Social Justice Books

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

Rudas: Niño’s Horrendous Hermanitas

Reviewed by: Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: In this, the rematch of all rematches!—defeated, but unwilling to surrender!—Niño’s HORRIFYING, HARROWING, HORRENDOUS HERMANITAS (“Wrestling champions! Lucha Queens!”)—interrupting their brother who has been busy creating a picture book and must now drop everything to don his lucha […]

I Lived on Butterfly Hill

Reviewed by: Deborah Menkart Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: While I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosín is beautifully written and exposes the horrors of the overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile through the eyes of a young girl, I was shocked to find a casual, uncritical inclusion of Gone with the […]

Under the Royal Palms: A Childhood in Cuba

Reviewed by: Lila Quintero Weaver Review Source: Latinxs in Kid Lit Book Author: Written in clear prose charged with poetic flavor, Under the Royal Palms is a lovely collection of autobiographical stories that paint a rich picture of life for a 20th-century child in the riverside city of Camagüey, Cuba. Located in the interior of the island nation, […]

Enrique’s Journey

Reviewed by: Lila Quintero Weaver Original (adult) version also available – Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother Review Source: Latinxs in Kid Lit Book Author: The best creative non-fiction takes you straight down into the messy, contradictory, gut-wrenching heart of a subject, and awakens your appreciation for its […]

The Birthday Book / Las Mananitas

Reviewed by Ashley Hope Pérez Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: I loved the look of this book, but I didn’t know if Ethan Andrés, our board book reader, would take to it. At first, he was most interested in unfolding all the pages and spreading the book out across the floor. Then he […]

The Smell of Old Lady Perfume

Reviewed by Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: Martínez’s debut young adult novel captures the turmoil of a family’s losing its center, and at the same time emphasizes the importance of staying in school. Chela’s parents are immigrants and her father makes clear that his options […]