When #WeNeedDiverseBooks started on Twitter, we found ourselves enthusiastically agreeing. Readers of all ages deserve to see themselves represented in books; that's never been more important than for today’s young readers, who are just forming and understanding their identities and are seeking parts of themselves to connect with in the books they read.
While there's been a host of news stories and thought pieces about the lack of diversity in children's lit, there are great stories to be found, too. Earlier this week, Varian Johnson discussed the #greatgreenechallenge, a social media movement that started when author Kate Messner declared it her goal to get his forthcoming book, The Great Greene Heist (out later this month!), onto the bestseller list. Bookstores soon engaged in friendly competition over who could sell more copies of the book, and other authors, from E. Lockhart to John Green, are participating by donating books to winning bookstores and just generally showing support. It’s an inspiring story about how readers and authors are using their voices to effect change. Publishers Weekly just covered it, too.
Meanwhile, just last night we received this tweet from a reader: “Read list of @Scholastic titles in the PW (Publishers Weekly) BEA (Book Expo America) 'Galleys to Grab' & am impressed at the diversity.” A chorus of other voices joined in, expressing pleasure at the range of topics and people represented in our books. We thought it a good time to showcase some of those very books.
Our 2014 list, in addition to being filled with riveting, beautiful, funny, and touching books, is also comprised of authors and subjects that express incredibly diverse viewpoints. This year’s picture books include:
- Under the Same Sun by Sharon Robinson
- If Kids Ran the World by Leo and Diane Dillon
- Roc and Roe’s Twelve Days of Christmas by Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon
- Noodle Magic by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by Meilo So
Our middle grade list shines, too! Check out these titles:
- Gold Medal Winter by Donna Freitas
- I Am #10: Cleopatra by Grace Norwich
- Spirit Animals Book 2: Hunted by Maggie Stiefvater
- STAT: Standing Tall and Talented #5: Most Valuable by Amar’e Stoudemire
- Zendaya by Emily Klein
- I Am #12: LeBron James by Grace Norwich
- Infinity Ring Book #7: The Iron Empire by James Dashner
- Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick
- Spirit Animals Book 3: Blood Ties by Garth Nix and Sean Williams
- Everyday Angel #1: New Beginnings by Victoria Schwab
- The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson
- Revolution by Deborah Wiles
- Spirit Animals Book 4: Fire and Ice by Shannon Hale
Infinity Ring #8: Eternity by Matt de la Pena - Amulet #6: Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi
- Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (Book #11) by Dav Pilkey
- Dash by Kirby Larson
- Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth
- Scholastic Reader Level 3: When I Grow Up: Sonia Sotomayor by AnnMarie Anderson
- Superstars of History by Jacob Field, illustrated by Simon Basher
- The Zero Degree Zombie Zone by Patrik Henry Bass, illustrated by Jerry Craft
- The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis
- Spirit Animals Book 5 by Tui T. Sutherland
- Unstoppable Octobia May by Sharon Flake
And our YA list:
- Threatened by Eliot Schrefer
- The Freedom Summer Murders by Don Mitchell
- Bombay Blues by Tanuja Desai Hidier
- Love is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson
Scholastic is proud to have a diverse backlist, too. There are nonfiction titles about important people in history, from Jackie Robinson: American Hero by Sharon Robinson to On The Long Journey, The Journal of Jesse Smoke, a Cherokee Boy, The Trail of Tears, 1838 by Joseph Bruchac; from Nelson Mandela: No Easy Walk to Freedom by Barry Denenberg to Gabby Douglas: Going for Gold by Kate Messner and I Am: Harriet Tubman by Grace Norwich.
On the fiction side, our backlist includes award-winning titles like The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson, Serafina’s Promise by Ann Burg, and The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano. And who can forget about Eric & Julieta: todos enamorados/Everybody in Love (Bilingual) by Isabel Munoz, Gustavo Mazali; Pinned by Sharon Flake; The City of Death by Sarwat Chadda; The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang; Warp Speed by Lisa Yee; and Since You Asked… by Maurene Goo!
If you’ve been participating in #WeNeedDiverseBooks, we’d love to hear your takeaways from it. What kinds of books are you looking for? And how can we help?
