Homelessness and Food Insecurity Books for Children and Teens

Updated March 25, 2026
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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...
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
The World Around Us series introduces children to complex cultural, social and environmental issues that they may encounter outside their homes, in a way that is accessible. Sidebars offer further reading for older children or care providers who have bigger questions. For younger children just...
A place to stay : a shelter story
Gunti, Erin
Paper Book
"A comforting, accessible introduction to a not often discussed subject" - Kirkus Reviews A young girl and her mom are facing a big change - they're staying at a women's shelter for a little while, and the girl is feeling unsure about what comes next. But with her mother's...
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...
Words we don't say
Reilly, K. J. (Writer of young adult fiction)
Paper Book
Joel Higgins has 901 unsent text messages saved on his phone. Ever since the thing that happened, there are certain people he hasn't been able to talk to in person. Sure, he shows up at school, does his mandatory volunteer hours at the soup kitchen, and spends pretty much every moment...

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