Social Justice Books

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

Piecing me Together

Reviewed by Crystal Brunelle Review Source: Rich in Color Book Author: Jade creates stunning collages. She’s an artist turning bits and pieces of color, texture and shapes together. Art has often been one of the ways people explore what they think about the world and sometimes it’s a way to find healing. Jade creates these […]

Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

Reviewed by Crystal Brunelle Review Source: Rich in Color Book Author: Kindred is not generally tagged as young adult, but it will likely be a cross-over title and it was one I wanted to read for our focus on women in graphic novels this month. Dana, the main character, has just turned twenty-six when the main […]

One of a Kind, Like Me/Unico Como Yo

Reviewed by Latinx in Kid Lit Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit Book Author: One of a Kind Like Me/Único como yo is a book every elementary school should own. It takes the subject of gender identity out of the public discourse, where morality and religion weigh heavily in the debate, and puts it into the personal […]

Mama, Do You Love Me?

Reviewed by Martha Stackhouse Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Book Author: The story has to have been after contact because the pictures are very colorful and the atikjuks, the outer part of the parka, are made from cloth. In looking at the pictures, the maklaks appear to be soft sole, where we mostly use […]

Wonderstruck

Review by Anne Clare Le Zotte Review Source: Disabilities in Kid Lit Book Author: A boy named Ben longs for the father he has never known. A girl named Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother’s room, and Rose reads an […]

The Only Road

Book Review by Cris Rhodes Review Source: Latinxs in Kid Lit Book Author: A recipient of a Pura Belpré honor, Alexandra Diaz’s The Only Road is chilling and heart-wrenching in the best possible way. From the moment that Jaime’s beloved cousin Miguel is killed by a local gang, the Alphas, it is evident that this book […]