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KIDS

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Ages 9-12

Stand Up, Speak Out

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A Good Kind of Trouble by  Lisa Moore Ramée
After attending a powerful protest, Shayla starts wearing an armband to school to support the Black Lives Matter movement, but when the school gives her an ultimatum, she is forced to choose between her education and her identity.
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Suspended unjustly from elite Middlefield Prep, Donte Ellison studies fencing with a former champion, hoping to put the racist fencing team captain in his place.
Blended by  Sharon M. (Sharon Mills) Draper
Piano-prodigy Isabella, eleven, whose black father and white mother struggle to share custody, never feels whole, especially as racial tensions affect her school, her parents both become engaged, and she and her stepbrother are stopped by police.
Clean Getaway by  Nic Stone
For the life of him, William "Scoob" Lamar can't seem to stay out of trouble--and now the run-ins at school have led to lockdown at home. So when G'ma, Scoob's favorite person on Earth, asks him to go on an impromptu road trip, he's in the RV faster than he can say FREEDOM. With G'ma's old maps and a strange pamphlet called the 'Travelers' Green Book' at their side, the pair takes off on a journey down G'ma's memory lane. But adventure quickly turns to uncertainty: G'ma keeps changing the license plate, dodging Scoob's questions, and refusing to check Dad's voice mails. And the farther they go, the more Scoob realizes that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem.
Enough!: 20 Protesters Who Changed America by  Emily Easton
From Samuel Adams to the students from Parkland, march through history with the heroic revolutionary protesters who changed America. These heroic protesters were not afraid to stand up for what they believed in. They are among the twenty change-makers in this book who used peaceful protests and brave actions to rewrite American history.
Genesis Begins Again by  Alicia Williams
Thirteen-year-old Genesis tries again and again to lighten her black skin, thinking it is the root of her family's troubles, before discovering reasons to love herself as is.
Kid Activists: True Tales of Childhood From Champions of Change by  Robin Stevenson
Across history, activists have worked, marched, and spoken out for equality and justice--and many had moving, relatable childhood stories. Kid activists tells these stories and more through engaging biographies and full-color illustrations on nearly every page. Learn about Susan B. Anthony, James Baldwin, Ruby Bridges, Frederick Douglass, Alexander Hamilton, Nelson Mandela, Iqbal Masih, Janet Mock, Rosa Parks, Autumn Peltier, Emma Watson, Malala Yousafzai and more.
New Kid by  Jerry Craft
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds--and not really fitting into either one.
Not my Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham
A white child sees a TV news report of a white police officer shooting and killing a black man. "In our family, we don't see color," his mother says, but he sees the colors plain enough. An afternoon in the library's history stacks uncover the truth of white supremacy in America. Racism was not his idea and he refuses to defend it.
Racism and Intolerance by  Louise Spilsbury; Hanane Kai
Help children explore topics like current affairs, compassion, empathy, and more with this sensitively written, beautifully illustrated book. Kids can find answers to questions like: "What does it mean to be a racist--or intolerant?" and "How can I help?"
The Little Book of Little Activists
Filled with inspiring photos of children at the Women's March on Washington and other protests and rallies, this book also includes inspirational quotes, simple ideas for how kids can get involved, brief definitions of concepts like "equality" and "feminism," and an introduction from a leading activist who's making a difference in the world today.
The Only Black Girls in Town by  Brandy Colbert
In a predominately white California beach town, the only two black seventh-graders, Alberta and Edie, find hidden journals that uncover family secrets and speak to race relations in the past.
The Power Book by  Minna Salami & Mik Scarlet Claire Saunders
Takes a look at different types of power, what it means to have power, and what you can do with your own power to create positive change in the world, no matter who or how old you are.
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by  Wade Hudson and Cheryl Wells Hudson
What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 lavishly designed pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists.
Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice
A collection of poems to inspire kids to stay woke and become a new generation of activists.
Updated 06/01/2020