Social Justice Books

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

Honey, I Love

Each of the sixteen poems in Honey, I Love is spoken straight from the perspective of a child. Riding on a train, listening to music, playing with a friend…each poem elicits a new appreciation of the rich content of everyday life. The poems are accompanied by both portrait and panorama drawings that deepen the insights […]

The Deep Past of Haiti

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author:  We highly recommend the book by fifth and sixth-grade students at Jubilee School called The Deep Past of Haiti. We agree with Edwidge Danticat who said it is a “gorgeous book” and “a stunning gift from the children to the world.” Here is the introduction […]

The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary

Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: On many levels, The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary is a brilliant book. It’s open and raw, exposing almost every level of damage inflicted upon the young teenage protagonist, Macy Cashmere. Themes of racism, misogyny, foster care, drug use, prostitution, and “mental illness” create a fast-paced and erratic read. Told […]

Dragons in a Bag

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: See all the books in the Dragons in a Bag series. 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 […]

This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Did you know that one year before the Little Rock Nine, in Clinton, Tennessee, 12 Black students desegregated their high school? Their dramatic story is told by one of the 12 students — Jo Ann Allen Boyce — in collaboration with children’s book author […]

Teddy Roosevelt: The People’s President

Reviewed by: Kathleen Nganga Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Like many children’s biographies, Teddy Roosevelt: The People’s President by Sharon Gayle celebrates Roosevelt’s perseverance and rise to power, but misses his failings, shortcomings, and the nuances of his life. Thus, while imparting valuable lessons about determination, the book glorifies militarism and erases people […]