Social Justice Books

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

Apple in the Middle

Reviewed by Jean Mendoza Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Two Native high school girls, two unique stories about not fitting in, and about trying to make sense of Indigenous heritage/ancestry when something has disrupted their place in a Native community…. Most regular readers of this blog won’t need to be convinced that […]

Merci Suarez Changes Gears

Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: It’s the beginning of Mercedes (Merci) Suarez’s sixth grade year, and right away she notices big changes. There’s a new boy in class, just moved to South Florida from Minnesota, and Merci has been assigned to be his […]

Escape from Aleppo

Review by Islamic School Librarian Review Source: Islamic School Librarian Book Author: N.H. Senzai’s newest book (published in January 2018), gives a face and a voice to the grave situation in Syria.  Like Senzai’s other books, she uses the rich culture and history of a country to inform the reader, and a compelling front story […]

Hearts Unbroken

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: I’ll start by echoing the title of this post. I highly recommend Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Hearts Unbroken. Lou, the main character, is a senior in high school. There’s a lot in here that I love, for several reasons. There are spoilers below, so you might […]

Amal Unbound

Reviewed by Edi Campbell Review Source: Cotton Quilts Book Author: Among the 14 facts about Aisha Saeed on her website are the facts that she’s worked as a lawyer and an elementary teacher, she speaks three languages and she’s a fantastic air hockey player. And, she loves to write. When interviewed by Publishers Weekly about what inspired her to […]

We Kiss Them with Rain

Reviewed by: Africa Access Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Life wasn’t always hard for fourteen-year-old Mvelo. There were good times living with her mother and her mother’s lawyer boyfriend. Now her mother is dying of AIDS and the terrible thing that stole Mvelo’s song remains unspoken, despite its growing presence in their shack. But […]