North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

17-year-old Terra was born with a large birthmark on the side of her face, also known as a port-wine stain. While enduring stares from strangers and deflecting cruel remarks from her father her entire life, she has become an accomplished artist. But it's a chance encounter with a goth boy that completely changes the course of her life, making her see herself for the first time as who she really is. This is a well-written book about the meaning of friendship, being true to yourself, and standing up for your beliefs.

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

12-year-old Matt is a casualty of war, but not in the usual sense. You see he was airlifted out of Vietnam two years earlier and brought to the United States after his mother realizes she can no longer take care of him. Now that he is in the US living with a new family, he has to figure out a way to fit in and "forget" everything he left behind. Luckily for him, baseball is a universal game allowing "all the broken pieces" to fall where they may.