PreK – 2nd Grade | Grades 3-5 | Grades 6-8 | Grades 9-12
Books for PreK-2nd Graders
The following titles are available in print and electronic format. Electronic titles are only available with a Scotch Plains Library Card. Fanwood & Scotch Plains cardholders may now request contact free pick up using their library card for print items.
- Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed (eBook – Libby) | (print)
- Juna’s Jar by Jane Bahk (print)
- I am every good thing by Derrick Barnes (eBook – Libby) | (print)
- I am Enough by Grace Byers (eBook- libby) | (eAudio – Libby) | (print & VOX)
- My Hair is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera (eBook – Libby) | (print)
- All Because You Matter by Tami Charles (print)
- Hair Love by Matthew A Cherry (eBook- Libby) | (print)
- When we say Black lives matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke (eBook – Libby) | (print)
- I really want to see you, Grandma by Taro Gomi (print)
- Change sings : a children’s anthem by Amanda Gorman (eBook – Libby) | (eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- Little Leaders by Vashti Harrison (print)
- Eyes that kiss in the corners by Joanna Ho (eBook – Libby) | (print)
- Black is a rainbow color by Angela Joy (print)
- Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi (print)
- Under my hijab by Hena Khan (print)
- Sharing a smile by Nicki Kramar (print)
- A morning with grandpa by Sylvia Liu (print)
- Ohana means family by Ilima Loomis (print)
- The proudest blue : a story of hijab and family by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali (print)
- Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o (eBook – Libby) | (eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Peña (eBook – Libby | (eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold (eBook – Libby) | (eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- A Different Pond by Bao Phi (eBook – Libby) | (print& VOX)
- The paper kingdom by Helena Ku Rhee (print)
- We are Grateful : Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell (eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- Your name is a song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow (print)
- Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford (print)
- Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson (eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- A map into the world by Kao Kalia Yang (print)
- American Desi by Jyoti Rajan Gopal (print)
Online Resources for Caregivers & Educators
- Anti-Racism For Kids 101: Starting To Talk About Race
- CNN Sesame Street: Coming Together Town Hall
- Embrace Race: Where to find “Diverse” Books for Children
- How White Parents Can Talk To Their Kids About Race
- #KidLIt4BlackLives – Kidlit Rally for Black Lives
- PBS’s 13 Children’s Books About Race and Diversity
- PBS’s Teaching Your Child About Black History Month
- Talking to Children About Racial Bias
- Talking to Children about Racism: The Time is Now
- Talking About Racism and Violence: Resources for Educators and Families
- Teaching Your Child About Black History
Books for 3rd-5th Graders
The following titles are available in print and electronic format. Electronic titles are only available with a Scotch Plains Library Card. Fanwood & Scotch Plains cardholders may now request contact free pick up using their library card for print items.
- The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander (eBook – Libby) | (print)
- New Kid by Jerry Craft (eBook & eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (eBook & eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (eBook & eAudio – Libby) | (print, large print, audio)
- Blended by Sharon M. Draper (eBook & eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- Unidentified suburban object by Mike Jung (print)
- Amina’s voice by Hena Khan (eBook – Libby) | (print)
- Stand up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim (print)
- Chef Roy Choi and the street food remix by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee (print)
- We Are America by Walter Dean Myers (eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- Ghost by Jason Reynolds (eBook & eAudio – Libby) |(print)
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (eBook & eAudio – Libby | (print)
- Hidden Figures: Young Readers Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly (eBook – Libby) | (print)
- 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr (eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (eAudio – Libby) | (print, large print, audio)
- Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred Taylor (eAudio – Libby) | (print & audio)
- Schomburg by Carole Boston Weatherford (eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (eBook & eAudio – Libby | (print)
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (eBook & eAudio – Libby) | (print & audio)
- Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (eBook & eAudio – Libby) | (print)
- Front desk by Kelly Yang (eBook & eAudio – Libby) | (print)
Grades 2-5: Online Resources
- Care in the time of coronavirus
- Coronavirus and Infectious Racism
- #KidLIt4BlackLives – Kidlit Rally for Black Lives
- I am not a virus.’ How this artist is illustrating coronavirus-fueled racism
- Nine Podcasts About COVID-19 for Children Ages Five to 12 | Kidcasts
- World Book Student (topics: History, biographies, current events “behind the headlines”)
Books for 6-8th Graders
The following titles are available in print and electronic format. Electronic titles are only available with a Scotch Plains Library Card. Fanwood & Scotch Plains cardholders may now request contact free pick up using their library card for print items.
- We Are Not Yet Equal by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Twelve Days in May by Larry Dane Brimmer (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert (Print: click here)
- New Kid by Jerry Craft (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- In the Shadow of Liberty by Kenneth C. Davis (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Lion Island by Margarita Engle (Print: click here)
- Gaijin: American prisoner of war by Matt Faulkner (Print: click here)
- A Few Red Drops by Claire Hartfield (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Displacement by Kiku Hughes (Print: click here)
- The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee (Print: click here | Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ)
- For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama Lockington (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Uprooted by Albert Marrin (Print: click here)
- I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina (Print: click here)
- Riot by Walter Dean Myers (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Courage Has No Color by Tanya Lee Stone (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- My Name is Not Friday by Jon Walter (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams (Print: click here)
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Escape to Gold Mountain by David H. T. Wong (Print: click here)
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (Print: click here)
- Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang (Print: click here)
Grades 6-8: Online Resources
- #KidLIt4BlackLives – Kidlit Rally for Black Lives
- Explora (Topics: History, biographies, “current issues” including racism, racial profiling, police brutality,etc.)
- African-American History Online (Topics: Timelines, primary sources, biographies, graphs, etc.)
- Points of View (Topics: Police brutality, flag-burning, Black Lives Matter movement, national anthem protests, reparations, affirmative action, and more)
Books for 9-12th Graders
The following titles are available in print and electronic format. Electronic titles are only available with a Scotch Plains Library Card. Fanwood & Scotch Plains cardholders may now request contact free pick up using their library card for print items.
- Come August, Come Freedom by Gigi Amateau (eBook: eLibraryNJ)
- We Are Not Yet Equal by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Things That Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennett (eBook: eLibraryNJ)
- Twelve Days in May by Larry Dane Brimmer (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown (Print: click here)
- The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui (Print: click here)
- Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao (Print: click here)
- We Are Not Free by Traci Chee (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles (Print: click here)
- Something in Between by Melissa De La Cruz (Print: click here)
- Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott (Print: click here)
- Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (Print: click here)
- The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee (Print: click here)
- The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee (Print: click here | Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ)
- Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Uprooted by Albert Marrin (Print: click here)
- How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Light it Up by Kekla Magoon (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina (Print: click here)
- Slay by Brittney Morris (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Darius & Twig by Walter Dean Myers (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Monster by Walter Dean Myers (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here | Graphic novel: click here)
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell (Print: click here)
- Lucy and Linh by Alice Pung (Print: click here)
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- All American Boys by Jason Reynolds (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- X by Ilyasah Shabazz (eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura (Print: click here)
- They Called Us Enemy by George Takei (Print: click here | en español | eBook: eLibraryNJ)
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Enemy Child by Andrea Warren (Print: click here)
- Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- This Side of Home by Renee Watson (Print: click here)
- Escape to Gold Mountain by David H. T. Wong (Print: click here)
- Frankly in Love by David Yoon (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
- Black Enough by Ibi (ed.) Zoboi (Audio: eLibraryNJ | eBook: eLibraryNJ | Print: click here)
Grades 9-12: Online Resources
- Explora (Topics: History, biographies, “current issues” including racism, racial profiling, police brutality,etc.)
- African-American History Online (Topics: Timelines, primary sources, biographies, graphs, etc.)
- Points of View (Topics: Police brutality, flag-burning, Black Lives Matter movement, national anthem protests, reparations, affirmative action, and more)
- What Is White Privilege, Really?
- NYT 1619 Project