Books like Kendra by Coe Booth
Renee, who gave birth at fourteen, made a pact with her mother: she would obtain an education while Kendra lived with her grandmother. Now Renee has completed grad school and Kendra is a high‑school student entangled in her own troubles. The grandmother stipulates that Renee must become a present mother, and Kendra yearns for that relationship despite previous disappointments. The story follows their efforts to bridge the gap between mother and daughter in a family marked by early motherhood and Nairobi glimpses of New York life.
First publish date: 2008
Genre: Children's Fiction/Early Readers
Authors: Coe Booth
★
★
★
★
★
5.0 (2 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for Kendra by Coe Booth are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to Kendra (27 similar books)
The Hate U Give tracks 16‑year‑old Starr Carter, a Black teenager from a poor Bronx neighborhood who attends an elite private school, as she confronts police violence, social media battles, and community turmoil after witnessing her friend’s shooting.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In New York City, Natasha, a science‑obsessed girl, faces looming deportation while Daniel, a disciplined son, finds his world unraveling upon meeting her. Their brief, fated connection forces them to choose between destiny and survival.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Steve Harmon, a sixteen‑year‑old charged as an accomplice to murder, records his prison and courtroom experiences as a film script while confronting his self‑perception and fate.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Justyce McAllister, a high‑achieving African‑American student, finds himself at the center of a police brutality incident that forces him to confront race, identity, and justice in contemporary America.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In a tense sixty seconds, a young boy faces a choice that will determine whether he seeks revenge for his brother’s death or walks away from violence.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
High school sophomore Darcy Wills faces a stalker, a threatening note, and the sudden disappearance of her sister, forcing her to uncover hidden dangers while protecting her fragile family.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Tyrell, a young African‑American teen, struggles with homelessness, a jailed father, and the pressure to earn money while navigating complex relationships in a New York shelter.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In the early 1920s, a Vermont town faces the threat of the Ku Klux Klan. A young black girl and a young Jewish girl, among others, voice their perspectives through a series of poems.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A summer treasure hunt in Lambert, South Carolina, sees 12‑year‑old Candice Miller uncover a family mystery, fight injustice, and prove her grandmother’s detective legacy.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Kiko Himura seeks to leave her toxic mother relationship and enroll in a dream art school, but when that plan stumbles, she tours alternative schools with a friend and discovers life‑changing truths about herself and her past.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Jade dreams of escape from her rough neighborhood and seizes a scholarship to a predominantly‑white private school, but faces the challenges of fitting in and navigating mentorship programs aimed at at‑risk Black girls.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
At fifteen, Anna is left to juggle school and sibling care when their mother disappears, forcing her to confront the challenges of vice‑parenthood and family resilience.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When her hardworking mother moves, eight‑year‑old PK uses imagination and storytelling to help her older and younger sisters adjust.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A young African‑American girl flees her drug‑addicted mother to New York City, only to become entangled in a child prostitution ring while seeking safety and family.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Fourteen‑year‑old Sparrow Cooke from Brooklyn relies on books more than friends; after the sudden death of her school librarian, she struggles to cope with grief and the shock of a tragic accident that the community misinterprets as suicide.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Three‑year‑old Serenity and her younger brother face the loss of their mother and the challenge of adjusting to a new life with their grandparents while navigating family grief.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A fourteen‑year‑old single mother, China Cup Cameron, battles poverty and debt to honor her daughter's death with a proper funeral, relying on a paralyzed uncle for support.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A story about a young girl who tries to buy a gold pin for her mother, despite financial difficulties and the loss of her job.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A woman in Florida, Fran Benedetto, leaves an abusive marriage with her ten‑year‑old son to seek freedom and heal, confronting the lingering pull of her former husband as she rebuilds her identity.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
At sixteen, Anooshka Star struggles with a fraught relationship with her mother. When she becomes obsessed with a rock singer and follows him into his world, an unexpected death amplifies her personal turmoil.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Ten‑year‑old Beth travels to pre‑Civil War New York City with her mother and father, experiencing the sights, sounds, and social life of the era.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Rooney Harris’s senior year spirals when her mother joins the cult Next World Society, leaving Rooney to support herself and her younger brother and seek a fresh start amid family turmoil.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Three orphaned black children form a new, loving family with a teenage white girl, navigating their different backgrounds while sharing hope and support for one another.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Skeptical seventeen‑year‑old Carson Speier finds purpose in Montana when he meets Aisha, an African‑American girl fleeing a troubled home; together they navigate family pain and self‑discovery.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Some Other Similar Books
The Idea of You by Talia HibbertFostered by Hailey Edwards
How It Goes by Eva Darrows
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi &Yahlin Chang
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
The résilience of Kya by Ellen Hopkins
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
A Girl Named Disaster by Nkala Mankazana
Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!