Books like 'The Best Bad Thing'
Readers who enjoyed The Best Bad Thing by Yoshiko Uchida also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical historical-fiction children poc-mc family friendship
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Moonlight and Ashes by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDespite being trapped in an abusive marriage, Maggie still feels blessed with her eight-year-old twins, Danny and Lizzie, and baby girl, Lucy. But when the Second World War begins it seems that her blessings may have run out.Although the war lets her escape her husband when he's sent to the front, she must also lose the twins, as they're evacuated to North Wales... -
Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI couldn't play on the same playground as the white kids.I couldn't go to their schools.I couldn't drink from their water fountains.There were so many things I couldn't do. In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for their civil rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak...Categorized as:
historical-fiction children poc-mc family friendship children-books social-commentary historical -
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn #ownvoices novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia.Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays... -
Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA debut about three women whose lives are bound together by a long-lost letter, a mother’s love, and a secret network of women fighting for the right to choose—inspired by true stories.2017: When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession, she is determined to find the intended recipient... -
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Born to Trouble: All she wanted was a better life by Rita Bradshaw
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA compelling saga guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings.Born into the worst of families in Sunderland's filthy, crime-ridden East End, Pearl Croft's childhood is miserable. Shortly after her violent, drunken father is killed in a fight, Pearl's elder brothers are sent to prison leaving her, still a child herself, to care for her baby brothers... -
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwo-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall invites readers to peek through windows that shine like real glass on this lavish book’s cover, and explore the dollhouse-like world of a beloved farmhouse where twelve children were born and raised.Over a hill, at the end of a road, by a glittering stream that twists and turns stands a farmhouse...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction children children-books fiction historical realistic multigenerational -
The Blessed Child by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratings'A vibrant page-turner with entrancing characters' Margaret Dickinson'Rosie writes such heartwarming sagas' Lyn Andrews 'The new Catherine Cookson' Coventry Evening Telegraph Wednesday's child is full of woe . . -
My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the award-winning and bestselling author of We Are Water Protectors comes an empowering picture book about family history, self-expression, and reclaiming your identityOur ancestors say our hair is our memories,our source of strength and power,a celebration of our lives.Mom never had long hair—she was told it was too wild. Grandma couldn’t have long hair—hers was taken from her...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction children poc-mc children-books realistic fiction indigenous-mc -
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAfter being initiated into a neighbor's family by a solemn backyard ceremony, a young Russian American girl and her African American brothers' determine to buy their gramma Eula a beautiful Easter hat. But their good intentions are misunderstood, until they discover just the right way to pay for the hat that Eula's had her eye on. A loving family story woven from the author's childhood... -
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThis 25th anniversary edition of a beloved and bestselling classic about family and tradition includes fifteen pages of bonus material.“We will make a quilt to help us always remember home,” Anna’s mother said. “It will be like having the family in backhome Russia dance around us at night.” And so it was... -
Born a Colored Girl by Michael Edwin Q.
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the author of Pappy Moses' Peanut Plantation and A Slave's Song - Two slaves, a mother and daughter, separated during the Civil War never to see each other again. From her mother's diary, Etta Jean will learn to love the mother she never knew. And from the same diary, a mother will finally give of herself... -
Gilding the Lily by Rita Bradshaw
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA heartrending tale of two sisters and their quest for a place to belong, from much-loved author Rita Bradshaw.Lily and Sarah Brown's childhood is an unhappy one. Sarah escapes by marrying Ralph Turner, a Sunderland dock worker, but Lily doesn't trust Ralph - a dark volatile man with a hidden cruel streak. When he tries to seduce Lily on his wedding day, her worst fears are confirmed... -
A Mother's Grace by Rosie Goodwin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTuesday's child is full of grace . . . Pious young Grace Kettle escapes the world of her unsavoury and bullying father to train to be a nun. But when she meets the dashing and devout Father Luke her world is turned upside down. Her faith is tested and she is driven to make a scandalous and life-changing choice - one she may well spend the rest of her days seeking forgiveness for . . -
The Colours of Love by Rita Bradshaw
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCan love survive when all is lost? England is at war, but nothing can dim land girl Esther Wynford's happiness at marrying the love of her life - fighter pilot Monty Grant. Their short honeymoon results in a baby, but on the birth of her daughter, Joy, Esther's world falls apart... -
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A Glimpse at Happiness by Jean Fullerton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratings1844: when Josie returns to London after twelve years in America, she is overjoyed to discover her childhood sweetheart, Patrick, who she believed to be dead, is alive and well. But her happiness is short-lived – Patrick now belongs to another. Heartbroken, Josie tries to settle back into the East End... -
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsAn international bestseller: Grace learns that she can be anything she wants...Categorized as:
children family friendship historical-fiction poc-mc action-adventure book children-books -
Jessie's Promise by Rosie Clarke
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of LIZZIE'S SECRET and LIZZIE'S WAR, a story about resilient, strong women surviving adversity post World War 1. DEVON 1918. When Jessie Hale loses her nursing job at the end of the First World War, she leaves London to become the nursemaid to the Kendle family in Devon. On arrival she finds the family in disarray... -
The Liverpool Matchgirl by Lyn Andrews
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTHE LIVERPOOL MATCHGIRL is a nostalgic and poignant saga of Liverpool in the years before the First World War from bestselling author Lyn Andrews, not to be missed by readers of Donna Douglas and Dilly Court. Liverpool, 1901. The Tempest family is all but destitute, barely able to put food on the table... -
New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsElla Mae is used to wearing her cousin's hand-me-down shoes—but when her latest pair is already too tight, she's thrilled at the chance to get new shoes.But at the shoe store, Ella Mae and her mother have to wait until there are no white customers to serve first...Categorized as:
historical-fiction poc-mc friendship children family historical children-books fiction -
A Daughter’s Return by Josephine Cox
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFlorence Stanville is a woman with a past. When she moves to Guisethorpe on the east coast of England, the townsfolk are intrigued by the glamorous and mysterious stranger. Florence doesn’t care about the gossips – she’s drawn to the peaceful seaside town by the pull of her childhood, when she lived for a brief but happy time with her beloved late mother... -
Return to Sarah's Valley: Sequel to Sarah's Valley by Sharon Mierke
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsReturn to Sarah's Valley is a follow-up story to Sarah's Valley, which was published in 2012 by the same author, Sharon Mierke. In Sarah's Valley, Patrick Smithson meets Frank Lawdry. Frank, who prefers his Abenaki name, Winnipesaukee, spends the night recalling his life story. He and his sister, Sarah, were left orphans when everyone on a wagon train died in a horrific tragedy... -
Rindu by Tere Liye
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratings"Apalah arti memiliki, ketika diri kami sendiri bukanlah milik kami?Apalah arti kehilangan, ketika kami sebenarnya menemukan banyak saat kehilangan, dan sebaliknya, kehilangan banyak pula saat menemukan?Apalah arti cinta, ketika menangis terluka atas perasaan yg seharusnya indah? Bagaimana mungkin, kami terduduk patah hati atas sesuatu yg seharusnya suci dan tidak menuntut apa pun?Wahai,... -
Emma's War by Rosie Clarke
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll she wanted was her husband to come home… Newly married to the caring RAF pilot Jonathan Reece, Emma thinks that life couldn’t be better. But her happiness is short-lived: within months, Jon’s plane is shot down over France and he is declared missing, presumed dead. Alone and with two children to care for, Emma’s first thought is how to support her family... -
In The Dark Streets Shining by Pamela Evans
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Rose Brown's husband is killed at Dunkirk in 1940, she feels as though she's lost a part of herself. Rose can't imagine the future without Ray, but she's certain he would have wanted her to start again. She decides to volunteer as a postwoman in West London, and when she courageously rescues a young boy from a bombed-out house and takes him home, she finds a new sense of purpose... -
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The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman, Bagram Ibatoulline
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"Pick whatever you like most. Then I’ll tell you its story." When a little girl visits her great-grandfather at his curio-filled home, she chooses an unusual object to learn about: an old cigar box. What she finds inside surprises her: a collection of matchboxes making up her great-grandfather’s diary, harboring objects she can hold in her hand, each one evoking a memory...Categorized as:
children family historical-fiction poc-mc action-adventure book children-books fiction -
Peek-A-Boo!: 9 by Janet Ahlberg, Allan Ahlberg
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe classic children's game book, now in a delightful miniature edition. Busy scenes of family activity alternate with pages featuring a die-cut hole and a cheerful baby overlooking the familiar chaos. Full-color illustrations throughout...Categorized as:
children family historical-fiction book children-books classics female-author fiction -
Tame the Savage Heart by Michael Edwin Q.
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the best selling author of BUT HAVE NOT LOVE and BORN A COLORED GIRL comes a love story like no other. She was a young slave girl. He was an African warrior purchased at a slave auction with the intent he would father a new breed of stronger slave. Despite all odds, a language barrier and the disapproval of her family and friends, the two fight for a life together... -
A Durable Fire by Stephanie Keating
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the first years of Kenyan independence, three young women return to the East African highlands where they shared a carefree childhood. Hannah is struggling to preserve her heritage at Langani Farm, where a series of unexplained and violent attacks threaten her security and recent marriage... -
The Wretched Wreath Sellers Christmas Miracle by Nell Harte
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsChristmas, London 1875: Surviving on the streets of London is brutal. Especially in Winter. Especially at Christmas.Edith Atkinson lives hand to mouth on the streets of London with her friends James and his sister Donna Walsh, selling songs, flowers and Christmas wreaths.But survival is never guaranteed for street rats, even at Christmas... -
Nell Plants a Tree by Anne Wynter
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis gorgeous picture book shows how one little girl’s careful tending of a pecan tree creates the living center of a loving, intergenerational Black family. For Earth Day and every day! Perfect for fans of Matt de la Peña and Oge Mora...Categorized as:
family children poc-mc historical-fiction outdoors children-books fiction historical -
Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA window into a child's experience of the Great Migration from the award-winning creators of Before She Was Harriet and Finding Langston . Climbing aboard the New York bound Silver Meteor train, Ruth Ellen embarks upon a journey toward a new life up North-- one she can't begin to imagine... -
People of the Nightland by W. Michael Gear, Kathleen O'Neal Gear
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt has been a thousand years since Wolf Dreamer lead his people up through the dark hole in the ice to a rich, untouched continent bursting with game. But the world has changed. Most of the magnificent animals are gone, and the last of the great glaciers is melting, forming a huge freshwater lake in the middle of the world. Over the centuries the People of the Wolf have split into two clans... -
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Mary Ellen gets bored with her reading, Grandpa knows a hunt for a bee tree is just what she needs. Half the town joins the exciting chase, but it's not until everyone returns home that Mary Ellen makes a discovery of her own: Sometimes, even the sweetest of things must be worked for...Categorized as:
children family friendship historical-fiction action-adventure animals book children-books -
Blood Sisters by Barbara Keating, Stephanie Keating
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKenya 1957. During their childhood years in the Kenya Highlands three girls from vastly different backgrounds become blood sisters, promising that nothing will ever destroy the bond between them. But the legacy of the Mau Mau rebellion, and the tensions and upheavals of newly independent Kenya, tear their childhood dreams apart... -
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Sweet Home Alaska by Carole Estby Dagg
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis exciting pioneering story, based on actual events, introduces readers to a fascinating chapter in American history, when FDR set up a New Deal colony in Alaska to give loans and land to families struggling during the Great Depression. Terpsichore can’t wait to follow in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s footsteps . . . now she just has to convince her mom...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family children friendship middle-grade fiction children-books historical -
Woesten by Kris Van Steenberge
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHet indringende debuut van Kris Van Steenberge brengt ons naar de Vlaamse klei, waar de negentiende eeuw ten einde loopt. In het dorp Woesten treedt Elisabeth, dochter van de smid, in het huwelijk met de jonge arts Guillaume Duponselle. Maar er rust geen zegen op hun verbintenis. Als Elisabeth acht maanden later van een tweeling bevalt, blijkt de eerstgeborene een prachtige zoon, Valentijn... -
Queenie by Jacqueline Wilson, Finty Williams
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIt’s 1953, the year Elizabeth is to be crowned Queen of England. Elsie Kettle can't wait to go to London to see the celebrations on Coronation Day. Elsie lives with her Nan—her mum works as a showgirl, so she's not around very often. Spirited and imaginative, but often lonely, Elsie longs for a best friend... -
The Cursed Ground by T.R. Simon
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA powerful fictionalized account of Zora Neale Hurston’s childhood adventures explores the idea of collective memory and the lingering effects of slavery.“History ain’t in a book, especially when it comes to folks like us. History is in the lives we lived and the stories we tell each other about those lives... -
LOS PREHISTORRATONES 10: ¡LLUEVEN MALAS NOTICIAS, STILTONUT! by Geronimo Stilton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGeronimo Stiltonoot and The Stone Gazette are in the running for the Stone Age Ratitzer: the award for the best prehistoric journalism! But their main competition is Sally Rockmousen, the ruthless host of Gossip Radio -- and she'll stop at nothing to win...Categorized as:
children friendship historical-fiction action-adventure animals book children-books fiction -
Wild Western Women Mistletoe, Montana: Sweet Western Historical Holiday Box Set by Caroline Clemmons, Sylvia McDaniel
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMistletoe Mistake by Caroline Clemmons Shannon Callahan worked hard to become a physician. In New York, she meets resistance to a woman doctor and feels she is no more than a midwife. When the opportunity arises for her to go to Montana and be the only doctor in the town of Mistletoe, she grabs the chance. Riley McCallister is sheriff of Mistletoe... -
So Long At The Fair by Jess Foley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGrowing up in a small Wiltshire village, Abbie Morris knows what lies ahead of her - a life of drudgery as a menial servant, like that of her sisters. But everything changes when Abbie is twelve and their emotional, spirited mother casts them into a crisis for which no one is prepared... -
Saddle The Wind by Jess Foley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLet much loved author Jess Foley sweep you away with this beautifully breathtaking saga of one woman's search for love and fulfilment. Fans of Catherine Cookson, Dilly Court and Katie Flynn will absolutely love this... -
Song of the Sea (American Dreams) by Jean Ferris
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRaider is almost killed boarding the LIGHTNING to save Rosie from the cruel Captain Lawrence, who has kidnapped, tormented and imprisoned her. Rosie nurses his wounds and tries to forget his surprising kiss, while she prays for his life.and for her own strength to resist him. For she knows there's no room in his life for love...Categorized as:
children friendship historical-fiction action-adventure book fiction historical womens-fiction -
The Homecoming by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings1885 - The Late Victorian era With the death of her rector husband Henrietta is finally free to marry her love, the wealthy and handsome Jerome Compton. But Victorian propriety disapproves of Jerome's divorced status, and the couple are forced to seek anonymity in London. Henrietta finds she takes to urban life with great enjoyment, and she meets and becomes close to her cousin, Lady Venetia... -
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Forgotten by Jeanne Hardt
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRumor has it, the war is about to end. But that doesn’t stop Billy Denton from running away to enlist. He’s lived a privileged life on the Wellesley estate, where slavery is seen as a necessary means to operate their textile production. Believing no human should be enslaved by another, he’s willing to fight—and even die—to change the future of the woman who holds his heart... -
Build a House by Rhiannon Giddens
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGrammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens celebrates Black history and culture in her unflinching, uplifting, and gorgeously illustrated picture book debut. I learned your words and wrote my song. I put my story down...Categorized as:
family children historical-fiction poc-mc children-books historical outdoors slavery -
Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLindy and her doll Sally are best friends - wherever Lindy goes, Sally stays right by her side. They eat together, sleep together, and even pick cotton together. So, on the night Lindy and her mama run away in search of freedom, Sally goes too. This young girl's rag doll vividly narrates her enslaved family's courageous escape through the Underground Railroad...Categorized as:
children family historical-fiction poc-mc action-adventure black-mc book children-books -
Lord of the Masquerade by Erica Ridley
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA fun, fast-paced interracial romance full of banter, scandal, and devastating secrets, from a New York Times bestselling author:Entrepreneur Miss Unity Thorne helped two different men amass their fortunes—only to end up on the street. She’s scraping by at the theatre, but this isn’t the show she plans to star in. The next fortune Unity builds will be hers alone... -
Eliza's Child by Maggie Hope
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTorn between love and duty... After the birth of their son, Eliza naively hopes her husband Jack will put his gambling habit behind him and become more responsible. But then he loses their home and abandons her, leaving Eliza with no choice but to return to her parents’ house. She inadvertently attracts the attention of the ruthless mine owner Jonathan Moore... -
Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt's 1935, and tuberculosis is ravaging the nation. Everyone is afraid of this deadly respiratory illness. But what happens when you actually have it?When Halle and her mother both come down with TB, they are shunned—and then they are sent to the J.N. Adam Tuberculosis far from home, far from family, far from the world...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family friendship children middle-grade fiction children-books historical
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