Social Issues Book Clubs

In the summer of 1968, three sisters travel to California to visit their estranged mother. While there, they learn about the fight for equality and civil rights.

When tragedy strikes, Esperanza's family has to leave their ranch in Mexico and move to a farmworkers' camp during the Great Depression.

Eleven-year-old Will Stanton discovers that he is part of a group of immortals tasked with keeping the world safe from the forces of darkness.

In this novel, a boy with facial anomalies tries to navigate the sometimes treacherous world of public school.

A new teacher helps Maleeka stand up to the classmates who bully her and feel comfortable in her own skin.

"Stop! Thief!" are the words often shouted at him, so a young orphan takes that as his name as he struggles to survive in Warsaw during World War II.

John Coogan, better known as Crash, is a bully — but new experiences and unexpected friendships challenge Crash to reevaluate the ways he interacts with others.

Donald Zinkoff is clumsy, enthusiastic, and often oblivious to how others perceive him — but even when others are unkind, Donald remains true to himself.

Stargirl Caraway lives life on her own terms, but when she moves to a new town her unique personality rubs others the wrong way. As the school year goes on, Stargirl is torn between staying true to herself and fitting in.

An orphan runs away from his guardians to search for a real home. On his journey, he performs feats of athleticism and confronts racial prejudice.

In Waymer, boys are trained to become "wringers" (killers of pigeons) on their tenth birthdays. When Palmer adopts a stray pigeon as a pet, he must decide whether to fulfill his duty as a wringer or to challenge his town's traditions.

In this novel, James Howe introduces four middle-schoolers who decide to take a stand against cruel name-calling. Study this essential vocabulary from a book all about the power of words.

In this verse novel, eleven-year-old Lonnie reflects on his life in foster care.

Lafayette and his brothers struggle to make it on their own in New York City.

In this novel by award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson, six fifth and sixth graders meet once a week to discuss their problems and fears.

For Merci Suárez, sixth grade is a year of change. A scholarship student at the posh Seaward Pines Academy, Merci must juggle extra community service and family responsibilities, all while coping with a nasty classmate and her beloved grandfather's declining health.

Based on the historical Mirabal sisters, this is a fictionalized account of why and how they decide to fight dictator Rafael Trujillo's oppressive regime in the Dominican Republic.

After they move from the Dominican Republic to New York City, the four García sisters are caught between the expectations of their traditional parents and their own desire to assimilate to American culture.

Twelve-year-old Anita has grown up in the Dominican Republic during the brutal Trujillo regime. When her family gets caught up in an attempt to overthrow the dictator, Anita must find her own path to freedom.

Twin brothers Josh and Jordan Bell clash both on and off the basketball court. How high can you score on this list of words from Alexander's award-winning novel in verse?

After the death of his father, Chuck Bell spends the summer with grandparents and finds solace in basketball. Learn these words from the prequel to The Crossover.

After learning a devastating truth about his unstable, rock-star father, 17-year-old Blade travels to Ghana in order to come to terms with his family history and forge his own identity.

Best friends Noah and Walt bond over their shared love of baseball and appreciation for jazz. With the help of some vintage love letters (and some intervention from Walt), Noah tries to express his true feelings for his long-time crush, Sam. But as Walt and Noah attempt to "find cool," division and prejudice within their community cause their lives to take an unexpected turn.