Crime and Culture

Try these books if you're looking for:

• short true crime or action thrillers
• books similar to Homeless Bird discussing culture

Jude 
By Kate Morgenroth
YA F MORGENRO
Still reeling from his drug-dealing father's murder, moving in with the wealthy mother he never knew, and transferring to a private school, fifteen-year-old Jude is tricked into pleading guilty to a crime he did not commit.

Nothing to Lose 
By Alex Flinn
YA F FLINN
A year after running away with a traveling carnival to escape his unbearable home life, sixteen-year-old Michael returns to Miami, Florida, to find that his mother is going on trial for the murder of his abusive stepfather.

Kissing the Rain 
By Kevin Brooks
YA F BROOKS
Fifteen-year-old Moo Nelson, shy, overweight, and bullied by his classmates, finds his life spinning out of control after he witnesses a car chase and a fight that results in a murder.

Esperanza Rising 
By Pam Munoz Ryan
J F RYAN
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

Wonder 
By R.J. Palacio
J F PALACIO
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.