Social Justice Books

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

Gaby, Lost & Found

Reviewed by Cindy L. Rodriguez Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: Description from the book jacket: When Gaby Ramirez Howard starts volunteering at the local animal shelter, she takes special pride in writing adoption advertisements. Her flyers help the dogs and cats there find their forever homes: places where they’ll be loved and […]

The Poet X

Reviewed by Mark Oshiro Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: DESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK: Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, […]

The Smoking Mirror

Reviewed by Cris Rhodes Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: DESCRIPTION FROM THE BOOK JACKET: Carol and Johnny Garza are 12-year-old twins whose lives in a small Texas town are forever changed by their mother’s unexplained disappearance. Shipped off to relatives in Mexico by their grieving father, the twins learn that their mother is a nagual, […]

Code Name: Butterfly

Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: The Pirate Tree Book Author: The nameless narrator who gives herself the code name (or nom de guerre) of Butterfly is on the cusp of adolescence, the third of six children in a Muslim Palestinian family. She watches her father come home every night, tired to the bone from his job […]

Dear Martin

Reviewed by Zetta Elliott Review Source: Zetta Elliott Book Author: When a friend asked me last fall to address the problems she found in Dear Martin, I hedged. Few people thanked me for pointing out the issues I had with All American Boys (though many were quick to praise Jason Reynolds for his “gracious” response), and I didn’t want […]

The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary

Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: On many levels, The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary is a brilliant book. It’s open and raw, exposing almost every level of damage inflicted upon the young teenage protagonist, Macy Cashmere. Themes of racism, misogyny, foster care, drug use, prostitution, and “mental illness” create a fast-paced and erratic read. Told […]