Sharon Flake Readalikes

Booth, Coe. Tyrell. 2006. (YA Fiction Booth.C)

Fifteen-year-old Tyrell, who is living in a Bronx homeless shelter with his spaced-out mother and his younger brother, tries to avoid temptation so he does not end up in jail like his father.

Carter. Nikki. Step To This : A So For Real Novel. 2009. (YA Fiction Carte.N)

Gia Stokes navigates the tricky halls of high school in this humorous and fast-paced read. After trying out a stylish new makeover, she lands a spot on the Hi-Steppers dance squad and makes a lot of new friends. But then things go horribly wrong.

Davis, Tanita. A La Carte. 2008. (YA Fiction Davis.T)

Lainey, a high school senior and aspiring celebrity chef, is forced to question her priorities after her best friend (and secret crush) runs away from home.

Draper, Sharon. Just Another Hero. 2009. (YA Fiction Drape.S)

In this shocking conclusion to Draper's award-winning series that includes "The Battle of Jericho" and "November Blues," Kofi, Arielle, Dana, November, and Jericho face personal challenges during their last year of high school, a misunderstood student brings a gun to class and demands to be taken seriously.

Divine, L.. Frenemies. 2008. (YA Fiction Divin.L)

While dealing with her best friend Nellie, who does not want to hang out with her anymore, Jayd must figure out what is bothering her standoffish boyfriend and how to handle her unexpected feelings for another guy.

Griffin, Paul. The Orange Houses. 2009. (YA Fiction Griff.P)

Tamika, a fifteen-year-old hearing-impaired girl, Jimmi, an eighteen-year-old veteran who stopped taking his antipsychotic medication, and sixteen-year-old Fatima, an illegal immigrant from Africa, meet and connect in their Bronx, New York, neighborhood, with devastating results.

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. 2005. (YA Fiction Johns.A 2005)

Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.

Johnson, Varian. My Life As A Rhombus. 2008. (YA Fiction Johns.V)

When the classmate she is tutoring in trigonometry admits she is pregnant, high school junior Rhonda must finally come to terms with the abortion her father insisted she undergo three years earlier and examine how it has changed her life.

Jones, Traci L.. Standing Against The Wind. 2006. (YA Fiction Jones.T)

As she tries to escape her poor Chicago neighborhood by winning a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, shy and studious eighth-grader Patrice discovers that she has more options in life than she previously realized.

Jordan, Dream. Hot Girl. 2008. (YA Fiction Jorda.D)

Kate, a fourteen-year-old Brooklyn girl and former gang member, risks losing her first good foster family when she adopts the risqué ways of her flirtatious new friend, Naleejah.

Schraff, Anne. Someone To Love Me. 2002. (YA Fiction Bluford)

Cindy's relationship with Bobby Wallace has the potential for trouble and danger.

McDonald, Janet. Off-color. 2007. (YA Fiction Mcdon.J)

Fifteen-year-old Cameron living with her single mother in Brooklyn finds her search for identity further challenged when she discovers that she is the product of a biracial relationship.

McKayhan, Monica. Jaded. 2008. (YA Fiction Kimani Mckay.M)

Jade hopes her parents will get back together. Her father has other ideas; he proposes to his girlfriend. Jades' new boyfriend, Terrence, thinks she should give her future stepmom a chance. Jade is not only confused by her father's new relationship; Terrence, seems to be hiding something.

McMullen, Margaret. Cashay. 2009. (YA Fiction Mcmul.M)

When her world is turned upside down by her sister's death, a mentor is assigned to fourteen-year-old Cashay to help her through her anger and grief.

Myers, Walter Dean. Autobiography Of My Dead Brother. 2005. (YA Fiction Myers.W)

Jesse pours his heart and soul into his sketchbook to make sense of life in his troubled Harlem neighborhood and the loss of a close friend.

Myers, Walter Dean. Street Love. 2007. (YA Fiction Myers.W 2007)

In this Harlem story told in free verse, seventeen-year-old Damien takes a bold step to ensure that he and his new love will not be separated.

Simone, Ni-Ni. A Girl Like Me. 2008. (YA Fiction Simon.N)

She's got a voice like Keisha Cole, attitude to burn and is the body-rockin', Bebe-sporting girl everyone in her high school wants to be...or be with. But in real life, sixteen-year-old Elite has a crack-addicted mother, no father in sight, and is secretly raising her sister and two brothers on her own. Now a radio contest has put her up-close-and-personal with mega-hot singer Hanseef and their chemistry is too sizzling for Elite to stop pretending. And as the clock ticks down fast for this hood Cinderella, she has only one shot to save her family and make all of her dreams come true.

Smith, Sherri L.. Flygirl. 2008. (YA Fiction Smith.S)

During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl "passes" for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

Souljah, Sister. The Coldest Winter Ever : A Novel. 2006. (YA Fiction Souljah 2006)

After a black drug dealer goes to jail in Brooklyn, his ruthless 17-year-old daughter takes over his empire. A look at the mores and manners of the black underclass, this one with money. First novel by a hip-hop artist, author of No Disrespect.

Volponi, Paul. Rooftop. 2006. (YA Fiction Volpo.P)

Still reeling from seeing police shoot his unarmed cousin to death on the roof of a New York City housing project, seventeen-year-old Clay is dragged into the whirlwind of political manipulation that follows.

Williams, Lori Aurelia. Broken China. 2006. (YA Fiction Willi.L 2006)

China Cup Cameron, a fourteen-year-old single mother with only her paralyzed Uncle Simon for support, takes on tremendous personal debt in hopes of a beautiful funeral after her daughter dies.

Williams-Garcia, Rita. Jumped. 2009. (YA Fiction Willi.R)

The lives of Leticia, Dominique, and Trina are irrevocably intertwined through the course of one day in an urban high school after Leticia overhears Dominique's plans to beat up Trina and must decide whether or not to get involved. National Book Award finalist.

Winston, Sherri. The Kayla Chronicles : A Novel. 2008. (YA Fiction Winst.S)

Kayla Dean, feminist and aspiring journalist, decides to infiltrate her school's dance squad, so she can write an expose. Kayla tries out for the team and makes it, getting a makeover along the way. Kayla is soon forced to rethink her views, coming to terms with who she is and what girl power really means.

Wolff, Virginia Euwer. Make Lemonade. 1993. (YA Fiction Wolff.V)

In order to earn money for college, fourteen-year-old LaVaughn babysits for a teenage mother, forming unexpected friendships and learning about herself along the way.

Woodson, Jacqueline. After Tupac & D Foster. 2008. (YA Fiction Woods.J)

In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which they live. Winner of a Newbery Honor Award.