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- Ashley S.
- Friday, January 06, 2023
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Check out these diverse titles releasing in January!
Here at Richland Library we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that celebrates and respects our differences and unique learning styles. Each month a blog post will go live that showcases forthcoming diverse youth titles that have been purchased by the library. From differences in race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability and more, these titles are great reads for the entire family.
Be sure to check out the 5 titles that I'm most excited for in the slideshow below as well as the curated list of releases at the bottom of this post.
Enjoy!
All Aboard the Schooltrain
A Story from the Great Migration
Published in 2022
During the Great Migration in 1930's Louisiana, eight-year-old Jenny tries to understand why a man named Jim Crow is making trouble for her family.
This is Not a Personal Statement
Published in 2023
"After getting rejected from her dream college, sixteen-year-old Filipino American Perla Perez forges her own acceptance and commits to living a lie at university"-- Provided by publisher.
Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin
Civil Rights Heroes
Published in 2023
"Introduces readers to two brave Black women who stood up against segregation, setting in motion the Montgomery Bus Boycott and showing the nation how positive change can start with a single defiant act"-- Provided by publisher.
Promise Boys
Published in 2023
J.B., Ramaon, and Trey, students of the Urban Promise Prep School, must follow the school's strict rules, but when their principal is murdered, the three boys must band together to track down the real killer before they are arersted.
My Selma
True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement
Published in 2023
"A stirring memoir of growing up Black in a town at the epicenter of the fight for freedom, equality, and human rights"-- Provided by publisher.
Sincerely Sicily
Published in 2023
Sixth-grader Sicily Jordan learns to use her voice and to find joy in who she is--a Black Panamanian fashionista who rocks her braids with pride--while confronting prejudice both in the classroom and at home.
King & Kayla and the Case of the Cat Hunt
Published in 2023
Dog-and-human detective duo, King and Kayla, must try to figure out how Raj's cat escaped from a locked house.
A Boy and His Mirror
Published in 2023
"A boy's mirror gives him a whole new way of seeing himself"-- Provided by publisher.
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon
Published in 2023
Henri has attended a special school for her learning disability, dyscalculia, but when she is mainstreamed, she finds herself struggling to balance other parts of her life, and not just in math class--a family feud, drama on the soccer team, and a passionfor poetry.
Little Black Lives Matter
Published in 2022
"Little Black Lives Matter empowers all children, but Black children especially, by affirming that their lives, however little they may yet be, matter. Featuring fifteen great Black heroes of the past and the powerful words they spoke and actions they took, Little Black Lives Matter is a rhyming board book that incorporates memorable quotations and a reminder to little ones that each of these great people once lived a little Black life themselves. From Harriet Tubman and Malcolm X to other inspiring freedom fighters like Marsha P. Johnson, Fred Hampton, and Frederick Douglass, writers James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and Maya Angelou, musical artists Billie Holiday and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, athletes Wilma Rudolph, Jesse Owens, and Muhammad Ali, and Rosa Parksand Martin Luther King, Jr., this little book encourages young readers to find their inner heroes and see their own self-worth and agency through the acts of great Black heroes who came before them"-- Provided by publisher.
Friday I'm in Love
Published in 2023
"After not being able to have a sweet sixteen party, Mahalia decides to throw a coming out party to celebrate love and herself"-- Provided by publisher.
A Tale of Two Princes
Published in 2023
When long-lost twins Edward, a closeted prince, and Billy, an out-and-proud cowboy, meet by chance in New York City, their lives are forever changed as they each come to terms with who they really are and what they really want.
The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be
A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption
Published in 2023
Then Everything Happens at Once
Published in 2023
Sixteen-year-old Baylee goes from having never been kissed to navigating two potential relationships, one with her long-time crush Freddie and the other with funny barista Alex, as the world begins to shut down from COVID-19.
The Buried and the Bound
Published in 2023
Seventeen-year-old Aziza El-Amin, the only hedgewitch in Blackthorn, Massachusetts, teams up with a cursed boy looking for answers and a young necromancer in order to eradicate a new threat in the woods and take back her hometown.
How to Be a (young) Antiracist
Published in 2022
"The #1 New York Times bestseller that sparked international dialogue is now a book for young adults! Based on the adult bestseller by Ibram X. Kendi, and co-authored by bestselling author Nic Stone, How to be a (Young) Antiracist will serve as a guide for teens seeking a way forward in acknowledging, identifying, and dismantling racism and injustice"-- Provided by publisher.
Hands
Published in 2023
Twelve-year-old Trevor has an adult problem to deal with: how to protect himself, his sisters, and his mother from his abusive stepfather (currently in prison) and he thinks the way to do that is to take up boxing--although he would really rather draw.
The Davenports
Published in 2023
The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in 1910 Chicago, and the two daughters, Olivia and Helen, are finding their way and finding love--even where they are not supposed to.
The Kindest Red
A Story of Hijab and Friendship
Published in 2023
Sisters Faizah and Asiyah learn how to spread kindness on school picture day.
All That It Ever Meant
A Novel
Published in 2023
Reeling from the death of her mother, fourteen-year-old Mati's family leaves England to visit their native Zimbabwe, where Mati finds comfort in Meticais, a gender-neutral spirit or ghost who only she can see, and who helps her navigate her mercurial interpersonal relationships and feelings of grief.
Just Jerry
How Drawing Shaped My Life
Published in 2023
"Jerry Pinkney, Caldecott Medal winner and illustrator of over one hundred books, tells the story of his childhood and how he developed his artistic talent"-- Provided by publisher.
6 Times We Almost Kissed (and One Time We Did)
Published in 2023
Penny and Tate have often clashed, despite their mothers' epic friendship; but now that they are living in the same house, beset by medical crises and Penny's problems dealing with the trauma of her father's death, they have to come to terms with their true feelings for each other.
Where the Black Flowers Bloom
Published in 2023
When ghoulish creatures kill twelve-year-old Asha's guardian, her dying words launch Asha on a quest to stop an ancient evil, and along the way, she uncovers shocking secrets about the family she never knew and begins to find her place in the world as shediscovers her own untapped powers.
The Doggie Defendant
Published in 2023
When Neil blames Digger for ruining his birthday party, Kim and Miles bring him to Kids Court to prove the dog's innocence.
Jump In!
Published in 2023
Celebrates a community coming together through their love of double Dutch.
The Love Match
Published in 2023
When her mother sets her up with handsome, aloof Harun, eighteen-year-old Bangladeshi American Zahra pretends to date him while she pursues her coworker, Nayim, but she quickly finds herself second-guessing her true feelings.
Holding Her Own
The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes
Published in 2022
"When Jackie Ormes sees an opportunity, she takes it. She's a journalist, cartoonist, fashionista, philanthropist, and activist -- and she wants to use her artistry to bring joy and hope to Black people everywhere. But in post-World War II America, Blackpeople are still being denied their civil rights, and Jackie has a dilemma: How can her art remain true to her signature Jackie joy, while also staying honest about the inequalities Black people have been fighting against? Traci N. Todd and Shannon Wrighthave crafted a gorgeous and moving tribute to the indelible legacy of America's first Black woman cartoonist"-- Provided by publisher.
Brighter Than the Moon
Published in 2023
When online friends Jonas and Shani meet for the first time, they along with Shani's best Ash, find they are all keeping secrets, and coming clean will require them to figure out who they really are, which is not easy when one's identity goes beyond labels.
One Last Shot
Based on a True Story of Wartime Heroism: the Story of Wartime Photographer Gerda Taro
Published in 2023
"Tells the story of Gerda Taro, a headstrong photojournalist with a passion for capturing the truth amid political turmoil and the first woman photojournalist killed in combat"-- Provided by publisher.
As You Walk on by
Published in 2023
After a disastrous promposal at a party, seventeen-year-old Theo has an existential crisis in an empty bedroom, but as the night progresses, various classmates also seek refuge from the party, and Theo finds he is not as alone as he thinks he is.
The Cartographers
Published in 2022
Seventeen-year-old Ocean Wu moves to New York City to start college, but she defers her enrollment, keeping it a secret from her immigrant mother, and instead uses the time to deal with her ambivalence about her place in the world.