Absent or neglectful parents
Young people are often reluctant to talk about the difficult situations they face at home. Whether the problem is uninvolved, or absent parents, or more concerning cases of neglect and abuse, it is challenging to get kids to speak with you or fellow educators.
But in order for change to happen these kids need to open up about their home life.
Not every child is a reader, but for those who are, the easy-to-read books below provide a safe way for you and a student to talk about problems at home indirectly.
- Canadian settings and characters
- Realistic fiction
- Relatable challenges
- Diverse characters
- Stories featuring main characters whose parents are absent or neglectful
Titles featuring absent or neglectful parents
No Known Address
By Steve Barwin
$12.95 Paperback
SEL SKILL: Self-Management
A teen from a well-to-do, but abusive Victoria family finds himself homeless after facing false accusations. He navigates family abuse, homelessness, and the search for safety and belonging, eventually finding a supportive situation..
No One’s Baby
By Wanda Taylor
$12.95 Paperback
SEL SKILL: Self-Awareness
A biracial teen adopted by white parents struggles with identity and loss, facing a pregnancy that forces her to confront her past and seek out her birth mother.
Outta Here
By Lea Beddia
$16.95 Paperback
SEL SKILL: Responsible Decision Making
A small-town teen faces the challenges of her mother’s opioid addiction and a dangerous home life, striving to escape and build a better future through college despite limited support.
Finding Family
By Kamilah Haywood
$19.95 Paperback
SEL SKILL: Self-Awareness
Unwelcome at home, eighteen-year-old Jamaican Canadian Trey starts a new life in Toronto’s Gay Village, navigating new feelings, a new environment, and new friendships.
Lonely in Happy Town
By Kristopher Mielke
$16.95 Paperback
SEL SKILL: Relationship Skills
A gay teen who escapes into an online game falls for the same girl in both virtual and real life—sparking an LGBTQ+ romance that pushes him to navigate identity, reality, and what it means to truly connect.
Summer with Sunil
By Alison Lister
$16.95 Paperback
SEL SKILL: Relationship Skills
A trans teen stuck on a lonely summer vacation in coastal Nova Scotia finds unexpected connection and self-discovery through a chance romance with another isolated queer youth facing an abusive family situation.
