Children's Book Suggestions | Income Inequality

HUD's annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count, which estimates how many individuals are living without stable & secure housing, will be held on January 25, 2024. Whether you're hoping to help kids see themselves in a book or help them develop empathy for their friends and classmates, these books on poverty, homelessness, and foster care shine a light on an all-too-common experience.

Updated December 15, 2023
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
A homeless Christmas story
Dowd, Ryan
Paper Book

A Christmas story set in the second largest homeless shelter in the US, in which Santa enters just like anyone else in need and distributes toys to the children who live there. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

The wishing machine
Hillman, Jonathan
Paper Book
Oge Mora's Saturday meets Carmela Full of Wishes in this touching and whimsical picture book about a mother and child's last trip to their local laundromat before moving away. Every Sunday after cereal, Sam and Mom walk to the laundromat, wash their clothes, and see...

A hopeful farewell to a familiar ritual for kids who don't have access to laundry at home. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Home
Lippert, Tonya K.
Paper Book
In the brown house, Claire and Wes were home. But home turned to nowhere and nowhere turned to anywhere. Then somewhere finally came, and finally, always.  This lyrical story is timely and thoughtful, depicting the life of two children thrust into homelessness and...

Two kids navigate the difficult space of being between homes. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Dear Librarian
Sigwarth, Lydia M.
Paper Book
When Lydia was five years old, she and her family had to leave their home. They hopped from Grandma's house to Aunt Linda's house to Cousin Alice's house, but no place was permanent. Then one day, everything changed. Lydia's mom took her to a new place -- not a house, but a big building with...

Libraries were Lydia's refuge when her family didn't have a home of their own. Now a librarian herself, she writes a thank you letter to the librarian who welcomed her. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Madani's best game
Pintadera, Fran
Paper Book
A heartfelt book featuring a neighborhood soccer team and its determined young star, who has a secret plan even more impressive than his bicycle kicks. No one plays soccer like Madani. When the ball lands on his bare feet, the whole town stops to watch. Even Madani's mother-...
A neighborhood soccer star whose family can't afford shoes saves up his money to buy a special gift. (Picture Books Age 4-8)
Isaiah Dunn is my hero
Baptist, Kelly J.
Paper Book
A coming-of-age tale about a boy who discovers a love of poetry after finding his late father's journal. Adapted from a story that first appeared in Flying Lessons & Other Stories and perfect for fans of The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson. Isaiah is now the...

After his father dies and his family moves into a hotel, Isaiah Dunn finds his voice with the help of a journal his father left behind. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Snow foal
Bailey, Susanna
Paper Book
A beautiful and heart-wrenching middle grade debut, this title is a memorable story, full of love, healing, friendship, and hope. When eleven-year-old Addie goes to stay with a foster family on a remote Exmoor farm in the midst of a very cold winter, she is full of hurt, anger...

A girl who's recently gone into foster care bonds with a pony in rural England. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Something like home
Arango, Andrea Beatriz
Paper Book
The Pura Belpré Honor winning novel in verse, in which a lost dog helps a lonely girl find a way home to her family . . . only for them to find family in each other along the way. From the Newbery Honor winning author of Iveliz Explains It All. "Trust me: this book will touch...

Sent to live with her aunt after a well-meaning 911 call sends them to rehab, Laura copes with her feelings by training a stray puppy to be a therapy dog in this moving novel in verse. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Carry me home
Fox, Janet S.
Paper Book
"A poignant and powerful reminder that homelessness is not hopelessness." --Kirby Larson, author of Newbery Honor book Hattie Big Sky Two sisters struggle to keep their father's disappearance a secret in this tender middle grade novel that's perfect for fans of...

A novel in verse about two girls who must survive on their own in the Montana winter after their dad fails to return to the care where they're living. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

A duet for home
Glaser, Karina Yan
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling creator of the Vanderbeekers series comes a triumphant tale of friendship, healing, and the power of believing in ourselves told from the perspective of biracial sixth-graders June and Tyrell, two children living in a homeless shelter. As their...

A young musician bonds with a longtime resident when her family moves into a homeless shelter. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Lasagna means I love you
O'Shaughnessy, Kate
Paper Book
What are the essential ingredients that make a family? Eleven-year-old Mo is making up her own recipe in this unforgettable story that's a little sweet, a little sour, and totally delicious. Nan was all the family Mo ever needed. But suddenly she's gone, and Mo finds...

A heartfelt exploration of the power of food and family connections, featuring a foster kid who creates a website dedicated to family recipes in the hope of connecting with her own distant family. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Priya puts herself first
Fairbairn, Nathan
Paper Book
The best dog-walkers in town are back in the third book of this heartwarming graphic novel series that is the Baby-Sitters Club for pets! Perfect for fans of Real Friends and Allergic! The holidays have arrived for the PAWS team! And the girls are about to discover...

This graphic novel series is a must-read for fans of The Baby-Sitters Club! In this third installment, Priya's family is evicted and must move across town, straining her friendships with the other girls in her dog walking business. (Children's Graphic Novels Grades 3-5)

No place like home
Bird, James
Paper Book
A middle-grade novel by James Bird about homelessness and hope. When home is a car, life is unpredictable. School, friends, and three meals a day aren't guaranteed. Not every town has a shelter where a family can sleep for a night or two, and places with parking lots don't...
Inspired by an Ojibwe author's childhood experiences with housing insecurity. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)
Racing storm mountain
Reedy, Trent
Paper Book
Kelton Fielding has always felt out of place, never sure what to say to his peers who, truth be told, only tolerate him. When a snowmobile race is announced at McCall's annual Winter Festival, Kelton sees his chance to impress his classmates. He'll fix up his old sled and get it running, and he's...

Middle school rivals end up trapped in an avalanche when they go off-road in the annual snowmobile race. Set in rural Idaho, this is a great pick for middle school boys who love spending time outdoors in the PNW. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Operation final notice
Landis, Matthew
Paper Book
Told in alternating points of view, this middle grade novel, following best friends Ronny and Jo, is about anxiety, being in over your head, and learning to accept help-even if you don't know how to ask Eight hundred seventy-eight dollars. That's how much Ronny needs by January...
Free lunch
Ogle, Rex
Paper Book
Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex's mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he's on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout....

A gut-wrenching memoir about the shame and stigma the author experienced as a student receiving free lunch. (Children's Nonfiction Age 10-14)

How to train your dad
Paulsen, Gary
Paper Book
From the legendary author of Hatchet, a laugh-out-loud misadventure about a boy, his free-thinking dad, and the puppy-training pamphlet that turns their summer upside down. Twelve-year-old Carl is fed up with his father's single-minded pursuit of an off-the-grid...

Embarrassed by his dad's money-saving dumpster dives, a tween boy uses a dog training guide to try and change his dad's behavior in this funny novel from the author of Hatchet. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Maid for it
Sumner, Jamie
Paper Book
From the acclaimed author of Roll with It comes a relatable and "heart-wrenching" (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade novel about a girl who, in a desperate bid to keep her family afloat, takes over her mom's cleaning jobs after an injury prevents her from working. Now...

A middle school exploration of the dynamis explored in Stephanie Lands' popular memoir Maid, in which a tween tries to take over her mother's house cleaning jobs after an accident puts her out of work. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The in-between
Van Heidrich, Katie
Paper Book
For fans of Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle and Life in Motion by Misty Copeland, this middle grade memoir in verse with "stellar writing [and] perfect pacing" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) chronicles a young girl and her family who must start over after losing their home...

A memoir in verse about a real girl's experience of housing insecurity and homelessness in the Y2K era. (Children's Nonfiction Age 10-14)

Genesis begins again
Williams, Alicia
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book Winner of the Correta Scott King - John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award A Morris Award Finalist An NPR Favorite Book of 2019 A School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book of 2019 A Kirkus Reviews...

A Black middle schooler struggles with bullying and colorism after her family is evicted from their home. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

What is given from the heart
McKissack, Pat
Paper Book
CORETTA SCOTT KING - JOHN STEPTOEILLUSTRATORAWARD FOR NEW TALENTWINNER This final, magnificent picture book from three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and Newbery Honor author Patricia McKissack is a poignant and uplifting celebration of the joy of giving. ...

A story about the power of generosity centered around a young boy who both gives and receives gifts during his church's Valentine's Day drive for those in need. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Sanctuary : Kip Tiernan and Rosie's Place, the nation's first shelter for women
McDonnell, Christine
Paper Book
Before Kip Tiernan came along, the US had no shelters for women. Here is the inspirational story of a singular woman and what her vision and compassion have brought to life. "Justice is not three hots and a cot. Justice is having your own key." --Kip Tiernan ...
A picture book biography of a trailblazing advocate who created additional shelters for those in need and helped them find permanent homes. (Children's Nonfiction Age 7-10)
Sweetness all around
Supplee, Suzanne
Paper Book
An indomitable heroine who believes she is destined to find her kidnapped neighbor leads this warm, big-hearted story with irresistible characters and a captivating mystery. Almost-eleven-year-old Josephine is NOT pleased to be moving into the Happy World trailer park over the...
Set in 1974, a young girl tries to find a kidnapped neighbor after her family moves into the local trailer park following a devastating fire. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

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