Books like Kieron Smith, boy by James Kelman

Of Mice and Men follows two migrant ranch workers—George and Lennie—who dream of owning land while struggling with the hardships of the Great Depression; their friendship is tested by tragedy.

After being murdered at fourteen, Susie Salmon watches from heaven as her family, friends, and killer grapple with grief and justice, revealing how love and forgiveness shape a family's future.

Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’s 1837-39 social novel, follows an orphan raised in a workhouse who flees to London, joins a gang of pickpockets, and uncovers family secrets while exposing child labour and exploitation.

The Bell Jar is the sole novel by Sylvia Plath, a psychologically intense and autobiographical look at a young woman’s decline into mental illness.

A collection of linked short stories that follows a platoon of American soldiers and their experiences, thoughts, and burdens during the Vietnam War.

Dave Eggers' 2000 memoir chronicles his struggles and resilience after the cancer-related deaths of his parents, as he assumes responsibility for his younger brother and confronts the challenges of growing up alone.

Irvine Welsh’s debut novel follows a tight-knit group of Edinburgh young men as they navigate drug addiction, friendship, and the harsh realities of everyday life.

A coming‑of‑age narrative set in 19th‑century England, following young David Copperfield as he navigates orphanhood, hardship and society’s social hierarchies.

Sixteen‑year‑old Jackie, widowed and grieving, moves from New York City to Colorado to live with her mother’s best friend, who has twelve children. Two of the boys show Jackie's interest in a way that complicates family life.

A young boy learns the mystery of his English father, a wealthy and beloved figure he never met, as he navigates family ties, inheritance, and social life in 19th‑century England.

A 19th‑century tale of poverty, family, and the perils of a fraudulent antique dealer, centered on the young orphan Nell and her loyal grandfather.

A 14‑year‑old grapples with upheaval, finding solace and resilience in her horse, set against the backdrop of London's riding schools.

Nicholas Nickleby's struggle to support his mother and sister.

*"Although this is Australian author Tsiolkas’ fourth novel, it is the first to be published in the U.S. With its raw style, liberal use of profanity and racial epithets, and laserlike focus on the travails of suburban life, it is a down-and-dirty version of Tom Perrotta’s best-selling Little Children (2004). At a barbecue in a Melbourne suburb, a man loses his temper and slaps the child of the host’s friends. This incident unleashes a slew of divisive opinions, pitting friends and families against each other as the child’s parents take the man to court. Told from eight different viewpoints, the novel also deftly fills in disparate backstories encompassing young and old, single and married, gay and straight, as well as depicting how multiculturalism is increasingly impacting the traditional Aussie ethos. For good measure, the author also throws in male vanity, infidelity, and homophobia. Tsiolkas’ in-your-face style is sure to alienate some readers—the child’s parents, for example, are among the book’s most unlikable characters—but his novel, which won the 2009 Commonwealth Prize, fairly radiates with vitality as it depicts the messy complications of family life."* -- Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist

xxix, 512 pages ; 23 cm1010L Lexile

A heartwarming Christmas story about a young woman's love for her mother and the traditions of Scotland and New York.

A tale of the petticoats between sisters and the haunting secrets of the dollager family, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat with its psychological tension and spine-tingling plot twists.