Social Justice Books

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

Journey of Dreams

Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children  Book Author: Between 1982 and 1992, hundreds of churches and synagogues across the United States offered sanctuary to refugees fleeing civil strife in Guatemala and El Salvador. The Sanctuary Movement began in Tucson, Arizona, through the efforts of Presbyterian minister John Fife […]

Return to Sender

Reviewed by: Cindy L. Rodriguez Review Source: Latinxs in Kid Lit Book Author: Although Before We Were Free and Return to Sender are set in different countries, they have similarities. In Return to Sender, Mari and her family are migrant workers on a Vermont dairy farm. She encounters a mix of acceptance and scorn from her […]

I Lived on Butterfly Hill

Reviewed by: Sarah Hannah Gómez Review Source: Latinxs in Kid Lit Book Author: This reads like a pretty classic middle grade novel in the tradition of Sharon Creech or Patricia Reilly Giff. Celeste has a very sweet and thoughtful way about her, and she narrates the day-to-day of her life with the eye of a girl […]

Enrique’s Journey

Reviewed by: Lila Quintero Weaver Original (adult) version also available – Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother Review Source: Latinxs in Kid Lit Book Author: The best creative non-fiction takes you straight down into the messy, contradictory, gut-wrenching heart of a subject, and awakens your appreciation for its […]

The Smell of Old Lady Perfume

Reviewed by Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: Martínez’s debut young adult novel captures the turmoil of a family’s losing its center, and at the same time emphasizes the importance of staying in school. Chela’s parents are immigrants and her father makes clear that his options […]

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale

Reviewed by Lila Quintero Weaver Review Source: Latinxs in Kid Lit Book Author: Kudos to Duncan Tonatiuh for shining a bright spotlight on a consequential, but often overlooked chapter of American civil rights, and bringing this true story of Latinos fighting for racial justice to young readers. The book features Tonatiuh’s trademark, award-winning illustration and his retelling […]