Books like It's not what you expect by Norma Klein

At Culver Creek Boarding School, Miles "Pudge" Halter leaves his uneventful home life to find adventure, only to be drawn into the complex world of Alaska Young – a brilliant, enigmatic student whose presence challenges and changes him forever.

A coming‑of‑age epistolary novel that follows introverted teen Charlie through his freshman year in a 1990s Pittsburgh suburb as he navigates high school, friendship and the challenges of adolescence.

Eleanor & Park follows two sixteen‑year‑old high school misfits who, across a single school year, find an extraordinary first love that pushes them to confront their insecurities and the challenges of adolescence.

Junior, a budding cartoonist from the Spokane Indian Reservation, transfers to an all‑white farm‑town high school, where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

Annie on My Mind follows the deep friendship and emerging love between two teenage girls, set against the backdrop of a private school, as they navigate homophobia and the challenges of coming out.

Forever is a 1975 Judy Blume novel that explores teenage sexuality, family dynamics, and the challenges of adolescence in a New Jersey high school setting.

Jules's dream comes true as she gets her first taste of love and action in the wake of a vision that sends her on a quest to rescue her ex-lover before the future turns into a nightmare.

A fifth‑grader named Jill Brenner leads a class in teasing and bullying an overweight girl, Linda, who becomes known as "Blubber" after an oral report about whales.

A 13‑year‑old boy grapples with his family's sudden wealth, evolving sexual curiosity, a friend’s shoplifting, and worsening stomach pains during adolescence.

Ordinary People follows a family grappling with loss, mental illness, and the struggle to rebuild after tragedy.

A coming-of-age story of a young girl who struggles with family secrets and the consequences of her family's wartime history in Florida, set against the backdrop of World War II and involving a secret love affair with a returning soldier and a stepfather who is fighting in the war, revealing the devastating impact of these events on the lives of the characters and their families.

A touching story of a young woman and her close-knit family life in a small Canadian village named Rainbow Valley, filled with adventures and warmth from close-knit siblings and neighbors.

A tale of friendship and community in winter in New England.

A sixteen‑year‑old boy’s life is turned upside down when he is whisked away to live with his cool, eccentric aunt and her two brothers in the crumbling house of Flambards, where he discovers a love of horses and a search for belonging.

Teenager Nina lives divided by her parents' divorce, spending alternating weeks with each. When she learns the hidden truth behind their separation, her world and understanding of family are forever changed.

In a struggling Houston neighborhood, Marissa, a gifted adolescent from a Mexican immigrant family, finds comfort outside her home, where family challenges and the weight of self-reliance shape her journey.

Eleven‑year‑old Jessica and her family excitedly prepare for a baby, confronting the changes and challenges a new arrival brings.

From the back of the book: Before I go any further, I ought to tell you my name is Spence. I'm eighteen, in the prime of health, and ready to start my pre-med at the University of Michigan in the fall. I'm not trying to sound like a lot of hot air here, but I've always gotten along well with women. In fact, I guess you could call me a "catch." So here I am, in the summer before my whole new life begins at college, trying to stay out of trouble, and then I have to go meet this girl, Audrey, working at the travel agency I innocently walked into one afternoon. She's not like all the other girls at school. Audrey is, well she's sophisticated, more worldly She's been divorced and she's older by two years. I mean, twenty going on thirty-five or something. I didn't mean to fall in love with Audrey, but I did. And while I'm trying to understand what's going on, along comes Taffy, the wife of one of my bests friends and a mother to boot, saying how mcuh she really loves me. Frankly, I don't know what to do. But I have a feeling that it's all going to come crashing down and, somehow, I'm going to be in the thick of it...

Twelve‑year‑old Nell must learn to live with her father and little brother after her parents divorce.

A humorous tale of a young girl who learns that even good families can have bodily embarrassments, but comforting things like a rose can soothe the situation.

Charles, a high school senior, struggles to juggle a normal life while his grandmother Gustel, who has Alzheimer's, moves in—only his father ignores the problem.