From the inventions we use every day, to every day heroic acts, this list of Diverse Middle Grade Books That Celebrate Everyday Heroes will inspire kids to set out each day with a positive mindset that each day is a gift. We can choose to help others, find creative ways to make our lives easier, or just put a little magic in the world.
Comment below with other books to help our readers diversify their bookshelf at home and in the classroom with heroes we can all celebrate.
• Diverse Middle Grade Books That Celebrate Everyday Heroes •
WHAT COLOR IS MY WORLD?:
THE LOST HISTORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN INVENTORS
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball legend and the NBA's all-time leading scorer, champions a lineup of little-known African-American inventors in this lively, kid-friendly book. Offering profiles with fast facts and framed by a funny contemporary story featuring two feisty twins, here is a tribute to black inventors whose ingenuity and perseverance against great odds made our world safer, better, and brighter.
Back matter includes an authors' note and sources.
WHAT COLOR IS MY WORLD?: THE LOST HISTORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN INVENTORS
Written by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld and Illustrated by Ben Boos and A.G. Ford
Published by Candlewick Press
THE HERO NEXT DOOR
From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind Flying Lessons & Other Stories, comes another middle-grade short-story collection–this one focused on exploring acts of bravery–featuring some of the best own-voices children's authors, including R. J. Palacio (Wonder), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Linda Sue Park (A Long Walk to Water), and many more.
Not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes teach martial arts. Others talk to ghosts. A few are inventors or soccer players. They're also sisters, neighbors, and friends. Because heroes come in many shapes and sizes. But they all have one thing in common: they make the world a better place.
Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, this vibrant anthology features thirteen acclaimed authors whose powerful and diverse voices show how small acts of kindness can save the day. So pay attention, because a hero could be right beside you. Or maybe the hero is you.
THE HERO NEXT DOOR
Edited by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Published by Yearling Books, We Need Diverse Books
LET IT SHINE: STORIES OF BLACK WOMEN FREEDOM FIGHTERS
2001 Coretta Scott King Honor Book
The lives these women led are part of an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in–even when it feels like no one is listening.
Andrea Davis Pinkney's moving text and Stephen Alcorn's glorious portraits celebrate the lives of ten bold women who lit the path to freedom for generations. Includes biographies of Sojournor Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B.Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm.
LET IT SHINE: STORIES OF BLACK WOMEN FREEDOM FIGHTERS
Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn
Published by Clarion Books
LILY RENEE, ESCAPE ARTIST:
From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
A biography in graphic novel form of Lily Renee Wilhelm, a wealthy Viennese Jewish teenager who fled alone to England at the age of 14 to escape the Nazi takeover of her country. Eventually she was able to re-join her parents in the U.S. and became a pioneer female comic book artist.
Lily Renée, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
Written by Trina Robbins and Illustrated by Studio C10, Anne Timmons, and Margaret Oh
Published by Graphic Universe
EL DEAFO
Cece Bell's #1 New York Times Bestseller graphic novel El Deafo is the origin story of a student with hearing loss and a hearing aid becoming a superhero.
A John Newbery Medal Winner
Now an Apple+ Animated TV Series!
Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece's class was deaf. Here, she's different. She's sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.
Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear, she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in the school–in the hallway . . . in the teacher's lounge . . . in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All.
But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it's just another way of feeling different . . . and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most: a true friend?
El Deafo is a book that will entertain children, give hearing-impaired children a hero of their own, and challenge others to consider an experience unlike their own. Like other great works for children, it provides the opportunity for young readers to consider how they would act or react in a similar situation, helping to build empathy and understanding through the power of story.
Also Available:
El Deafo: Superpowered Edition! Get a special hardcover collector's edition of Cece Bell's beloved graphic novel with 40 bonus pages of childhood photographs, early sketches, notes from Cece, and much more!
EL DEAFO
Written by Cece Bell
Published by Amulet Books
Love this list and want more book recommendations?
Check out this resource:
Bethany Edwards is an elementary educator as well as a reading and literacy
specialist. On Biracial Bookworms, she focuses on multiracial and multicultural resources for teaching literacy skills using reading, travel, and learning multiple languages. Additionally, she offers online and self-paced courses for parents and caregivers on Biracial Bookworms Academy.
Connect with Bethany on Biracial Bookworms
|
Leave Your Comment