As Ever, Gordy. By Mary Downing Hahn

The whole Gordy Smith series is great, As Ever, Gordy is a really good melancholic novel that puts you in the shoes of a misbehaving kid in a world that doesn't seem to want him.

I can't say much else without spoilers or references to the other books, but it's stuck with me for at least twenty years as one of the best fiction books I've ever read.