Multicultural: Immigrant Stories
As the number of young adult literature books has grown, so has the number of quality titles featuring characters of diverse ethnicity, religion, and nationality, and compelling story lines about identity, prejudice, and understanding.
Feathers
Age Level: 9-12
Set in 1971, Woodson's novel touches on issues of race and religion. When a white boy moves arrives at her predominantly black middle school, Samantha has much to consider and to learn.
Black and White
Age Level: 14-16
Marcus and Eddie are basketball teammates and best friends. But when they get involved in a crime, will the fact that Marcus is black and Eddie is white affect how they are treated? Great sports action and a compelling premise make this a page turner.
The Joy Luck Club
Age Level: 16-18
Intertwined Chinese-American families reflect upon and live out the immigrant experience, including the quest for a better life and assimilated children’s frustration with their outsider parents.
Buried Onions
Age Level: 14-16
Latino Eddie is trying to stay out of trouble, but the gang life is tempting.
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life
Age Level: 14-16
Simone was adopted and raised by a non-observant Jewish family. The arrival of her Orthodox birth mother leads her to question her own religious beliefs and to confront the fact that her birth mother may not be around much longer—she's been diagnosed with cancer.
Monster
Age Level: 14-16
This story of a young African-American man caught up in a robbery gone bad is a contemporary classic. The screenplay format makes it appealing to reluctant readers, but it's also well deserving of its honor as the first recipient of the Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult literature.
Born Confused
Age Level: 14-16
Dimple is an Indian-American girl trying desperately to assimilate in her New Jersey neighborhood, until she meets an attractive Indian guy who shows her the charms of her own heritage.
Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United States
Age Level: 14-16
Poets, both familiar and new, write about their experiences growing up Hispanic in America. The poems are presented in English and Spanish.
Ask Me No Questions
Age Level: 12-14
Nadira's family has lived a law-abiding—but illegal—existence since arriving in the U.S. from Bangladesh years ago. During a post-9/11 crackdown, her father is discovered and the possibility of deportation hangs heavy over their lives.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Age Level: 14-16
When Junior gets a chance to leave the reservation school and attend a far-away white high school, he must deal with prejudice not only from his new schoolmates, but from those he left behind.
