The Shelves

Homelessness & Poverty Books

Books selected for readers looking for homelessness & poverty books.

28 booksApril 2, 2026

Part of 500+ tracked lists·71% reader overlap with Orphans & Foster Homes Books

1. Where I Live
Brenda Rufener
Fits this list for its focus on homelessness.
Shelf signal: Homelessness & Poverty for Teens
2. Money Hungry (coretta Scott King Author Honor Title)
Sharon Flake, Sharon G. Flake
Fits this list for its focus on poverty.
Shelf signal: Homelessness & Poverty for Teens
3. Invisible Son
Kim Johnson
Included for strong black alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: African American YA
4. Runner
Carl Deuker
Fits this list for its focus on homelessness and poverty.
Shelf signal: Homelessness & Poverty for Teens
5. Find Layla
Meg Elison
Included for strong coming alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Surviving Sexual Abuse
6. Born Behind Bars
Padma Venkatraman
Included for strong children alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Homelessness & Poverty
7. Invisible Child
Andrea Elliott
Fits this list for its focus on poverty.
Shelf signal: Poverty & Homelessness
8. Saving Red
Sonya Sones
Included for strong authors alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Faith & Belief
9. Gather
Kenneth M. Cadow
Included for strong book club alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Addiction & Substance Use for Teens
10. Born Blue
Han Nolan
Fits this list for its focus on homelessness and poverty.
Shelf signal: Addiction & Substance Use for Teens
11. Orbiting Jupiter
Gary D. Schmidt
Included for strong young alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: YA Orphan & Foster Stories
12. When We Ride
Rex Ogle
Included for strong year alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Addiction & Substance Use for Teens
13. Homecoming
Cynthia Voigt
Included for strong award alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Homelessness & Poverty for Teens
14. Soundtrack: a Novel
Jason Reynolds
Included for strong coming alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Music Stories for Teens
15. Just Kickin' It
Julie Thompson
Included for strong social alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Peer Pressure for Teens
16. Thirst
Varsha Bajaj
Included for strong middle alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Homelessness & Poverty
17. Don't Fail Me Now
Adenrele Ojo, Una LaMarche
Included for strong family alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: YA Alternative Family Stories
18. Last Domino
Adam Meyer
Fits this list for its focus on homelessness and poverty.
Shelf signal: Peer Pressure for Teens
19. Kindness for Weakness
Shawn Goodman
Included for strong survival alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Homelessness & Poverty for Teens
20. Everywhere You Don't Belong
Gabriel Bump
Included for strong civil rights alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: African American YA
21. No Place
Todd Strasser
Included for strong school alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Homelessness & Poverty for Teens
22. Bridge of Clay
Markus Zusak
Included for strong book club alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Death & Grief for Teens
23. The Life I'm in
Sharon G. Flake
Included for strong stories alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Surviving Sexual Abuse
24. We Were Here
Matt de la Peña
Included for strong friendship alignment with this homelessness & poverty list.
Shelf signal: Hispanic & Latino YA