Social Justice Books

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

Book Uncle and Me

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: Nine-year-old Yasmin Kader, who lives in India, is an avid reader. Her favorite place to visit is the Book Uncle’s free outdoor lending library. His mantra is, “Right book for the right person for the right day.” One day the “right book” he lends her is […]

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: “Where is our historian to give us our side? To teach our people our own history?” asks Afro-Puerto Rican Arturo Schomburg on the first page of this beautifully illustrated picture book. Schomburg’s 5th-grade teacher had told him “Africa’s sons and daughters had no history, […]

Olita and Manyula

Reviewed by Wendy Bermudez Review Source: Independent Book Author: Olita (Holly) is a young Salvadoran-American girl who is visiting her family and friends in El Salvador. As soon as she arrives, her family members invite her to attend Manyula’s birthday party. The children make their way to Manyula’s house: jumping over puddles and walking under […]

Mamá the Alien // Mamá la Extraterrestre

Reviewed by Wendy Bermudez Review Source: Independent Book Author: Mamá the Alien is a humorous story about how one word with two different meanings can be interpreted by a young Latina girl. Sofia only knows one definition for the word alien; one that means a creature from outer space. When Sofia finds her mother’s identification […]

Home at Last

Reviewed by Katelyn Campbell Review Source: Independent Book Author: Home at Last shares the story of a small child, Lester, struggling to adjust during his transition from foster care into a new home with his two adopted fathers. Although Lester is excited to join his new family and their dog from the start of the story, […]

The Best Thing We Could Do

Reviewed by Laura Jimenez Review Source: BookToss Book Author: I don’t think of myself as a sentimental reader although there is a good chance that I am. I am always more clear about other people’s motives than I am about my own. I can clearly see when my friend is making a HUGE mistake or when my kids are […]