Diversity in MG Lit #53 May and June 2025

Last week it was my great pleasure to attend the Children’s Institute, the annual

meeting of children’s booksellers. This year it was in Portland Oregon. It was my 4th Children’s Institute. As always I was inspired by the passion of children’s booksellers for the art of getting each child the just-right book. The kindness and generosity of booksellers makes me proud to count myself among their number.

And in the very same week there was another bit of good news from my home state. The Oregon Legislature passed a bill that makes it illegal to ban a book written by or about a person from a protected class as recognized by the Oregon constitution. These classes include race, ethnicity, immigration status, disability, and LGBTQ+ which accounts for all the books currently the focus of book bans.

Booksellers are brilliant at many things. One of the most important superpowers of the indies is the ability to boost the visibility of a debut authors. Online algorithms and big box stores are great at showing readers a book they’ve already bought, but terrible about helping readers find the vibrant new voices. Every year a committee of book sellers reviews all the debut titles and choses a dozen or so to include on the Indies Introduce lists in both adult’s and children’s books. Here is a link to this year’s Indie Next list for kids. And remember if you don’t see a title you want on the shelf at your local indie, ask them to order it for you. It’s easy, usually fast and if you pick up the book at the shop you don’t have to pay for shipping. Thank you Indie Bookstores!

Here are a few of the books that were featured at Children’s Institute.

Scarlet Morning by ND Stevenson (Quill Tree Books HC) is the authors first venture into prose novels. It has so many elements that MG readers are going to love: pirates, a mysterious book, friendship, treachery, a daring voyage and a search for hidden truth. Best of all it has lots of lively black-and-white spot illustrations throughout to bring the adventure to life. It will publish in September.

The Golden Necklace: a Darjeeling Tea Mystery by Mitali Perkins (Charlesbridge) will be available in October. It is set on a tea plantation in Nepal. Our heroine Sona is determined to win a scholarship to the best school in her community and also to solve the mystery of a missing inheritance so that her brother will not be blamed for the crime. This one has a handful of full page illustrations that bring the countryside of Nepal to life.

Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic by Leslie Adame (Harper) is a debut title. Like so many mixed status immigrant families, Chloe Vega worries about her parents. Worries they’ll be deported. Worries that she is a financial burden on them. So when she learns that her parents are heirs to a magical power and have been taken, not by ICE, but by sinister magical forces, Chloe is determined to master her powers and save her family. This book comes out in September

Folk Remedy by Jem Yoshioka (Andrews McMeel) is a graphic novel set in 1920s Japan. It features characters from Japanese mythology. I appreciated the mix of historical and fantastical elements. The art has a muted palate with warm tones and a style that will feel fresh and interesting to readers who mostly look at American-made graphic novels. It will publish in September.

Refuge the graphic novel by Alan Gratz (Graphix) This book in prose form has been a best seller for years. It portrays the lives of refugees in 1939, Germany; 1994, Cuba; and 2015, Syria.  Understanding the refugee experience is vital to grasping the politics of our times. This graphic novel will make an important story all the more accessible. It will be available in September.

This list is based on books that were being promoted at the Children’s Institute in 2025. As always if you have a new diverse MG book