Book Match

The following books have many of the same elements that make A Tree Grows in Brooklyn such as a memorable book: a young person learning to find her own voice when family problems and hard economic times amplify the ordinary problems of adolescence.

Wish You Well by David Baldacci.
Twelve-year-old Louisa Mae Cardinal and her younger brother must move with their invalid mother from New York City to their great-grandmother's farm in the Virginia mountains. When the forces of greed and justice clash, their struggle plays out in a crowded Virginia courtroom.

If you liked The Count of Monte Cristo, then you may also like these titles and authors.

 If you liked "The Fairy Godmother" by Mercedes Lackey for the way it played with the traditions of fairy tales, you may enjoy these titles:

"Little, Big" by John Crowley

One of my all-time favorite books - big, romantic; with plotlines following many characters:

Karen Robards's style of romantic suspense and domestic fiction sugests that these titles may appeal to you:

"Mrs. Kimble" by Jennifer Haigh 

Here are a few suggestions for other funny, touching, books:

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Siddalee Walker needs her mother's help with a play she's writing about
women's friendships, so Vivi sends her the letters, photos, journals,
and souvenirs from the Ya-Ya sisterhood. This group of girlfriends was
wild and clever--and stuck in a small town where they were expected to
raise babies not Cain. (catalog summary)

A web resource for the scoop on good works of horror is the
list of Bram Stoker Award winners (and nominees) from the Horror Writers
Association. The lists go back to 1987, so there's plenty of choice!

Their website: http://www.horror.org/stokerwinnom.htm#2003

 Here are some suggestions, rather like Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, that are lighthearted, inspirational, not too terribly long:

I enjoyed the Harry Potter series and have found these other titles enjoyable because of the characters' relationships and adventures: 

"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan (Book 1 of the "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" series)

  If you enjoyed Dune by Frank Herbert, you may enjoy these titles because of the detailed world-building, complex politics, and fascinating characters.

"Perdido Street Station" by China Mieville

If you liked "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, you might
enjoy the following:

Ahern, Cecelia PS, I Love You
"Holly has always depended on her husband's practical advice to keep her
going and despairs when she loses him to brain cancer, until a package
arrives filled with advice for carrying on with her life without her
beloved husband." (summary from Novelist)