Social Justice Books

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

The Head of the Saint

Reviewed by Lyn Miller Lachmann Reviewed Source: Pirate Tree Book Author:  Translated fiction for teen readers is not easy to find. Despite the recent success of adult titles by Elena Ferrante, Steig Larsson, Roberto Bolaño, Haruki Murikami, and others, and the growing number of acclaimed picture books from other countries, middle grade and young adult […]

Taking Down Ms. Moody

Reviewed by Matthew Smee Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Taking Down Ms. Moody by D.C. high school students, Rochelle Jones, Destiny Mayhew, and Naseem Roach, and illustrated by D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts graduate, Zoë Gatti, tells a story of students dealing with a difficult teacher. In Taking Down Ms. Moody, the […]

The Hoodie Hero

Reviewed by Matthew Smee Reviewed Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: The Hoodie Hero by Washington, D.C. high school students Ashley Cooper, Daequan Golden, and Rico McCard tells an inspirational story of confronting a bully that is chock-a-block with valuable lessons. The story opens with the protagonist, Da’Monte, playing basketball at school. The reader is […]

A-to-Z: The Real DC

Reviewed by Matthew Smee Review Source: Independent Book Author: People often look at Washington, D.C., solely through a political lens, as it is the nation’s capital. Federal buildings and monuments are highlighted and other key components of the city are neglected in turn. Few outside of the district are familiar with our vibrant culture and […]

The Marrow Thieves

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: I first came to know Cherie Dimaline’s writing last year, when I read “Legends are Made, Not Born” in Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time: An LGBT and Two-Spirit Sci Fi Anthology. The character she writes about in that story is named Auntie […]

Steamboat School

Reviewed by Kirkus Reviews Review Source: Kirkus Reviews Book Author: A passion for education and freedom brings subversive ingenuity to life in 1847 St. Louis. Hopkinson reveals Rev. John Barry Meachum’s true history through the stories he tells the children of being born a slave (in 1789 in Virginia) and working in the saltpeter mines […]