Celebrating and Reflecting Our Diversity: Book List for Teens and YAs

By Spread Book Joy

Celebrating and Reflecting Our Diversity: Book List for Teens and YAs

By Spread Book Joy

Our choice of books is critical in order to promote children’s senses of identity and self-worth; they are also invaluable in promoting and encouraging discussions about discrimination which we know are crucial to challenging discrimination in all its forms.

The Other Ones

Fran Hart

£8.99 £8.54

Rebound

Kwame Alexander and Dawud Anyabwile

£8.99 £8.54

12+ Prequel to The Crossover by Kwame Alexander.

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas

£8.99 £8.54

14+ A stunning novel about sixteen year old Starr who witnesses her best friend, Khalil, shot and killed by a police officer. As the only witness, Starr struggles with what to do in the face of mounting pressure from all sides, including threats made to her family. An important book inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, I could not put it down. Content warnings: some swearing, violence, sexual and drug references so I would perhaps recommend this for older teens.

Noughts & Crosses

Malorie Blackman

£8.99 £8.54

12+ The seminal work of one of Britain's greatest living children's authors. Sephy and Callum have been friends since they were young but cannot be anything more because she is a cross and he is a nought - a 'blanker' whose only purpose is to serve the crosses. A tale of star-crossed lovers whose choices have resounding repercussions. I've added this to the Teen/YA section because I've always felt the relationship to be more mature than suitable for a middle grade book.

Children of Blood and Bone: A West African-inspired YA Fantasy, Filled with Dark Magic

Tomi Adeyemi

£8.99 £8.54

14+ Superb West-African inspired fantasy series which starts with this book. Zelie is marked out as a Maji by her white hair but the Maji no longer have power. Their magic has been destroyed, along with her mother and the other Maji who were killed by the king's men. But magic is returning to the land of Orisha, thanks to a stolen scroll and the king's daughter Amari. Together, Zelie and Amari must return the scroll to its rightful place and restore the magic of Orisha for good.