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Recommended Reads
Sometimes it helps to dig into
a good story or advice book about divorce and stepfamilies. Here are
some books-- some new, some old-- that are worth checking out. For additional resources and organizitions, check out our 411 page.
Fiction Books
Broken Hearts...Healing:
Young Poets Speak out on Divorce
by Tom Worthen (Editor), Kyle Hernandez (Illustrator)
An anthology of poetry written by children ages 8-17 from across the
United States who have experienced divorce.
Dive
by Adele Griffin
Eleven-year-old Ben's relationship with his family is strained. He
and his stepbrother Dustin are complete opposites and don’t get
along, his mother seems to be growing distant, and his stepfather
Lyle is never there for any of them. When Dustin becomes involved
in a life-changing accident, Ben finds he must be there for him and
try to bring together a family that’s on the brink of breaking
apart.
The Hatchet,
Noguer y Caralt Editores
by Gary Paulsen
After a plane crash, thirteen-year old Brian spends fifty-four days
in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet
given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents'
divorce.
Hard Love
by Ellen Wittlinger
Years after his parents' divorce, John is still tied in knots. Trying
to learn to communicate again, he enters the "zine" world,
producing his own personal little literary magazine. He's drawn deeper
into this world by meeting Marisol, a free spirit and self-professed
lesbian teenager.
It's Not the
End of the World
by Judy Blume
This one's a classic! After her parents separate, Karen is concerned
about how the family will manage financially and who will take care
of them, and both her brother and sister have trouble coping. Things
get better when she meets another girl whose parents are divorced,
and learns some new ways of dealing with the whole thing.
The Divorce
Express
by Paula Danziger
Phoebe Brooks
has shuttled between her divorced parents' homes for some time now. "Joint custody" wasn't so bad when both her mother and father
lived in the city. But ever since her father moved to a house in the
country, Phoebe has had to ride the "Divorce Express."
Lord of the
Deep
by Graham Salisbury
Thirteen-year-old Mikey still can’t believe he’s the deckhand
on the best deep-sea charter boat around, captained by Mikey’s
stepfather Bill. In one summer, Mikey not only learns fishing secrets
from a master, but also what it's like to live and work with new family
members.
The Queen
of Everything
by Deb Caletti
In the San Juan Islands in Washington State, high school junior Jordan
MacKenzie learns about different kinds of love as her divorced father's
troubling affair with a married woman ends in tragedy, and she tries
to fit into her hippie mother's new family while halfheartedly dating
the popular boy at school.
Stetson
By S.L. Rottman
Stetson’s car, his art, and an education are his tickets out
of his small hometown. When his father brings home a sister he never
knew he had, Stetson begins to doubt if he can find anything in common
with her or try to build any kind of relationship.
That Summer
by Sarah Dessen
For fifteen-year-old Haven, there's too much going on, with her father’s
wedding to Lorna Queen, her sister’s wedding to her boring fiancé,
and the fact that she’s six feet tall and still growing! Then
her sister’s old boyfriend shows up and causes Haven to flash
back to a past summer when everything was perfect...or so it seemed.
Where in the
World
By Simon French
Nothing seems to stay constant for Ari, an ordinary boy with a special
gift for music. His mother has re-married, he must get to know his
new stepfather, and to top it all off, they’re all moving to
an unfamiliar country. However, with the help of his new parent, Ari
learns to see his extraordinary talent in a new light.
Non-Fiction
Books
Divorce Is
Not the End of the World: Zoe's and Evan's Coping Guide for Kids
by Ellen Sue Stern, With Evan Stern
A teenage brother and sister whose parents are divorced discuss topics
relating to this situation, respond to letters from other children,
and offer tips based on their experience. Includes insights from their
mother.
How to Survive
Your Parents' Divorce
by Kimball, Gayle, Ph.D.
268 young people share how they coped with their parents' divorce.
Includes comments from 20 counselors who work with youth whose parents
are divorcing. Illustrations, bibliography and resource lists.
Finding Your
Place: A Teen Guide to Life in a Blended Family
by Julie Leibowitz
Leibowitz points out in this book that while all blended families
can't be like the ideal Brady Bunch, they can be positive and healthy.
She suggests ways to help kids and teens deal with stepparents, stepsiblings,
and even their own parents.
Split Ends:
Teenage Stepchildren
by Ruth Webber
There are no simple solutions for helping young people understand
stepfamily life, but there are a range of options that other teens
have tried and found to have worked for them
Stepliving
for Teens: Getting along with Stepparents and Siblings
by Joel D. Block, Jane O'Connor (Editor), Susan S. Bartell
Is there life after your parents’ divorce? This book covers a
wide range of actual stepfamily concerns, such as what to do if you
get conflicting messages from parents and how to handle new siblings
sharing your room. Not only will teens get honest answers from psychologists
who specialize in teenagers and stepfamilies, but they will also read
advice from other teens who have been through the change. .
Stepmother
& Stepdaughters: Relationships of Chance, Friendships for a Lifetime
By Karen L. Annarino
Annarino relates the trials and tribulations of maintaining a relationship
with a stepdaughter. She also shares the accounts of other young women
and the unexpected friendships they formed with their stepmothers
When Your
Parents Split Up..How To Keep Yourself Together
by Alys Swan-Jackson,
Children of divorced parents offer strategies for coping.
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