Social Justice Books

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

The Compassionate Warrior: Abd El-Kader of Algeria

Reviewed by Edith Campbell Review Source: Cotton Quilts Book Author: Marston combines her love of scholarship and of young adult literature as she writes about Emir Abdel Kader. At times, she speaks directly to her audience in a tone that guides them as they learn more, not only about this brilliant and compassionate leader but, also […]

The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage (2105) by Selina Alko has illustrations by Alko and her husband, Sean Qualls. The author’s note tells us that Alko is a “white Jewish woman from Canada” and that Qualls is an “African-American man from […]

The Boy Who Spat in Sargrenti’s Eye

Reviewed by Trevor R. Getz Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Manu Herbstein’s The Boy who Spat in Sargrenti’s Eye is a masterwork of historical fiction, with the emphasis on historical. The story is set in the events leading up to the creation of the British Gold Coast Colony and Protectorate in 1874, and its main […]

The Adventures of Sparrowboy

Reviewed by Elisa Gall Review Source: Reading While White Book Author: The picture book features Henry, a paperboy who is feeling depressed by the headlines in the news. While reading the paper before he makes his deliveries, he finds solace in the comics. He especially loves the story of Mark Steed, a police officer (Black […]

Tea Cakes for Tosh

Reviewed by Amy Rothschild Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: An invaluable new resource/picture book: Tea Cakes for Tosh written by Kelly Starling Lyons, author of Ellen’s Broom, and illustrated by the masterful E.B. Lewis. Tosh, a young African-American boy, learns from his grandmother Honey how to make teacakes, a family recipe passed down from his great-great-great-great-grandmother Ida.  “Long […]

Sylvia & Aki

Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Book Author: This historical novel for middle school readers is based on the true stories of Sylvia Mendez and Aki Munemitsu Nakauchi, who were 3rd graders during World War II. When Aki’s family is forced to leave their home in Westminster, Calif., for a Japanese American internment camp in Arizona, the Mendez […]