700-800
PICTURE BOOKS
Auntie Luce's Talking Paintings
by Francie LaTour / Ken Daley
AD 730L, K-3
Realistic picture book about a girl who visits her aunt in Haiti and learns about the island through paintings.
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
by Derrick Barnes / Gordon C. James
700L, K-3
Lyrical picture book about feelings of self-esteem and confidence after a haircut.
Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon
by Simran Jeet Singh / Baljinder Kaur
AD 730L, PreK-3
Biographical picture book about a man who struggled to walk as a child and ended up the oldest person to ever run a marathon.
My Friend Suhana
by Shaila Abdulla, Aanyah Abdulla
720L, PreK-2
Realistic picture book following the friendship of two girls, one of whom has celebral palsy.
My Rows and Piles of Coins
by Tololwa M. Mollel / E. B. Lewis
AD 760L, PreK-3
Realistic picture book about a boy in Tanzania who is saving up to buy a bike so that he can help his mother.
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation
by Duncan Tonatiuh
AD 870L, 1-4
Biographical picture book about a girl of Mexican descent who helped end segregated schooling in California.
Sing to the Moon
by Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl / Sandra Van Doorn
AD 770L, K-2
Realistic picture book set in Uganda about a boy and his grandfather spending time together on a rainy day.
Someday is now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-ins
by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich / Jade Johnson
850L, 1-4
Biographical picture book about a teacher and Civil Rights activist who led protests to desegregate Oklahoma stores and restaurants.
Hannah is My Name
by Belle Yang
740L, K-4
Realistic picture book about a girl who immigrates from Taiwan to the US and hopes for the arrival of green cards so she can stay.
https://www.amazon.com/Hannah-My-Name-Belle-Yang/dp/0763622230
Malala's Magic Pencil
by Malala Yousafzai / Kerascoët
740L, PreK-3
Biographical picture book about Malala Yousafzai's childhood in Pakistan and her aspirations to change the world.
The Day Gogo Went to Vote
by Elinor Batezat Sisulu / Sharon Wilson
780L, PreK-3
Realistic picture book about a girl who takes her great grandmother to vote for the first time after it was legalized in South Africa.
The Most Beautiful Thing
by Kao Kalia Yang / Khoa Le
AD 850L, K-3
Realistic picture book following a girl of Hmong descent whose family doesn't have much money as she helps her grandmother.
The Amazing Adventures of Awesome Amani
by Jamiyl and Tracy-Ann Samuels
No lexile, 3-4
Fictional picture book about a boy who doesn't speak much during the day but becomes a superhero at night.
Voice of Freedom Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
by Carole Boston Weatherford / Ekua Holmes
820L, PreK-2
Biographical picture book celebrating the life and legacy of Civil Rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.
CHAPTER BOOKS
Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble
by Anna Meriano / Mirelle Ortega
850L, 3-7
Fantastical picture book about a girl of Mexican descent who finds out that the other members of her family are witches.
A Hand Full of Stars
by Rafik Schami
810L, 7-9
Realistic fiction set in Demascus, Syria following a teenage boy as he finds his political voice.
A Wish in the Dark
by Christina Soontornvat
720L, 3-7
Fantastical twist on the story of Les Misérables that discusses justice, incarceration, and adventure inspired by Thai culture .
Amina's Voice
by Hena Khan
800L, 3-7
Realistic novel following a girl of Pakistani descent who brings her community together after her local mosque is vandalized.
As Brave as You
by Jason Reynolds
750L, 5-6
Realistic picture book about a boy who visits his grandpa, who is blind, and questions what it means to be brave and be "a man."
Danny Chung Sums It Up
by Maisie Chan / Natelle Quek
No lexile, 3-7
Realistic middle grade novel following a boy who has to share his room with his grandma, who is visiting from China.
Darius the Great is Not Okay
by Adib Khorram
HL 710L, 7-9
Realistic novel following a boy of Iranian and white descent with clinical depression who visits Iran for the first time.
Dragons in a Bag
by Zetta Elliott / Geneva Bowers
740L, 3-7
Fantasy book about a boy who is babysat by a witch and helps her transport a bag full of baby dragons.
Flying Lessons and Other Stories
by multiple authors
800L, 3-7
Middle grade short story anthology written by a diverse group of highly recognized authors.
From Slave Ship to Freedom Road
by Julius Lester / Rod Brown
AD 790L, 3-7
Historical book with pictures about the injustices and experiences forced on enslaved people in America.
Girl Giant and the Monkey King
by Van Hoang
No lexile, 4-6
Fantasy book about a girl with superpowers who makes a deal with the Monkey King to get rid of them.
Out of My Mind
by Sharon M. Draper
700L, 5-6
Realistic novel about a girl who is incredibly smart but can not communicate it because she has cerebral palsy.
Pet
by Akwaeke Emezi
820L, 7-9
Magically realistic book following a girl who is transgender as she questions what makes a "monster."
Real
by Carol Cujec, Peyton Goddard
No lexile, 3-6
Realistic novel about a nonverbal autistic girl who is worried that people will judge her when she goes to school.
Rebel Seoul
by Axie Oh
No lexile, 7-9
Science fiction novel set in Neo Seoul about a talented military pilot who was abandoned by his father as a child.
I Am the Night Sky & Other Reflections by Muslim American Youth
by multiple authors (Next Wave Muslim Initiative Writers)
830L, 7-12
Series of short stories about what it means to be Muslim in America.
It Ain't So Awful, Falafel
by Firoozeh Dumas
730L, 5-7
Historical fiction about a girl who wants to fit in at school amid increasing anti-Iran sentiments during the Iran-Iraq War.
June Peters You Will Change the World Someday
by Alika R. Turner / Naafi N. Rohma
No lexile, 3-6
Realistic book with pictures following a girl who wants to help everyone around her and inspires her friends and family to do the same.
https://bookshop.org/books/june-peters-you-will-change-the-world-one-day/9780996877510
King and the Dragonflies
by Kacen Callender
830L, 3-7
Realistic fiction exploring how dangerous it can be to come out as gay.
Lola Levine is Not Mean!
by Monica Brown
720L, 1-5
Realistic chapter book following a girl of Peruvian and white descent after she accidentally hurts one of her classmates playing soccer.
Looking Up
by Abena Eyeson
No lexile, 5-6
Realistic fiction about a girl who has to immigrate from Ghana to England to live with her mother.
Lupe Wong Won't Dance
by Donna Barba Higuera
No lexile, 3-7
Realistic novel about a girl who wants to meet her idol, a fellow pitcher of Mexican and Chinese descent, but has to ace gym-class square dancing to do so.
Merci Suarez Can't Dance
by Meg Medina
No lexile, 4-7
Realistic fiction about love and believing in yourself following a girl of Cuban descent who doesn't like to dance.
Soul Lanterns
by Shaw Kuzki
850L, 5-6
Realistic fiction about the importance of peace following the story of a girl in Hiroshima who participates in a lantern-floating ceremony to honor victims of the atomic bombs.
The Boys in the Back Row
by Mike Jung
No lexile, 3-7
Realistic fiction about two best friends planning a final adventure before one moves away.
The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child
by Francisco Jiménez
880L, 5-8
Autobiographical short stories about a boy and his family who illegally immigrate from Mexico to California and work as migrant workers.
The Devil's Arithmetic
by Jane Yolen
730L, 5-6
Magically realistic novel about a girl who is sent back in time to a concentration camp during the Holocaust.
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
by Pablo Cartaya
750L, 5-6
Realistic fiction about a boy of Cuban descent who works with his crush to prevent a land developer from changing their town.
The Green Bicycle
by Haifaa Al Mansour
790L, 5-6
Realistic fiction set in Saudi Arabia about a girl who sells bracelets and banned mixtapes at school to save up for a bike.
The Last Cherry Blossom
by Kathleen Burkinshaw
750L, 5-8
Historical fiction set in Hiroshima about a girl living through WWII and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
The Mzungu Boy
by Meja Mwangi
700L, 4-7
Historical fiction about colonialism, following a boy in Kenya who befriends the grandson of a white settler.
The Night Diary
by Veera Hiranandani
700L, 3-7
Historical fiction about the separation of Pakistan and India, told from the perspective of a girl who is half-Muslim, half-Hindu.
The Ship We Built
by Lexie Bean
No lexile, 5-9
Realistic fiction featuring a boy with gender dysphoria as he navigates an unsafe home life and befriends a classmate at school.
This Kid Can Fly: It's About Ability (NOT Disability)
by Aaron Rose Philip and Tonya Bolden
880L, 3-7
Autobiographical memoirs about a kid with cerebral palsy who tells the story of his life.
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
by Kwame Mbalia
700L, 3-7
Middle grade fantasy novel about a boy who fights alongside magical heroes from Black and West African folklore.
What Lane?
by Torrey Maldonado
No lexile, 5-6
Realistic fiction about racism and identity, following the story of a boy who is biracial (Black and white) living in Brooklyn, New York.
Zahrah the Windseeker
by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
720L, 5-7
Fantasy novel about a girl born with special powers, inspired by West African culture.