Stand Against Racism - Tweens

Small steps
by Louis Sachar

Three years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is trying hard to keep his life on track, but when his old pal X-Ray shows up with a tempting plan to make some easy money scalping concert tickets, Armpit reluctantly goes along.
Full cicada moon
by Marilyn Hilton

In 1969 twelve-year-old Mimi and her family move to an all-white town in Vermont, where Mimi's mixed-race background and interest in "boyish" topics like astronomy make her feel like an outsider
They called us enemy
by George Takei

Presents a graphic memoir detailing the author's experiences as a child prisoner in the Japanese-American internment camps of World War II, reflecting on the choices his family made in the face of institutionalized racism
Roll of thunder, hear my cry
by Mildred D. Taylor

Young Cassie Logan endures humiliation and witnesses the racism of the KKK as they embark on a cross-burning rampage, before she fully understands the importance her family attributes to having land of their own
Nine, ten : a September 11 story
by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Relates how the lives of four children living in different parts of the country intersect and are affected by the events of September 11, 2001
Today the world is watching you ; the Little Rock Nine and the fight for school integration, 1957 : The Little Rock Nine and the Fight for School Integration, 1957
by Kekla Magoon

On September 4, 1957, nine African American teenagers made their way toward Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. They didn't make it very far. Armed soldiers of the Arkansas National Guard blocked most of them at the edge of campus. The three students who did make it onto campus faced an angry mob of white citizens who spit at them and shouted ugly racial slurs
One crazy summer
by Rita Williams-Garcia

In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn, New York, to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, 11-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of their intrusion and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp. 15,000 first printing.
Other words for home
by Jasmine Warga

Sent with her mother to the safety of a relative's home in Cincinnati when her Syrian hometown is overshadowed by violence, Jude worries for the family members who were left behind as she adjusts to a new life with unexpected surprises
Brown girl dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson

In vivid poems that reflect the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, an award-winning author shares what it was like to grow up in the 1960s and 1970s in both the North and the South.
The mighty Miss Malone
by Christopher Paul Curtis

Academically gifted Deza Malone and her family embark on a journey to find her job-seeking father when he goes missing and end up in a shanty town in Flint, Michigan. By the Newbery Medal- and Coretta Scott King Medal-winning author of Bud, Not Buddy and The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963.
Like Vanessa
by Tami Charles

It is 1983 and Vanessa Martin, a thirteen-year-old African American girl in Newark's public housing, dreams of following in the footsteps of the first black Miss America, Vanessa Williams; but the odds are against her until a new teacher at school organizes a beauty pageant and encourages Vanessa to enter
The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis

When the eldest son of the family becomes a troublemaker, the Watsons travel to Grandma's Alabama home and witness the bombing of the Birmingham church, in a story told from the perspective of nine-year-old Kenny Watson.
Twelve days in May : Freedom Ride, 1961
by Larry Dane Brimner

Documents the heroic 1961 campaign of the civil rights activists known as the "Freedom Riders," describing their peaceful protests to raise awareness about unconstitutional segregation and the increasing violence they endured as they traveled south. 10,000 first printing.
Ghost boys
by Jewell Parker Rhodes

"After seventh-grader Jerome is shot by a white police officer, he observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen black boys including historical figure Emmett Till"
In the footsteps of Crazy Horse
by Joseph Marshall

A mixed-race Lakota youth learns about his Native American heritage through the story of Crazy Horse, in an account that draws on oral traditions to recount his heroic advocacy of his people and how he lead a war party to victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. 15,000 first printing.
Paperboy
by Vince Vawter

Taking over a friend's newspaper route in 1959 Memphis, an 11-year-old baseball enthusiast struggles with a speech disability while attempting to communicate with customers, a situation that turns dangerous when he has a confrontation with a thieving local junkman. A first novel.
Hurricane Child
by Kheryn Callender

Born on Water Island in the Virgin Islands during a hurricane, which is considered bad luck, twelve-year-old Caroline falls in love with another girl--and together they set out in a hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother
For black girls like me
by Mariama Lockington

A lyrical story inspired by the author’s own life finds an African American adoptee into a white family exploring the complexities of family, race, sisterhood and belonging. A first novel by the author of The Lucky Daughter. Simultaneous eBook.
Harbor me
by Jacqueline Woodson

When six students are chosen to participate in a weekly talk with no adults allowed, they discover that when they're together, it's safe to share the hopes and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world
The Port Chicago 50 : disaster, mutiny, and the fight for civil rights
by Steve Sheinkin

The Newbery Award-winning and National Book Award finalist author of Bomb presents an account of the 1944 civil rights protest involving hundreds of African-American Navy servicemen who were unjustly charged with mutiny for refusing to work in unsafe conditions after the deadly Port Chicago explosion.
Marching for freedom : walk together, children, and don't you grow weary
by Elizabeth Partridge

An inspiring examination of the landmark march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this book focuses on the children who faced terrifying violence in order to walk alongside him in their fight for freedom and the right to vote.
The stars beneath our feet
by David Barclay Moore

Unable to celebrate the holidays in the wake of his older brother's death in a gang-related shooting, Lolly Rachpaul struggles to avoid being forced into a gang himself while constructing a fantastically creative LEGO city at the Harlem community center
Courage has no color : the true story of the Triple Nickles : America's first black paratroopers
by Tanya Lee Stone

Examines the role of African-Americans in the military through the history of the Triple Nickles, America's first black paratroopers, who fought against little-known attacks perpetrated on the American West by the Japanese during World War II, and "proved that the color of a man had nothing to do with his ability." Simultaneous.
El Deafo
by Cece Bell

The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her "superpower."
Ghost squad
by Claribel Ortega

Casting a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits that wreak havoc throughout St. Augustine, Lucely and Syd team up with the latter’s grandmother and tabby cat to break the curse and save Lucely’s firefly spirits. A first novel. Simultaneous eBook.
Count Me in
by Varsha Bajaj

Karina Chopra would have never imagined becoming friends with the boy next door--after all, they've avoided each other for years and she assumes Chris is just like the boys he hangs out with, who she labels a pack of hyenas. Then Karina's grandfather starts tutoring Chris, and she discovers he's actually a nice, funny kid. But one afternoon something unimaginable happens--the three of them are assaulted by a stranger who targets Indian-American Karina and her grandfather because of how they look. Her grandfather is gravely injured and Karina and Chris vow not to let hate win. When Karina posts a few photos related to the attack on social media, they quickly attract attention, and before long her #CountMeIn post--"What does an American look like? #immigrants #WeBelong #IamAmerican #HateHasNoHomeHere"--goes viral and a diverse population begin to add their own photos. Then, when Papa is finally on the road to recovery, Karina uses her newfound social media reach to help celebrate both his homecoming and a community coming together.
Merci Suárez changes gears
by Meg Medina

Merci Suárez begins the sixth grade and knows things will change, but she did not count on her grandfather acting strangely, not fitting in at her private school, and dealing with Edna Santos' jealousy
Clean getaway
by Nic Stone

An 11-year-old boy confronts the realities of race relations, past and present, and his unconventional grandmother’s mysterious agenda during an unplanned Spring Break road trip through the once-segregated American South. By the award-winning author of Dear Martin. Simultaneous eBook.