Child Foster Care

Her body is thawing, and the smell of death is oozing from her. I want to be sick, but I say nothing. I watch like I was told. Good girls, listen. I want to rub my legs clean; I want a shower. Startled when my mom announced she was done. I finally see. Even though I was watching, I did not truly see. I say nothing. I sit and watch. Wishing for heaven too. Survival is all I can think of, I must do as they say, or I will be next. I am trying to be strong but failing many times. Will I leave the summer alive? will I get to start 8th Grade? I was finally able to tell on my parents. Now I am ...

Some children scream. Maya Sanders didn’t. At just seven years old, Maya is returned to a home filled with shadows—and when the system checks the boxes, she says nothing. Not because she’s okay. Because she knows silence is safer. When Maya is placed with Janine Thompkins, a foster mother who sees beyond behavior, a quiet war begins—not just for custody, but for truth. As Janine uncovers what Maya cannot say, she faces a system designed to measure compliance, not pain. A devastating, lyrical novel about the cost of being unheard—and the quiet revolution it takes to be free. Some ...

Becoming a foster parent might be the most challenging, most rewarding, and most important calling, but nothing can truly prepare you for the reality of caring for God's most precious children. However, the good news is you're never alone. Based on her personal experience-from her own trauma-filled childhood to becoming a four-time foster mom-author Lisa Baptist offers inspiration, guidance, humor, and practical advice for those on the same journey with this faith-focused memoir/guide to foster parenting. Told in an easy-to-read, conversational style with helpful insight into the foster ...

Your church needs orphans as much as orphans need your church. Find out why and how you can get involved in Until Every Child Is Home.

Named after the lager that christened her at birth, Stella's life is characterised instability and neglect. Her teenage mother abandons her in the first few weeks of her life, and left in the 'care' of her father, she ends up lying deserted in a house with no food, no water, no clothes and no warmth. She eventually lands in the care of foster carer Louise, who is determined to change her life for the better.

A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past. The...

This memoir offers an intimate look at the generational impact of alcoholism within a New York family. By documenting his journey through foster care and family shelters, the author illustrates the systemic nature of addiction and trauma. It is both a tragic exploration of a broken childhood and an inspiring blueprint for survival and recovery "Gut wrenching, inspiring and crushing as only real life can be. A guide out of hell if you're determined to make the journey." - book lover "Where Has This Great Book Been Hiding?" - bookworm "Fast-moving, gripping...." - NY Shannon "... very ...

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER NATIONAL BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR A “vivid and devastating” (The New York Times) portrait of an indomitable girl—from acclaimed journalist Andrea Elliott “From its first indelible pages to its rich and startling...

A story of survival… Twelve-year-old Alan Smith had everything going for him; he was athletic, popular, and excelled scholastically. The only problem was that his parents were criminals. The lies he was forced to tell to protect his parents isolated him; his entire life was based on deception. On April 23, 1967, the lies ended. That night, the police kicked in the door to his home and took his parents away. With that, every relationship in his life fell apart. His extended family abandoned him out of shame, and friendships based on dishonesty crumbled and collapsed. Alan soon found ...

More people than ever are loving other people's children--in stepfamilies, extended families, adoptive families, and other situations that have more to do with love than biology. If you are loving someone else's child, you'll face challenges-- and this book will help you meet them. In Loving Someone Else's Child, Angela Hunt talks respectfully, affectionately, and expertly to parents like me caught in an imperfect, sometimes impossible, family. She is a family expert with courage and a big heart.Dave Kopp, former editor Christian Parenting Today Newly revised and updated.

Breeanna's life was marked by homelessness, addiction, and survival on the streets of Georgetown. Living in a deteriorating motorhome and caught in a volatile relationship with her boyfriend, Anthony, she faced overwhelming challenges. When she became pregnant, she knew she couldn’t care for her child. Desperate for support, she turned to her father, who entrusted the baby to compassionate family friends—a devoted couple determined to provide the love and stability the infant needed to recover from opioid withdrawal. But their efforts were upended when Anthony emerged from jail, ...

When asked, almost everyone agrees they would like to have control over some parts of their lives. Billy, at age ten, is no different. Truth be told, he’d love to have some peace in his day. He knows better than to wish for happiness or a warm dinner, though that’d be super! What he really would love is a mom who recognizes that he’s just a kid and not her enemy. He doesn’t know why she seems to hate him, but like all kids, he holds onto hope. Nothing feels easy for Billy. He leaves one war zone at home to go to school, where he’s an easy target for the class bully. If it ...

Maryann Petri continues to champion parents and families abused by family court. She is also exposing the entities that feed the money machine courts have become in our country and around the world. Through her podcast, Slam The Gavel, Maryann provides an ever-growing platform that gives voice to all those who have a story to share that brings forth change. Raised By These Wolves Vol II is the second in her series which contains 25 chapters filled with the true experiences of people she has met on her podcast and through crisis calls. This second volume focuses on the human trafficking ...

A moving debut novel about a foster child learning to open her heart to a family's love Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she's blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows...

Lara was seven when her birth mother died from a drug overdose. With no extended family to look after her, she was put into foster care. The care system failed Lara and now she is failing her son. Lara and her one-year-old son, Arthur, are brought to experienced foster carer, Cathy Glass, by...

An award-winning scholar exposes the foundational racism of the child welfare system and calls for radical change Many believe the child welfare system protects children from abuse. But as Torn Apart uncovers, this system is designed to punish Black families. Drawing on decades of...

When 16-year-old Jess arrives on foster carer Maggie Hartley's doorstep with her newborn son Jimmy, she has nowhere else to go. Arriving straight from the hospital having just given birth, Jess is like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Scared, alone, and practically a child herself, she is overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for a newborn without the support of a loving family or her beloved boyfriend. With social services threatening to take baby Jimmy into care, Jess knows that Maggie is her only chance of keeping her son.

Real Help for Real Moments in Foster Care When you don’t know what to do, this book is here to help. Parenting a child in foster care comes with unique challenges that most parenting books don’t cover. Between trauma responses, court dates, system constraints, and well-meaning advice that...

This memoir that "will take your breath away" chronicles a harrowing journey through homelessness and poverty in New York City, followed by a turbulent experience in foster care (Jeanette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle). This powerful memoir exposes the harsh...

Ward of the State: A Memoir of Foster Care tells what happened to a little Black boy from the inner city of Detroit. This is the story of Karlos Dillard, who was severely neglected by his mother, who often left him and his siblings at home alone for weeks to fend for themselves. Enduring severe neglect and abuse, the boy was removed by the State of Michigan and put into foster care. Karlos was removed from his mother's care just to end up in foster homes that treated him worse. Karlos was told he was not loved, he was not wanted, and he was nothing but a ward of the state.