Posts Tagged Activism

Daring to Make a Difference: Five Characters Fighting For Justice

By on January 30, 2026   /   Book Lists, Fiction  

As a ten year old, I spent half my time wanting to change the world and the other half wanting to hide from it. My grandmother marched for Civil Rights in the South. When my mother took me to a demonstration in New York City, I thought more about my sore feet than about fighting to fund the public library. Marching in a protest with thousands of others wasn’t for me. I wanted to do something that would make a tangible difference.

Today, young readers are faced with a broken world. The activist titles in this list are glimmers of light in the darkness, illuminating ways young characters can make a difference in their worlds.

 

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes

The mostly white town of Great Mountain Mississippi, goes ga-ga over their prize Black football player, Henson Blayze. On his first day of eighth grade, this talented athlete, who is joining the high school team, is greeted with a parade of fans, a gourmet steak meal in the cafeteria, and special treatment from the strictest of teachers. Henson is considered to be a hero – until he walks off the field in the middle of a game in order to be with Menkah, his young friend who was unjustly beaten by the police. When the town turns against Henson, he remains steadfast in refusing to play and continues to stand up against racial injustice. This experience opened Blaze’s eyes as to how he, and other Black bodies, are seen only as entertainment. Historical background, fantastical elements, and a tender love story bring hope and perspective to a hard topic.

 

 

Unfadeable

Unfadeable by Maurice Broaddus

Bella, aka Unfadable, is accustomed to taking care of herself. She’s been unhoused ever since her father died and her schizophrenic mother was taken away. Bella spends her time tagging graffiti, sketching, and living under the radar. When she makes a pitch for a public art class at a town meeting, she discovers some shady goings on with the community’s finances. With support from an unlikely crew she fights the misuse of their resources. This personal story of how gentrification affects lives is an action-packed mystery which is relevant to young readers.

 

 

 

Noodle & Bao

Noodle & Bao by Shaina Lu

Inspired by real-life community organizing in American Chinatowns, this graphic novel tells the story of Momo, her best friend Bao, and their ah-ma, Noodle. These friends band together to save their neighborhood, Town 99, from changing. When Ms. Jujube transforms the neighborhood with her Fancé hotel, she evicts Noodle and her popular restaurant. After some struggles, Moma and Bao garner neighborhood support to fight gentrification. The descriptions of food, colorful illustrations and quirky characters make this an entertaining read.

 

 

 

BLUE STARS

Blue Stars: The Vice Principal Problem by Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith

When Maya learns that she and her cousin Riley will be sharing a room while they are staying at their grandmother’s house in Urbanopolis, she feels like her dream has come true. But it turns out that outgoing, robotics-loving Maya, who is Black, and her shy gymnast cousin Riley, who is from Muscagee Nation, rub each other the wrong way. It takes a villain to bring them together. The two girls are furious that Vice Principal Balderdash is siphoning funds from after-school programs to buy portable classrooms to increase detention space. The inventive tactics the cousins devise when they team up to fight injustices are clever. This satisfying graphic novel, first in a series, celebrates unlikely friendships and community activism.

 

Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution

Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution by Sherri Winston

Talented violinist Lotus is excited for her seventh-grade year at her new artsy magnet school. She’s been singled out to join the main orchestra and has a chance to join an international orchestra and visit her father in Paris. She rocks her own ’70’s fashion style and is especially proud of her impressive Afro. After some boys who are jealous of Lotus for being chosen as the concertmaster, throw spit balls and paper airplanes into her Afro, she is unfairly cited for violating the dress code. At first, Lotus agrees to compromise and change her hairstyle, but eventually her friend Rebel, an activist who is protesting the fact that the fancy magnet school gets all the resources while her regular public school is underfunded, persuades Lotus to fight back. This realistic story illustrates how dress codes discriminate against Black girls and the prevalence of inequitable funding of schools for Blacks and minorities.

 

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Make an Impact on the World! — Book Giveaway

By on August 12, 2022   /   Articles, New Releases  

It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity that seems to be prevalent in the world lately.

Sometimes we may even struggle to have hope.

Hope that things will change.

Hope that we will have a better tomorrow.

Hope that we can make a difference.

 

As the saying goes in Ted Lasso, “It’s the hope that kills you.”

Of course, Ted, as the eternal optimist, rebels against that and instead focuses on one word:

                                                     BELIEVE

And yet, one wonders–How can I- one person- make a difference?

Is that even possible?

                                                                  YES! 

That idea is of my new book, Footprints Across the Planet (Reycraft Books)

Footprints Across the Planet book

 

You are already making an impact on the planet, each time you take a step.

Like you, every being on the planet leaves an imprint

with their feet

their words

their actions.

 

@Reycraft Books

@ReycraftBooks

Image from Footprints Across the Planet Book

@ReycraftBooks

 

 

Whether human or animal, voices or activity, each mark has a purpose.

To remind us of our history, give us a glimpse of our future, and maybe even inspire us to change the world.

 

@ReycraftBooks

 

 

@ReycraftBooks

 

So how can YOU do this? How can we help kids to do this?

 

Start small.

When we try to tackle a big problem, that is the best way to start.

While no one can solve all of the problems, try taking just one step.

When taken in the right direction, it makes a world of difference.

 

And understand that just like every living being on this planet, you ARE making an impact with every step you take.

 

So the next time you see a child– or an adult– overwhelmed with life, encourage them to just take one step.

Towards kindness

Towards acceptance

Toward happiness

THAT will be their impact on the world and it will be amazing!

 

Leave your mark below and tell me what type of steps you take by sharing what kind of shoes you wear and you’ll be entered to WIN a FREE copy of this book for all ages.

(I’ll go first, I wear running shoes).

*** Update– Congrats to Eric Fischer for winning a copy of my new book!***

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Diversity in MG Lit #7: Violence and the Response to it

By on February 15, 2019   /   Articles, Diversity, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers  
I am keenly aware as I write this post that we are near the one year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting. It’s such a difficult topic. I wasn’t sure how or whether to address it here. And then I found a book about how six eyewitness survivors of a school shooting navigated their recovery. It’s geared for 12 and up, which puts it at the upper end of the MG range. Still I think the book is well worth a read for anyone who is curious about school shootings and the grief that follows an act of violence. 
It’s called THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED by Kody Keplinger.
 
 In addition to a very thoughtful take on the school shooting crisis, THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED has one of the more diverse casts of characters I’ve seen recently. The main character, Lee, identifies herself as asexual, meaning an individual who is is not sexually attracted to either men or women. The other characters are: a religiously observant Christian girl, a non-observant Christian presenting herself in a goth style, a boy whose race was unspecified with parents in prison for addiction, a black boy who is blind, and a Hispanic girl who is a lesbian. The author treats each of these identities as secondary to the main action of the plot but still vital to the identity of the character. If you are looking for an example of “incidental diversity or casual diversity” this is a good choice. 
 
My second recommendation this month is possibly the most uplifting book I’ve read all year. I love it because it’s lively non-fiction. Because it’s engaging and accessible activism.  Because it gives me hope for a kinder yet fiercer future where people of all ages will dig into the work of living more peacefully.  The book is called PUTTING PEACE FIRST: 7 COMMITMENTS TO CHANGE THE WORLD. It takes readers through concrete practical steps that other teens have used to make positive changes in their community. They include things like understanding the root cause of the problem you’d like to change and planning for bumps in the road. The young mentors profiled in this book include: a Muslim girl from California, a white boy from Arizona and one from Iowa, a young woman with cerebral palsy from Minnesota, a male Asian immigrant from Pennsylvania, a black boy from Maryland, a black girl from Georgia. Each one had a story of a specific goal they pursued in their community, from changing the social media culture of their high school to curbing gun violence in their neighborhood.
So many young people are not yet jaded. So many have energy and idealism and lack only mentors and the means to make a change. I’d love to see this book in every middle school and high school where it can have incredible impact. 
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