Reading Without Walls
Books that promote diversity, open readers' minds to new ideas and foster appreciation and understanding for others.
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is How We Play
by Jessica Slice
A jubilant, inclusive, luminously illustrated picture book that features families at play, each with a family member who has a disability.
|
|
|
|
The House Without Lights
by Reem Faruqi
House watches as its neighbors' lights twinkle during the winter holidays, hoping it will one day shine too, and after new owners move in, House learns that families celebrate joy and togetherness in their own way.
|
|
|
|
Being Home
by Traci Sorell
Moving back to their ancestral land, a joy-filled Cherokee girl draws the changing landscape as they travel along, looking forward to the end of the journey were she'll be with family and settle into the new rhythm of home.
|
|
|
|
Charlie Makes a Splash!
by Holly Robinson Peete
Charlie, a boy with autism, describes what his life is like with his twin sister Callie, who does not have autism, and explains how water--whether in a pool, a tub, or in the aquarium--is like a warm hug, which settles him down and calms his mind, allowing him to focus and cope.
|
|
|
|
The Coat
by Severine Vidal
After receiving a perfect red coat from her sister, Elise gives her prized jacket to a child experiencing homelessness and discovers the joy of helping others.
|
|
|
|
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
by Ibtihaj Muhammad
The Muslim-American Olympic medalist and social justice activist presents a vibrantly illustrated story about two sisters who endure criticism and bullying when they begin school on the first day the elder wears her beautiful blue hijab.
|
|
|
|
Sam's Super Seats
by Keah Brown
While trying on cute outfits at the mall with her friends, Sam, a disabled girl who loves comfortable seats, meets her match in a seat that isn't so super and comes up with what might be her best idea all day.
|
|
|
|
Eyes That Speak to the Stars
by Joanna Ho
A young Asian boy, who notices that his eyes look different from his friends', realizes that his eyes—like his father’s, grandfather’s, and younger brother’s—rise to the skies, speak to the stars, and are visionary.
|
|
|
|
Ruby's Reunion Day Dinner
by
Angela Dalton
Inspired by the rich tradition of African American reunions, a multigenerational story follows the experiences of young Ruby, who helps loved ones prepare the foods they are bringing while trying to think of a signature dish of her own.
|
|
|
|
Gut Reaction
by Kirby Larson
Starting a new school after the loss of her father, Tess Medina assembles a ragtag team to taste-test her baked goods in preparation for a junior baking competition but is forced to confront everything she's been desperately trying to hide.
|
|
|
|
Finally Seen
by Kelly Yang
Arriving in America to live with her parents and sister after five years apart, 10-year-old Lina Gao struggles to fit in with her family and at her new school until she learns about the power of friendship, family and being finally seen.
|
|
|
|
Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms
by Maya Prasad
When a storm threatens Diwali celebrations, eight-year-old Sejal Sinha, a spunky Indian-American girl with an active imagination, tries to use science to save her family's beloved holiday.
|
|
|
|
When Clouds Touch Us
by Thanhháa Lòai
This breathtaking novel in verse, inspired by the author's experience, follows HÃ and her family, refugees from the Vietnam War, as they move to Texas for a new job, and despite not wanting to start over again, HÃ discovers unwanted change can bring a good opportunity.
|
|
|
|
On Air with Zoe Washington
by Janae Marks
While building a relationship with her newly exonerated birth father, who is having a hard time re-entering society, Zoe starts a podcast to shed light on the struggles exonerees experience and fundraise for his lifelong dream of opening his own restaurant.
|
|
|
|
The Witch of Woodland
by Laurel Snyder
While preparing for her bat mitzvah and trying to make sense of her own life, Zippy discovers she has magical abilities when she conjures up a beautiful girl with no memory and wings like an angel to whom she is connected.
|
|
|
|
The Way I Say It
by Nancy Tandon
Rory Mitchell has always had an issue saying his R's correctly. His former best friend, Brent, suddenly sides with bullies against Rory but then Brent is hit by a car and suffers a serious brain injury, which requires Rory to reevaluate everything.
|
|
|
|
A Duet For Home
by Karina Yan Glaser
Two children living in a homeless shelter whose friendship grows over a shared love of classical music, June and Tyree join forces to confront a new housing policy that puts homeless families in danger.
|
|
|
|
Maizy Chen's Last Chance
by Lisa Yee
In Last Chance, Minnesota, with her family, Maizy spends her time at the Golden Palace, the restaurant that's been in her family for generations, where she makes some discoveries requiring her to go on a search for answers.
|
|
|
|
The Sea in Winter
by
Christine Day
After an injury sidelines her dreams of becoming a ballet star, Maisie is not excited for her blended family's midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.
|
|
|
|
The Cookie Crumbles
by Tracy Badua
While competing in the Golden Cookie Competition for a full ride to the prestigious Sunderland boarding school, Laila gets mixed up in a mystery as she and her best friend, Lucy, search for the truth after one of the celebrity judges collapses after sampling her showpiece.
|
|
|
|
Kareem Between
by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
With the school year getting off to a rough start, Syrian American seventh grader Kareem finds himself stuck between friends, between football, between parents and between right and wrong, and must find his voice amidst the chaos.
|
|
|
|
The Partition Project
by Saadia Faruqi
When her grandmother comes off the airplane in Houston from Pakistan, Mahnoor knows that having Dadi move in is going to disrupt everything about her life. She doesn't have time to be Dadi's unofficial babysitter-her journalism teacher has announced that their big assignment will be to film a documentary, which feels more like storytelling than what Maha would call "journalism." As Dadi starts to settle into life in Houston and Maha scrambles for a subject for her documentary, the two of them start talking. About Dadi's childhood in northern India-and about the Partition that forced her to leave her home and relocate to the newly created Pakistan. As details of Dadi's life are revealed, Dadi's personal story feels a lot more like the breaking news that Maha loves so much. And before she knows it, she has the subject of her documentary.
|
|
|
|
Carry Me Home
by Janet S. Fox
When their father goes missing, 12-year-old Lulu and her younger sister must take care of themselves until they learn that trusting new friends and the community will help them find their true home.
|
|
|
|
Farther Than the Moon
by Lindsay Lackey
While attending the Junior Astronaut Recruitment Program, 13-year-old Houston Stewart struggles to meet the program's rigorous demands but is determined to honor the dream of his brother, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, even if it seems like an impossible mission.
|
|
|
|
Sanctuary
by Paola Mendoza
In 2032, when sixteen-year-old Vali's mother is detained by the Deportation Forces, Vali must flee Vermont with her little brother, Ernie, hoping to reach their Tâia Luna in the sanctuary state of California.
|
|
|
|
The Truth As Told By Mason Buttle
by Leslie Connor
An oversized youth with challenging learning disabilities is wrongly suspected of having a hand in his best friend's death, a situation that compels him to create an underground haven for himself and a bullied new friend.
|
|
|
|
Barakah Beats
by Maleeha Siddiqui
Leaving Islamic school to attend public school, twelve-year-old Nimra Sharif joins the school’s popular eighth grade boy band, Barakah Beats, in an attempt to fit in.
|
|
|
|
Free Lunch
by Rex Ogle
A sixth grader from an economically disadvantaged family struggles in a new school where he is forced to endure humiliation over his secondhand clothing and public daily requests for his school’s free lunch program.
|
|
|
|
How to Find What You're Not Looking For
by
Veera Hiranandani
Middle schooler Ariel Goldberg must find her own voice and define her own beliefs after her big sister elopes with a young man from India following the Supreme Court decision that strikes down laws banning interracial marriage.
|
|
|
|
Ash's Cabin
by Jen Wang
Leaving modern society behind for the California wilderness, Ash searches for an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life but discovers that making the wilds their home isn't easy and wonders if they can really be happy and survive alone.
|
|
|
|
The Glass Girl
by Kathleen Glasgow
When 15-year-old Bella turns to alcohol to cope with the pressures of life, she soon finds herself struggling with a life-threatening addiction, in a candid, deeply compassionate exploration of the forces pushing young women toward addiction and self-harm.
|
|
|
|
Everything We Never Had
by Ribay, Randy
Set in the 1930s to today, four generations of Filipino American boys grapple with identity, masculinity, and father-son relationships.
|
|
|
|
Where You See Yourself
by Claire Forrest
Having her heart set on a college in NYC with a major in Mass Media & Society, disabled high school senior Effie learns that sometimes growing up means being open to a world of possibilities you never even dreamed of.
|
|
|
|
The Next New Syrian Girl
by Ream Shukairy
When their worlds collide, Khadija Shami, a sheltered Syrian American high school senior with a monstrous ego, and Leene Tahir, a Syrian refugee doing her best to survive school and family pressures while battling panic attacks, become the unlikeliest of friends.
|
|
|
|
While You Were Dreaming
by Alisha Rai
When a video of her rescuing her crush James goes viral, Sonia, or rather a mysterious masked savior, is thrust into the spotlight and must protect her secret identity from TikTok and the world while dealing with her feelings for this awkwardly charming boy.
|
|
|
|
Turning
by Joy L. Smith
A former aspiring ballerina until a devastating fall leaves her without use of her legs, Genie meets Kyle, another used to be, during physical therapy who helps her find a new path forward.
|
|
|
|
Frankly in Love
by David Yoon
Torn between his love for his white girlfriend and his sense of duty to the matchmaking parents who made hard sacrifices to move to the United States, a Korean American teen and his friend who has a similar problem come up with a scheme to solve both of their problems.
|
|
|
|
An Emotion of Great Delight
by Tahereh Mafi
In the wake of 9/11, Shadi, a child of Muslim immigrants, tries to navigate her crumbling world of death, heartbreak, and bigotry in silence, until finally everything changes.
|
|
|
|
Indivisible
by Daniel Aleman
An American-born teen and his younger sister scramble to keep their family together when they return home from school one day to find that their undocumented parents have been arrested by ICE and are facing possible deportation.
|
|
|