Stories About All Kinds of Families

Kate has suffered from leukemia since she was a toddler, and her younger sister Anna was conceived for the blood and bone marrow that would help Kate fight the disease. But when it seems Kate might need a kidney, Anna decides that, though she loves her sister, enough is enough.

After her Mom and stepdad divorce, Addie moves with Mommers into a trailer owned by stepdad Dwight. Mommers is dysfunctional and inattentive, but Addie loves her and struggles to hold their life together. As she meets the trailer’s neighbors, Addie and this makeshift family become a group of folks you can’t help but root for.

Hattie enjoys her family and the boarders in her parents’ rooming house. Her wealthy grandmother is tough sometimes, but Hattie doesn’t get discouraged. When her mentally challenged Uncle Adam comes to live with them, Hattie must determine who in her family is most important.

The four Casson children, whose mother, Eve, is a fine-arts painter, have all been given the names of paint colors. Cadmium (Caddy), Saffron (Saffy), Indigo, and Rose. When Saffy discovers quite by accident that she has been adopted, she is deeply upset, though the others assure her that it makes no difference at all. Saffy is the daughter of Eve’s twin sister, who lived in Siena, Italy, and died in a car crash. Grandad brought Saffy, as a very small child, back from Siena. At Grandad’s death he leaves something to each of the children. To Saffy, it is “her angel,” although no one knows its identity. How Saffy discovers what her angel is, with the help of an energetic new friend, lies at the heart of this enchanting story. Unforgettable characters come alive in often deeply humorous and always absorbing events to be treasured for a long, long time

Ten-year old Lucky lives in a small California desert town with her guardian Brigitte, her father’s ex. Lucky’s “family” also includes the adults at the 12-Step meetings she eavesdrops on. When Lucky begins to worry that Brigitte will return to her native France, she searches for her own “higher power.” This title is a Newbery Award winner.

Fifteen-year old DeAndre lives in the projects of West Baltimore, and his parents, Fran and Gary, battle severe drug addiction. This book asks difficult questions: What happens when parents don’t parent? What is the community’s role? Simon and Burns went on to create the TV series “The Wire,” continuing their examination of life in Baltimore.

Cousins Clay and Addison were like brothers, growing up together in the projects, until they were ripped apart by a family argument. When they are reunited in a drug-treatment program, they try to work out their issues like a family. But one night, one wrong decision, leaves Clay shaken and Addison dead. And in the rash of events that follow, the truth of what actually happened on the rooftop of the apartment building is caught up in a clash of politics and racial issues. Will Clay be able to rise above the lies and face the truth?

Katy lives in Montreal with her Mom, an archeologist. When Mom leaves on a dig, Katy must stay in L.A. with her estranged father, an ex-addict and aging punk rock drummer in LA. Though, Katy is determined to stick to her “beige” personality, she and her Dad’s edgy companions have a lot to learn from each other.

Mara’s older sister has a daughter nearly as old as Mara. Unlike her immature, rebellious older sister, Mara has been accepted to Yale and is obedient to a fault. When Mara’s niece V comes to live with Mara’s family, it seems like she’s allowed to do whatever she wants, and Mara begins to chafe at her role as “the perfect one.”

Vince’s family is wealthy, while his new girlfriend is solidly middle class. But the bigger problem is Vince’s father is a mob boss, and his girlfriend’s father works for the FBI. Filled with colorful characters, this book is perfect for reluctant readers.

Cal’s mother acts weird sometimes, but Cal always knows how to deal with that — until that day at the library. When Cal is put in a group home with the knitting lady and four other girls, he’s sure the situation is just temporary, but the other foster home girls know differently.

When Ruby’s mother dies, she must move to California to live with her movie-star father, whom she doesn’t really know. Though, she’s determined to hate her rich famous father and she misses her old life in Boston, she comes to accept her new life.

At some point in their lives, all young people believe their parents are evil … but what if they really are? Six teenage friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains, and they find strength in one another. Together, they run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives - vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy.

Danny decides to spend the summer after his freshman year in college working with his estranged Dad at a resort town in Maine. Danny doesn’t know until he gets to Ogunquit that the restaurant he’s working in had largely gay staff and clientele. Danny doesn’t mind, but it’s strange being one of the only straight guys in town.