Social Justice Books

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

Save Me a Seat

Review Source: Teach Pluralism Book Author: Our first chapter book read aloud this year was Save Me a Seat by Gita Varadarajan and Sarah Weeks. It’s an amazing book for so many reasons, and was the perfect first read aloud for our class. While we felt it allowed for natural segues into many of the beginning of […]

Miles Morales: Shock Waves

Reviewed by Paige Pagan Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author:  Miles Morales: Shockwaves is the latest graphic novel in a series about a contemporary Brooklyn student who has superhero adventures as Spiderman. In Shockwaves, Miles helps raise money for relief efforts in Puerto Rico after a series of earthquakes strike and works to uncover how […]

Healer of the Water Monster

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: I am delighted to recommend Brian Young’s Healer of the Water Monster. Below I will share some of the reasons why I think you should have this book on your school library shelf, and in your classroom library, and in your home library. If there’s […]

Too Small Tola

Reviewed by Lauren Parnell Marino Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Too Small Tola by Atinuke is a delightful book which introduces a slate of charming characters to young readers. The collection of three short stories focuses on the daily lives of Tola, a young girl growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, and her Grandmommy, sister, and brother. […]

The Grizzly Mother and The Sockeye Mother

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: Teachers! Get The Grizzly Mother for your classroom — and ask your librarian to get in on the library shelves, too! Written by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) and illustrated by Natasha Donovan, it will be released on September 1, 2019, from […]

The Teachers March! How Selma’s Teachers Changed History

Reviewed by Jenice L. View Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Overall, this book is very well researched and cited. It centers Black people, their strategic thinking, and their agency at a time when the national story of the Black freedom movement was being complicated by heightened white supremacist violence, rising resistance to the […]