A Journey Toward Hope
A Journey Toward Hope By Victor Hinojosa, Coert Voorhees Illustrated by Susan Guevara Published by Six Foot Press ISBN-13: 9781644420089 Age Range: 6+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound| B&N | Worldcat “An emotional entry point to a larger, necessary discussion on this complex and difficult subject.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Every year, roughly 50,000 unaccompanied minors arrive at the US/Mexico border to present themselves for asylum or related visas. The majority of these children are non-Mexicans fleeing the systemic violence of Central America’s “Northern...
Read MoreAfter the Last Border
After the Last Border By Jessica Goudeau Published by Penguin Publishing Group ISBN: 9780525559139 Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “Goudeau’s sometimes heartbreaking narratives personalize the refugee crisis in ways cold news accounts cannot.” —Library Journal Description The welcoming and acceptance of immigrants and refugees has been central to America’s identity for centuries–yet America has periodically turned its back at the times of greatest humanitarian need. After the Last Border is an intimate look at the lives of two women as...
Read MoreAmerican as Paneer Pie
American as Paneer Pie By Supriya Kelkar Published by Aladdin ISBN-13: 9781534439382 Age Range: 8+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…paints a convincing portrait of a girl straddling two cultures.” —Publishers Weekly Description As the only Indian American kid in her small town, Lekha Divekar feels like she has two versions of herself: Home Lekha, who loves watching Bollywood movies and eating Indian food, and School Lekha, who pins her hair over her bindi birthmark and avoids confrontation at all costs, especially when someone teases her for being...
Read More10 Things I Hate about Pinky
10 Things I Hate about Pinky By Sandhya Menon Published by Simon Pulse ISBN-13: 9781534416819 Age Range: 12+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “In this companion to When Dimple Met Rishi, two frenemies fake-date their way through summer vacation.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe. Samir Jha...
Read MoreMore Than Just a Pretty Face
More Than Just a Pretty Face By Syed M. Masood Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers ISBN-13: 9780316492355 Age Range: 14+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…a much-needed historical and contemporary perspective of Western culture through a South Asian lens.” —School Library Journal Description Danyal Jilani doesn’t lack confidence. He may not be the smartest guy in the room, but he’s funny, gorgeous, and going to make a great chef one day. His father doesn’t approve of his career choice, but that hardly matters. What...
Read MoreThe Knockout
The Knockout By Sajni Patel Published by North Star Editions ISBN-13: 9781635830606 Age Range: 14+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat Description If seventeen-year-old Kareena Thakkar is going to alienate herself from the entire Indian community, she might as well do it gloriously. She’s landed the chance of a lifetime, an invitation to the US Muay Thai Open, which could lead to a spot on the first-ever Olympic team. If only her sport wasn’t seen as something too rough for girls, something she’s afraid to share with anyone outside of her family. Despite pleasing her...
Read MoreSantiago’s Road Home
Santiago’s Road Home By Alexandra Diaz Published by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books ISBN-13: 9781534446236 Age Range: 8+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…a Dickensian tale of children who become “Dreamers” in search of a new life in the United States.” —School Library Connection Description The coins in Santiago’s hand are meant for the bus fare back to his abusive abuela’s house. Except he refuses to return; he won’t be missed. His future is uncertain until he meets the kind, maternal María Dolores and her young daughter, Alegría,...
Read MoreOur Wayward Fate
Our Wayward Fate By Gloria Chao Published by Simon Pulse ISBN-13: 9781534427617 Age Range: 12+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “When the new student in town happens be Taiwanese just like her, Ali Chu’s world is turned upside down—and not in the ways she might have imagined.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Seventeen-year-old Ali Chu knows that as the only Asian person at her school in middle-of-nowhere Indiana, she must be bland as white toast to survive. This means swapping her congee lunch for PB&Js, ignoring the clueless racism from her...
Read MoreNana Akua Goes to School
Nana Akua Goes to School By Tricia Elam Walker Illustrated by April Harrison Published by Random House Children’s Books ISBN-13: 9780525581130 Age Range: 4+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound| B&N | Worldcat “This lovely story explores the perennial fear of being different, while showcasing the great love between a grandparent and grandchild.” —School Library Journal Description It is Grandparents Day at Zura’s elementary school, and the students are excited to introduce their grandparents and share what makes them special. Aleja’s grandfather is a...
Read MoreAll Around Us
All Around Us By Xelena Gonzalez Illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia Published by Cinco Puntos Press ISBN-13: 9781941026762 Age Range: 3+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “An intergenerational tale for all picture-book collections.” —Booklist Description Grandpa and his granddaughter meditate on gardens and seeds, and on circles seen and unseen, as they share and create family traditions in this stunning exploration of the cycles of life and nature. All Around Us received a Pura Belpre Honor Award for Illustration in 2018. Now available in Spanish for the...
Read MoreWhat I Like Most
What I Like Most By Mary Murphy Illustrated by Zhu Cheng-Liang Published by Candlewick Press ISBN-13: 9781536209402 Age Range: 3+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “A simple yet sweet introduction to impermanence and change in all things…except one.” —Kirkus Reviews Description A little girl observes, one by one, things that give her pleasure — the apricot jam on her toast, the light-up shoes that make her feet bounce, the sparkling river, the pencil whose color comes out like a ribbon. But even after the jar becomes empty, and the shoes grow too small, and...
Read MoreToo Young to Escape
Too Young to Escape By Van Ho and Marsha Skrypuch Published by Pajama Press ISBN-13: 9781772780666 Age Range: 8+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “When 4-year-old Van wakes one morning in her home in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, her mother and siblings are gone.” —Kirkus Reviews Description During the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Van wakes up one morning to find that her mother, her sisters Loan and Lan, and her brother Tuan are gone. They have escaped the new communist regime that has taken over Ho Chi Minh City for freedom in the West. Four-year-old Van...
Read MoreSalma the Syrian Chef
Salma the Syrian Chef By Danny Ramadan Illustrated by Anna Bron Published by Annick Press, Limited ISBN-13: 9781773213750 Age Range: 4+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…Syrian-Canadian activist Ramadan writes with poetic immediacy about displacement, home, and family.” —Publishers Weekly Description All Salma wants is to make her mama smile again. Between English classes, job interviews, and missing Papa back in Syria, Mama always seems busy or sad. A homemade Syrian meal might cheer her up, but Salma doesn’t know the recipe, or what to call the...
Read MoreWhat If a Fish
What If a Fish By Anika Fajardo Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers ISBN-13: 9781534449831 Age Range: 8+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat Figuring out how to be a true colombiano might be more difficult than he thought. Description Half-Colombian Eddie Aguado has never really felt Colombian. Especially after Papa died. And since Mama keeps her memories of Papa locked up where Eddie can’t get to them, he only has Papa’s third-place fishing tournament medal to remember him by. He’ll have to figure out how to be more Colombian on his own. As if by...
Read MoreThe Henna Wars
The Henna Wars By Adiba Jaigirdar Published by Page Street Publishing ISBN: 9781624149689 Age Range: 14+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “Debut author Jaigirdar seamlessly weaves issues of racism and homophobia into a fast-moving plot peopled with richly drawn characters.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Nishat doesn’t want to lose her family, but she also doesn’t want to hide who she is, and it only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic, and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school...
Read MoreGoing Home, Coming Home
Going Home, Coming Home By Truong Tran Illustrated by Ann Phong Published by Lee & Low Books, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0892392384 Age Range: 6+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | Worldcat A bilingual Vietnamese American Picture Book! Description A young girl visits her grandmother in Vietnam where her parents were born and learns that she can call two places home. Groups Represented Vietnamese American Themes Bi-racial Identity Bilingual Book Celebration Family Relationships Grandparents & Intergenerational Identity Setting United States Vietnam Engagement Projects & Resources Share...
Read MoreDuck for Turkey Day
Duck for Turkey Day By Jacqueline Jules Illustrated by Kathryn Mitter Published by Whitman, Albert & Company ISBN-13: 9780807593929 Age Range: 4+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat Kids from families with different traditions will enjoy this warm story about “the right way” to celebrate an American holiday. Description It’s almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There’s just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner – not turkey! Nobody has duck...
Read MoreMy Very Own Room
My Very Own Room By Amada Irma Perez Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez Published by Lee & Low Books, Inc. ISBN: 9780892392230 Age Range: 8+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “My Very Own Room gently teaches a valuable lesson about the strength of family and the importance of dreams.” Description Five little brothers, two parents, and a house full of visiting relatives make a young Mexican American girl feel crowded. She loves her family, but how can she get a little space of her own? This delightful memoir of a California childhood, by Amada Irma...
Read MoreWherever I Go
Wherever I Go By Mary Wagley Copp Illustrated by Munir D. Mohammed Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers ISBN-13: 9781534419193 Age Range: 6+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | WorldCat “A fine addition to children’s literature about refugees, resettlement, and resilience.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Of all her friends, Abia has been at the Shimelba Refugee Camp the longest—seven years, four months, and sixteen days. Papa says that’s too long and they need a forever home. Until then, though, Abia has something important to do. Be a queen. Sometimes...
Read MoreWhen Stars Are Scattered
When Stars Are Scattered By Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed Illustrated by Iman Geddy Published by Penguin Young Readers Group ISBN-13: 9780525553908 Age Range: 9+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “This engaging, heartwarming story does everything one can ask of a book, and then some.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So...
Read MoreWEAR YOUR WELCOME
