Social Justice Books

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

Bronze and Sunflower

Reviewed by: Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: The Pirate Tree Book Author: Seven-year-old Sunflower is the daughter of an artist forcibly relocated from the city to the countryside during China’s cultural revolution. By day, he works in the “Cadre School,” leaving the young child to explore the river and nearby village of Damaidi. There she sees […]

Ahimsa

Reviewed by: Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: The Pirate Tree Book Author: During and immediately after the Second World War, India fought its own war for independence against Great Britain. Led by Mahatma Gandhi, this independence movement embraced civil disobedience and other forms of nonviolent resistance according to the principle of ahimsa. Supriya Kelkar’s great-grandmother was […]

The Harlem Charade

Reviewed by: Cooperative Children’s Book Center Review Source: Cooperative Children’s Book Center Book Author: The rich past and present of Harlem is central to this lively, Balliett-esque mystery featuring three diverse young detectives. When Korean American Jin first pairs with African American Alex for a school assignment to explore some dimension of Harlem history, she’s […]

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

Reviewed by: Edi Campbell Review Source: Cotton Quilts Book Author: The Great Wall of Lucy Wu is Wendy Wan-Long Shang’s first novel. It is the story of sixth grader, Lucy Wu, whose life is about to be ruined not only by a long lost aunt with whom she has to share a bedroom, by Talent […]

Every Falling Star

Reviewed by: Cooperative Children’s Book Center Review Source: Cooperative Children’s Book Center Book Author: Sungju Lee’s comfortable early childhood was spent in Pyongyang, North Korea, where his father held an important position within the military. Three years after Kim Il-Sung’s death in 1994, Sungju and his parents made an abrupt move to Gyeong-Seong. Although his […]

NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women

Reviewed by: Debbie Reese Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: #NotYourPrincess is one of those books that is so stunning in so many ways, it is kind of hard to decide where to start! Let’s start with the title. The hashtag title is perfection. It boldly says that Native women are here […]