Divorce

• J Parent Collection
• JE Picture Books
• JR Readers

• J Fiction Collection
• JH Fiction Collection
• J Nonfiction Collection

J Parent Collection

Let’s Talk About Living with a Single Parent
Weitzman, Elizabeth.    J PARENT 306.856 WEI
Examines potential problems and issues that might arise in several different kinds of single parent homes.

Divorce and Separation
Murphy, Patricia.   J PARENT 306.86 MUR
When parents decide they want to live apart, they may separate or divorce. 

When Your Parents Split Up:  How to Keep Yourself Together
Swan-Jackson, Alys.   J PARENT 306.874 SWA
Focuses on various aspects of divorce, including life before and after the split, the question of who is responsible, and why relationships can fail, and provides practical advice for surviving your parents’ divorce.

Jigsaw Puzzle Family: The Stepkids’ Guide to Fitting It Together 
MacGregor, Cynthia.   J PARENT 306.8747 MAC
For all the kids who find themselves feeling like puzzle pieces that no longer quite fit in the picture.

Speaking of Divorce: How to Talk with Your Kids and Help Them Cope Better
Beyer, Roberta.   J PARENT 306.89 BEY
Divorce ends a marriage, it doesn’t end a family. Children will always need two loving parents.

My Parents Are Getting Divorced
Cadier, Florence.   J PARENT 306.89 CAD
Explains the feelings and questions shared by young adults whose parents are getting divorced, the changes that could occur, and how to deal with them. Includes hotline numbers. 

Divorce Can Happen to the Nicest People
J PARENT VIDEO 306.89 DIV
Full-color animation for children presenting the problems of divorce.

A Smart Girl’s Guide to Her Parents’ Divorce
Holyoke, Nancy.   J PARENT 306.89 HOL
Answers girls’ letters about every aspect of divorce.

Was It the Chocolate Pudding? 
Levins, Sandra.   J PARENT 306.89 LEV
A story for little kids about divorce.

When My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends
Moore-Mallinos, Jennifer.   J PARENT 306.89 MOO 
For children of divorced parents or broken homes.

Divorce Is Not the End of the World
Stern, Zoe.   J PARENT 306.89 STE
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.

What in the World Do You Do When Your Parents Divorce?:  A Survival Guide for Kids
Winchester, Kent.   J PARENT 306.89 WIN
Even though divorce is a little word, it means big changes are happening for you and others.

On the Day His Daddy Left
Adams, Eric.   J PARENT ADAMS
On the day his father moves out of the house, Danny’s teacher, friends, and family reassure him that his parents’ divorce is not his fault.

Sam Is My Half-Brother
Boyd, Lizi.   J PARENT BOYD
A young girl, fearful that her newborn half brother will get all the attention, is reassured of her father’s love.

My Mother’s House, My Father’s House
Christiansen, C.B.   J PARENT CHRISTIANSEN
A child describes having two different houses in which to live, “my mother’s house” and “my father’s house,” and what it is like to travel back and forth between them.

My Parents Are Divorced, My Elbows Have Nicknames, and Other Facts About Me
Cochran, Bill.   J PARENT COCHRAN
While describing his not-so-weird life with his divorced parents, a young boy also describes some other things about himself that could be considered weird.

At Daddy’s on Saturdays 
Girard, Linda.   J PARENT GIRARD
Although her parents’ divorce causes her to feel anger, concern, and sadness, Katie discovers that she can keep a loving relationship with her father even though he lives apart from her.

Do You Sing Twinkle?
Levins, Sandra.   J PARENT LEVINS
A boy’s parents help him adjust to his new stepfamily when his mother remarries after a divorce. Includes note to parents.

Two Homes
Masurel, Claire.   J PARENT MASUREL
A young boy named Alex enjoys the homes of both of his parents who live apart but love Alex very much.

Splitting Up 
Petty, Kate.   J PARENT PETTY
Little Maria learns to deal with her parents’ separation.

I Don’t Want to Talk About It
Ransom, Jeanie.   J PARENT RANSOM
After reluctantly talking with her parents about their upcoming divorce, a young girl discovers that there will be some big changes but that their love for her will remain the same. Includes an afterword for parents on helping children through such a change.

Standing on My Own Two Feet
Schmitz, Tamara.   J PARENT SCHMITZ
Addison’s parents are divorced and he lives in one house with his mom and another with his dad, but one thing he knows above all is that both his parents love him and they always will. 

Mama and Daddy Bear’s Divorce
Spelman, Cornelia.   J PARENT SPELMAN
Dinah Bear feels sad and scared when her parents say they are going to divorce.

JE Picture Books

Gracie
Ballard, Robin.   JE BALLARD
Gracie describes life in her two separate homes, one with her mother and one with her father.

Fred Stays with Me
Coffelt, Nancy.   JE COFFELT
A child describes how she lives sometimes with her mother and sometimes with her father, but her dog is her constant companion.

To and Fro, Fast and Slow
Bernhard, Durga.   JE BERNHARD
A girl who is shuttled between the homes of her divorced parents observes such opposites as “over, under,” “rainy, sunny,” and “full & empty.”

A New Room for William
Grindley, Sally.   JE GRINDLEY
When William and his mother move, he is unhappy about having a new room, but he changes his mind after he gets dinosaur wallpaper and makes a new friend.

JR Readers

A Day with Daddy
Grimes, Nikki.   JR GRIMES
A boy enjoys every moment of a special day with his father, as they play in the park, share french fries, and see a movie together. Includes activity ideas for parents and children.

Max Stays Overnight
Klein, Adria.   JR KLEIN
Most of the time, Max’s friend DeShawn lives far away with his father, but this weekend DeShawn is staying with his mother and has invited Max to join him for a sleepover.

Just Like Always
Perry, Anne.   JR PERRY
A girl finds that most things in her life remain the same after her parents’ divorce.

J Fiction Collection

The Comeback Challenge
Christopher, Matt.   J CHRISTOPHER
Mark, center for his middle school’s soccer team, the Scorpions, must cope with his parents’ divorce and a teammate who holds a grudge against him.

Dear Mr. Henshaw
Cleary, Beverly.   J CLEARY
In his letters to his favorite author, ten-year-old Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his parents’ divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own place in the world.

Amber Brown Goes Fourth
Danziger, Paula.   J DANZIGER
Entering fourth grade, Amber faces some changes in her life as her best friend moves away and her parents divorce.

Lucy Rose: Big on Plans
Kelly, Katy.   J KELLY
Lucy Rose records in her diary her special summer plans--to make a keychain for her mother, to help decorate the living room, to prevent her parents’ divorce, to vanquish some squirrels, and to enjoy a ninth birthday adventure with her father.

Max’s Logbook
Moss, Marissa.   J MOSS
Max’s log book of observations, drawings, experiments, and inventions reveals the rich world of his imagination and his feelings about his parents’ divorce.

Don’t Make Me Smile
Park, Barbara.   J PARK
A young boy has trouble adjusting to his parent’s divorce.

The Fairies of Nutfolk Wood
Ullman, Barb.   J ULLMAN
After her parents divorce and she moves to the country with her mother, fourth-grader Willa Jane, anxious and unhappy with the changes in her life, discovers a world of little people called Nutfolk living in the woods around her new home.

Buttermilk Hill
White, Ruth.   J WHITE
When Lindy’s parents divorce and gradually begin to make new lives for themselves, she finds all the changes difficult, but in time she starts to find her own way.

JH Fiction Collection

Stranded in Boringsville
Bateson, Catherine.   JH BATESON
Following her parents’ separation, twelve-year-old Rain moves with her mother to the country, where she befriends the unpopular boy who lives next door and also seeks a way to cope with her feelings toward her father and his new girlfriend.

Stand Tall
Bauer, Joan.   JH BAUER
Tree, a six-foot-three-inch twelve-year-old, copes with his parents’ recent divorce and his failure as an athlete by helping his grandfather, a Vietnam vet and recent amputee, and Sophie, a new girl at school.

Notes on a Near-Life Experience
Birdsall, Olivia.   JH BIRDSALL
Fifteen-year-old Mia feels like a ghost watching her own life when her parents’ arguments escalate into a separation, triggering counseling sessions, strange behavior in her brother and sister, and a new connection with her brother’s best friend.

The Kissing Diary
Caseley, Judith.   JH CASELEY
As thirteen-year-old Rosie Goldglitt contemplates kissing the boy she has a crush on, she tries to navigate the many complications in her life, including her horrible name, her nemesis Mary Katz, her parents’ divorce, and her mother’s new boyfriend.

Tune in Anytime
Cooney, Caroline.   JH COONEY
When Sophie’s father suddenly decides to divorce Sophie’s mother and marry her sister Marley’s college roommate, Sophie feels like she is trapped in an endless soap opera.

How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (And a Dog)
Corriveau, Art.   JH CORRIVEAU
Because of his parents’ messy divorce, Nicky Flynn is forced to start a new life, in a new city at a new school. And if that wasn’t complicated enough, his mom brings home a former seeing-eye dog she adopted from the animal shelter. Nicky is determined to find out why a guide dog would be put up for adoption at an animal shelter.

Bird Lake Moon
Henkes, Kevin.   JH HENKES
Twelve-year-old Mitch and his mother are spending the summer with his grandparents at Bird Lake after his parents separate. Ten-year-old Spencer and his family have returned to the lake where Spencer’s little brother drowned long ago. As the boys become friends and spend time together, each of them begins to heal.

West with Hopeless
Lieberg, Carolyn.   JH LIEBERG
Bound for Reno and their divorced father for the summer, two half-sisters leave from Iowa in an old Ford Escort and learn a great deal about the people they encounter and even more about themselves.

The Day My Mother Left
Prosek, James.   JH PROSEK
When his mother leaves to live with another man, nine-year-old Jeremy faces his own pain and loss, his father’s depression and sister’s distance, the pity of friends and strangers, and his father’s remarriage two years later. Jeremy finds solace in fishing and his artwork.

I, Lorelei
Smith, Yeardley.   JH YEARDLEY
In letters to her recently deceased cat Mud, eleven-year-old Lorelei chronicles the ups and downs of her sixth-grade year, during which her parents separate, she gets a part in the school play, and she becomes friends with the cutest boy in her grade.

Another Way to Dance
Southgate, Martha.   JH SOUTHGATE
While spending the summer at the School of American Ballet in New York City, fourteen-year-old Vicki Harris must come to terms with the reality of her parents’ divorce, her crush on Mikhail Baryshnikov, and the impact of being an African American on her future as a dancer.

Southpaw
Wallace, Rich.   JH WALLACE
After moving to New Jersey following his parents’ divorce, Jimmy Fleming tries out for the seventh-grade baseball team while also trying cope with his new life and dealing with his overly-competitive father.

Sister Split
Warner, Sally.   JH WARNER
When her parents separate, eleven-year-old Ivy must cope not only with their impending divorce but also with the unexpected impact it has on her relationship with her older sister.

When the Black Girl Sings
Wright, Bil.   JH WRIGHT
Lahni Schuler is the only black student at her private prep school. She’s also the adopted child of two loving, but white, parents who are on the road to divorce. In this moving book, acclaimed author Bil Wright tells the story of one girl’s search to find a home where she truly belongs.

J Nonfiction Collection

Why Do Families Break Up?
Bingham, Jane.   J 306.89 BIN
This book gives you clear, no nonsense information about the breakdown of a family relationship which will help you make choices in your own life.

The Divorce Helpbook for Kids 
MacGregor, Cynthia.   J 306.89 MAC
A guide to dealing with the divorce of parents, discussing various reasons for divorce, the emotions experienced by the children, and ways of coping with the change.

42 Miles
Zimmer, Tracie.   J 811.6 ZIM
As her thirteenth birthday approaches, JoEllen decides to bring together her two separate lives–one as Joey, who enjoys weekends with her father and other relatives on a farm, and another as Ellen, who lives with her mother in a Cincinnati apartment near her school and friends.

revised 10/10 CJ