Social Justice Books

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

Six of Crows

Reviewed by Natasha Razi Review Source: Disability in Kid Lit Book Author: At its heart, Six of Crows is a classic heist story: a group of interesting, messed-up people facing a seemingly impossible crime — in this case, breaking a prisoner out of a high-security prison. Within this framework, Bardugo weaves together five points of view, […]

Kamik Joins the Pack

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Kamik Joins the Pack was in my mail today. Adapted from the memories of Darryl Baker, who is Inuit, the story is the third in Inhabit Media’s series featuring Jake and his pup, Kamik. I first met Kamik in 2013, in Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story. Jake had […]

The Stars Beneath Our Feet

Reviewed by Megan Schliesman Review Source: Reading While White Book Author: Offering hope, acknowledging hardship. Debut author David Barclay Moore writes with open eyes about the challenges of Lolly’s life as a Black boy in a poor neighborhood on the cusp of young adulthood, and with eyes just as wide he shows the many things Lolly […]

Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal

Reviewed by: Deborah Menkart Reviewed Source: Zinn Education Project Book Author: Using her trademark style—multiple voices in free verse to share untold historical events —Margarita Engle introduces young readers to the builders of the Panama Canal. The protagonist is Mateo, a young boy from the Caribbean, lured with promises of good pay and work. Instead, […]

All Around Us

Reviewed by: Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: In this warm, gentle story that celebrates family, culture, community and the connectedness of all things, a young girl and her grandfather work side by side in their vegetable garden, hang out in their backyard, walk around their […]

Little Night/Nochecita

Reviewed by: Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: In this beautiful inverted go-to-bed story, full of magical realism and lots of love, Mamá Cielo (Mother Sky) convinces her young daughter, Nochecita (Little Night) to come out and darken the sky so that everyone can sleep. While Morales […]