Child abuse

Again, this is something that 7th grade girls are particularly interested in, so I do indeed have a list of books. I will add to this Gretchen Olson's Call Me Hope. The title character is a victim of intense verbal abuse from her mother, but with the help of school and friends, manages to learn to stand up to her mother and gets help for her family. A bit didactic at times, this has a place in most collections, and is certainly more optimistic than many.

Here's the list of what I have in my library. When I first printed this list, every book on here got checked out. Titles in all capitals are accelerated reader titles.

Alphin, Marie. Counterfeit Son.
When serial killer Hank Miller is killed in a shoot-out with police, his abused son Cameron adopts the identity of one of his father's victims in order to find a better life.

Barr, Linda. I Won’t Let Them Hurt You.

Byars, Betsy.CRACKER JACKSON.
After attempting to save his ex-babysitter from wife abuse, Cracker Jackson gains an adult insight into the sadness of failed heroics.

Coman, Carolyn. WHAT JAMIE SAW.
A 9 year old boy flees his home after his mother's boyfriend tries to throw his baby sister agtainst a wall and encounters manydifficulties

Conrad, Pam. HOLDING ME HERE.
Fourteen-year-old Robin tries to patch up the broken home of a battered wife and in the process discovers how deeply she's been hurt by the divorce of her own parents.

Deans, Sis Boulos.Racing the Past.
After the death of his abusive father, eleven-year-old Ricky tries to help his younger brother deal with his residual fears and discovers that running helps him deal with his own anger and the taunts of a bullying classmate.

Draper, Sharon M. FORGED BY FIRE
Teenage Gerald, who has spent years protecting his fragile half-sister from their abusive father, faces the prospect of one final confrontation before the problem can be solved.

Flinn, Alex.Nothing to Lose.
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.

Griffin, Peni R. Vikki Vanishes.
Her habit of lying to her mother and older sister Vikki makes it hard for Nikki to convince people that Vikki's recently returned father is responsible for her disappearance.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey.

Hahn, Mary Downing.DAPHNE'S BOOK.
Jessica and artist Daphne collaborate on a picture book for a seventh-grade English class contest, Jessica becomes aware of conditions in Daphne's home life that seem to threaten her health and safety.

Harmon, Michael B. Skate.

Hawes, Louise.WAITING FOR CHRISTOPHER.
A girl watches a toddler being abused both physically and verbally. When his mother follows through on a threat to abandon him, she takes him home.

Henry, April.Shock Point.
Fifteen-year-old Cassie Streng is determined to expose her stepfather after learning that he is giving a dangerous experimental drug to his teenaged psychiatric patients, but he sends her to a boot camp for troubled teens in Mexico in order to keep her quiet.

Hoban, Julia. Acting Normal.
Having had a nervous breakdown brought on by repressed memories unearthed in her acting class, 18-year-old Stephanie tries to recover and resume a normal life.

Klass, David.You Don’t Know Me.
John creates alternative realities in his mind as he tries to deal with his mother's abusive boyfriend, his crush on a beautiful, but shallow classmate and other problems at school.

Konigsberg, E.L.SILENT TO THE BONE.
When he is wrongly accused of injuring his baby sister, Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend can help him.

Mazer, Norma Fox.OUT OF CONTROL.
After joining his two best friends in a spontaneous attack on a girl at their school, sixteen-year-old Rollo finds that his life is changed forever.

McAllister, Margaret. Hold my hand and run .
Abused and beaten by their villainous aunt, Kazy and her sister run away. Their father has been too distracted by to notice how his sister mistreats his daughters.

Miklowitz, Gloria. Past Forgiving
Fifteen-year-old Alexandra finds that her boyfriend Cliff demands all her time, isolates her by his jealousy, and finally becomes physically abusive.

Miklowitz, Gloria. Secrets Not Meant to be Kept.
Her three-year-old sister's changing behavior unleashes many long-surpressed disturbing memories from Adrienne's own days at a highly respected local preschool.

Roberts, Willo Davis.DON'T HURT LAURIE!
Laurie is physically abused by her mother. Can she escape? Will anyone believe her story?

Rottman, S.L. HERO.
After years of abuse from his mother and neglect from his father, a is headed for trouble when he is sent to a community service farm.

Shaw, Susan.Boy from the Basement. (Also, Blackeyed Susie)
Charlie, who has been confined to his basement by his abusive, psychotic father, is accidentally locked out after sneaking outside one night, and ends up in the hospital where he gets the attention he needs and a new start in life.

Smith, Marya. Winter-broken.
Abused by an alcoholic father, twelve-year-old, withdrawn and timid, Dawn finds friendship and love in a sympathetic farmer and his beautiful horse Wildfire.

Vries, Anke de . Bruises.
While living in Holland, Michael meets Judith, who is frightened, bullied and beaten by her mother and blames herself for the abuse she is enduring.

Werlin, Nancy. Rules of Survival.

Williams, Carol Lynch.THE TRUE COLORS OF CAITLYNNE JACKSON
A 12 year old girl & her younger sister must fend for themselves when their abusive mother storms out of the house with a suitcase and doesn't come back.

Woolverton, Linda
Running before the wind—A girl finds running to be her only outlet for her feelings of love & hate for her abusive father, particularly after his sudden death.