What does it feel like to be half white and half black?  To be changing lives and identities each week because your parents are divorced?  Eleven-year old Isabella feels half white and black, completely torn. Just when it seems nothing can bring Isabella’s family together -- Izzy is stopped by the police, her cellphone is mistaken for a gun and...Read Blended by Sharon Draper to find out more.

#realistic fiction

What lane?  This is the question 12-year old Stephen asks as he navigates the lanes of middle school life.   Although his white mom sees him as mixed,  the outside world that sees Stephen as black.  One day he begins to notice his white friends treat him differently, especially one “friend” whose racial transgressions toward him turn violent.  Will Stephen fight back, change lanes or find his own identity? 

#microagressions
# sexism
#girls in science
#novel in verse
#historical fiction circa 1969

Imagine you couldn’t take classes because you are a girl.  Imagine people doubted you because of your skin color.  This is the life of 12-year-old half Japanese, half black Mimi in 1969, who dreams of being an astronaut but is dragged back to earth by the microaggressions and bigotry she faces on a daily basis. Will Mimi’s protest of sitting in shop class and demanding to take it make a difference?  Will she get suspended for standing up for what is right?  Will her classmates accept her for who she is?  Read Full Cicada Moon to find out...

SLJ’s Verdict: An excellent addition to the growing shelf of novels in verse with culturally diverse protagonists. Gr 4-8.  

If you enjoyed Little House on the Prairie you’ll love fourteen-year-old Hanna Edmunds, who is half white and half Chinese, and moves to La Forge, Dakota with her father to start a new life after her mother dies in California’s 1871 Chinese Massacre. When townsfolk find out Hanna is part Chinese, all but two classmates stop going to school.  Her father is considering letting Hanna become a dressmaker in their shop but is worried people won’t shop there if she is.  Will she be allowed to finish school?  Will she be able to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a dressmaker? Will the townsfolk accept Hanna?  Read Prairie Lotus to find out Hanna’s fate...

SLJ’s Verdict: A sometimes uncomfortable yet triumphant story from the world of “Little House on the Prairie” told through a marginalized perspective; this is a must-read for middle grades and beyond. Gr 5-8.

Kirkus:  Bridges everyday racism and accountable allyship with sincerity. (Fiction. 10-14)

SLJ’s verdict: Maldonado uses a biracial adolescent boy’s perspective to draw his readers into an engaging story of identity and tough choices that will appeal to middle-schoolers everywhere. An ideal choice for school book clubs and advisory. Gr 5-8. 

SLJ’s Verdict: This is Draper at her best, penning a current and ultimately uplifting story. It deserves a place on library shelves along with her other outstanding works. Gr 4–7.

#laugh-out-loud humor
#historical fiction circa 1983

While 12-year old David Da-Wei Horowitz and his friends are dealing with the fear of nuclear war, a WWIII is looming for David’s cultural allegiance from his Jewish and Chinese grandmothers as they plan for his bar mitzvah.  To relieve part of his stress, David agrees to build a bomb shelter but his new popular friend, Scott, doesn’t want to include David’s best friend Hector.  With anxieties mounting, will David be able to live with his guilt of discluding Hector?  Will he live through the planning of his bar mitzvah to become a man?  Or will a nuclear bomb get them all?  Find out by reading This is Just a Test...

#realistic fiction

Lupe Wong is half Chinese and half Mexican and dreams of becoming a major league pitcher and meeting her hero Fu Li Hernandez the first Asian Latino pitcher in the major leagues.  After her grandfather promises that she can meet him if she gets straight As, Lupe Wong makes it her mission to get square dancing canceled in PE because she has no rhythm and will not get the A she needs.  Although she originally tries to get square dancing canceled for selfish reasons and alienates her two best friends and her whole class in the process, what she uncovers makes her stand up for what is right.  Why can’t girls choose each other as partners? Why would a racist song like “Turkey in the Straw” be used in these units of study?  Why should we engage in a dance that doesn’t include everyone?  While issues of heteronormativity, identity, equity and inclusion are explored, does Lupe eventually get square dancing canceled?  In the process does she win her friends back and defeat the bully?  Read Lupe Wong Won't Dance...

SLJ Verdict: A humorous, fresh #OwnVoices title sure to appeal to social justice advocates and reluctant square dancers everywhere. Gr 3-7.   

Pura Belpré Award Nominee for Author (2021)

SLJ’s verdict:  Giggle-inducing, light, and charmingly realistic fiction that will resonate with a wide variety of readers. Gr 4-8.

Children’s History Book Prize Finalist

Fifth-grader Naomi Soledad León Outlaw has insecurities - her difficulty speaking up and her status at school as "nobody special." But she is guided by her Gram’s positivity, has her soap carving to feel proud of, and has her brother Owen’s love.  The three are peaceful and happy until Naomi’s mother reappears for the first time in seven years, bringing trouble and questions.  Will Naomi’s mother really try to take her away from Gram and Owen?  Where is her father? Will Gram’s plan to find him in Oaxaca, Mexico work? 

SLJ’s verdict:  Ryan has written a moving book about family dynamics. While she explores the youngsters' Mexican heritage and gives a vivid picture of life in and the art of Oaxaca, her story is universal, showing the strong bonds and love that make up an extended family. Gr 5-8.

Fourteen-year-old Rain is half German/Irish descent and a member of Creek Nation (a tribe linked to the Seminoles). Mourning the deaths of her mom and best friend, Galen, Rain retreats from friends until she gets a job taking photos at her aunt's tribal summer camp. She tentatively begins to explore her roots but this is complicated by Galen’s mom, who is a local politician wanting to close the camp to save taxpayer dollars. Will Rain stand up to Galen’s mom to save the camp? Will she mend her relationship with old friends? Or will she further retreat into her depression?

SLJ Verdict: The plot is solid and the familial bonds strong. Exploring urban graffiti as a legitimate art form is a great discussion topic. Recommended for mystery fans and for most medium to large collections. Gr 4-7.

Junior Library Guild Selection

Children’s Choice Award Finalist

SLJ Verdict:  A wonderful novel of a present-day teen and her patchwork tribe. Gr 5-8.

Awards:  2001 Writers of the Year in Children's Prose

I will continue to update this Padlet as I read more books with biracial characters or I come across useful resources.  So please feel free to return to see updates from time to time.  Happy reading!