark– fell in love for the first time in her life.  But when they actually met, Katie’s teenage dream man turned out to be a forty-year-old named Frank.