Engaging books about fostering for teenagers

Whether you are looking after teenagers in foster care or otherwise, you might be looking for engaging reads that will help them in their journey.

Stories are powerful ways to show those of any age that they are not alone in their experiences and feelings. Beacon Fostering understands that books can transform lives as well as educate people about the world, so here are some recommended books about the care system.

Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah

For fans of Malorie Blackman and Angie Thomas, Refugee Boy follows Alem, who goes to London to live with his father, an Ethiopian, since their country is at war with Eritrea. When his father disappears, Alem has to find his own way in a country he doesn’t know.

My Name is Why by Lemn Sisay

Winner of the non-fiction indie book awards, this memoir follows the Ethiopian-British Lemn Sissay, who grew up in foster families and group homes for most of his childhood, and explores issues of race, the care system and what it means to be British.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Part of the Giver series of dystopian novels, this book follows Kira, an orphan with a deformed leg, as she tries to survive in an unkind society that usually leaves the disabled behind.

My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal

Adapted for television by the BBC, My Name is Leon follows the title character, a nine-year-old mixed-race boy, and his white younger brother Jake as they live with a lady called Maureen. However, when Jake is put up for adoption, Leon seeks to reunite with his brother.