Kids Book Index

NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2025

The 2025 edition contains 149 selections published by the National Council for the Social Studies. The source uses 8 audience or subject sections, including Kindergarten to Second Grade, Kindergarten to Fifth Grade, Third to Fifth Grade, and Third to Eighth Grade. It is one annual edition of the NCSS bibliography for social studies teaching and learning.

2025 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young PeopleSee the original list
About this book list
Selections149
Published byNational Council for the Social Studies
Sections8 sections
Browse sections8 sections

Kindergarten to Second Grade

31 selections

Cover of America’s DreamingAmerica’s DreamingBob McKinnon, illustrated by Thai My PhuongAmerica’s difficult first day at a new school leaves the child feeling alone, despite hopes for adventure, friendship, strength, and belonging. A teacher’s Welcome Wagon offers books about historical people who also faced exclusion. That night, Emma Lazarus and Amelia Earhart join Sojourner Truth and Martin Luther King Jr. in America’s dream, sharing encouragement connected to their lives. The illustrations leave America unseen.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Before the Ships: The Birth of Black ExcellenceBefore the Ships: The Birth of Black ExcellenceMaisha OsoBefore the Ships presents Black history as beginning well before the transatlantic slave trade. In poetic text and illustrations, it turns to Africa and the achievements found across the continent before that period. The book places slavery within African American history without treating it as the starting point, then connects this earlier history to the strength and resilience of Black people today. It foregrounds a long, rich past tied to Africa.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Bridges Instead Of WallsBridges Instead Of WallsCarole Boston Weatherford, Mavis Staples, illustrated by Ste! WalthallBridges Instead of Walls tells the story of musician Mavis Staples. She began performing at eight years old with her family’s gospel ensemble, the Staple Singers. Her career later brought her several Grammy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The book traces a performer whose work grew from singing alongside her relatives to receiving major recognition in American music.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Crowning Glory: A Celebration of Black HairCrowning Glory: A Celebration of Black HairCarole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Ekua HolmesRhyming text and collage art present a range of Black hairstyles and the people who wear them. The book includes box braids decorated with shells and beads, a wash-and-go afro with flowers, and a high pouf. These styles are presented through beauty, ritual, culture, community, expression, strength, patience, and creativity, celebrating the many forms Black hair can take.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of The Day Madear VotedThe Day Madear VotedWade HudsonIn 1969, Charlie and Ralph go with their mother, Madear, when she votes for the first time. She has waited because Black people faced many barriers intended to keep them from participating in elections. The story follows the brothers as they share her joy on the day she can exercise a right won through hard work. It presents one family’s voting day and their hope for the future.Kindergarten to Second GradeLexile Text Measure AD620LATOS Book Level 4View book details
Cover of Elinor McGrath, Pet Doctor: The Story of America’s First Female VeterinarianElinor McGrath, Pet Doctor: The Story of America’s First Female VeterinarianJacqueline Johnson, illustrated by Alette StraathofIn 1907, Elinor McGrath decides to become a veterinarian, although the profession is considered unsuitable for women. After entering veterinary school, she is one of 137 male students, whose treatment makes clear that she is not welcome. Elinor persists despite ongoing criticism. Her story follows her determination to work in veterinary medicine and to challenge the exclusion of women from the profession.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Flicker Of HopeFlicker Of HopeCynthia Harmony, illustrated by Devon HolzwarthLucía watches monarch butterflies migrate from her home in Mexico with her Papá. When he travels north to find work harvesting produce on distant farms, he promises to return when the weather turns cold and the monarchs come back. During the summer, Lucía searches the sky for signs of the butterflies and for her father’s return. The story links the monarchs’ seasonal movement with a family’s separation, homecoming, and work that follows the seasons.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Hair Like Obama’s, Hands Like Lebron’s: A Picture BookHair Like Obama’s, Hands Like Lebron’s: A Picture BookCarole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Savanna DurrInspired by a photograph of five-year-old Jacob Philadelphia reaching toward President Barack Obama’s hair, this picture book celebrates Black and brown children. The narrator connects parts of himself with figures including Obama, LeBron James, Ice McDonald, and Michael Jordan, and looks to Africa as part of his heritage. The book introduces notable Black figures from history through the present while affirming children’s abilities and cultural legacy.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of I Am Ruth Bader GinsburgI Am Ruth Bader GinsburgBrad Meltzer, illustrated by Christopher EliopoulosThis picture-book account follows Ruth Bader Ginsburg from her childhood as a Jewish girl in Brooklyn to her work as a Supreme Court justice. Books, earlier women trailblazers, and her mother influence her wish to make the world more just. Although she is turned away because she is a girl and Jewish, she continues challenging unfair laws and beliefs while working toward equal treatment for everyone.Kindergarten to Second GradeLexile Text Measure 670LATOS Book Level 4.3View book details
Cover of Let’s Fly: Barrington Irving’s Record-Breaking Flight Around the WorldLet’s Fly: Barrington Irving’s Record-Breaking Flight Around the WorldBarrington Irving and Chana Stiefel, illustrated by Shamar Knight-JusticeThis true story follows Barrington Irving from his move from Jamaica to Miami to his record-setting solo flight around the world. As a child, he expected football to be his path until Captain Gary Robinson showed him a jet, a cockpit, and flying. Irving worked to become a pilot, then flew around the world alone, becoming both the youngest person and the first Black man to do so. The book is co-authored by Irving and Chana Stiefel.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Not Far From HereNot Far From HereNydia Armendia-Sánchez, illustrated by Devon HolzwarthA mother tells her children a family story that begins with their father’s childhood nearby. Their grandmothers passed down stories about their ancestors, and their grandfather, a blacksmith, taught their father to create art from earth and fire. After the grandfather dies, the father carries those lessons with him as he crosses the border northward to pursue his dreams. The story follows family memory, inherited skills, and migration.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Rainbow Allies: The True Story of Kids Who Stood against HateRainbow Allies: The True Story of Kids Who Stood against HateNancy Churnin, illustrated by Izzy EvansThis true story follows a lesbian couple whose Pride flag is stolen and whose porch is egged, leaving them uncertain about their safety and belonging in their community. Support comes from the neighborhood’s children. The children work together on a plan to show Cari and Lauri that they are valued. The book centers on young people responding to anti-LGBTQ hate with allyship and community action.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Seeker of Truth: Kailash Satyarthi’s Fight to End Child LaborSeeker of Truth: Kailash Satyarthi’s Fight to End Child LaborSrividhya Venkat, illustrated by Danica da Silva PereiraThis biography follows Kailash Satyarthi’s lifelong opposition to child labor and exploitation. As a child, he collected money to help children living in poverty attend school. In his teens, he challenged caste discrimination by eating with people labelled “untouchable.” As an adult, his work for education and against child labor helped free hundreds of thousands of children around the world. In 2014, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Malala Yousafzai.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Sharing ShalomSharing ShalomDanielle Sharkan, illustrated by Selina AlkoLeila enjoys Hebrew school, the stories she hears there, and the connection learning Hebrew gives her to earlier generations. Her Jewish identity feels like an important part of her story. After her synagogue is vandalized, however, something that once made Leila feel special instead makes her feel set apart. The book follows her community as its members come together in response to intolerance and work to restore hope.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of Solstice: Around the World on the Longest, Shortest DaySolstice: Around the World on the Longest, Shortest DayJen Breach, illustrated by 14 Global ArtistsSet on the June solstice, this book looks at children’s everyday lives around the world through one shared day. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the year’s longest day; in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the shortest. The book explains that Earth’s tilt toward the Sun produces these contrasting lengths of daylight. Sunrise and sunset provide a common thread across a global story that connects diverse places and experiences.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details
Cover of We Are Golden: 27 Groundbreakers Who Changed the WorldWe Are Golden: 27 Groundbreakers Who Changed the WorldEva Chen, illustrated by Sophie DiaoWe Are Golden introduces 27 people of Asian descent whose work has made an impact across history and the present day. Its subjects include actor Sandra Oh, politician Patsy Mink, martial artist Bruce Lee, and figure skater Michelle Kwan. The book places Asian-descended people in artistic work, science, and athletics, presenting examples from varied fields rather than a single profession or era.Kindergarten to Second GradeView book details

Kindergarten to Fifth Grade

40 selections

Cover of Ayo’s Adventure: Acrosss the African Diaspora from Afro to ZuluAyo’s Adventure: Acrosss the African Diaspora from Afro to ZuluAin Heath Drew, illustrated by Erin K. RobinsonOne night, Ayo sits before a world map, and his father tells him that their ancestors came from many African nations. Ayo then shares with his mother an account of the places, cultures, and celebrations he has encountered across the African diaspora, as well as Black people’s struggles, resistance, creativity, innovation, and inspiration around the world. The book frames these experiences as Ayo’s adventure, moving through sights and sounds connected to that diaspora.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Border PatrolBorder PatrolJoseph BruchacBorder Patrol takes the form of Lily’s first-person verse narration. Lily is Mohawk and lives on Akwesasne, a reservation split by the international boundary between the United States and Canada. After spotting a child in a river, Lily joins her rescue. She learns the girl came from Myanmar as a refugee and was separated from her family at the border. Lily must choose how to reconnect the girl with her relatives without involving immigration authorities.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Born NaughtyBorn NaughtyJin Wang, with Tony JohnstonIn this memoir, Jin Wang recalls being eight years old in Nan Ba Zi, a small village in Inner Mongolia, China. She lives with her family in a one-room mud hut without electricity or running water. Daily life includes school, climbing trees, looking for wolves, planting potatoes, gathering mushrooms, and preparing for occasional special events. Jin also recounts hardships, including a harsh winter and getting her tongue stuck to a frozen door handle.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeLexile Text Measure 650LATOS Book Level 4.2View book details
Cover of A Crown of Stories: The Life and Language of Beloved Writer Toni MorrisonA Crown of Stories: The Life and Language of Beloved Writer Toni MorrisonCarole Boston WeatherfordCrown of Stories chronicles the life of Toni Morrison, beginning when she was Chloe Ardelia Wofford, a child in Ohio. It recounts people, places, and events that influenced her, including being the only Black pupil in her first-grade class and its only reader. The biography also follows her college years, when she adopted the name Toni, and her work as an editor who nurtured Black writers before she became a major voice in contemporary American literature.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeATOS Book Level 5.7AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Cover of Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena RamírezDaughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena RamírezBelen MedinaThis nonfiction picture book follows Lorena Ramírez, a Rarámuri runner from Mexico. Wearing traditional Rarámuri clothing, including skirts and rubber sandals, she competes in ultramarathons and achieves international recognition for winning them. Her story moves through Mexico’s copper canyons and centers on the perseverance and talent she brings to racing without costly equipment.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Do You Know Them?: Families Lost and Found After the Civil WarDo You Know Them?: Families Lost and Found After the Civil WarShana Keller, illustrated by Laura FreemanThis picture book is inspired by newspaper advertisements placed by African Americans seeking relatives from whom they had been separated. The family separations are connected to the Civil War, enslavement, and emancipation. It focuses on the printed notices through which people tried to locate family members who had been lost during those historic events.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Evidence!: How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of CholeraEvidence!: How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of CholeraDeborah HopkinsonThis illustrated nonfiction account follows Dr. John Snow as he investigates why people in London are becoming ill during a cholera outbreak in the 1850s. He works to identify the source of the disease and traces the outbreak to one water pump. The book recounts how his research helped save lives during a public-health crisis. It presents Snow’s investigation as an example of how scientific discovery can reveal the cause of a serious problem and contribute to protecting people’s health.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Finding Home: Words from Kids Seeking SanctuaryFinding Home: Words from Kids Seeking SanctuaryGwen Agna, Shelley Rotner, photographed by Shelley RotnerThis photographic picture book records what displaced children say about themselves, their origins, and why they left their countries. It includes children and families seeking asylum, including one child whose parents said their departure was needed for safety. Their voices are presented through photographs and transcription. Additional resources appear in the back matter.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Finding NormalFinding NormalStephanie FarisAfter a severe storm floods Temple’s neighborhood, the twelve-year-old and her family move to another town. They obtain temporary housing, but Temple finds it difficult to begin at a new school in the middle of the year and to face classmates’ attention to her family’s circumstances. At home, the family works to adjust while trying to work out how they can pay to rebuild. Temple also organizes a fundraiser after the flood uproots her family.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeLexile Text Measure 701LATOS Book Level 4.5View book details
Cover of Free to Learn: How Alfredo Lopez Fought for the Right to Go to SchoolFree to Learn: How Alfredo Lopez Fought for the Right to Go to SchoolCynthia Levinson, illustrated by Mirelle OrtegaAlfredo Lopez expects to start second grade with questions about his friends and whether his teacher will speak Spanish. Instead, his parents tell him he must remain at home, and he begins asking why he cannot attend school with other children and why his family must go to court. Set in Tyler, Texas, in 1977, the story addresses a district policy requiring parents to show citizenship documentation or pay for their children’s public schooling.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Freedom on the Sea: The True Story of the Civil War Hero Robert Smalls and His Daring Escape to FreedomFreedom on the Sea: The True Story of the Civil War Hero Robert Smalls and His Daring Escape to FreedomMichael Boulware MooreDuring the Civil War, Robert Smalls, an enslaved seaman, took control of a Confederate ship. He used the vessel to free himself, his family, members of the crew, and their families, as well as more than a dozen other people held in slavery. The account centers on his escape from enslavement by sea. His family and the crew’s families were also liberated.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Gifts from the Garbage Truck:! A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw AwayGifts from the Garbage Truck:! A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw AwayAndrew Larsen, foreword by Nelson MolinaThis true story follows Nelson Molina, a sanitation worker in New York City who saved more than 45,000 objects from his garbage truck. The items he kept include toys, musical instruments, and assorted thingamajigs. The book considers the value of things that might otherwise be treated as worthless, including broken objects that can be repaired rather than discarded. Molina’s collection grows from what he finds during his work.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Jimmy’s Rhythm & Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James BaldwinJimmy’s Rhythm & Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James BaldwinMichelle MeadowsThis illustrated biography traces James “Jimmy” Baldwin’s early life in Harlem and his development as a writer. As a child, he loved stories, wrote often, and read library books after school. The account also describes the racism and violence he encountered, alongside the support he received from his mother and mentors. His interests included writing, music, painting, and acting.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Mamie Tape Fights to Go to SchoolMamie Tape Fights to Go to SchoolTraci Huahn, illustrated by Michelle Jing ChanThis biography introduces Mamie Tape, an eight-year-old Chinese American girl who sought the right to attend school in 1880s San Francisco. Her effort challenged school segregation and led to the California Supreme Court case Tape v. Hurley. The book places Mamie’s story within a period when visible minorities faced discrimination and when ordinary people pursued equality through determined action.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeLexile Text Measure AD620LATOS Book Level 4View book details
Cover of My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American WWII StoryMy Lost Freedom: A Japanese American WWII StoryGeorge TakeiGeorge Takei recounts being four when his life changed after Pearl Harbor. His family, though American, was affected when the United States treated people of Japanese descent as enemies. During World War II, Takei and his family lived in a Japanese American incarceration camp. His account considers the loss of dignity under incarceration as well as the strength he and others found through community.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Papa and Pearl: A Tale About Divorce, New Beginnings, and Love That Never ChangesPapa and Pearl: A Tale About Divorce, New Beginnings, and Love That Never ChangesAnnette M. Clayton, illustrated by Kimberley BarnesPearl likes to pretend she is a princess living in a magical castle with Mama and Papa. Her parents’ divorce changes that imagined family life, and Papa moves to another home. The book portrays the bond between Pearl and her father as enduring through this major family transition. It also places Pearl’s make-believe world alongside the real changes in her family.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Rollin’ on Down the Line: Lady Bird Johnson’s 1964 Whistle-Stop Tour for Civil RightsRollin’ on Down the Line: Lady Bird Johnson’s 1964 Whistle-Stop Tour for Civil RightsHelen Kampion, Reneé Critcher Lyons, illustrated by Erin McGuireRollin’ on Down the Line is about a civil-rights whistle-stop trip by Lady Bird Johnson in 1964. The latter part of 1964 was a troubled period in America, marked by racial struggle. In July, the Civil Rights Act received President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s signature. Authors Helen Kampion and Reneé Critcher Lyons wrote the book. Sleeping Bear Press published it on 2024-07-01.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of She Spoke Too: 14 More Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the WorldShe Spoke Too: 14 More Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the WorldManuela Bernardi, Kathy McMillan, illustrated by Becky ThornsShe Spoke Too is a sequel to She Spoke!. Its title introduces 14 more women who used their voices to bring change to the world. It asks what someone should do when others tell them to be quiet: listen or choose to speak up. Written by Manuela Bernardi and Kathy McMillan, the 32-page book was published by Familius on 2024-03-05.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of The Sole Man: Jan Matzeliger’s Lasting InventionThe Sole Man: Jan Matzeliger’s Lasting InventionShana KellerIn 1873, twenty-one-year-old Jan Ernst Matzeliger leaves South America and immigrates to the United States. This account follows the determined Black mechanic as he faces the challenges of a new country in the late nineteenth century. Despite those obstacles, he designs a complex machine used in shoemaking. The book connects Matzeliger’s migration and mechanical work with the invention that became his lasting contribution.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Stitches of Tradition (Gashkigwaaso Tradition)Stitches of Tradition (Gashkigwaaso Tradition)Marcie RendonAcross her childhood and into adulthood, Tatiana receives ribbon skirts sewn by her Ojibwe grandmother, Nookomis. The garments mark family occasions: a cousin’s naming ceremony, Fall Ceremony, an auntie’s judgeship, and eventually Tatiana’s own naming ceremony. Each time Nookomis measures Tatiana and sews while she sleeps; Tatiana wakes to a skirt made for her growing body. Their recurring exchange centers on Nookomis’s wish that her granddaughter live a good life.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Tamales For ChristmasTamales For ChristmasStephen Briseño, illustrated by Sonia SánchezGrandma begins making tamales well before Christmas, selling them to earn money for presents for her children and grandchildren. Her production rises from fifteen dozen to one thousand dozen as fall passes and holiday preparations fill the household. Once she has enough to shop, she continues cooking while the family gets ready for Christmas. The story follows a multigenerational Latine family and treats Grandma’s work, food, and gifts as connected expressions of love.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Wanjiku, Child of MineWanjiku, Child of MineCiiku ˜ Ndu ˜ ng’u ˜ -CaseWanjiku recounts a life that begins in the Kenyan countryside, continues on the streets of Nairobi, and reaches her years at boarding school. Across these changes in place and life stage, she holds on to her cultural identity. The book includes illustrations, a glossary, and back matter. Its account traces Wanjiku’s childhood and adolescence through the places and experiences that shape her journey.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Wild at Heart: The Story of Olaus and Mardy Murie, Defenders of NatureWild at Heart: The Story of Olaus and Mardy Murie, Defenders of NatureTerri Farley, Melissa FarlowWild at Heart recounts how Mardy and Olaus Murie fall in love in Alaska and with the place itself. Olaus's work as a biologist takes the couple across the Arctic, where they encounter the beauty and danger of wild country. Their journey grows into a struggle to protect the wild, connecting partnership, Arctic travel, and conservation. Terri Farley wrote this 40-page book, published by Sleeping Bear Press in 2024.Kindergarten to Fifth GradeLexile Text Measure 970LATOS Book Level 6.4View book details

Third to Fifth Grade

23 selections

Cover of And Yet You Shine: The Kohinoor Diamond, Colonization, and ResistanceAnd Yet You Shine: The Kohinoor Diamond, Colonization, and ResistanceSupriya Kelkar, illustrated by Supriya KelkarThis book tells the story of the Kohinoor, a famous diamond taken from South Asia during colonization. The diamond is now part of the crown jewels in London. The account connects the Kohinoor’s history with colonization and resistance, inviting readers to consider decolonization and dignity. It focuses on the diamond’s journey and the historical forces surrounding its removal from South Asia.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano ParkBarrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano ParkMaría Dolores ÁguilaThis historical-fiction account centers on the community action that led to San Diego’s Chicano Park. In a Mexican American neighborhood, the city begins constructing a police station where residents had been promised a local park. The neighborhood responds with a peaceful protest. The story connects that action to the history of resistance and resilience in the Mexican American community and to the park’s outdoor mural collection.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Bea Breaks Barriers! How Florence Beatrice Prices’s Music Triumphed Over PrejudiceBea Breaks Barriers! How Florence Beatrice Prices’s Music Triumphed Over PrejudiceCaitlin Delems, illustrated by Tonya EngelFlorence Beatrice “Bea” Price’s life as a Black classical composer began with a childhood immersed in piano practice, spirituals, classical music, Juba rhythms, and folk songs in Little Rock, Arkansas. She faced systemic racism and sexism while pursuing her work. The biography notes that she composed more than 300 pieces, including a spiritual sung by Marian Anderson, and became the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Black History Heroes: Chadwick BosemanBlack History Heroes: Chadwick BosemanChris Singleton with Ryan G. Van Cleave, illustrated by Adriana Pérez PeralesThis account follows Chadwick Boseman’s path to prominence as an actor. His fame may have appeared sudden to some people, but it presents his success as the result of decades of work and commitment to his craft. It notes that he attained the highest levels of his profession before dying from colon cancer in 2020. The focus contrasts public recognition with the long effort that came before it.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Black History Heroes: Mae JemisonBlack History Heroes: Mae JemisonChris Singleton with Ryan G. Van Cleave, illustrated by Adriana Pérez PeralesThis biographical portrait presents Mae Jemison as an inspiration to millions and emphasizes that Black history matters. Its subtitle identifies Jemison as the first Black woman in space and frames her achievement through the image of shooting for the stars. Together, these details place a pioneering Black woman at the center of a story about representation, historical significance, and space exploration.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for LatinosCall Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for LatinosNathalie AlonsoThis picture-book biography follows Roberto Clemente from his childhood in Carolina, Puerto Rico, where he practiced baseball with tree branches and tin cans. At nineteen, he joined a major-league organization and first went to Montreal, where he waited for an opportunity to play. He later joined the Pittsburgh Pirates and made an immediate impact on the field. The book also presents Clemente’s legacy as a Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Famer whose life included confronting prejudice and hardship.Third to Fifth GradeLexile Text Measure 669LATOS Book Level 4.3View book details
Cover of The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith!The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith!Dean Robbins, illustrated by Susanna ChapmanThis biography follows Viola Smith, a pioneering woman drummer born in 1912. Growing up in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin, she performed with her sisters in the Smith Sisters Orchestra and sought advice from other drummers to strengthen her playing. When her sisters moved on, Viola remained committed to music. In the 1930s, aware that women received fewer opportunities in the field, she formed the women’s band the Coquettes and later advocated for women musicians during World War II.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Heroes of World War II: 25 True Stories of Unsung Heroes Who Fought for FreedomHeroes of World War II: 25 True Stories of Unsung Heroes Who Fought for FreedomJarett Keene, illustrated by Ricardo GualbertoThis group biography presents 25 profiles of people and groups connected with World War II. Its subjects range from familiar figures to less widely known ones, including soldiers, pilots, nurses, factory workers, and family members. The accounts highlight acts of courage, sacrifice, and selflessness during the war. Color illustrations and photographs accompany the profiles, which bring together many different kinds of wartime contributions.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of The History of InformationThe History of InformationChris Haughton, illustrated by Chris HaughtonChris Haughton uses a visual nonfiction format to examine how people have made, preserved, circulated, regulated, and disputed information. Beginning with early speech and cave art, the account ranges across written language, religious systems, state power, scientific inquiry, democratic government, mass media, consumer culture, large technology companies, polarization, and artificial intelligence. Timelines and visual explainers, including diagrams and illustrations, relate these developments to changes in visual communication. The book considers how new forms of communication can influence institutions and power, advance technology, and alter how people make sense of the world.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of On All Other Nights: A Passover Celebration in 14 StoriesOn All Other Nights: A Passover Celebration in 14 StoriesChris Baron, Joshua S. Levy, Naomi MillinerFourteen stories explore the foods, religious practices, and traditions of Passover. Most unfold during a seder and connect to one of the Haggadah’s steps; each is introduced with information about that stage of the observance. The collection includes protagonists navigating family memory, grief, guilt, growing up, identity, and food preferences. Its families and characters include Ashkenazi and Cuban relatives, a biracial Indian American girl with Hindu and Jewish parents, a nonbinary child, and a neurodivergent child. Reflection questions and recipes follow the stories.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Outspoken: Paul Robeson, Ahead of His Time: A One-Man ShowOutspoken: Paul Robeson, Ahead of His Time: A One-Man ShowCarole Boston WeatherfordPresented as a first-person narrative in free verse, this portrait of Paul Robeson is organized in four acts: Youth, Artist, Activist, and Erased. It follows his rise during the Harlem Renaissance and considers his work as an actor, singer, athlete, speaker, and advocate for humanitarian causes. Spiritual lyrics are woven through the narrative, which also includes sources, notes, and a bibliography.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of Skybound!Skybound!Sue Ganz-Schmitt, illustrated by Iacopo BrunoSkybound! is a picture-book biography of Mary Myers, who flew balloons under the name Carlotta. Interested in flight despite social expectations that limited women’s lives, she experimented on balloon design with her husband and developed improvements. Her ascents included observations that contributed to knowledge of weather and the atmosphere. The book places her work in the nineteenth-century histories of ballooning, invention, and women’s involvement in science.Third to Fifth GradeView book details
Cover of We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme CourtWe Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme CourtMia WenjenThis account follows Simon Tam and his rock band, The Slants, as they fight to keep their chosen name. The band members had themselves been called the racial slur in the name, and their struggle over it reached the Supreme Court in a case about free speech. Along with the band’s story, the book includes short biographies of other Asian American activists, source material, song lyrics, and digital artwork. Music, identity, racial prejudice, and legal rights are central to the book’s subject.Third to Fifth GradeView book details

Third to Eighth Grade

22 selections

Cover of Amil And The AfterAmil And The AfterVeera HiranandaniTwelve-year-old Amil, who is both Muslim and Hindu, lives in Bombay after a difficult departure from his former home in what is now Pakistan. Although he has a home and attends school in India, he remains uncertain about what home means. The upheaval of Partition and the loss of the family’s old life weigh on him. Amil’s twin sister, Nisha, encourages him to make drawings for the mother they lost as babies. Drawing offers him release and connection, but it also causes tension with his father, who wants Amil to concentrate more on schoolwork.Third to Eighth GradeLexile Text Measure 731LATOS Book Level 4.7View book details
Cover of Claudette Colvin: I Want Freedom Now!Claudette Colvin: I Want Freedom Now!Claudette Colvin, Phillip HooseThis picture-book account follows fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin in Montgomery, Alabama, as she confronts the daily injustice of segregation. Tired of being treated as less important than white people and of living with separate schools and bathrooms, Claudette refuses to surrender her seat on a bus. Her action comes months before Rosa Parks’s more widely known protest. Realistic illustrations accompany this story of a teenager’s stand for freedom.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Continental DrifterContinental DrifterKathy MacleodKathy grows up with a Thai mother and an American father, spending the school year in Bangkok and summer vacations in a small coastal town in Maine. She looks forward to the long journey and to foods and places she cannot find at home, but arriving in America does not bring the sense of belonging she expects. Looking different from the other children leaves her uncertain about where she fits. Kathy MacLeod's graphic memoir follows a childhood lived between cultures, using family experiences and everyday encounters to explore identity, homesickness, and the wish to feel accepted without having to choose one part of herself over another.Third to Eighth GradeATOS Book Level 3.5AR Interest Level MG 4-8View book details
Cover of The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II (Scholastic Focus)The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II (Scholastic Focus)Candace FlemingThis historical account follows young women who arrived at Station X, a run-down mansion surrounded by huts, without knowing what work awaited them. At Bletchley Park, they broke ciphers in secret during World War II. Their codebreaking work helped alter the course of the conflict. The book centers on the hidden wartime efforts of these young women and the need to keep their work confidential.Third to Eighth GradeLexile Text Measure 870LATOS Book Level 5.6View book details
Cover of The Girl Who Fought Back: Vladka Meed and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (Scholastic Focus)The Girl Who Fought Back: Vladka Meed and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (Scholastic Focus)Joshua M. GreeneThis nonfiction account tells the story of a young Jewish woman who played a crucial role in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Working as a courier, she carried messages and weapons across the boundaries of the ghetto, helping the resistance oppose Nazi rule. The book places her actions within an uprising remembered as a major act of resistance, focusing on the dangerous work undertaken to support those fighting inside and beyond the Warsaw Ghetto.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of The Girl Who SangThe Girl Who SangEstelle NadelThis graphic memoir follows Estelle Nadel, then called Enia Feld, a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Poland. She is seven when the Nazis invade in 1939. Over the following five years, she survives the deaths of her parents, her oldest brother and sister, and many others. The account includes her brother’s love, help from strangers, and her struggle to hold onto hope amid persecution and loss.Third to Eighth GradeLexile Text Measure 420LATOS Book Level 3.2View book details
Cover of Great Minds of Science (Black Lives #1): A Nonfiction Graphic NovelGreat Minds of Science (Black Lives #1): A Nonfiction Graphic NovelTonya Bolden, illustrated by David WilkersonGreat Minds of Science is a nonfiction graphic novel about Black scientists. It introduces doctors, engineers, mathematicians, and biologists whose lives are described as lesser known. The book recounts challenges they faced as they advanced in their professions, focusing on people who continued in their fields rather than giving up. Its subjects connect science with the work of these varied careers.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Let Us March On!: James Weldon Johnson and the Silent Protest ParadeLet Us March On!: James Weldon Johnson and the Silent Protest ParadeYohuru Williams, Michael G. LongThis nonfiction picture book recounts James Weldon Johnson’s organization of a silent New York City protest in 1917, following the East St. Louis Massacre. Ten thousand people, including children, marched along Fifth Avenue in a major all-Black civil-rights demonstration. The book also identifies Johnson as the writer of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and includes authors’ notes.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Lost at Windy River: A True Story of SurvivalLost at Windy River: A True Story of SurvivalTrina RathgeberIn northern Canada in 1944, thirteen-year-old Ilse Schweder, a Cree girl, travels by dogsled with her siblings along her family’s trapline. When rapidly changing weather brings whiteout conditions, Ilse becomes separated and lost on the tundra. An experienced outdoorswoman, she survives alone for nine days before reaching help, though the experience leaves her with frostbite and other trauma. The true story is presented as a graphic novel with thought bubbles, text boxes, illustrations, and sidebars about Indigenous culture.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Race to the Truth: Exclusion and the Chinese American StoryRace to the Truth: Exclusion and the Chinese American StorySarah-SoonLing BlackburnThis book tells U.S. history from a Chinese American perspective, moving beyond the commonly taught focus on nineteenth-century railroad labor. It notes that Chinese immigration to what is now the United States may date as far back as 499 CE, long before Columbus. The account addresses the long presence of Chinese people in America and challenges the idea that this history began only with the railroads.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Remember My Story: A Girl, a Holocaust Survivor, and a Friendship That Made HistoryRemember My Story: A Girl, a Holocaust Survivor, and a Friendship That Made HistoryClaire Sarnowski with Sarah DurandThis memoir recounts the friendship between Claire Sarnowski and Holocaust survivor Alter Wiener. After meeting when Claire was in elementary school, they joined together in 2018 before the Oregon state senate to support making Holocaust education mandatory in the state’s public-school curriculum. Their shared effort addresses hate and follows an unexpected friendship across generations as they seek change through state policy.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of The Sculptors of LightThe Sculptors of LightMargarita Engle, illustrated by Cecilia PuglesiThe Sculptors of Light brings attention to Cuban women artists whose work has received limited recognition beyond Cuba. Their artistic fields include folk art, photography, architecture, painting, sculpture, and music. By gathering creators from these different disciplines, the book highlights women’s contributions across a wide range of Cuban artistic expression and considers how that work has remained less visible internationally.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools (Scholastic Focus)Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools (Scholastic Focus)Dan SaSuWeh JonesStealing Little Moon examines the legacy of American Indian boarding schools and places that history alongside questions about the present and future. The book is framed as an opportunity to learn about the world, think critically about the past, take part in important discussions about current life, and consider how the future might be shaped. Its subject connects historical study with American Indian cultural heritage.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the DiaryWhen We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the DiaryAlice HoffmanSet during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, this novel portrays Anne Frank and her family as their lives are increasingly restricted. Anne witnesses prejudice, loss, and terror as violence entangles children and families. The story takes place before the period in which Anne and her family went into hiding and her diary was written. It focuses on a family facing the escalating danger and dehumanization of the Holocaust.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Your Vote Matters: How We Elect the US PresidentYour Vote Matters: How We Elect the US PresidentRebecca Katzman, illustrated by Ellen DudaWritten by Rebecca Katzman, Your Vote Matters is an illustrated guide to the process of electing a U.S. president. It addresses children’s questions about how a presidential election works. The book also explains why voting is important, linking the mechanics of a presidential election with the role citizens play when they cast ballots. Scholastic published the book in 2024.Third to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Race to the Truth: Borderlands and the Mexican American StoryRace to the Truth: Borderlands and the Mexican American StoryDavid Dorado RomoThis account presents U.S. history through a Mexican American perspective. It challenges a familiar framing of migration by noting that Mexican people lived on this land before the borders discussed in the book existed. Their cultural traditions and practices helped shape the American Southwest. The book also addresses efforts by white colonizers and settlers to erase those cultures and histories.Third to Eighth GradeView book details

Third to Twelfth Grade

2 selections

Cover of Bite by Bite: American History through Feasts, Foods, and Side DishesBite by Bite: American History through Feasts, Foods, and Side DishesMarc Aronson, Paul Freedman, illustrated by Toni D. Chambers, Frederick Douglass Opie, Amanda Palacios, Tatum Willis, David ZhengBite by Bite uses food to explore U.S. history and the cultures that have shaped American cuisine. It identifies gumbo and chop suey as American foods while considering how eating can reflect origin, migration, culture, and living traditions. The illustrated nonfiction book presents connections between food and the country’s diverse cultural history, including how people move from place to place.Third to Twelfth GradeView book details

Sixth to Eighth Grade

19 selections

Cover of Across So Many SeasAcross So Many SeasRuth BeharFour girls from successive generations of a Sephardic Jewish family live across five centuries. Their connected stories include exile from Spain, settlement in Istanbul, migration to Cuba, and a journey to the United States. In 1923, Reina is sent from Turkey to Cuba after defying her father; later, her daughter Alegra flees Cuba for Miami. Music and memory link the family’s long history of displacement and movement.Sixth to Eighth GradeLexile Text Measure 830LATOS Book Level 5.3View book details
Cover of And Then, Boom!And Then, Boom!Lisa FippsJoe Oak is used to uncertainty. His mother does not stay long once she gets “the itch,” and he and his grandmother lose their home. Joe turns to journals, drawings, and comic books for an outlet, taking comfort in superheroes who face moments when everything seems ready to collapse. Told in verse, the novel follows Joe when he is without a home or family and has not told even his friends, until a crisis reminds him of the importance of friendship.Sixth to Eighth GradeWord Count 25904View book details
Cover of Black StarBlack StarKwame AlexanderTwelve-year-old Charley Cuffey is a granddaughter, friend, and standout pitcher in Lee’s Mill. She hopes to become the first woman to play professional baseball, a goal she pursues as a Black girl in the American South. Her friend Cool Willie Green knows how ambitious that dream is, while Nana Kofi’s stories of courageous ancestors and long journeys encourage Charley to keep imagining a larger future. Charley also faces a consequential decision amid racial tension in her town.Sixth to Eighth GradeWord Count 29213View book details
Cover of Blue Stars: Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem: A Graphic Novel: The Blue Stars SeriesBlue Stars: Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem: A Graphic Novel: The Blue Stars SeriesKekla Magoon, Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Molly MurakamiCousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn relocate to Urbanopolis to live with their activist grandmother, but the transition goes badly at first. Sociable Riley misses her Muscogee cousins and expects an immediate friendship with Maya. Maya, who is quieter, misses her parents while they serve on active duty in Japan and needs space. At their new school, Maya joins the Robotics Club while Riley connects with gymnasts. As both begin settling in, a disguised influential opponent threatens the school’s culture.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Born A Girl: It Takes CourageBorn A Girl: It Takes CourageAlice Dussutour, illustrated by Alice Dussutour, David WarrinerKaneila, Jade, Mahnoosh, Makena, and Luisa are girls living in five countries. Their stories address violence and injustice directed at them because they are female. Kaneila is required to spend a week each month alone in a hut: her period is treated as something that makes her impure. The girls confront gender-related problems, and each chapter includes further information about the issue it raises, along with illustrations and resource material.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Bu ff alo DreamerBu ff alo DreamerViolet DuncanSummer visits her mother’s family on a reservation in Alberta, where her usual summer days include gathering sweetgrass, attending powwows, and horseback riding. This time, vivid dreams lead her toward a painful history connected to residential schools that removed Native children from their families and sought to erase their identities. She also learns about her grandfather’s experience at one of those schools. The novel connects family history, memory, and Indigenous identity.Sixth to Eighth GradeLexile Text Measure 790LATOS Book Level 4.9View book details
Cover of Fake Chinese SoundsFake Chinese SoundsJing Jing TsongMěi Yīng, a Taiwanese American girl, spends her summer balancing homework, study, Chinese school, and soccer practice with her team, the Divas. Her grandmother visits from Taiwan, and although Měi Yīng’s Mandarin and Năi Nai’s English are limited, they connect by cooking guōtiē and practicing tai chi together. The graphic novel also follows Měi Yīng as she faces bullying and questions of identity while seeking comfort in herself.Sixth to Eighth GradeLexile Text Measure HL420LATOS Book Level 2.9View book details
Cover of Kareem BetweenKareem BetweenShifa Saltagi SafadiKareem, a Syrian American Chicago Bears fan, hopes to become a middle-school quarterback but does not make the team. Austin, the coach’s son, offers to help him join later if Kareem completes Austin’s assignments. Kareem agrees, despite Austin’s bullying, and becomes friends with Fadi, another Syrian student. When Austin directs racist harassment at Fadi, Kareem stays silent. Meanwhile, his mother and grandparents are stranded in Syria after an executive order bars immigration from several countries with large Muslim populations.Sixth to Eighth GradeLexile Text Measure 731LATOS Book Level 4.7View book details
Cover of Loch Ness Uncovered: Media, Misinformation, & the Greatest Monster Hoax of All TimeLoch Ness Uncovered: Media, Misinformation, & the Greatest Monster Hoax of All TimeRebecca SiegelThis nonfiction account traces how reports of the Loch Ness Monster spread after Alice Mackay said she had seen a creature in the Scottish lake in 1933. It examines the newspaper coverage, the connection between the claim and local tourism, and later sightings. The book also investigates Marmaduke Wetherell’s filmed “proof,” showing how he staged evidence, and examines other claims to explain how misinformation can take hold.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Max in the House of SpiesMax in the House of SpiesAdam GidwitzMax leaves home and finds himself alone for the first time. As danger grows for Jewish families in Germany, he is determined to return to Berlin and reunite with his parents. His journey includes two unexpected companions: Berg, a kobold, and Stein, a dybbuk, who travel on his shoulders. To get back to his family, Max must become a spy in wartime Europe. The story combines his plan to reach home with supernatural companions and a perilous historical setting.Sixth to Eighth GradeLexile Text Measure 680LATOS Book Level 4.8View book details
Cover of Mine WarsMine WarsSteve WatkinsThis history of the Mine Wars examines coal miners’ fight for workers’ rights in the West Virginia coalfields. Miners faced low wages and harsh treatment from owners and operators. Rather than cash, they were paid in scrip that could be spent only at the company store. When workers tried to form a union, mine owners resisted. The book focuses on the conflict between miners seeking better conditions and the people who controlled their work and pay.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Ukraine: Remember Also Me: Testimonies from the WarUkraine: Remember Also Me: Testimonies from the WarGeorge Butler, illustrated by George ButlerUkraine: Remember Also Me brings together wartime experiences recounted to artist George Butler by Ukrainians of different ages. He draws their portraits as they tell their stories. The book pairs recollections of family, tragedy, and perseverance with illustrations in ink, watercolor, and collage, including drawings made in damaged streets and nursing homes. The illustrations accompany accounts of life during the war.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book details
Cover of Warrior on the MoundWarrior on the MoundSandra W. HeadenSet in North Carolina during the 1930s, this story follows Cato, who hopes to become a professional baseball player like his late father. When his team practices on a field reserved for white players, longstanding racial tensions intensify. Violence threatens pets, families, and a church as the team prepares for a decisive game. Baseball and a racially divided town shape Cato’s struggle.Sixth to Eighth GradeLexile Text Measure 701LATOS Book Level 4.5View book details
Cover of Whose Right Is It? The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for EqualityWhose Right Is It? The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for EqualityHana BajramovicThis nonfiction examination considers the Fourteenth Amendment’s treatment of citizenship, legal due process, and equal protection. It explains the amendment’s origins and wording, then considers its role in Supreme Court cases. The book connects changing interpretations of the amendment to racial discrimination, gender equity, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ rights. Its three sections address the Constitution, the Supreme Court, and people, with photographs, footnotes, and additional resources.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book details

Sixth to Twelfth Grade

5 selections

Cover of A Crane Among WolvesA Crane Among WolvesJune HurIn early sixteenth-century Korea, King Yeonsan terrorizes the population, including by kidnapping women and girls. Seventeen-year-old Iseul leaves her village after the king takes her older sister, Suyeon, and travels toward the capital to rescue her. At an inn, Iseul becomes involved in the search for an assassin targeting the king’s supporters, hoping to exchange that person’s identity for Suyeon’s release. She also encounters a secret effort to organize a coup against the king.Sixth to Twelfth GradeATOS Book Level 5.8AR Interest Level Upper Grades (UG 9-12)View book details
Cover of Made in Asian America: A History for Young PeopleMade in Asian America: A History for Young PeopleErika Lee, Christina SoontornvatAdapted from Erika Lee’s adult book, this history traces Asians in America from centuries before the United States became a nation through recent events. It examines the experiences of Asian national and ethnic groups who immigrated to the United States and includes sidebars explaining ideas raised in the narrative. The book discusses racism and colonialism, including attitudes that shaped events in the United States and elsewhere and influenced migration and perceptions of Asian heritage in America.Sixth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Cover of Poemhood: Our Black RevivalPoemhood: Our Black RevivalAmber McBride, Taylor Byas, Erica MartinThis poetry anthology brings together Black poets from the past and present to explore the breadth of Black life. Through personal narratives, history, and folklore, the poems consider race, belonging, faith, joy, pain, and cultural traditions. The collection includes reflections that range from family storytelling around a kitchen table to the figure of Anansi the spider. Explanatory outros, grayscale illustrations, and back matter accompany the poems.Sixth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Cover of The Rez DoctorThe Rez DoctorGitz Crazyboy, illustrated by Veronika Barinova, Azby Whitecalf, Toben RacicotRyan Fox does well in school but does not know what future to pursue. Meeting a Blackfoot doctor at a school assembly inspires him to consider becoming a doctor. At university, distance from his family and Siksikaitsitapi community leaves him without their support. Under growing stress, he begins partying, loses focus on his responsibilities, and sees his grades fall as he studies.Sixth to Twelfth GradeView book details

Ninth to Twelfth Grade

7 selections

Cover of American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the SkyAmerican Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the SkySherri L. Smith, Elizabeth WeinThis nonfiction history examines determined Black pilots who pursued aviation from the early twentieth century onward despite racism and segregation. It follows figures including Cornelius Coffey and Johnny Robinson, while placing their efforts in a country shaped by Jim Crow laws. The book also notes that Bessie Coleman had to go to France to earn her pilot’s wings. Archival photographs and extensive back matter support its account of Black aviators seeking equality in the skies.Ninth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Cover of Bridge Across the SkyBridge Across the SkyFreeman NgIn 1924, a Chinese boy named Tai Go waits for an entrance interview that will decide whether he can enter the United States. Under the Chinese Exclusion Act, he and other immigrants are confined at Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay while officials assess their claims. Tai Go endures confinement, medical examinations, and questioning intended to make detainees fail. During this wait, he finds encouragement in poems carved into barracks walls, fellow detainees prepared to defend their rights, and new friendships.Ninth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Cover of How the Boogeyman Became a PoetHow the Boogeyman Became a PoetTony Keith JrTony Keith Jr.’s memoir in verse follows his journey from a closeted gay Black teenager to an openly gay first-generation college student. It addresses the poverty, racism, and homophobia he experiences, as well as the years it takes him to recognize his own abilities and worth. Poetry is central to the book: writing and performing poems in public help him find courage, move toward freedom, and accept his sexuality.Ninth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Cover of ShackledShackledCandy J. CooperShackled documents the Kids for Cash scandal in post-Columbine Pennsylvania, where fear of violent teenagers helped shape a harsh juvenile-court climate. Two judges, a developer, and an attorney established a for-profit detention center and directed money from it into their personal accounts. To keep the facility occupied, Judge Mark Ciavarella imposed severe sentences for minor offenses, sending children who expected community service away in shackles. The account also follows whistleblowers and others who tried to expose the practice, while recognizing the system workers who were complicit.Ninth to Twelfth GradeLexile Text Measure 1140LATOS Book Level 8.2View book details
Cover of The Unboxing of a Black GirlThe Unboxing of a Black GirlAngela ShantéThis creative nonfiction collection combines free verse, haiku, and brief scenes in a memoir of Black girlhood. Its childhood memories unfold in 1990s New York City, forming a many-part portrait shaped by the past and connected to the present. Alongside the author’s own experiences, the book also turns toward the lives of Black girls beyond the city. Poetry and prose work together to trace girlhood across memory, place, and time. It presents these experiences through multiple poetic forms and vignette-like reflections.Ninth to Twelfth GradeView book details