Books like The city under the back steps by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

Corduroy, a worn teddy bear from a department store, dreams of a home. When a young girl buys him, he discovers the happiness he has longed for.

A junior diplomat‑turned-spy navigates the ruined, god‑shaped city of Bulikov, hunting a murderer while uncovering that its former divine rulers may still loom over its shattered streets.

Henry Huggins follows an ordinary eighth–year‑old boy and his mischievous terrier Ribsy as they find humor in everyday neighborhood adventures.

A gentle story about friendship and differences among people around the world, told in Spanish and English and focusing on children's manners and customs in a multicultural context.

In the ruined city of Bulikov, a junior diplomat and spy named Shara Thivani is tasked with finding a murderer amid lingering divine powers and colonial oppression.

Library Journal: The Native American (NA) experience as presented in children's books is reviewed through essays, poetry, book reviews, guidelines for evaluating books, a resource list of organizations, a bibliography of books by and about NAs, American Indian authors for young readers, and illustrations. The essays may help or hinder Native American concerns. There is hostility: You know us (NAs) only as enemies.'' No location is given for the cited Iroquois document which states: ``Even the form of our government seems to owe a greater debt to the Constitution of the Six Nations of the Iroquois than to any European document.'' One positive suggestion is offered: ``Visit with living American Indian people, try to find out more about their ways of life and their languages.'' The book reviews are similar to the essays, and the illustrations are traditional.

Lauren becomes trapped in the town of Lost, where dust storms and mysterious forces relentlessly pull her back while residents urge her to confront what she’s missing—unearthing purpose and destiny amid a surreal desert maze.