Social Justice Books

Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

10,000 Dresses

Reviewed by Katelyn Campbell Review Source: Independent Book Author: OUT OF PRINT 10,000 Dresses shares the story of a trans girl, Bailey, who is trying to make her dreams a reality. Each night, Bailey dreams of a different mystical dress, which she in turn asks each of her family members if they can help her […]

Out of Breath: Kendra’s Big Secret

Reviewed by Deborah Thomas Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Out of Breath: Kendra’s Big Secret by teen authors and Washington, D.C., high school students, Destiney Mayhew, Aderemi Abosede, and Kairon Cunningham is a fun read with very serious elements about public health, trust, and communication. Kendra Kangaroo has a secret: she has asthma. […]

Ruth and the Green Book

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: A historical fiction picture book for 7- to 11-year-olds about the challenges of traveling for African American families during the Jim Crow era. As Ruth travels with her family from Chicago to Alabama to visit her grandmother, she learns that the Green Book provides a […]

Dos Conejos Blancos / Two White Rabbits

Review by Beverly Slapin Reviewed Source: DeColores Reviews Book Author: On the cover is a little girl, comfortably lying down with her head resting on her papá’s leg. Her body is relaxed and her eyes are wide open; she’s happily playing with her toy bunny. Papá is sitting upright, leaning on his backpack. He’s looking […]

A Mystery Bigger Than Big: A Mickey Rangel Mystery

Review by Wendy Bermudez Reviewed Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Mickey Rangel, boy detective, has a case to solve when a new student joins his fifth grade class. Natalia is quiet, sits alone in the cafeteria, and wears old shoes and tattered clothes. Students quickly start fabricating stories, some more outlandish than others, to […]

The Head of the Saint

Reviewed by Lyn Miller Lachmann Reviewed Source: Pirate Tree Book Author:  Translated fiction for teen readers is not easy to find. Despite the recent success of adult titles by Elena Ferrante, Steig Larsson, Roberto Bolaño, Haruki Murikami, and others, and the growing number of acclaimed picture books from other countries, middle grade and young adult […]