Social Justice Books

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

A Bike Like Sergio’s

Reviewed by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores Book Author: “Every kid has a bike but me,” says our sorrowful young narrator, who longingly watches his friends having the fun he is denied. Ruben especially dreams of having a bike just like that of his oblivious friend, Sergio, who rides his new one while Ruben breathlessly runs […]

A Different Pond

Reviewed by Sam Bloom Review Source: Reading While White Book Author: A boy and his dad go fishing early one morning, but this trip isn’t just about father-son bonding time: “‘[W]hy do we still have to fish for food?’ I ask. ‘Everything in America costs a lot of money,’ [Dad] explains.” This particular morning they fish in relative quiet; the […]

Islandborn / Lola

Reviewed by Teaching for Change Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: The new children’s book Islandborn by Junot Díaz tells the story of a young girl, Lola, who learns from family and friends about the island where she was born. The island is not named in the book, but readers can deduce that the story is based […]

Junot Díaz’s Islandborn: Before and After

The new children’s book Islandborn by Junot Díaz tells the story of a young girl, Lola, who learns from family and friends about the island where she was born. The island is not named in the book, but readers can deduce that the story is based on the history of the Dominican Republic. “Every kid in […]

I Am Alfonso Jones

Reviewed by Fayette Colon Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: I Am Alfonso Jones provides young readers with a narrative that not only addresses the complexity and history of police brutality but also discusses climate change, gun control, the criminalization of Black males, the Black Lives Matter movement, youth activism, Afro Latinidad, and so much more. […]