Books like 'Search for Safety'
Readers who enjoyed Search for Safety by John Langan also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary realistic drama children teens poc-mc urban
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Queen Bitch by Deja King
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn Queen Bitch, Precious has lost it all, her daughter, Aaliyah, the love of her life, Supreme, and the luxurious lifestyle she s grown accustomed to. The perpetrator of her demise is the very person she called family Maya. Precious learns the hard way, it s true what they say, blood is thicker than water, as Maya aligns herself with her brother, Pretty Boy Mike... -
![Better Than Your Ex: Young and Stony by K.C. Mills]()
Better Than Your Ex: Young and Stony by K.C. Mills
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDonovan Barron aka Young is Southside to the heart, and nothing can change that, not even an NBA career. Refusing to conform has led to Young being dubbed as "Atlanta's Bad boy." Living lowkey and making money are his only priorities until he is forced to switch it up... -
![When Aidan Became A Brother by Kyle Lukoff]()
When Aidan Became A Brother by Kyle Lukoff
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWhen Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl's room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of life that didn't fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life... -
![Big by Vashti Harrison]()
Big by Vashti Harrison
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis deeply moving story shares valuable lessons about fitting in, standing out, and the beauty of joyful acceptance.The first picture book written and illustrated by award-winning creator Vashti Harrison traces a child’s journey to self-love and shows the power of words to both hurt and heal...Categorized as:
realistic children poc-mc children-books fiction mental-illness contemporary bullying -
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![True to the Game II by Teri Woods]()
True to the Game II by Teri Woods
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTRUE TO THE GAME II will pick up where True to the Game left off-- with one difference, Gena is now seeing a new guy named Jay. Little does Gena know that the man she has fallen in love with, so soon after Quadir's death, is his archrival, Jerrell Jackson. Unfortunately, Jerrell is determined to get his revenge against Quadir's crew and he'll start with Gena... -
![Stackin' Paper by Deja King]()
Stackin' Paper by Deja King
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn Stackin Paper 2, Genesis is out for blood and redemption. He s on a mission to get retribution on the person responsible for murdering his best friend and to make it back to the love he left behind, Talisa. But as he closes in on his enemy the Feds begin closing in on him. While CoCo sits alone in her jail cell, her regret turns to rage... -
![Drama High: Second Chance by L. Divine]()
Drama High: Second Chance by L. Divine
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBack for another dose of high drama, Compton’s sassiest, Jayd Jackson, is about to discover it really is a different world when she starts dating South Bay High's finest white boy…All Jayd Jackson wants is a drama-free year at South Bay High, a.k.a. Drama High. But it doesn't seem she's going to get it... -
![A Boss Gave Me the Best Love by Antoinette Sherell]()
A Boss Gave Me the Best Love by Antoinette Sherell
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSupreme Boss has sworn off love. After witnessing his fiancée’s death and being left alone to raise his daughter, falling in love again is the last thing on his mind. However, when a total stranger risks her life to help him, he finds himself enthralled with the beauty who swooped in to save the day. Sova Blow is fed up with love... -
![The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found by Karina Yan Glaser, Robin Miles]()
The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found by Karina Yan Glaser, Robin Miles
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen autumn arrives on 141st Street, the Vanderbeekers are busy helping Mr. Beiderman get ready for the New York City Marathon and making sure the mysterious person sleeping in the community garden gets enough to eat... -
![Teenage Love Affair by Ni-Ni Simone]()
Teenage Love Affair by Ni-Ni Simone
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCheck it: I'm Zsa-Zsa. Some call me arrogant, but I call it confidence. You decide when you find out what I'm working with.First things first--I'm seventeen, but I'm grown and have been for a long time. I have my own ride, my mama doesn't clock my time, and my boyfriend, Ameen, is getting money like you wouldn't believe... -
![I Got You by Miss Jenesequa]()
I Got You by Miss Jenesequa
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“I got her and everything that comes with her. All the good, bad, and crazy, I’ll be taking. Anything she needs, consider it hers and with her in my life, I’ll forever be whole.” — Genesis Washington Putting herself first is what Jordana Evans knows how to do best. She’s at the top of her game in her career and no longer haunted by memories of her past threatening to steal her joy... -
![Beyond Measures by Kimberly Brown]()
Beyond Measures by Kimberly Brown
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAriyanna "Ari" Ramirez has had enough of no love. After a two-year relationship filled with more heartbreak than happiness, she is starting over. When she meets handsome, suave, single father, Simeon "Sime" Cartwright, she has no idea that her life is about to change forever. Their romance is one for the ages, but nothing worth having comes easy and Ari is paying the ultimate price... -
![Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow]()
Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city... -
![Love So Dangerous by Diamond Johnson]()
Love So Dangerous by Diamond Johnson
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHeaven Lyons is her name and she used to be the sweetest girl. Heaven was raised in a two-parent household with two very religious parents, and her father was also a well- known pastor in Miami, Florida. This was a young girl who had perfect attendance through all her years of school, always brought home straight A’s, and was always student of the month... -
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![Brothers in Arms by Paul Langan]()
Brothers in Arms by Paul Langan
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMartin Luna, a new student at Bluford High, is at the center of this story. Haunted by the tragic death of his little brother, Martin seeks one thing: revenge. But his mother wants more for her only remaining child... -
![B-More Careful: Meow Meow Productions Presents by Shannon Holmes]()
B-More Careful: Meow Meow Productions Presents by Shannon Holmes
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFatherless and with an addict mother, Netta, the leader of the Pussy Pound, relies on her body and her wiles to survive the harsh streets of Baltimore, but finds there is more to life after her heartbroken lover Black swears revenge on her... -
![Blood Is Thicker by Paul Langan, D.M. Blackwell]()
Blood Is Thicker by Paul Langan, D.M. Blackwell
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHakeem Randall can't take it anymore. First he learns that his father is sick and that his parents can no longer afford their home. Then he finds out he has to leave his friends at Bluford High and move in with his uncle in faraway Detroit--where he has to share a bedroom with his moody, secretive cousin Savon... -
![Keyshia and Cashmere 3: The Finale by Karma Monae]()
Keyshia and Cashmere 3: The Finale by Karma Monae
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPart Three picks up right where it left off. With Cashmere back in the building after being hit with a Probation Violation and Prince heading in to start his sentencing, things can’t seem to get any lower. Still in all, Bree is determined to hold her man down no matter how long it is... -
![Transitions: The Heirs Prequel by D. Camille]()
Transitions: The Heirs Prequel by D. Camille
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA family is like a forest, when you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each tree has its place. ~ African Proverb Time waits for no man…or woman. Life moves on, old things fade away to make way for new beginnings. From Black Diamonds, to Uncut Diamonds…to Heirs... -
![Hood: An Urban Erotic Tale by Noire]()
Hood: An Urban Erotic Tale by Noire
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCHECK IT. Lamont be my government, but Hood be my name. I earned my stripes chilling up in Fat Daddy's joint, a Brownsville barbershop in the belly of Brooklyn. Some called me a street savior...others said I was just another Brownsville boy gone bad. Whatever. I brung it and I took it too... -
![Black: Triple Crown Publications Presents by Tracy Brown]()
Black: Triple Crown Publications Presents by Tracy Brown
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWho said the streets don't love nobody? Black is the novel that shatters the myth. Kaia didn't choose the streets. The streets chose her. Tossed from a broken home, Kaia is forced to learn the hard way just how grimy street life can be. Shedding her innocence, Kaia, overnight it seems, goes from being an often overlooked, stepped upon and crushed little girl, to a woman... -
![Shattered by Paul Langan]()
Shattered by Paul Langan
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFor use in schools and libraries only. Darcy Wills is desperate. A painful secret is ruining her closest friendships at Bluford High School. And an even deeper lie is tearing her family apart. Unwiling to lose the people she loves, Darcy must confront her past and the truth... -
![I Love My Hair! by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley]()
I Love My Hair! by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA modern classic, this whimsical story has been celebrating the beauty of African-American hair for 20 years!In this imaginative, evocative story, a girl named Keyana discovers the beauty and magic of her special hair, encouraging black children to be proud of their heritage and enhancing self-confidence... -
![No Way Out by Peggy Kern]()
No Way Out by Peggy Kern
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBluford High freshman Harold Davis is trapped. Medical bills for his sick grandmother are piling up, and a social worker has threatened to put him in a foster home. Desperate for money, he reluctantly agrees to work for Londell James, a neighborhood drug dealer. The choice leads him into a world of dangerous streets where no one is safe... -
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![Back to the Streets by Treasure Hernandez]()
Back to the Streets by Treasure Hernandez
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Romeo and Juliet of the streets are still struggling to find their way back to each other after fate has cruelly separated them.In order to move up in rank on the streets of Flint, Michigan, Malek knows that he’s going to have to deal with some jealous players in the game, but when he’s forced to go up against players on his own team, the rules change... -
![Still the Baddest Bitch by Deja King]()
Still the Baddest Bitch by Deja King
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAaliyah Mills Carter has to step up and watch the throne, to prove she has what it takes to be the Baddest Bitch. Chaos has always surrounded her family but now death may have hit too close to home. There are so many questions but not enough answers... -
![The Wrong Side Of Love: A Hood Love Story by Charmanie Saquea, McIntire Edits]()
The Wrong Side Of Love: A Hood Love Story by Charmanie Saquea, McIntire Edits
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCoco has her head on straight and is deeply rooted in work and her studies. After breaking up with her manipulator of a boyfriend Trae, all she wants to do is focus on becoming a RN. Things change when the king of Detroit, known as Zeek enters her life. Dealing with Zeek brings some drama to Coco’s life that she never saw coming... -
![Keyshia and Cashmere 2: A Jersey Hood Love by Karma Monae]()
Keyshia and Cashmere 2: A Jersey Hood Love by Karma Monae
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe crew is back!!!!!After the ending of part one there were a lot of unanswered questions. With Eyshia missing, and the crew all on edge, Ru is ready to paint the city red until he finds out who took his sister... -
![My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero]()
My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her.But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there... -
![Desperate Hoodwives by Meesha Mink, De'nesha Diamond]()
Desperate Hoodwives by Meesha Mink, De'nesha Diamond
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDREAMS OFTEN DIE IN THE PROJECTS In the first book of a drama-drenched new series, four unforgettable women will do anything to escape the hood. From their front stoops at Bentley Manor, longtime residents Miz Osceola and Miz Cleo have seen just about everything and know all too well that there's no happily-ever-after in the projects... -
![Someone To Love Me by Anne Schraff]()
Someone To Love Me by Anne Schraff
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWelcome to Bluford High. This widely acclaimed teen series set in an urban high school features engaging, accessible writing and appealing, contemporary storylines.At first, Bobby Wallace was everything Cindy Gibson hoped for. He was friendly, seemingly mature, and hansome--the perfect escape from her problems in school and even bigger troubles at home... -
![The Fallen by Paul Langan]()
The Fallen by Paul Langan
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMartin Luna's world is crumbling. A fight threatens to end his sophomore year at Bluford High School. But at home, things are even worse. Frankie, the most feared homeboy from his neighborhood, is hunting him. Alone and with time running out, Martin makes a desperate choice... -
![Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt]()
Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"A brave and breathtaking musical... -
![Back to the Hood by Treasure Hernandez]()
Back to the Hood by Treasure Hernandez
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this latest installment of Treasure Hernandez’s super hot series, the intensity heats up even more—more drama, more sex, more lies . . . more Flint! Ever since fate sent them down separate paths, Halleigh and Malek have been trying to work their way back to the innocent love they once shared... -
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![Fast Life by Cassandra Carter]()
Fast Life by Cassandra Carter
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCaught up in a world of easy money,designer labels and drug-dealing boyfriends, sixteen-year-old Kyra Jones is living life on the fast track. But when her single mom is offered a job that takes Kyra away from her old Chicago neighborhood, and the drugs and gang violence that go along with it, she finally realizes that there's more to life than Gucci, Prada and ghetto-fabulous bling... -
![Bedtime Bonnet by Nancy Redd]()
Bedtime Bonnet by Nancy Redd
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis joyous and loving celebration of family is the first-ever picture book to highlight Black nighttime hair traditions--and is perfect for every little girl who knows what it's like to lose her bonnet just before bedtime. In my family, when the sun goes down, our hair goes up!My brother slips a durag over his locs.Sis swirls her hair in a wrap around her head... -
![16 on the Block by Babygirl Daniels]()
16 on the Block by Babygirl Daniels
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA girl's sixteenth birthday is supposed to be sweet, but for Summer Flynt, it was the day that her life changed forever. Young, fly, and beautiful, Summer is under the wing of her older sister, Trish. But when Trish steals something that doesn't belong to her and gets involved in a lifestyle she can't handle, she pays with her life... -
![Hot Girl by Dream Jordan]()
Hot Girl by Dream Jordan
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt's summertime in Bed-Stuy "Do or Die" Brooklyn, and Kate is feeling down in the dumps. Not only is she tired of her raggedy, tomboy image, but she's also missing her best friend, Felicia, who's away for the summer... -
![A Billionaire For Christmas : Z’yera & Kaso by Koya]()
A Billionaire For Christmas : Z’yera & Kaso by Koya
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“Work ain’t honest, but it pays the bills” are words that Z’yera Brunson lives by, doing what she has to make sure her and her family survive. With her focus set on solely making sure her family has the best life and the trauma of her past relationship, Z’yera has very little time for romance at all... -
![Official Girl 2 by Charmanie Saquea, Fezzan3]()
Official Girl 2 by Charmanie Saquea, Fezzan3
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNeicey and Mykell are back but unfortunately, they are not together this time. Tired of Mykell not being able to stay committed to her, Neicey moves on with Kamil. Everything seems to be going good in her world except for the fact that Mykell refuses to let Neicey go and will do whatever it takes to get his girl back... -
![Official Girl 3 by Charmanie Saquea]()
Official Girl 3 by Charmanie Saquea
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe crew is back! A miracle has happened and Neicey is back but the only thing is, she’s fighting for her life and the doctors don’t know when or if she’ll wake up. Kamil and Olivia are still on the loose and the only thing on Mykell’s mind is murder... -
![Because by Mo Willems]()
Because by Mo Willems
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMo Willems, a number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, composes a powerful symphony of chance, discovery, persistence, and magic in this moving tale of a young girl's journey to center stage. Illustrator Amber Ren brings Willems' music to life, conducting a stunning picture-book debut... -
![November Blues by Sharon M. Draper]()
November Blues by Sharon M. Draper
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen November Nelson loses her boyfriend, Josh, to a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong, she thinks her life can't possibly get any worse. But Josh left something behind that will change November's life forever, and now she's faced with the biggest decision she could ever imagine. How in the world will she tell her mom? And how will Josh's parents take the news? She's never needed a friend more... -
![The Bully by Paul Langan]()
The Bully by Paul Langan
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWelcome to Bluford High. This widely acclaimed teen series set in an urban high school features engaging, accessible writing and appealing, contemporary storylines. A new life. An new school. A new bully. That's what Darrell Mercer faces when he and his mother move from Philadelphia to California. After spending months living in fear, Darrell is faced with a big decision... -
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![She's Dating the Gangster by Bianca B. Bernardino, Boizei Malicdem]()
She's Dating the Gangster by Bianca B. Bernardino, Boizei Malicdem
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt all started when 17-year-old Athena Dizon unwittingly plays a trick on resident heartthrob and bad boy, Kenji de los Reyes. All of a sudden, she finds herself pretending—unwillingly at that—to be his girlfriend to make his ex jealous... -
![Remember by Joy Harjo]()
Remember by Joy Harjo
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMichaela Goade, invites young readers to pause and reflect on the wonder of the world around them, and to remember the importance of their place in it.Remember the sky you were born under, Know each of the star's stories. Remember the moon, know who she is. Remember the sun's birth at dawn, That is the strongest point of time... -
![Bronxwood by Coe Booth]()
Bronxwood by Coe Booth
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe acclaimed author of TYRELL and KENDRA returns to PUSH to continue Tyrell's astonishing story. Tyrell's father is just out of jail, and Tyrell doesn't know how to deal with that. It's bad enough that his brother Troy is in foster care and that his mother is no help whatsoever. Now there's another thing up in his face, just when he's trying to settle down... -
![Eyes That Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho]()
Eyes That Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA young Asian boy notices that his eyes look different from his peers' after seeing his friend’s drawing of them. After talking to his father, the boy realizes that his eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars, shine like sunlit rays, and glimpse trails of light from those who came before—in fact, his eyes are like his father’s, his agong’s, and his little brother’s, and they are visionary... -
![Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry, Donna Grant]()
Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry, Donna Grant
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the time they were young, Gayle and Patricia were raised like sisters, as close as two friends could be. But they each had dreams that would take them far away - and far away from each other. Gayle was the beauty who believed that a man could make her world complete. Patricia was the intellectual who thought that rising to the top of her career would make her happy... -
![Step Up by Monica McKayhan]()
Step Up by Monica McKayhan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIndigo Summer and her boyfriend, Marcus Carter, have stayed solid through plenty of drama. Now Marcus is a senior, and he's already received his acceptance letter from Harvard. Indigo knows how hard he's worked for this chance...
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