Social Justice Books

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

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester

Reviewed by Deborah Jung Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is an original and heartfelt, if occasionally uneven, paranormal mystery centered around a close-knit friend group of LGBT+ teens. Sam has always collected stories of other teenagers who died before their nineteenth birthdays and occasionally experiences visions […]

We Still Belong

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Author: What I particularly like about Christine Day’s books is that she includes things that I know kids know about. For example, young people are way into video games and gamer culture. More about that later. Early on in her book, we learn that Wesley […]

When Stars Are Scattered

Reviewed by Lidwien Kapteijns Book Source: African Access Book Author: This graphic novel for 9-12 year-old readers is a real masterpiece. It is based on the life of a Somali boy called Omar, who had to flee his rural village in Somalia in 1991 when he was four, and, together with his mentally challenged younger […]

Call Me Miss Hamilton: One Woman’s Case for Equality and Respect

Reviewed by Valencia Abbott Review Source: Social Education Book Author: I hadn’t heard about Miss Mary Lucille Hamilton before reading this book. But after reading that she demanded to be addressed as “Miss Hamilton,” I knew I wanted to know her better. Miss Hamilton would become the plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case Hamilton […]

Troublemaker

Reviewed by Deborah Jung Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Troublemaker is a nuanced and emotionally rich middle grade chapter book recalling the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising, or Sa-I-Gu, from the perspective of a young Korean American boy trying to find his father. The book’s protagonist, Jordan, is a Korean American seventh grader whose […]

Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame

Reviewed by Paige Pagan Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author:  This is a moving and thought-provoking middle grade historical novel set in British-occupied India in 1857. On the day before Meera’s 13th birthday, she’s expected to move into her husband’s home with his family, as is the Indian custom, but in a twist of fate, […]