Character-Driven, Issue-Oriented Young Adult Fiction

Try these books if you're looking for:

• teen fiction
• character-driven
• issue-oriented

Homeless Bird 
By Gloria Whelan
YA F WHELAN
Koly is just thirteen when her marriage is arranged with a young boy. Her path is not easy. She must endure many difficulties. Her mother-in-law abuses her verbally and emotionally and eventually abandons her. She meets her challenges with courage and her situation does slowly improve, and she ultimately achieves happiness.

Life as We Knew It 
By Susan Beth Pfeffer
YA F PFEFFER
Miranda is 16 years old living with her mother and brothers in rural Pennsylvania when catastrophe hits the earth. This is the story of how their lives change and how the must struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon pushing it just slightly closer to earth, but resulting tidal waves and a great increase in volcanic activity worldwide. The story is told through Miranda’s diary entries. Gripping.

Notes from the Midnight Driver 
By Jordan Sonnenblick
YA F SONNENBL
After being assigned to perform community service at a nursing home, sixteen-year-old Alex befriends a cantankerous old man who has some lessons to impart about jazz guitar playing, love, and forgiveness.

It's Kind of a Funny Story 
By Ned Vizzini
YA F VIZZINI
A humorous account of a New York City teenager's battle with depression and his time spent in a psychiatric hospital.