As librarians, we are taught the importance of serving, and providing materials, for everyone in the community, no matter their race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or ability. With the growth of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement, diversity in fiction – particularly teen fiction – has increased, and provides true representation of all the facets of our society. In order to support diverse books and to make them more visible in our collection, our teen area will be hosting a year round display featuring books with diverse characters.
We hope that you will take the opportunity to check out this display and to challenge yourself to do what author Gene Luen Yang calls “Reading Without Walls.” During his term as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Yang promoted the Reading Without Walls Challenge in which he called for young people to do one of the following:
- Read a book about a character who doesn’t look like you or live like you.
- Read a book about a topic you don’t know much about.
- Read a book in a format that you don’t normally read for fun (i.e. a chapter book, a graphic novel, a book in verse, etc.)
We encourage you to take on Yang’s challenge yourself, particularly to find a book that meets the first criteria on his list. Here are a few books that you can use to do so:
The Closest I’ve Come, by Fred Aceves
Love, Hate, and Other Filters, by Samira Ahmed
Saints and Misfits, by S.K. Ali
The Girl In Between, by Sarah Carroll
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women, edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale
Little and Lion, by Brandy Colbert
Refugee, by Alan Gratz
Looking for Group, by Rory Harrison
At the Edge of the Universe, by Shaun David Hutchinson
Wired Man and Other Freaks of Nature, by Sashi Kaufman
Not Your Sidekick, by C.W. Lee
Ramona Blue, by Julie Murphy
The Authentics, by Abdi Nazemian
Tash Hearts Tolstoy, by Kathryn Ormsbee
The Education of Margot Sanchez, by Lilliam Rivera
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika L. Sánchez
Dear Martin, by Nic Stone
Love at F1rst Sight, by Josh Sundquist
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
Piecing Me Together, by Renée Watson
American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang
