children / young adult social justice book lists

a young boy's life on the farm is so full of poverty and hardship that he longs to escape, eventually finding his chance when he lies about his age and signs up to fight the germans during world war two.

to earn money, a young boy decides to collect and redeem empty soft drink cans, but ends up giving away his money to help a local homeless man.

the jar of coins is full. the day has come to buy the chair - the big, fat, comforable, wonderful chair they have been saving for. the chair that will replace the one that was burned up - along with everything else - in the terrible fire. a book of love and tenderness filled with the affirmation of life.

a homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal trying not to be noticed, is given hope when a trapped bird finally finds its freedom.

"it's 1845 and blight has destroyed the precious potato crop, leaving ireland starving. phyllis works hard to support her struggling family, but when her mother's health deteriorates she sets off in search of her rebel brother and is swept up in the fight for a free and fair ireland."-back cover.

thirteen-year-old robbie leads a double life. it's just robbie and his dad, but no one knows that his dad isn't like most parents. sometimes he wakes robbie up in the middle of the night to talk about dying. sometimes he just leaves without telling robbie where he's going. once when robbie was younger, he was gone for more than a week. robbie was terrified of being left alone but even more scared of telling anyone in case he was put into foster care. no one can know. until one day when robbie has to show the tough new girl, harmony, around school. their first meeting ends horribly and she punches robbie in the face. but eventually they come to realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought. can robbie's new friend be trusted to keep his secret?

walking with her mother on the way home from school one day, lily runs straight into a gruff and untidy-looking man selling papers on the street. frightened, lily insists on taking the bus home every day for fear she will run into him again. but when the weather turns cold, lily starts to see the paper man differently; she sees his bare toes through the holes in his boots and his thin shirt through the holes in his coat. as she lies in her warm bed at night, she wonders about the paper man and how he stays warm. lily comes up with an idea and overcomes her fear.

using illustrations, full-color photographs and straightforward text, this nonfiction picture book introduces the topics of homelessness and poverty to young readers.

this simple, touching picture book shows readers a women's shelter through the eyes of a young girl, who with her mother's help, uses her imagination to overcome her anxiety and adjust. includes factual endnotes detailing various reasons people experience homelessness and the resources available to help.

with our 24/7 news cycle and constant access to the latest headlines, the world can be a scary place. now imagine you're a child trying to make sense of it all! what does this news mean? how does it affect me? that's where children in our world can help. this beautifully illustrated non-fiction series takes a timely look at today's biggest issues and sensitively explains the crises that dominate the news in an appropriate way for young children. each book uses relatable comparisons, carefully researched text, and striking illustrations to help kids understand the many difficulties that children just like them face in the world today. poverty and hunger discusses the questions "what is poverty and hunger? how do they affect people in countries all over the world?" it helps children begin to understand the way others struggle with these issues and learn about ways they can help. where issues are not appropriate to describe in words, award-winning illustrator hanane kai uses a deft hand to create powerful illustrations that help children visualize the people impacted by poverty, hunger, war, racism, and more. all of the images are sensitively rendered and perfectly suited for younger children. these books are an excellent cross-curricular resource--use them to explore these important issues and tie them into discussions about food, wealth, compassion, empathy, and current affairs. (ages 6--10)

rose keeps a journal of her family's difficult times on their farm during the days of the dust bowl in 1935.

there are 150 million people experiencing homelessness worldwide, and that number is increasing every year. homelessness is not a choice, yet it exists in almost every community. but why are people homeless? who are they? what can you do? in shelter: homelessness in our community, readers will get answers to these complex questions. they'll learn about the root causes of homelessness and its effects, and what people and organizations around the world are doing to address the problem. it shares the personal stories of people who live on the street and the adults and kids who work with them. as a former homeless-shelter worker, author lois peterson encourages young people to approach the issue with knowledge and compassion. she dispels some of the myths about homelessness and makes the case for why everyone deserves a safe, permanent place to call home.

since she left jamaica for america after her father died, zettie lives in a car with her mother while they both go to school and plan for a real home.

a young girl and her mother have a loving, passionate conversation with each other. the girl is torn between her desire to stay home with her family and the familiarity of their village, and her desire to go to school and discover the world beyond the mountains that surround them. every time the girl insists that she will stay, her mother repeats that she must go, that there is more to life than the labor in the coffee trees.

all jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. though jeremy's grandma says they don't have room for "want," just "need," when his old shoes fall apart at school, he is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. but sore feet aren't much fun, and jeremy soon sees that the things he has -- warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend --- are worth more than the things he wants.

a young woman, looking back on her childhood, recounts her farm family's poverty, her father's cowardice, and her younger brother's obsession for digging tunnels and living underground.