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

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

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

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)

I Love You to the Moon and Back

I Love You to the Moon and Back is a short children’s novel recounting a parent bear and their cub from morning to night as they recall all the ways they show their love.

Tags: early reader (ages 5-9); language: English; non-human (primary character); unspecified gender (primary character); unspecified sexuality (primary character)

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

The Other Black Girl

The Other Black Girl is about a twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant named Nella Rogers. Rogers is tired of being the only black employee at Wagner Books, where she works. She becomes friends with Hazel, another black girl who she quickly becomes…

Tags: Black/African (primary character); Black/African (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; unspecified sexuality (primary character); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters); wh; white, confirmed (secondary characters); young adult fiction

Batpig: When Pigs Fly

Part of the Batpig series. Gary Yorkshire was a perfectly ordinary pig who gets Superpowers thanks to a radioactive bat bite. Gary, inspired by his Crimson Swine comics, decides to put his powers to good use and adopts the moniker Batpig.

Tags: boy/man (primary character); graphic novel; language: English; non-human (primary character)

Deeplight

In this fantasy story, the Gods have disappeared for over 30 years and divers search for some of their remains. Hark finds a divine heart to save his best friend Jelt, but the divine does not seem to mingle well with the human. The book follows two…

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

Kind

This children's picture book reinforces the importance of showing kindness. It explores various settings and circumstances where there are opportunities to show kindness.

Tags: Arab (secondary characters); Asian (secondary characters); Black/African (secondary characters); group (characters); human (secondary characters); language: English; non-human (secondary characters); picture book; unspecified gender (secondary characters); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters); white, assumed (secondary characters)

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)

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,…

Girl in Pieces

This book is a great choice for someone who is going through a tough time: it has heartbreak, learning experiences, and much more. This book is about a girl who is struggling in her life and needs help.

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

Merry Christmas, Anne

A holiday book inspired by L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Anne explores friendship, thankfulness, and showing appreciation around Christmastime.

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

It's a Mitig!

An educational book that teaches while entertaining children about words for nature and animals in Ojibwe language in a rhyming scheme narrative. Full of cheerful and friendly depictions of animals. Features a very helpful pronunciation guide and…

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

After having lost her mother and two sisters, 12-year-old Coyote has been living with her Dad in a school bus, traveling everywhere but their hometown. When she learns that the park where she had buried a memory box is about to be demolished, she…

Tags: Black/African (secondary characters); boy/man (secondary characters); girl/woman (primary character); girl/woman (secondary characters); human (primary character); human (secondary characters); language: English; Latinx (secondary characters); LGBTQ+ (secondary characters); man (author); white (author); white (illustrator); white (primary character); woman (illustrator)

Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven

Raven and Garfield have both experienced traumatic life events and have their own hidden secrets. They meet for the first time in Nashville as both try and seek answers from Slade Wilson. A YA romance story about trust and acceptance.

Tags: boy/man (secondary characters); comic book; girl/woman (primary character); language: English; non-human (primary character); non-human (secondary characters); straight (primary character); straight (secondary characters)

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures is a romantic fantasy that follows the characters Ethan Wate and Lena Duchannes. Lena arrives in Ethan’s small town, where he learns the secrets of her peculiar family. Lena’s powers come with a family curse, and upon her 16th…

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

Once Upon a Broken Heart

A love story that winds between reality and fantasy. It is the story of Evangeline Fox who turns to the Prince of Hearts to her stop the wedding of her husband on another woman and to heal her heart (Amazon).

Tags: girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); language: English; straight (primary character); young adult fiction

Gabby’s Dollhouse Cat-tastic Heroes to the Rescue!

Gabby and Pandy become superheroes and defend the Dollhouse! Follow along as they save the Gabby Cats from the supervillain.

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

Little Messy Marcy Su

Marcy Su sets out to clean up her room and herself before her grandparents arrive. By the time they get there, she and her room look great, but the rest of the house is a mess. The delightful picturebook contains elements of Chinese culture…

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

Niki Nakayama: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites

This is a children’s picture book based on a true story about an American chef of Japanese descent. Niki Nakayama is a famous chef and the reader embarks on an adventure as she faces criticism and as she strives to learn about the culinary arts.

Tags: Asian (primary character); girl/woman (primary character); human (primary character); language: English; picture book; unspecified sexuality (primary character)

We All Play

Animals and Indigenous children play side by side. Cree words are peppered throughout the book, and a glossary at the end provides the Cree names for all of the animals depicted. There is also a guide to Cree pronunciation for those not familiar with…

Tags: group (characters); human (secondary characters); language: Cree; language: English; non-human (primary character); picture book; unspecified gender (secondary characters); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters)

Bodies Are Cool

This playful picture book celebrates a variety of body types, genders, hair types, and skin colours. It uses friendly images to deliver lessons on body positivity and inclusivity.

Tags: Arab (secondary characters); Asian (secondary characters); Black/African (secondary characters); boy/man (secondary characters); brown skin (secondary characters); girl/woman (secondary characters); group (characters); language: English; multiracial (secondary characters); non-binary (secondary characters); picture book; transgender (secondary characters); unspecified gender (secondary characters); unspecified sexuality (secondary characters); white, assumed (secondary characters)

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