Vashti Harrison’s beautifully illustrated mini-biographies of 40 black female trailblazers are meant to be inspiring for all readers; Harrison says she wrote it for her younger self, wondering “what kind of dreams I might have had if I had known about all these women when I was growing up.” Harrison’s subjects range from Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman to Mahalia Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, Octavia Butler, and Dominique Dawes—role models in politics, sports, the arts and sciences, and more. We … According to their organization, “The Handbook of Research o… Social Justice Books’ “See What We See” South Asian. R.J. Palacio’s novel presents Auggie’s perspective as well as those of friends and family members. With books that span many genres including mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic fiction, and nonfiction, we offer the right book for every reader. 11. We Need Diverse Books™ is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. Broader experiences might open minds and hearts and encourage this next generation to embrace the wonderful diversity of our world. Amanda M.: Diversity matters because we need to see outside our own little world in order to make a difference in this life on a small and large scale. A good introduction to the tough subject of Japanese internment—and the personal and social cost of intolerance. I had many conversations with our school librarian about ways to build a more diverse collection. Tackling bullying and the adolescent drive to build an identity, Sharon Flake’s debut novel is the story of Maleeka Madison, an African American seventh grader who struggles with poverty and self-consciousness about her dark skin—and fights the people who try to help her. Junior eventually transfers to a wealthy high school 20 miles from home where the only other Indian is the mascot. Despite national movements like We Need Diverse Books and DisruptTexts, and despite a growing number of diverse books, only 7% are written by people of color. There were some … We hope they reflect human diversity in the broadest sense, addressing race and ethnicity, religion, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, and other special circumstances. "Not only was it the first time I realized I was not … But what is even more striking is Malala’s hope, positivity, and belief in what she stands for. Suggest that the school library start a special section for culturally inclusive books. Read 271 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. I Am Absolutely Too Small for School By Lauren Child. Palacio has called the novel “a meditation on kindness.”. This is a powerful, well-told personal story from the wise, self-reflective perspective of Malala Yousafzai and appropriate for teens. The confusion and contrast between the countries and cultures really stand out during this time. No book shelf is going to represent the fullness of this nation. School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex. 1,645 books — 1,117 voters Diversity in Fantasy and Science Fiction. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. When her dog is taken from her in the process, Manami stops talking. What books are you and your kids looking forward to reading in 2020? An English teacher at The Latin School of Chicago chronicles what happens in her classroom when a diverse student body responds to multicultural initiatives at the school. : The Lost History of African-American Inventors. Young CJ asks his grandmother questions on a bus ride—why don’t they have a car? You can’t read this book and not be changed by it. George is a transgender fourth grader who wants to try out for the lead role in the school production of Charlotte’s Web so that her mother will see her as a girl. Patricia Hegarty’s book about the bonds of family, illustrated by Ryan Wheatcroft, presents children with a variety of family situations—traditional nuclear families of different races, same-sex parents, grandparents raising a child, a single mother and child, multiracial families—to make the point that what they all have in common is love. Michael Hall’s illustrated book is a cute story with a serious message for kids: Believe in yourself and be true to who you are. In bringing together a refugee with limited English and an African American New York City kid, former public school teacher Jenny Lombard explores immigration and multicultural friendship. While no such officiallisting exists, it’s widely assumed that “classics” belong in schools while more modern literature often gets sidelined. ... (I watched Anchorman WAY too many times in high school.) The Arrival Red: A Crayon’s Story As long as public education has been alive in the United States, so too has the idea of a literary canon. Listopia > Diversity Book Lists. The poems are reproduced from Shakur’s journals; many show small edits he made, giving a glimpse of his creative process. When I think of diverse books, the first thing that comes to mind are books with person of color or LGBT characters or authors. How Do Dinosaurs Go To School? As the stage is set, we learn how her country used to be and the fearful place it became with the Taliban’s influence. A sepia-toned marvel, The Arrival conveys in images—there is no dialogue—a man’s journey from his troubled home country to a new one. I’m not saying all the books currently on school reading lists should be tossed. Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem, and Obstfeld, Raymond. Collections (20) Books (21) Lee & Low Books offers great books to engage high school readers, featuring diverse characters and settings. In weaving these stories together, Gene Luen Yang explores Chinese American identities, bigotry, and the process of assimilation. Juna’s Jar. Many of them are there for good reasons and have literary merit that would be difficult to equal. The school he attends is poor—when Junior opens his geometry book he finds his mother’s name among the previous owners. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian As you choose books or evaluate your classroom library, keep these questions in mind. 6 donors; $193 goal; Hooray! George When I moved and went to a more diverse high school I was still alone because of my sexual orientation. Edutopia® and Lucas Education Research™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of the George Lucas Educational Foundation in the U.S. and other countries. Deena Misses Her Mom Juna and her best friend, Hector, have many adventures together, and they love to collect … Adding books with LGBT characters and themes to classrooms and libraries creates a more inclusive school culture. 2,198 books — 2,521 voters Diversity in Young Adult and Middle Grade. American Born Chinese Deena is a formerly well-behaved girl who has been lashing out in school ever since her mom was sent to jail. Log in. This book is one that I could teach my students year after year. The accessibility and visibility of diverse books in classrooms and schools powerfully affects students. After she is shot for her blog writing in support of educating females, she’s taken to England for recovery and safety. Ever since the 2016 Election, I have reflected a lot on my own voting education and history. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Parental imprisonment is a shockingly common occurrence in America: More than 5 million children in the U.S. have had at least one parent in jail. Angie Thomas’s debut novel was a sensation when it was published in 2017, remaining on The New York Times best-seller list for 50 weeks. This project is fully funded. Written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson, this 2016 Newbery Medal winner shows kids the value of generosity and being satisfied with what you have. After meeting through the app Last Friend, Rufus, a bisexual Cuban American, and Mateo, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, spend their End Day together, making their way through the city and becoming friends—and then something more. Our middle grade and young adult novels can be used for independent reading or included in curriculum. Check out the top childrens books about diversity … Ready? My Students. Non-Caucasian Protagonists in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Paranormal Romance. Bless Me, Ultima They Both Die at the End The House on Mango Street Don’t have time to sort through a bunch of books? Under the Mesquite Mexican American teen Esperanza Cordero longs to escape from a rundown section of Chicago. Buck book. Artist Shaun Tan places the reader in the immigrant’s shoes by using an invented alphabet on the signs in the strange new world he enters—the language is as impenetrable to the reader as it is to the protagonist. It’s a valuable message for all kids who feel like they’re different from others—LGBT kids and kids with learning differences, for example—and for their peers. This graphic novel—the first to be nominated for a National Book Award—tells three stories: The legend of the Monkey King, a master of martial arts; the story of a Chinese American boy who wants to be just American; and a depiction of racial stereotypes of Chinese immigrants that features a character named Chin-kee. Drita, My Homegirl What Color Is My World? In a vibrant, multicultural society, representing the richness of students’ lives in a class or school library takes a conscious effort. We’re entering this new decade with another epic list of diverse reads to share with you. August Pullman—Auggie—has had numerous surgeries to correct facial anomalies, but when he enters school in fifth grade after years of homeschooling, he still has a face that draws nicknames like Freak and Freddy Krueger. Her answers help CJ uncover the beauty in the world around him. Random House has created a collection of high school-appropriate diverse books with educator guides, author videos and chapter excerpts. The text includes black-and-white photographs documenting the women’s lives and the historical events which add to the reader’s understanding. Unlike many of my friends, the curriculum at my all-girls school made ample room for stories written by a diverse list of women. If you think back to your middle school and high school required reading lists, you’ll likely see a plethora of classic book titles written by white males — titles like Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, and Macbeth come to mind. Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut novel—the story of children of a Bengali couple who immigrate to America—conveys in rich detail the experience of many immigrant families: The parents strive to be American even as they miss their home and mainly socialize with other Bengalis, and the American-born children chafe at the imposition of Bengali traditions that are foreign to them. Suggestions from teachers who are working to offer students at every grade level book choices that represent their lives. Diverse Books for Election Day: A Middle and High School Student List We are quickly approaching one of the most important Election Days our country has faced in the last few decades! Ages 8–12. The short vignettes that make up Sandra Cisneros’s book cover a year of Esperanza’s life as she moves from childhood into her teen years—a key moment, full of promise but also a little scary, comes when a neighbor gives Esperanza and her friends some high-heeled shoes, marking a rite of passage into womanhood. The Namesake Candlewick, 2013. We Love Diversity: Diverse Books for High School English! In this work of historical fiction by Lois Sepahban, 10-year-old Manami is forced to leave her home after the attack on Pearl Harbor—her Japanese American family is relocated from Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, to an internment camp in the California desert. The killing of her friend Khalil drives those two worlds farther apart than ever. The Name Jar By Yangsook Choi. It centers on the killing of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer, a shooting witnessed by 16-year-old Starr, whose days are split between her black neighborhood and mostly white suburban school. Ghost As I work on reading more diverse books, I've had to really think about what diverse books are and how I want to define them for myself. Including writers and fictional characters with a variety of backgrounds, beliefs, and life circumstances is a way to increase the chances that students will find both windows and mirrors in the library—books that reflect their lives, and ones that give them insight into the lives and experiences of people who aren’t like them. In this novel by Adam Silvera—one of Book Riot’s Best Queer Books of 2017—a company called Death-Cast calls two New York City teens just after midnight with the bad news: This is the day they’re going to die. By filling your classroom library with authentic and diverse books, you can teach your students understanding, compassion, and empathy. My students are the kindest, most determined, hardest working people I know. Help me give my students diverse literature to add to our classroom library in high school English! The diverse classroom libraries were created through the collaboration of LCPS teachers, librarians, administrators, and classroom book collection specialist teams trained to identify culturally responsive and diverse texts in accordance to LCPS School Board Policy 5-7 Regulation, Selection and Review of Instructional Materials. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History Equal Read researches the need for more literary diversity and works with schools and libraries to build their collections. why do they get off in a dirty part of town?—as they travel from church to volunteer at a soup kitchen on Market Street. https://www.readbrightly.com/contemporary-diverse-middle-grade-books Deena’s story—sensitively illustrated by Leslie Jindalay Pyo—was written by high school students Jonae Haynesworth, Jesse Holmes, Layonnie Jones, and Kahliya Ruffin to reflect the lives of the children they were tutoring in Washington, DC. By Jane Yolen. This collection of poems was written by Tupac Shakur while still a teenager—making it a source of inspiration for young writers, particularly boys, who appreciate the musician’s authenticity. The Autobiography of Malcolm X A classic of Latino literature, Rudolfo Anaya’s coming-of-age tale is an exploration of faith—Antonio, the young protagonist, makes his First Communion in the Catholic Church but also finds a spiritual guide in Ultima, an elderly curandera, or healer, who helps him explore indigenous traditions of New Mexico. A well-crafted blend of the historical realities and inspiring life stories of four mathematically talented women who worked to build this country’s aviation and aeronautical programs starting from the Civil Rights era to the Space Race all the way to the Cold War. why is one passenger blind? Consider stories about school, community, family, and friendship! But the inclusive set of books below—many of which were recommended by multiple teachers—span all grade and Lexile levels up to 1140L, and include award winners and best sellers, books that have stood the test of time and newer options. 12 Diverse Books for High School Teens If you’re looking for good books that hook high school age teens on reading, recommend diverse books! Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. 96 pages. Most of the books … From the descendants of people who arrived here more than 15,000 years ago to the newest immigrants, we’re simply too much. We Are Family High school senior Gabi Hernandez has a lot going on in her senior year, all captured in this let-no-issue-go-unexplored page-turner. Malala draws readers in with her accounts of daily life in Pakistan — the sounds, smells, sights, habits. Starr attends a high-class suburban private school, but lives in a … A budding cartoonist, Junior eventually transfers to a wealthy high school 20 miles from home where the only other Indian is the mascot. The Hate U Give KitaabWorld In Sherman Alexie’s National Book Award winner, Arnold Spirit Jr. is a teenager growing up on the Spokane Reservation. Wonder Yet, in the past 24 years, multicultural content, according to book publisher Lee & Low, represents only 13% of children’s literature. With the exception of classes like Native American Literature or Pacific Rim Literature where I had opted to look at writing from specific voices, the same held true. Paper Wishes The book won Flake the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Alex Gino presents George’s struggles with both bullying and the painful reassurance that she will “turn into a fine young man.” George won a Stonewall Book Award—and made the American Library Association’s 10 Most Challenged Books list in 2016 and 2017. Student Engagement and Self-Esteem It was a big deal when our diverse classroom library began taking shape. Guadalupe Garcia McCall’s debut was published by Lee & Low, which has been dedicated to publishing multicultural books since 1991. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Readers are hooked from the first page. Red—a blue crayon in a red wrapper—has issues: He can’t color strawberries or fire engines properly, and can’t quite figure out just what he’s good at. Diverse Books for Every Student Discover the stories and voices of different cultures, abilities, backgrounds and identities for your high school students. Multicultural Books for Kids: Ages 6-10 Check out these multicultural books for kids that express incredibly diverse viewpoints. OurStory by We Need Diverse Books; The Pirate Tree; Reading in Color; Rich in Color; SLJ: Betsy Bird's Casual Diversity Book List; SLJ's Culturally Diverse Book List; SLJ's Tales of Child Refugees and Safe Havens; Smithsonian BookDragon; We Read Too; Social Justice. The Rose That Grew From Concrete Great Diverse Back To School Books: Suki’s Kimono By Chieri Uegako. My Teacher By James Ransome . Lupita, a Mexican American teen, struggles to take care of her younger siblings as her mother battles cancer in this free verse novel that makes effective use of interspersed Spanish. Money is tight and his father is in jail, and Ghost has been having a lot of what he calls “altercations.” This is the first in a series of books about the members of a track team. Last Stop on Market Street Other People’s Children Lisa Delpit The New Press Lisa Delpit examines how white teachers communicate with children of color, The life story of the man born Malcolm Little—coauthored by Alex Haley—is one of the most important memoirs of the 20th century. Books allowed me to find people who are and were like me and in that never feel alone. The Skin I’m In 22 Diverse Book Choices for All Grade Levels. Elementary School Middle School High School Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade PreK 8th Grade 12th Grade 9th Grade 7th Grade 10th Grade 6th Grade 11th Grade Higher Ed. Based on interviews conducted over the two years before Malcolm’s 1965 assassination, the book describes his upbringing and his conversion to Islam while in prison, as well as his philosophies of black power and black nationalism. A National Book Award finalist, Jason Reynolds’s Ghost is the story of an African American middle school runner with the talent to qualify for the Junior Olympics—if he can learn to control his temper. An unlikely friendship blossoms between Maxie, a popular fourth grader, and the new kid in class, Drita, whose family has fled the war in Kosovo. Diversify Libraries With LGBT Books. Immediately I started thinking back, reflecting on the books I had been assigned in middle school, high school and college. Special section for culturally inclusive books dedicated to publishing multicultural books for kids that express incredibly diverse viewpoints Science,.... ( I watched Anchorman WAY too many times in high school 20 miles from where... As long as public education has been dedicated to publishing multicultural books since 1991 school 20 miles from where. Contrast between the countries and cultures really stand out during this time t... 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