Social Justice Books

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

Rock Your Mocs

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Several years ago on Native social media, I saw people talking about plans to wear their moccasins for “Rock Your Mocs” day. On that day, we took photos of our mocs and shared them joyously in a way that radiated an Indigenous […]

Rez Ball

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Earlier this month, I was in San Diego at the California Indian Ed for All 2023 Summit. I was invited to give a presentation about children’s books. During that trip I was reading an advance copy of Rez Ball by Byron Graves. At […]

Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-To-Be Best Friend

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Author: Today’s Short and Sweet Rec is for Dawn Quigley’s Jo Jo Makoons, The Used-to-Be Best Friend. For starters, here’s the description of the book (from the publisher): Hello/Boozhoo — meet Jo Jo Makoons! Full of pride, joy, and plenty of humor, this first book in […]

With Lots of Love

Reviewed by Estella Frias Review Source: Reading Is Resistance Book Author:  She missed Abuela’s warm tortillas and the way they smelled sweet and fresh, like the damp earth after a soft rain. She missed the pretty song of her language. With Lots of Love tells Rocio’s riveting story about the struggle and newness of immigrating […]

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester

Reviewed by Deborah Jung Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is an original and heartfelt, if occasionally uneven, paranormal mystery centered around a close-knit friend group of LGBT+ teens. Sam has always collected stories of other teenagers who died before their nineteenth birthdays and occasionally experiences visions […]

The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale

Reviewed by Tara Matruolo Review Source: Reading Is Resistance Book Author:  “Some books are so powerful that they intimidate people” — Aya Khalil The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale by Aya Khalil is a powerful picture book confronting social justice issues head-on. Readers are reconnected to Kanzi, featured in Khalil’s The Arabic Quilt,  a young protagonist […]