Caught in the Act.
Nixon, Joan Lowery
Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1988
151 pp.

This story, inspired by children who rode the Orphan Train to St. Joseph, Missouri, between 1860 and 1880, is about eleven-year-old Michael Patrick Kelly from New York City. His foster home is on a Missouri farm with a sadistic farmer and his bullying son. He becomes aware of certain secrets one of which might be a murder.

A Crow for Courage.
Fireside, Bryna J.
Human Policy Press, Syracuse, NY, 1979
47 pp.

This fairy tale is about Peter who has a physical disability from an accident that happened at his christening. Anna, his mother's sister, cares for him because his mother died on his christening day, too. The story is full of incidents of courage and adventurous episodes.

A Place to Belong.
Nixon, Joan Lowery
Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1989
148 pp.

One of the orphan train children in this piece of fiction is ten-year-old Danny who in 1856 traveled with his younger sister from New York to a foster home on a farm in Missouri. Here Danny works on his plan to get his foster father to send for and marry his mother.

Filling in the Blanks: A Guided Look at Growing Up Adopted.
Gabel, Susan
Perspectives Press, Fort Wayne, IN, 1988
158 pp.

This is a manual for anyone who assists adopted children, ages 10-14, in writing their life stories. There are four major sections: My Birth Family, My Adoption Process, My Adoptive Family, and My Self.

Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye.
Lowry, Lois
Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA, 1978
187 pp.

This fictional work deals with Natalie Armstrong, age 17 who sets out with her adoptive parents' reluctant permission to find the identity of her biological mother. Her search takes her through many emotional responses which, create a clearer and stronger sense of self.

God's Lost Children: Letters from Covenant House.
McGeady, Mary Rose, Sister
Covenant House, New York, NY, 1991
119 pp.

This little volume is about fourteen of the million homeless children sleeping on the streets of America. Some were thrown out by parents or stepparents who did not want them nor care about them, some fled from dangerous homes where they were abused physically, emotionally, and without respite. They are victims of the breakdown of the American family. With help from shelters, some, for the first time, find out that life is worth living and that they are loved.

Mail-Order Kid.
McDonald, Joyce
G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, NY, 1988
125 pp.

This intermediate level book of fiction is about Flip Doty whose six-year-old brother Todd just recently had been adopted from Korea. Realizing that Todd is his parents' mail-order kid, Flip decides to mail-order a fox. When Flip's parents insist that he send the fox back, Flip feeling bad that he has lost his only child status, wants them to send Todd back, too. Flip comes to understand that his adopted brother and the fox have problems in trying to adapt to their new home and eventually accepts Todd.

Molly by Any Other Name.
Okimoto, Jean Davies
Scholastic Inc., New York, NY, 1990
277 pp.

Seventeen-year old Molly Jane Fletcher, a thoroughly American girl and adopted, decides to search for and eventually learns about her Japanese-American birth parents although at the same time she does not want to hurt her parents with whom she is very happy. This novel addresses family, choice, adoption, racial identity, and heritage.

Susu and the Mother Earth Family: A Foster Mother's Story.
Anderson, G. Elaine
Mini-World Publications, Maple Grove, MI, 1986
198 pp.

In this autobiography Anderson tells the story of some of her many physically/mentally delayed foster children but Susu, the abused baby of a mentally retarded mother, is the main character. Because of her multiple head injuries, Susu has diabetes insipidus. The Andersons adopted Susu when she was three years old, receiving from the State of Minnesota a monthly payment under Subsidized Adoption.

The Long Journey Home.
Delaney, Richard
Journey Press, Fort Collins, CO, 1994
42 pp.

This is a fable about a young boy named Mayla set in a time 'long ago'. After Mayla was separated from his mother by a raging flood, he begins a treacherous search to find her. After several encounters with people wishing to exploit him, Mayla eventually finds trust in a bear. This adventure book is for any child who has experienced separation from loved ones. It is about love, trust, loss, and hurt.

Visiting Miss Pierce.
Derby, Pat
Farrar, Straus, Giroux, New York, NY, 1986
133 pp.

Barry Wilson who is fourteen years old and adopted has to visit Miss Pierce, an eighty-three year old resident of the Cherry Hill Garden convalescent Hospital, as his assignment for his Bay Area Social concerns class. When he starts to write his final paper, he realizes that he cannot divulge everything that happened. There might be a reason for Miss Pierce's thinking that he is her older brother Willie. The secret he discovers about Willie he describes in the opening paragraph as "just too weird."

We Don't Look Like Our Mom and Dad.
Sobol, Harriet Langsam
Coward-McCann, New York, NY, 1984
32 pp.

The author relates the story of two adopted brothers, Joshua and Eric Levin. Though both are Korean born, the writer depicts their pride in being American citizens. The story reads like a life-book, touching on how the boys occasionally feel different from other children, on questions they ask about their biological mothers, and on their relationships with their adoptive parents. Black and white illustrations add to this story, making it appropriate for children 6-14 years of age.

Who Is David? - A Story of An Adopted Adolescent and His Friends.
Nerlove, Evelyn
Child Welfare League of America, Inc., New York, NY, 1985
113 pp.

This young adult novel tells the story of David, an adopted adolescent, and of his struggles to accept his identity as an adopted child. David, by attending a child service bureau workshop, meets other adopted teens like himself. Through their discussions and personal experiences, David learns to accept his double heritage, even meeting his birth mother in the process.

This material may be reproduced and distributed without permission; however, appropriate citation must be given to the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse.

National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
330 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20447
Phone: (703) 352-3488 or (888) 251-0075
Fax: (703) 385-3206

Credits: Child Welfare Information Gateway (http://www.childwelfare.gov)