Social Issues
Pre-K
Growing Reader
Tween
Teen
Books To Help Kids Understand What It’s Like To Be a Refugee
Stories can facilitate dialogue and promote healthy communication around this difficult topic, and help to foster empathy and understanding.
Pre-K
Growing Reader
Tween
9 Kids' Books on Slavery
These books explore the painful history of American slavery — a necessity, if we’re to understand and reckon with present-day racism.
Tween
11 Middle Grade Books for Environmentally Conscious Kids
Reading books with environmental themes can help tweens understand how their individual choices have consequences for the planet, its animals, and even other people.
Tween
20 Book Recommendations for Kids Who Loved Wonder
The best books profoundly change us. Like Wonder, these books push us toward greater empathy, compassion, and acceptance of differences.
Tween
Teen
How To Talk to Kids About Social Media and Self-Respect
While the aggravation, envy, and self-doubt that come from scrolling through "influencer" feeds may seem harmless, it can actually be damaging, especially to younger people.
Pre-K
Growing Reader
Hands Up! Reminds Black Children That They Are Beautiful and Worthy of a Life Well-Lived
Throughout Hands Up! is the image of a Black girl who is life personified. She matters every single day, 24/7. Her pain, her joy, and her being are important.
Tween
An Educator’s Guide To Building Empathy With Books
Download and print this free Educator’s Guide filled with discussion questions and activities that help students explore themes like empathy, compassion, and inclusion through middle grade stories.
Tween
Why I Wrote a Middle Grade Novel About a Child Without a Home
When Susin Nielsen began setting pen to paper, she had no idea just how “of the moment” her new middle grade novel, No Fixed Address, would be in 2018.
Teen
10 Nonfiction Books About Activism for Teens
Nonfiction books about activism can help inspire and support young adult readers who are interested in getting involved in their own communities and beyond.
Tween
Teen
11 Contemporary Diverse Novels for Middle Grade Readers
These diverse middle grade books feel truly contemporary. They offer authentic stories driven by character development, rich narrative voice, and modern-day plots, and they don’t shy away from difficult-to-grasp concepts.
Tween
Mae Respicio and Melissa Sarno Reflect on the Meaning of Home
What is a home? Is it a place, a feeling, or something else? These are questions that Mae Respicio’s The House That Lou Built and Melissa Sarno’s Just Under the Clouds — two middle grade novels that approach serious themes and big dreams with empathy and compassion — explore in depth.
Tween
Teen
5 Teacher-Recommended Tips for Exploring Current Events With Your Students
I asked real-life teachers to share tips for reflecting with students on what they hear in the news. Here’s what they suggested.
