Social Justice Books

The best selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, YA, and educators.

Grandma’s Gift

Reviewed by Lila Quintero Weaver Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: In a category where such books are woefully rare, both of Velasquez’s Grandma stories represent positive images of Afro-Latino children and their families. Although the story in Grandma’s Gift takes place inside a few square miles of contemporary New York City, it also […]

Dear Martin

Reviewed by Zetta Elliott Review Source: Zetta Elliott Book Author: When a friend asked me last fall to address the problems she found in Dear Martin, I hedged. Few people thanked me for pointing out the issues I had with All American Boys (though many were quick to praise Jason Reynolds for his “gracious” response), and I didn’t want […]

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices

Reviewed by The Brown Bookshelf Review Source: The Brown Bookshelf Book Author: Edited by Wade and Cheryl Hudson and published by Crown Books for Young Readers in cooperation with the Hudsons’ company, Just Us Books, We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices is a treasury of poems, prose and art that offers hope and encouragement to children in these […]

A Werewolf Named Oliver James

Reviewed by Edith Campbell Review Source: CrazyQuiltEd Book Author: I’m not sure what you, the author, illustrator, editor or publishers may have seen in this story but, I’m seeing a young boy of African descent on the streets at night being perceived as a monster. I do not refer to him as African American because […]

So Done

Reviewed by Edith Campbell Review Source: CrazyQuiltEdi Book Author: I think what really struck me about this book is considering for whom it is written. In knowing that So Done is written by a black author and seeing two black young women on the cover, I don’t think you’d be wrong to assume the book is written […]

Dragons in a Bag

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Set in gentrifying Brooklyn, Dragons in a Bag is about a young boy (Jax) who spends the day with an elderly neighbor (Ma) while his mother goes to court to challenge their eviction. To Jax’s surprise, Ma is a witch who needs his help on […]