Hearts Unbroken

By Cynthia Leitich Smith Hearts Unbroken Themes Sexual Harassment Racism Indigenous/Native Rights Louise Wolfe has just broken up with her first real boyfriend after he disrespects Native people. She’d rather focus on family, friends, and working on her school’s newspaper. Along with photojournalist Joey Kairouz, Louise finds herself with a huge story: the school musical […]

The Hate U Give

By Angie Thomas The Hate U Give Themes Police Violence Racism Community Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the […]

Harbor Me

By Jacqueline Woodson Harbor Me Themes Racism Friendship Immigration Emotions It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat—by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for “A Room to Talk”), they discover it’s safe to talk about what’s bothering […]

Don’t Touch My Hair!

By Sharee Miller Don’t touch my hair! Themes Girl Empowerment Racism Consent Just about everywhere Aria goes, someone wants to touch her fluffy, curly hair. Whether she’s in the street, under the sea, in the jungle, or even in space, strangers (and strange creatures) try to touch Aria’s hair. Finally, she has had enough! Ages […]