Social Justice Books

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

Our Chemical Hearts

Reviewed by Alaina Leary Review Source: Disabilities in Kid Lit Book Author: Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland bills itself as “kind of” a love story, and also “not your average story of boy meets girl.” The novel starts off with Henry Page telling readers about how he expected to first fall in love, and then […]

13 Colors of the Honduran Resistance

Reviewed by Elena Young Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: 13 Colors of the Honduran Resistance tells the story of Honduran feminists fighting for their rights against an oppressive government. The book focuses on the aftermath of the 2009 coup against President Manuel Zelaya who was labeled a communist for actions such as defending […]

Milo’s Museum

Teaching Ideas | Teaching Stories Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: Milo’s Museum by Zetta Elliott is a beautifully illustrated, empowering story of a young girl (Milo) who is excited to go on a school field trip to a museum. Her grandfather explains, “Museums hold all the things that people feel are […]

My Heart Fills with Happiness

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: I’ve read My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Julie Flett, many times. I can’t decide—and don’t need to, really—which page is my favorite! For now—for this moment—I just got off the phone with my daughter, Liz. She’s […]

The Knife and the Butterfly

Reviewed by Lynn Miller Lachman Book Author: Ashley Hope Perez Review Source: The Pirate Tree Last October I spoke on a panel with four other authors, including fellow Pirate Tree-huggers J.L. Powers and Nancy Bo Flood, on the topic of children’s literature and war. My part on children as combatants included G. Neri and Randy DuBurke’s […]

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

Reviewed by Lyn Miller Lachman Review Source: The Pirate Tree Book Author: We think of war as happening to children in other places. In doing so, we fail to think about young people in the United States whose everyday lives mirror the lives of young people in the world’s combat zones. For children who experience […]