Social Justice Books

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

When We Were Alone

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: When We Were Alone is one of those books that brought forth a lot of emotion as I read it. There were sighs of sadness for what Native people experienced at boarding schools, and sighs of—I don’t know, love, maybe—for our perseverance through it […]

The Secret Legacy

Reviewed by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: In The Secret Legacy, Seven-year-old Ixkem’s grandfather is 100 years old, and he is ready to pass on his legacy and knowledge. Of all the people in the village, Grandfather chooses his youngest granddaughter to be the new caretaker of […]

The Honey Jar

Reviewed by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: In The Honey Jar, Menchú imparts some of the cultural knowledge she learned as a child: How Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon created the stars, and Mother Earth and Father Sky, whom they carefully instructed in the creation of sea, […]

The Girl from Chimel

Reviewed by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: It is in the hearts of the people of Chimel, then and now, that the old stories reside. Traditionally, told stories such as the ones in Menchú’s trilogy teach children how the world works. For young Rigoberta and […]

Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life

Reviewed by Allie Jane Bruce Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: At the outset of Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life, twelve-year-old Charlotte makes it clear that she finds her mom’s obsession with Laura Ingalls irritating. Anytime Mom or Rose (Charlotte’s younger sister) reference the Little House books or Laura Ingalls, Charlotte’s reaction is somewhere in […]

Refugee

Reviewed by Lyn Miller Lachmann Review Source: Pirate Tree Book Author: The news today is filled with the plight of refugees from Syria and elsewhere trying to find new homes while it seems that the rest of the world — including the United States — is trying to keep them out. Alan Gratz’s novel for […]