Browse Items · Windows and Mirrors: Diversity in Books for Young Readers

Blood Like Magic

A teen with is forced to sacrifice the love of her life in order to preserve her family's magical powers. Being a teen, she has never been in love and is tasked with finding Mr. Right in order to kill him. She applies for a matchmaking program and is…

Tags: Black/African (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; LGBTQ+ (secondary characters); straight (primary character); straight (secondary characters); transgender (secondary characters); young adult fiction

We Are Water Protectors

In this Caldecott Medal-winning picturebook, a young Indigenous girl must rally her community to defend the Earth's water, the most sacred medicine of all, against a black snake that threatens to destroy the land.

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); Indigenous (primary character); Indigenous (secondary characters); language: English; picture book

Mindy Kim and the Big Pizza Challenge (Mindy Kim Series)

In the sixth novel of the series, Mindy Kim, an Asian American child, enters a pizza trivia contest with her father. Mindy must help her father overcome some cultural differences and references that he does not understand, while her father simply…

Tags: Asian (primary character); Asian (secondary characters); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; picture book; unspecified gender (secondary characters); unspecified sexuality (primary character)

Meet Cute Diary

Self-proclaimed trans romance expert Noah Ramirez is known for his blog of trans love stories, “Meet Cute Diary.” When the fictionality of the stories is revealed, Noah, who is white and Japanese on his mom’s side and Afro-Caribbean on his dad’s,…

Tags: Black/African (secondary characters); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; LGBTQ+ (author); LGBTQ+ (primary character); LGBTQ+ (secondary characters); multiracial (author); multiracial (primary character); straight (secondary characters); transgender (author); transgender (primary character); white, confirmed (secondary characters); young adult fiction

PJ Masks Save the School!

Preschool is never boring with Catboy, Owlette and Gekko! Join them as they try to find out who stole the school supply that just suddenly went missing.

Tags: boy/man (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); brown skin (secondary characters); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; picture book; unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters); white, assumed (primary character)

Unplugged

Jett Baranov attends Oasis, a "wellness" camp that forces him to "unplug" from technology. Although unimpressed at first, Jett soon finds that Oasis is a place of friendship, mystery, adventure, and chaos!

Tags: boy/man (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; middle grade book (ages 8-12); unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters); white, assumed (primary character); white, assumed (secondary characters)

The Extraordinaries

This queer coming-of-age story follows Nick Bell, an ultimate fanboy with ADHD. Nick strives to be extraordinary to impress his biggest crush: Shadow Star, Nova City's mightiest hero. But, he finds that his best friend Seth could be the true love of…

Tags: boy/man (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); cognitive/neurological disability/condition (author); cognitive/neurological disability/condition (primary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; LGBTQ+ (author); LGBTQ+ (primary character); LGBTQ+ (secondary characters); man (author); unspecified gender (secondary characters); white (author); white, assumed (primary character); white, assumed (secondary characters); young adult fiction

Walking in Two Worlds

Bugz is a shy Anishinaabe teen girl, but online, she’s a confident video gamer. Her two worlds collide when she befriends Feng, a Muslim Uighur teen boy and fellow gamer who moves into the Rez. Together, they must learn to reconcile broken…

Tags: Asian (secondary character); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); Indigenous (primary character); language: English; Muslim (secondary characters); straight (primary character); straight (secondary characters); young adult fiction

Zara Hossain Is Here

Pakistani immigrant Zara Hossain and her family have waited nine years in Texas for their green card approval. As the only Muslim girl at her catholic school, Zara tries not to create trouble for her family. But after a threatening note, the…

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); brown skin (primary character); brown skin (secondary characters); Christian (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; LGBTQ+ (primary character); LGBTQ+ (secondary characters); Muslim (primary character); straight (secondary characters); white, assumed (secondary characters); young adult fiction

What I Like About You

Nash and Halle have built a seemingly wonderful virtual connection. They have shared interests and beliefs, but Kels, Halle's fictional character, is everything she wishes she was. When Halle and her brother move in with her Grandfather and finds…

Tags: boy/man (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); Jewish (primary character); language: English; LGBTQ+ (secondary characters); white, confirmed (primary character); white, confirmed (secondary characters)

Pinkalicious and the Babysitter

Based on the PBS Kids TV series Pinkalicious & Peterrific, Pinkalicious and the Babysitter is a tie-in that follows Maya as she babysits Peter and Pinkalicious. WhenPeter accidentally breaks his mother’s mug, Pinkalicious takes on the challenge…

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; picture book; unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters); white, assumed (primary character); white, assumed (secondary characters)

You Should See Me in A Crown

Living in a rich white town, high school senior and anxious introvert Liz Lighty loses her financial aid for college and runs for prom queen to win a scholarship. She grapples with school drama, romance, and family issues.

Tags: Black/african (author); Black/African (primary character); Black/African (secondary characters); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; LGBTQ+ (author); LGBTQ+ (primary character); LGBTQ+ (secondary characters); straight (secondary characters); white, assumed (secondary characters)

We Are Not Broken

A memoir covering family relationships, love, loss, queerness, and racism experienced during the author’s time growing up in New Jersey with their brother and cousins, as they are raised together by their grandmother, whose legacy the book…

Tags: Black/african (author); Black/African (primary character); Black/African (secondary characters); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; LGBTQ+ (author); LGBTQ+ (primary character); non-binary (author); non-binary (primary character)

The Couch Potato

A couch potato believes it can live life sitting on a sofa in front of a wall of screens—that is until the power goes out and forces the couch potato to play outside. Being in nature reminds the couch potato that fresh air, exercise, and human…

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (secondary characters); language: English; non-human (primary character); non-human (secondary characters); picture book; unspecified gender (primary character); unspecified gender (secondary characters); unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters)

The 12 Days of First Grade

What will the teacher share with us on The 12 Days of First Grade? Find out in this rhyming storybook by Jenna Lettice! Follow along to discover all the school activities and supplies for a fun-filled 12 Days of First Grade.

Tags: Asian (secondary characters); boy/man (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); brown skin (primary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; picture book; unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters); white, assumed (secondary characters)

Tokyo Ever After

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom…

Tags: Asian (primary character); Asian (secondary characters); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; unspecified sexuality (primary character); young adult fiction

The Jasmine Project

This book is a romantic comedy about a teen Korean American adoptee who finds herself and also someone else, unexpectedly.

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); language: English; straight (primary character); straight (secondary characters); woman (author); young adult fiction

What About Will

Trace Reynolds is a white-Puerto Rican 12-year-old who has always looked up to his 17-year-old brother Will. But when Will suffers from a traumatic brain injury during a football game, their family starts to fall apart. Will's depression, anger…

Tags: boy/man (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); cognitive/neurological disability/condition (secondary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; Latinx (secondary characters); middle grade book (ages 8-12); multiracial (primary character); multiracial (secondary characters); unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters)

Great Too

This fun children's book is about hockey and overcoming challenges in sports. It shows children the importance of teamwork and relying on each other.

Tags: Black/African (secondary characters); boy/man (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; picture book; unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters); white, assumed (primary character); white, assumed (secondary characters)

The Outsiders

This novel discusses the disparities between working-class and upper-class gangs who are divided because of their status. It is a novel focused on teenage boys getting caught in trouble and is a first person account from the main character, Ponyboy.…

Tags: boy/man (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; straight (primary character); straight (secondary characters); white, assumed (primary character); white, assumed (secondary characters); young adult fiction

Beatrice and Croc Harry

Beatrice is a young girl who wakes up in a treehouse in the magical forest of Argilia with no knowledge of who she is and how she got there. She wakes up alone with amnesia but quickly finds an ally in a crocodile... While working together to…

Tags: Black/African (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); cognitive/neurological disability/condition (primary character); girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); language: English; middle grade book (ages 8-12); non-human (secondary characters); unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters)

The Love Hypothesis

The Love Hypothesis is about a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith. Olive struggles with relationships and doubts that she will be able to find true love. In this book, Olive undergoes an experiment in love because she is a biologist and tries to…

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; straight (primary character); straight (secondary characters); white, confirmed (primary character); white, confirmed (secondary characters); young adult fiction

InvestiGators: Ants in Our P.A.N.T.S.

In the fourth installment of John Patrick Green's InvestiGators series, the crocodile agents at S.U.I.T are faced with a new problem when agent Brash's replacement, RoboBrash, comes equipt with giant ants. It's up to him and Mango to stop both the…

Tags: Asian (secondary characters); boy/man (primary character); boy/man (secondary characters); brown skin (secondary characters); girl/woman (secondary characters); graphic novel; human (secondary characters); language: English; non-human (primary character); non-human (secondary characters)

The Night Before Playoffs

"The Night Before Playoffs" is a children's story about the woodland creatures who like to play hockey once the humans are fast asleep. With amazing illustrations, this picture book puts a Canadian twist on the holiday classic "A Visit from St.…

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (secondary characters); group (characters); language: English; non-human (secondary characters); picture book; unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters)

Plague

Eight months after everyone over age fifteen disappeared, protagonist Sam Temple and the youth of Perdido Beach are alone with supernatural abilities in the FAYZ (the dome/barrier that surrounds them). Their dystopian world is filled with hunger,…

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