Penn GSE's Best Books for Young Readers2020

Given by University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education

43 Works 18,342 Books 849 Reviews 4.2
The Best Books for Young Readers list was first created in 2015 by Penn GSE’s Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, an expert in children’s literature. Her tireless efforts to showcase authors and show more illustrators dealing with issues like gender, race, ability, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and socioeconomic class in authentic ways have guided the selection process ever since. As more and more diverse works finally make their way onto shelves, Dr. Thomas asks us to think: “We know we need to make our bookshelves more diverse — but what is going on within the label of diversity is something we have to constantly question. What kinds of diverse books are getting through, and what kinds of diverse books would we like to see more of?”

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Stages:
All, Selection (319), Special Mention (7)
Categories:
Years:
All, 2021 (56), 2020 (43), 2019 (50), 2018 (49), 2017 (52), 2016 (45), 2015 (31)

Selection 43

WorkCategoryYear
Class Act by Jerry CraftGraphic Novels2020
Flamer by Mike CuratoGraphic Novels2020
Displacement by Kiku HughesGraphic Novels2020
Twins by Varian JohnsonGraphic Novels2020
Lift by Minh LêGraphic Novels2020
The Magic Fish: A Graphic Novel by Trung Le NguyenGraphic Novels2020
Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason ReynoldsGraphic Novels2020
You Brought Me The Ocean by Alex SanchezGraphic Novels2020
Banned Book Club by Hyun Sook KimGraphic Novels2020
Dragon Hoops by Gene Yuen YangGraphic Novels2020
Efrén Divided by Ernesto CisnerosMiddle Grade2020
Say Her Name (Poems to Empower) by Zetta ElliottMiddle Grade2020
Rick by Alex GinoMiddle Grade2020
The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love, and Truth by Wade HudsonMiddle Grade2020
Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica KimMiddle Grade2020
Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotteMiddle Grade2020
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae MarksMiddle Grade2020
Ellas (Spanish Edition) by Mya PaganMiddle Grade2020
Any Day with You by Mae RespicioMiddle Grade2020
Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée WatsonMiddle Grade2020
The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story by Tina ChoPicture Books2020
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine HubbardPicture Books2020
Black Is a Rainbow Color by Angela JoyPicture Books2020
Okapi Tale (Noodlephant, 2) by Jacob KramerPicture Books2020
We Are Water Protectors by Carole LindstromPicture Books2020
Tiara's Hat Parade by Kelly Starling LyonsPicture Books2020
Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away by Meg MedinaPicture Books2020
My Rainbow by DeShanna NealPicture Books2020
The Paper Kingdom by Helena Ku RheePicture Books2020
Nibi is Water by Joanne RobertsonPicture Books2020
Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon by Simran Jeet SinghPicture Books2020
Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-BigelowPicture Books2020
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth AcevedoYoung Adult2020
How It All Blew Up by Arvin AhmadiYoung Adult2020
Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know by Samira AhmedYoung Adult2020
The Chaos Curse by Sayantani DasguptaYoung Adult2020
The Night Watchman by Louise ErdrichYoung Adult2020
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds ReedYoung Adult2020
Woven in Moonlight by Isabel IbanezYoung Adult2020
All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. JohnsonYoung Adult2020
Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah TaussigYoung Adult2020
Super Fake Love Song by David YoonYoung Adult2020
Punching the Air by Ibi ZoboiYoung Adult2020

Tags

adventure(615) African American(1,690) African Americans(637) audiobook(725) biography(960) black(772) bullying(600) children's(769) civil rights(608) comics(1,756) coming of age(955) contemporary(1,149) diversity(1,539) ebook(1,039) family(2,742) fantasy(3,278) fiction(8,423) friendship(2,031) graphic novel(4,846) graphic novels(1,580) high school(923) historical fiction(1,483) history(1,178) immigration(775) Kindle(691) lgbtq(1,013) library(662) memoir(974) middle grade(893) multicultural(919) Native American(614) non-fiction(1,735) novel(604) picture book(3,177) poetry(1,138) race(695) racism(1,513) rape(817) read(1,395) realistic fiction(2,659) romance(1,297) science fiction(2,070) series(654) slavery(715) teen(922) time travel(723) to-read(18,781) young adult(5,170) young adult fiction(830)

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