"Also Known As Harper" by Ann Haywood Leal

5th grade Harper has a lot on her mind. Her dad left home, after arguing with her mom about his drinking. Harper, her younger brother Hem, and her mom are evicted from their apartment after not paying their rent. Things only seem to get worse. But Harper has always found comfort in her words. She's even named after her mom's favorite book, "To Kill A Mockingbird." So when a poetry competition comes up at school, Harper is confident she's got a shot at winning. But things don't go according to plan, when her family is forced to move.

"Love You Hate You Miss You" by Elizabeth Scott

Amy was the only one to survive the car crash. She was the one who made them leave the party. She was the one who told Julia to drive. Amy feels responsible for killing her best friend.

Amy and Julia were inseparable. Julia was one of those amazing people. She had the best attitude, the coolest outfits and knew of all the great parties. They were a perfectly matched team and no one will ever be able to replace her.

Amy's parents made her go to rehab to deal with her alcohol problems. Her perfect parents are trying to be loving and encouraging, but Amy is frustrated by their attentive support.

Surviving high school without Julia is going to be impossible. Everyone knows about her drinking problems and what she did to her best friend.

How can you apologize to someone when they're no longer here?

"Identical" by Ellen Hopkins

Identical twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne lead what looks like the perfect life. But appearances can be deceiving. Eight years ago, their father, a respected judge, was involved in a fatal car accident. Since the incident, their home life has been in shambles. Their mother is embarked on an ambitious campaign for congress, and is emotionally unavailable. Kaeleigh endures repulsive sexual abuse from her father, and turns to cutting and bulimia to stifle her pain. Raeanne rebels against her family and finds solace in drugs and promiscuity. Each twin tells her side of the story in alternating verse. This is raw emotion, and will draw the reader in, but not for the faint of heart. Best for 9th and up.

"Shug" by Jenny Han

AnneMarie Wilcox (aka Shug) has been neighbors and friends with Mark Findley ever since she can remember. But they're starting middle school this fall, and Shug can sense things are changing. Her friends are talking about boys, her body's doing weird things, and her parents and twittering on the brink of divorce. When did life get so hard?? Shug is forced to tutor Jack, who drives her crazy, and Mark isn't giving her the attention she craves. Shug's older sister Celia is perfect, popular and has boys calling all the time. Will middle-school ever get easier? Recommended for 5-8th grades.

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie

14 year old Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, is a total dork living on the Spokane indian reservation. He is encouraged by a teacher to leave his community plagued by alcoholism and attend a pretigious white school. now he's teased by bullies at his new school and resented by his old friends for leaving them. Joining the basketball team seems to help his social status, but junior must come to terms with his family's issues, and what options he has as a native american living in poverty. This is a wonderful book, lots of quirky illustrations drawn by junior, and is also nominated for LOTS of book awards. 5 STARS! There is swearing and "mature" situations, be warned. Recommended for high school readers.