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I asked the question "What children's and youth literature help us to see life from someone else''s perspective?" I began in my school library and noticed "Out of My Mind" sitting on the circulation desk. Our school had read this book as a school-wide read 3 years ago, and it fit perfectly with the question I asked.

From there, I searched for other recent works on the library shelves as I considered the question on perspective. From there I searched for recommended titles at Goodreads.com and some of the recommended sites in our "Course Resources" section, like Common Sense Media and School Library Journal.
Some of the books in this  selection are overt about "perspective",  such as "This is Not a Book", while others tell their story with voices that aren't often heard: children who have physically disabilities, children who are newcomers or outsiders or who feel different.

*All of my notes are posted in blue to distinguish them easily from the curated titles.*

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I was inspired by the article, "Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors" by  Rudine Sims Bishop. When literature is a window, readers may learn about other perspectives. When literature is a mirror, the reader may see their own experience reflected in the stories they read. This curation seeks to offer diverse life experiences so that middle school students may consider many different perspectives.

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This was the first book I was drawn to in answering the question about seeing from someone else's perspective. Reading about 11 year old Melody, who can not walk or talk until she is able to use technology to communicate effectively with others. The theme of inclusion is an important one, and the first class I read it with was very impacted. How Disability in schoolmates was transformed as children sought connection and inclusion in our school community. Reading it one can't help but wonder what life would be like if one couldn't speak.

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This book has become very well-known since it was published and made into a movie, but it not only helps the reader experience the main character, Auggie's life from his perspective, but it is also written from the perspective of other characters. There is a chapter written from the perspective of a bully as well, which can open up a discussion with students about why bullies do what they do.

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This historical fiction novel is told from the perspective of Uwohali, the son of Sequoyah, who put the Cherokee language into it's own alphabet. The story prompts the reader to think about language, and the connection between culture and language. It also helps students see an indigenous perspective.

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This book, in graphic novel form, was the next book I selected. The main character, Cece, drawn as a bunny with long ears, was left deaf from meningitis. Based on the author's childhood, she sees  her hearing aid, microphone and "Phonic Ear" as tools that give her super powers. The story is very easy to read and relatable. How would life be different if we couldn't hear?

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Moving away from physical disabilities, the next book selected is a powerful and difficult read, in the sense that the stories are so real. This novel follows three different children in three different time periods: Josef, a Jewish boy escaping Germany in the 1930's, Isabel a Cuban girl in the 1990's trying to cross to the U.S., and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015 travelling towards Europe. Refugee reveals many timeless qualities about what home means, and the danger different groups of people face when their home is no longer safe and they must flee.

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My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D. Villanueva

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My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D. Villanueva

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This book is set in the Phillipines, and tells the story of Sab. Themes include the importance of family, superstitions, drug use/recovery and reconciliation. I have never encountered a book for children set in the Phillipines, and yet a large number of students in my school are Filipino. Looking at family interactions from the Filipino culture is enlightening.

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Searching for the cover of Draper's "Out of my Mind", I was introduced to her latest release, "Blended" about a child who is bi-racial. Her parents are also divorced, and her two homes are representative of different income levels. Identity is an ongoing question today, and the question that seems appropriate here: is "How can a person feel whole if they are half of something, half something else?"

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On Goodreads I followed a lead of "books like this" after "Blended" and found this recent title. "Harbor Me" follows 6 children who spend an hour together every Friday afternoon to talk and listen. The story is current as the characters talk about parents who have been incarcerated and deported, and being racially profiled. The discussion around this book is important as our southern neigbours discuss what it means to belong to a country.

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This book was listed on the Project Lit 2019 list for Middle grades. It follows the story of young Vanessa Martin who wants to be like Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America. Although there are beauty pageants, the story follows the protagonist as she learns to develop and value her own self-worth, despite her family's struggles with addiction and incarceration. This story shows the perspective of someone who is marginalized.

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A board book is not the format I intended to include in this list, but as I was searching for other books, I was led to this one. The book changes from object to object, which could lead to a great discussion on what perspective is, and how different people may view the same object (or event) differently.

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The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart (2019)

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The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart (2019)

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This book addresses loss, grief and re-building. One of the values my school discusses with students regularly is Resilience. This book, and the main character, lead to a great discussion of what resilience means. Many reviewers have attested that it is also a book that leaves the reader feeling great joy.

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Look Up by Jung Jin-Ho, translated by Kim My Hyun

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Look Up by Jung Jin-Ho, translated by Kim My Hyun

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This picture book by a Korean author tells the story of a child in a wheelchair looking at the world from a balcony, and longing for passers-by to look up. Eventually some do, lying on the sidewalk so that the girl in the wheelchair can see them well. I was glad to find a picturebook that literally shows the world from a different perspective.

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This story follows Jude, a recently arrived refugee from Syria to the U.S.A. She and her mother had to leave her father and brother behind when they were sent to safety to live with relatives. Written in short verses, readers will see the protagonist's perspective on being a muslim girl adjusting to a new culture and new language, as well as adjusting to loss.

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Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway

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Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway

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This story is about a young girl sent to live with an aunt after spending years with her dad, homeless in San Diego. This story will offer readers the perspective of living with uncertainty and exploring what home means.

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Letters to a Prisoner by Jacques Goldstyn

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Letters to a Prisoner by Jacques Goldstyn

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This selection is a wordless book inspired by the letter-writing campaigns of Amnesty International. The images show the reader a man and his son involved in a protest, and the man is arrested and sent to prison. There he receives letters from all over the world that encourage him. This story will offer perspective on injustice and hope.

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This curation was interesting to develop, and led me to many sites. I relied principally on my school library as well as Goodreads.com for recommendations and reviews of recently published works. (All images are taken from Goodreads.com).

My criteria was that the book needed to have been published in the last ten years so that the perspective may be culturally respectful; for example, Joseph Bruchac, the author of "Talking Leaves" is indigenous. I was looking for diverse cultures to be represented, as well as diverse experiences of the protagonists who showed resilience in facing hardship in a variety of forms, such as loss of home, disability, racism or injustice. I was also looking for diverse formats: novels, picture books, wordless books, graphic novels and poetry.

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Books that address prejudice, racism and discrimination

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Racial/Ethnic Discrimination - Prejudice / Discrimination - Social Issues - Books

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