Punching Bag

Punching Bag is the compelling true story of a high school career defined by poverty and punctuated by outbreaks of domestic abuse. Rex Ogle, who brilliantly mapped his experience of hunger in Free Lu…

If you like book Punching Bag here is the list of books you may also like

Buy this book on Amazon

Similar books (20)

Louder Than Hunger

Revered teacher, librarian, and story ambassador John Schu explores anorexia—and self-expression as an act of survival—in a wrenching and transformative novel-in-verse.

But another voice inside me say…
Buy this book on Amazon
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...A Love Story

Jason Reynolds tackles it—you know…it—from the guy’s perspective in this stream of consciousness story of a teen boy about to experience a huge first.

Twenty-four months ago: Neon gets chased by a dog …
Buy this book on Amazon
And Then, Boom!

A gripping new novel-in-verse by the author of the Printz Honor-winning Starfish , featuring a poverty-stricken boy who bravely rides out all the storms life keeps throwing at him

Joe Oak is used to li…
Buy this book on Amazon
Sunrise Nights

Two young artists have a chance meeting on the last night of summer arts camp in this YA novel in verse and dialogue cowritten by acclaimed authors Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro.

Jude loves photo…
Buy this book on Amazon
Rez Ball

This debut novel by Byron Graves tells the story of a young athlete determined to play like the hero his Ojibwe community needs him to be.

These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketbal…
Buy this book on Amazon
Mid-Air

A tender-souled boy reeling from the death of his best friend struggles to fit into a world that wants him to grow up tough and unfeeling in this stunning middle grade novel in verse from the Newbery …
Buy this book on Amazon
Away

A group of children investigate the threat that prompted large-scale evacuations in this powerful and dramatic companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Alone told in multiple POVs.

After an im…
Buy this book on Amazon
Dust

A girl who struggles to breathe befriends a boy who seems shrouded in dust.

After Avalyn nearly died from an asthma attack, her parents moved her to the clear, dry air of Clear Canyon City, Arizona. A…
Buy this book on Amazon
Mascot

What if a school's mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone? In this compelling middle-grade novel in verse, two best-selling BIPOC authors tackle this hot-button issue.

In Rye, Virginia, just out…
Buy this book on Amazon
Sunshine: A Graphic Novel

The extraordinary--and extraordinarily powerful--follow-up to HEY, KIDDO.

When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriou…
Buy this book on Amazon
This Book Won't Burn

From the New York Times bestselling author of Internment comes a timely and gripping social-suspense novel about book banning, activism, and standing up for what you believe.

After her dad abruptly ab…
Buy this book on Amazon
Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir

A poignant, hilarious, and unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican-American boy’s family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico to live with them.

Pedro Mart…
Buy this book on Amazon
The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky

Perfect for fans of Mark Oshiro and Adam Silvera comes a fiercely funny and hopeful story of one boy's attempts to keep everything under control while life has other plans.

Ever since cancer invaded hi…
Buy this book on Amazon
A Work in Progress

A young boy struggles with body image in this poignant and “perceptive” ( Publishers Weekly , starred review) middle grade journey to self-acceptance told through prose, verse, and illustration.

Will i…
Buy this book on Amazon
Dear Manny

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin comes the thrilling final installment of the series, set in college. Jared (white, Justyce's roommate, woke) is running for Junior class presi…
Buy this book on Amazon
The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn

Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad? This contemporary novel by …
Buy this book on Amazon
Brownstone

An exciting teen coming-of-age epic from author Samuel Teer and debut graphic novel artist Mar Julia, Brownstone is a vivid, sweeping, ultimately hopeful story about navigating your heritage even when…
Buy this book on Amazon
The First State of Being

When twelve-year-old Michael Rosario meets a mysterious boy from the future, his life is changed forever.

It's August 1999. For twelve-year-old Michael Rosario, life at Fox Run Apartments in Red Knot, …
Buy this book on Amazon
Bright Red Fruit

An unflinching, honest novel in verse about a teenager's journey into the slam poetry scene and the dangerous new relationship that could threaten all her dreams. From the award-winning poet and autho…
Buy this book on Amazon
Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison—and How We Stayed Connected

" ...Your dad is coming back home."

As far back as nine-year-old Jay Jay Patton can remember, her dad, Antoine, has been in prison. Growing up in Buffalo, New York with her mom and younger brother, she…
Buy this book on Amazon