Social Justice Books

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

A Child’s View of Gaza: Palestinian Children’s Art and the Fight Against Censorship

Reviewed by Katharine Davies Samway Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: A Childs View of Gaza: Palestinian Children’s Art and the Fight Against Censorship is equally compelling for children, older students, and adults. The captioned illustrations were created by Palestinian children who lived through the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in 2008-09. The pictures were drawn as part […]

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 […]