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Runaways, Homeless & Immigrants

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Bedard, Michael. Stained Glass. 2001.
Hiding in a rundown church to avoid having to go to his piano lesson, fourteen-year-old Charles discovers an injured homeless girl with amnesia, and his curiosity about the girl leads him to try to help her.
Brooks, Martha. Being with Henry. 2000.
Forced out of his home by a disagreeable and bullying stepfather, sixteen-year-old Laker moves to another town and strikes up an unexpected friendship with a frail but determined old man.
Currie, Stephen. Issues in Immigration. 2000.
Non-fiction. Discusses various issues regarding immigration, including assimilation, jobs, services, illegal immigration, and policy.
Danticatt, Edwidge. Behind the Mountains. 2002.
Writing in the notebook which her teacher gave her, thirteen-year-old Celiane describes life with her mother and brother in Haiti as well as her experiences in Brooklyn after the family finally immigrates there to be reunited with her father.
Dessen, Sarah. Dreamland: A Novel. 2000.
After her older sister runs away, sixteen-year-old Caitlin decides that she needs to make a major change in her own life and begins an abusive relationship with a boy who is mysterious, brilliant, and dangerous.
Dudly, William (Editor). Illegal Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints. 2002. Non-fiction.
Presents essays arguing for and against issues related to illegal immigration.
Fleischman, Paul. Breakout. 2003.
A young woman presents a play based on her life as a seventeen-year-old runaway whose escape from her foster home in Los Angeles is thwarted by an all-day traffic jam, an event which provides time for her to explore her free-floating identity, hunger for her unknown mother, and yearning for human connection.
Fleming, Maria (Editor). A Place at the Table: Struggles for Equality in America. 2001. Non-fiction.
Examines the efforts of many different people in American history to secure equal treatment in such areas as religion, voting rights, education, housing, and employment.
Flinn, Alex. Nothing to Lose. 2004.
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.
Going, K.L. Fat Kid Rules the World. 2003.
Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing nearly 300 pounds, gets a new perspective on life when a homeless teenager who is a genius on guitar wants Troy to be the drummer in his rock band.
Herrick, Steven. The Simple Gift. 2004.
A story told in free verse relates how 16-year-old Billy, weary of life with his alcoholic, abusive father, packs a few belongings and hits the road, eventually finding a home in an abandoned freight train outside a small town, where he falls in love with rich, restless Caitlin and befriends a fellow train resident, "Old Bill," who slowly reveals a tragic past.
James, Brian. Tomorrow Maybe. 2003.
First there's the streets. Then there's the girl. Chan's been running for a while now. Living in places she can't call home. Staying with friends that aren't always friends. She doesn't really feel attached to anyone or anything...until eleven year old Elizabeth comes into her life...
Murphy, Barbara. Miguel Lost and Found in the Palace. 2002.
Miguel Rivera is the new kid in town, a young Mexican living with his family near the border in Texas. It isn't bad enough that he has to deal with the class bully, Joey Jeter Cortés, and his mean substitute-teacher mother, he's also struggling with his family to find their place in a new world. One day, in Santa Fe, Miguel is chased by boys and takes refuge in the Palace of the Governors. There, among the old and dusty artifacts of the Kingdom of New Spain, Miguel learns about his homeland and what it means to be a boy full of pride and confidence, in America.
Na, An. A Step from Heaven. 2001.
A young Korean girl and her family find it difficult to learn English and adjust to life in America.
Rapp, Adam. 33 Snowfish. 2003.
A homeless boy, running from the police with a fifteen-year-old, drug-addicted prostitute, her boyfriend who just killed his own parents, and a baby, gets the chance to make a better life for himself.
Roleff, Tamara (Editor). Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints in World History. 2004. Non-fiction.
Presents essays arguing for and against issues related to illegal immigration from the 1820's to 1860's.
S. Tina & Bolnick, Jamie Pastor. Living at the Edge of the World: A Teenager's Survival in the Tunnels of Grand Central Station. 2000. Non-fiction.
A true tale of loss and redemption chronicles the years that teenage runaway Tina spent living in the bowels of Grand Central Station, relating the story of her drug addiction, her arrests, and her difficult decision to climb back into life.
Son, John. Finding My Hat. 2003.
Jin-Han describes his life growing up with his mother and father, immigrants from Korea, and his little sister as they move to different cities with his parents' business.
Stearman, Kaye. Homelessness. 1999.
Non-fiction. Looks at some of the causes and experiences of homelessness throughout the world and considers how societies might solve the problem and ensure every person a safe place to live.
Stewart, Gail. Homeless Teens. 1999.
Non-fiction. Discusses the numbers of homeless teenagers, their situation and behavior, and looks at the lives of four of them.
Summer, Lauralee. Learning Joy from Dogs without Collars: A Memoir. 2003. Non-fiction.
The daughter of an eccentric, sporadically employed mother recounts her painful experiences with temporary housing, welfare hotels, and shelters; her triumphant acceptance into Harvard which thrust her into the media spotlight; and her efforts to make sense of a world of privilege vastly different from the one she grew up in.
Time-Life Books (Editors). Immigrants: The New Americans. 1999. Non-fiction.
History of immigrants and immigration in the United States.
Woodson, Jacqueline. Lena. 1999.
Thirteen-year-old Lena and her younger sister Dion mourn the death of their mother as they hitchhike from Ohio to Kentucky while running away from their abusive father.
Wyss, Thelma Hatch. Ten Miles from Winnemucca. 2003.
When his mother and her new husband take off on a long honeymoon and his new stepbrother throws his belongings out the window, sixteen-year-old Martin J. Miller takes off in his Jeep and settles in Red Rock, Idaho, where he finds a job, enrolls in school, and suffers from loneliness.

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Public Media Video. Unfinished Business. 1991.
59 minutes. "Within the lifetime of those born now, half the population of the U.S. will be Spanish-speaking. Every year, half a million brave the border patrols to enter the U.S. illegally, "searching for the Gringo gold but also bringing the Latino gold." Hispanic immigrants contribute a wealth of traditions: diverse cultural creativity in art, music, and dance, respect for family ties--distinct hallmarks of the Spanish-speaking world."

Call It

  • Teens in Transition, Family Counseling Agency of Tucson, Inc. 327-4583
  • La Paloma 327-6213
  • National Runaway Hotline 1-800-621-4000
  • Open Inn , Inc. 670-9040
  • Our Town Family Center Crisis Hotline 323-1706
  • Youth on Their Own 293-1136