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

That Was Then, This is Now

Set in the 1960s, this coming-of-age novel follows two male best friends, Mark Jennings and Bryon Douglas, as they evolve and drift apart.

Tags: boy/man (primary character); human (primary character); language: English; unspecified sexuality (primary character); white, assumed (primary character); young adult fiction

There’s a Ghost in this House

A story young girl who lives in a haunted house but has never seen ghost. The mixed media illustration depict her hunt for a ghostly presence sound her home.

Tags: girl/woman (primary character); language: English; picture book; white, assumed (primary character)

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

Peg+Cat: The Sleepover

Sleepover time! Peg +Cat invites their 4 Pirate + parrot friends over for a slumber soiree. Unfortunately, the pirates get homesick! This causes a big problem… What will they do to save the sleepover?

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

The Boi of Feather and Steel

This book is the second one in the queer witchy fantasy duologyMetamorphosis(sequel toThe Girl of Hawthorne and Glass). The three main characters are Eli, a female white assasin, Tav, a black magic queer boi, and Kite, a blue-skinned witch. In the…

Tags: Black/African (primary character); girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); language: English; LGBTQ+ (primary character); non-binary (primary character); non-human (primary character); white, assumed (primary character); young adult fiction

Refugee

Refugeefollows three children escaping three different traumatic situations: in the 1930s, a Jewish boy named Josef escapes Nazi Germany; in 1994, a girl named Isabel tries to leave Cuba to go to America; and in 2015, a Syrian boy named Mahmoud is on…

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

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)

Better Than the Movies

Now that her long-term crush, Micheal, is back in town, Liz Buxbaum is desperate to get him to notice her – desperate enough to seek help from her annoying next-door neighbor, Wes Bennet. As the two scheme and plot to win Liz her dream prom date,…

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); 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

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

Allegiant

This novel is the third in the Divergent trilogy. It is set in a dystopian future in Chicago, where people are organized into five different factions based on gene purity; the system is meant to prevent war or any other population threatening…

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

Hopepunk

Hope Cassidy feels out of place in her conservative Christian family. She loves listening to rock, and her sister Faith has a boyfriend. When their little sister tells their parents about Faith's sin, she disappears, and Hope decides to rebel and…

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; LGBTQ+ (secondary characters); unspecified sexuality (primary character); white, assumed (primary character); white, assumed (secondary characters); young adult fiction

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)

The Hockey Sweater

This children's picture book is about hockey and team loyalty. It is a comical story about a boy who is disappointed about receiving a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey jersey instead of a Montreal Canadians hockey jersey.

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

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)

Holding Up the Universe

Libby Strout is dubbed "America's Fattest Teen," but after her mom's death, she hopes to start the new school year as the girl who can do anything no matter her weight. Jack Masselin has the skill of fitting in except he can't recognize faces, and…

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); 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

Vespertine

Grey sisters are nuns that purify and cleanse the bodies of the dead so their souls can pass on. The protagonist, Artemisia, is training to become one. But when her covent is threatened by possessed soldiers, she awakens an ancient spirit, the…

Tags: girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); language: English; non-human (secondary characters); unspecified gender (secondary characters); unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters); white, assumed (primary character); young adult fiction

Kaleidoscope

An unnamed protagonist must continue life without his friend James. A fantastical story about love, friendship, and grief between two teenage boys. Non-linear storytelling told through recollections of memories and dreams. Biblical and mythological…

Tags: boy/man (primary character); boy/man (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)

Browse Items (21 total)