Homelessness and Food Insecurity Books for Children and Teens

Updated March 25, 2026
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
The exact location of home
Messner, Kate
Paper Book
Kate Messner pens a new moving tale of family and friendship about a tech-savvy boy searching for his father during tough times. No one is ever too lost to be found. Kirby "Zig" Zigonski lives for the world of simple circuits, light bulbs, buzzers, and...
The girl in between
Carroll, Sarah (Volunteer worker)
Paper Book
"A deeply moving story of family, homelessness, and the ghosts that won't let us go. Haunting and unforgettable."--Megan Shepherd, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Horses of Briar Hill Told in the naïve voice of a homeless girl sheltered by her...
Girl in pieces
Glasgow, Kathleen
Paper Book
Fans of Girl, Interrupted, Thirteen Reasons Why, and All the Bright Places will love this New York Times bestseller. "A haunting, beautiful, and necessary book that will stay with you long after you've read the last page."--Nicola Yoon, #1...
Learning to breathe
Mather, Janice Lynn
Paper Book
A 2019 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection Amelia Bloomer List's 2019 Top Ten Recommended Feminist Books for Young Readers A Governor General's Literary Award Finalist A Junior Library Guild Selection A Sheila A. Egoff Children...
On our street : our first talk about poverty
Roberts, Jillian
Paper Book
A gentle introduction to the issue of poverty, On Our Streetexplores the realities of people living with inadequate resources. Using age-appropriate language, this book addresses mental illness, homelessness and refugee status as they are connected to this issue. Insightful quotes from...
A place to stay : a shelter story
Gunti, Erin
Paper Book
"An expertly written, child-centred text which can be used to explore the many different traumas that force families into homelessness and to seek places of sanctuary" - Amnesty International UK This simple, touching picture book shows readers a women's shelter through the...
Poverty and hunger
Spilsbury, Louise
Paper Book
With our 24/7 news cycle and constant access to the latest headlines, the world can be a scary place. Now imagine you're a child trying to make sense of it all! What does this news mean? How does it affect me? That's where Children in Our World can help. This beautifully...
Still a family
Reeves Sturgis, Brenda
Paper Book
New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2017 A family has fallen on hard times and are living in different homeless shelters. But even though they are separate, they are still a family. A little girl and her parents have lost their home...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.