Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999. ISBN 0-374-37152-0

Freshman year started off all wrong. Melinda's friends have all shunned her, her grades are plummeting, her parents are never around and she is becoming an outcast. One party, one phone call, and her whole life has changed. As she sinks deeper and deeper into depression, she begins to stop speaking and expresses herself through her newfound art. Eventually Melinda finds her voice again when her former close friend begins dating the guy who took her voice away.

Sometimes I Think I Hear My Name by Avi

Avi. Sometimes I Think I Hear My Name. New York, NY : Random House, 1982. ISBN 0-451-12151-1

Conrad lives with his aunt and uncle is St. Louis. He wishes he could be living with his recently divorced parents in New York City, he wishes he could at least go and see them. After his aunt and uncle decide to send him to England on school break instead of NYC, Conrad develops a plan to get there, and hopefully reunite his family. With the help of a mysterious new friend, Nancy, Conrad gets to NYC, only to find out that sometimes families work better when the parents are separate.