[jodyjl Posts: 390 Status: Offline]

Can you all help me brainstorm some contemporary MG books that deal with some "tough" issues, i.e alcoholism, abuse, etc.

I'm thinking along the lines of "TRUE...sort of" by Katherine Hannigan.

All titles are appreciated.

Jody

[cindoh Posts: 204 Status: Offline WWW]

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt deals with an abusive father.

[Jaina Posts: 2,864 Status: Offline Just keep typing, just keep typing . . .]

I was going to name that one, but it's historical.  Did you mean contemporary is in "set now" or as in "published recently"?

Been trying to think of a contemporary (set now) MG with one of those tough issues.  Most of the stuff of that sort that I admire ends up falling into that historical category where you might not even think of it as taking place in the past.

[cindoh Posts: 204 Status: Offline WWW]

Yes, I inserted "recent" when you asked for contemporary... sorry. How about The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmorris? The father's in jail and the MC deals with a lot of tough issues.

And a different type of tough issue, but how about Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper?

[KDuBayGillis Posts: 281 Status: Offline]

LOVE, AUBREY fits this description.  (father, sister killed, mother abandons daughter).  Also DRUMS, GIRLS, and DANGEROUS PIE by Jordan Sonnenblick (brother with cancer). 

Jenny Hahn's SHUG has an alcoholic mother. 

The MIXED UP FILES of MG Writers' blog might have a list of books like this....Elissa and the blog team have compiled great lists of various MG books.

[Karen Bly Posts: 145 Status: Offline]

Here's a book list from the Mixed-Up Files on MG fiction and mental illness:

http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/2011/04/shining-a-light-on-mental-illness/

[Mike Jung]

Mitali Perkins's BAMBOO PEOPLE is about child soldiers in contemporary Burma. OPERATION YES by Sara Lewis Holmes has families contending with the consequences of war. WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER is a wonderful (if heartbreaking) book about children with terminal illnesses.

[J-Bert Posts: 257 Status: Offline WWW]

NOWHERE GIRL by A.J. Paquette is fantastic, about an American girl born and raised in a Thai prison and set free when her mother dies. SPARROW ROAD by Sheila O'Connor might also fit the bill, about a girl who learns about her estranged father while she spends the summer at an artist's retreat where her mother works. There are also themes of elderly/dementia touched on. And BREADCRUMBS by Anne Ursu deals with mental illness and many other tough issues in a very compelling way.

And this seems like one you would have already considered since it's a Newbery but I'll throw it out there anyway--THE POWER OF LUCKY.

[Wendy Martin Posts: 428 Status: Offline Got art? WWW]

The Whole Story of Half a Girl deals with depression, unemployment and prejudice. Here's a review on it. http://www.magickware.com/mg-book-review-the-whole-story-of-half-a-girl-by-veera-hiranandani/

[hairaplenty Posts: 1,456 Status: Offline Don't ever quit!]

Maniac Magee--Classic.

[Barbara Etlin Posts: 2,219 Status: Offline WWW]

HUGGING THE ROCK by Susan Taylor Brown deals with a bipolar mother.

[jodyjl Posts: 390 Status: Offline]

Great suggestions so far!

Thanks everyone.

Let me know if you think of more. I'll be checking out the Mixed-up files blog next.

[AnneB Posts: 3,500 Status: Offline]

Escaping the Tiger by Blueboarder Laura Manivong. Life in a Thai refugee camp is almost as bad as what the family was escapting in the first place.

[jodyjl Posts: 390 Status: Offline]

I was going to name that one, but it's historical.  Did you mean contemporary is in "set now" or as in "published recently"?

Been trying to think of a contemporary (set now) MG with one of those tough issues.  Most of the stuff of that sort that I admire ends up falling into that historical category where you might not even think of it as taking place in the past.

I was thinking "set now" when I said contemporary, but honestly, I'm just trying to get a sense of how overtly some of these issues have been handled for the MG reader, so if they are set in the past (as in OKAY FOR NOW) that's fine.

[mrh Posts: 4,322 Status: Offline www.marciahoehne.com WWW]

THE TROUBLE WITH HALF A MOON by Blueboarder Danette Vigilante is about child neglect and hunger (of a supporting character) and what life is like in a NYC housing project. Opens with a gunshot being fired into a door. It's a lovely and powerful book.

[Dionna]

Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine is a beautifully written book written from the first-person POV of a girl with Asperger's who has lost her brother in a school shooting.

[dinalapomy101 Posts: 1,822 Status: Offline Happy writing to all! WWW]

Waiting For Normal by Leslie Connor

[jodyjl Posts: 390 Status: Offline]

Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine is a beautifully written book written from the first-person POV of a girl with Asperger's who has lost her brother in a school shooting.

Definitely on my top 10 favorite books of all time, children or adult. I love this book!

[ChristinefromCorona Posts: 806 Status: Offline]

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor (homelessness).

All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel (mother sent to prison for embezzlement).

[amberturner Posts: 142 Status: Offline WWW]

It won't be out until May 15, but my Sway is about a girl and her father dealing with a mom who has left for another family. (And they deal with it in very unconventional ways.)

[angela Posts: 491 Status: Offline WWW]

I love Ann Dee Ellis's books - I think she is amazing -
  THIS IS WHAT I DID (bullying, abuse, guilt)
   EVERYTHING IS FINE (sibling death, parental depression, abandonment...)

my most favorite serious subject MG book is WHAT JAMIE SAW

I also love some books that were already mentioned TROUBLE WITH HALF A MOON and WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER

TALL STORY by Candy Gourlay is on the surface about a girl who wants to join the basketball team and who is embarrassed by her older half brother with who has a medical condition -but it is also about immigration, identity and family.

OLIVE'S OCEAN by Kevin Henkes (death)

LOVE RUBY LAVENDER  by Deborah Wiles (other books by her too)

Maybe a reference could be www.SeriousSubjects.com - it is out of date (sorry) but has books from YA to pb, fiction and nonfiction arranged by subjects

Also, my debut THE END OF THE LINE is about a boy coping with his role in the death of his friend and his uncle is serving in Iraq.

[jodyjl Posts: 390 Status: Offline]

It won't be out until May 15, but my Sway is about a girl and her father dealing with a mom who has left for another family. (And they deal with it in very unconventional ways.)

Amber, I cannot tell you how excited I am to read your book. I've been intrigued since you first posted the cover, and your blurb on your website made me even more excited. Don't worry, I'm not stalking you!

Thanks for all the suggestions, Blue Boarders. Feel free to keep them coming!

You are all so wonderful!

Jody

[Helen Posts: 224 Status: Offline WWW]

Waiting for Normal...struck quite a note in my heart having worked with abused/neglected children. The main character is such a survivor. 

[amberturner Posts: 142 Status: Offline WWW]

Aw, thanks Jody! Made my day!

[Lwrites Posts: 164 Status: Offline]

Some of the books in the Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen deal with "tough" issues while still remaining safely in the upper-MG camp: a homeless girl, teen pregnancy, gangs, teen drug use, major bullying, mothers running off to Hollywood and leaving you to live illegally with your grandmother....also, RUNAWAY by the same author is about the homeless kid who makes an appearance in the SAMMY series.

[CaroleB]

What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman. I haven't read it, but it fits your request.

[Michelle J. Posts: 55 Status: Offline]

So B. It  by Sarah Weeks

[elisa Posts: 88 Status: Offline]

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan. . .

Maybe this has been mentioned, but Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech.

Pip, the Story of Olive. . .by Kim Kane (love this book!)

The Slightly True Story of Cedar B. Hartley by Martine Murray.

[jojohn Posts: 197 Status: Offline Perserverance]

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper--from the point of view of an extremely bright girl who has cerebral palsy and is nonverbal and can only use her thumbs--her struggles to communicate and fit in

[eecoburn Posts: 202 Status: Offline]

A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles is about kids trying to survive while their mother is incapacitated by alcoholism.