Eggs by Jerry Spinelli is a good one for younger or reluctant Y readers. The main character, David is nine, living with his paternal grandmother; his mom died in a tragic accident and his dad works out of town during the week. "Nana" makes every mistake in the book to try to draw David out of his depression. David thinks if he follows all the rules, except for his grandmother's, his mother will come back to him.
Through some very odd circumstances, David makes friends with a 13 year old girl, Primrose Periwinkle Dufee. Her mother is a nut who lives in an abandoned garage and makes her living as a fake psychic--she sees everyone living a long and happy life. Primrose lives outside in an abandoned van that she is decorating and trying valiently to make into a real home.
As in Stargirl these kids have an adult friend, a handicapped man living in the nearby junkyard. My radar went on when the kids started hanging out with him but he is perfectly harmless and the three of them settle in and become so much like a family that the two kids start bickering like siblings.
Short, sweet and to the point and all wrapped up neatly in the end, Spinelli's latest book would make a great book discussion.
