Social Justice Books

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

Little Brother

Reviewed by Don Allen, Teaching for Change Publications Director Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Set in the very near future, Little Brother goes to technological places that Orwell’s Big Brother could not. Students that have read 1984 will love the references to Orwell’s original and will appreciate the upgrade. After a major terrorist […]

Jahohora and First Day

Reviewed by Donnarae MacCanni Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Jahohora and First Day is a creation myth and that is, in itself, something of value. Readers are indirectly asked to ponder why things are the way they are. Could things be different? Do I play a part in helping things become different? Jahohora and […]

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Joseph Marshall III is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux) tribe. Born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux reservation, he is the author of several books about Lakota people. Last year, I read his The Journey of Crazy Horse: A […]

I See Me

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: I See Me by Margaret Manuel is one of those books that can be personalized by its owner. For example, the text on the first page is “I see me AWAKE.” Beneath that sentence is a blank line for me to write the […]

Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Book Author: Cuban American novelist Margarita Engle’s award-winning book of young adult historical fiction takes the form of poetry about the conquest and resistance. The main character is a young man whose mother is Taíno and father is Spanish. Pirates hold him captive and use him as a translator. After a […]