Finding Diverse Books 2024 | Children's Fiction & Graphic Novels

Updated December 13, 2023
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ThunderBoom
Briglio, Jack
Paper Book
In this exciting graphic novel, Logan is thrilled when his parents tell him they're all taking the train to see the Santa Claus parade. But Logan isn't like most 11-year-olds - he can't speak, and he mostly lives in his head. On this adventure, Logan must face some of his greatest fears: masks, dogs...

A nonverbal kid saves the day when he gets lost at the Santa Claus parade in this graphic novel from the parent of a nonverbal child. The visual format is a great support for developing readers and expressing the rich inner world of a kid who's often misunderstood by others.

Disability

The ghosts of Rancho Espanto
Cuevas, Adrianna
Paper Book
An Edgar Award winning middle grade mystery by Adrianna Cuevas--author of the Pura Belpré Honor Book The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez--perfect for fans of Claribel Ortega's The Ghost Squad and Louis Sachar's Holes. ' Rafa would rather live in the...

Gamers will find a lot to relate to in RPG-obsessed Rafa in this spooky mystery novel about a kid sent to a mysterious ranch in New Mexico after a school prank goes wrong. A great choice for fans of Holes!

Race & Ethnicity | Latine

Farewell Cuba, mi isla
Diaz, Alexandra
Paper Book
Two starred reviews! "Perfect for fans of Margarita Engle and impactful historical fiction" (School Library Journal, starred review), this "evocative and transportive" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) middle grade novel follows two girls fleeing 1960 Cuba with...

Two cousins experience the rise of Cuban communism as one family flees and the other stays behind. While set in the 1960s, themes of family separation under strife are all-too-common for immigrant and refugee families from many regions. A Spanish edition is available as Hasta siempre Cuba, mi isla.

Language | Spanish

The girl who lost a leopard
Farook, Nizrana
Paper Book
From the author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant comes another brilliant escapade. The third thrilling adventure set in a fictional Sri Lanka is jam-packed with peril, poachers and an endangered leopard!

Fans of animal stories like Pax and A Wolf Called Wander will enjoy the latest novel from Sri Lankan author Nizrana Farook, in which a young girl protects a beloved wild leopard from local poachers. This novel stands alone, but readers who enjoy it will also want to check out the companion novels The Girl Who Stole an Elephant and The Boy Who Met a Whale.

Race & Ethnicity | Asian & Pacific Islander

Lasagna means I love you
O'Shaughnessy, Kate
Paper Book
What are the essential ingredients that make a family? Eleven-year-old Mo is making up her own recipe in this unforgettable story that's a little sweet, a little sour, and totally delicious. Nan was all the family Mo ever needed. But suddenly she's gone, and Mo finds...

Every family has special food traditions that connect them to their cultural heritage and beloved elders. In search of her own connections, foster kid Mo begins compiling other people's family recipes online. This provides a great opportunity for kids to reflect on their own family's traditions. Recipes can also be used to support procedural writing activities, math lessons exploring fractions, and health lessons related to nutrition.

Income Inequality

Grounded
Saeed, Aisha
Paper Book
Four kids meet at an airport for one unforgettable night in this middle-grade novel by four bestselling and award-winning authors--Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, and S. K. Ali. When a thunderstorm grounds all flights following a huge Muslim...

How do you reflect the diversity of Muslim experiences in a single book? Team up with three other Muslim authors to tell the story of four kids stuck in an airport when a storm cancels their flights home from a Muslim convention. The airport setting creates a unique setting and the "locked in" element could appeal to fans of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.

Religion | Muslim

Finally seen
Yang, Kelly
Paper Book

In children's books, it's common for immigrant kids to relocate with their entire families or for the rest of the family to join an immigrant parent. But what about a kid who's left behind with another relative while both parents put down roots in a new place? When her aging grandmother is no longer able to care for her, 10-year-old Lina finally joins her parents and younger sister (who she's never met) in California after 5 years apart and discovers that they've been misleading her about their new life in America. While Lina's situation is unique, Kelly Yang does an amazing job of conveying her feelings of loneliness and jealousy--feelings all kids can relate to.

Citizenship Status


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