SJPL Picks: YA Activism and Social Justice in FictionLike this list

21 items

• We Don't Have Time for This

  Craft, Brianna,

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  Available as an eBook and eAudiobook. Lemonade Mouth meets climate change activism in this enemies-to-lovers YA romance. A tied election throws two rival teen activists together to lead their school’s environmental justice club, and they…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Warrior Girl Unearthed

  Boulley, Angeline,

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  Also available as an eBook. Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won't ever take her far from home, and she wouldn't have it any other…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Does My Body Offend You?

  Cuevas, Mayra,

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  Also available as an eBook and eAudiobook. When outspoken feminist rebel Ruby McAllister stands up for a girl being humiliated into covering up, they become the leaders of the school's dress code rebellion, which forces them to face their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Can't Take That Away

  Salvatore, Steven,

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  Also available as an eBook. When Carey Parker, a genderqueer teen who dreams of being a diva like their hero Mariah Carey, is cast as the female lead in the school musical, they must fight against discrimination and injustice from their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Is My America

  Johnson, Kim, 1979-

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  Also available as an eBook and eAudiobook. Every week, Tracy writes letters trying to get his father's case retried - he is on death row for a crime she is sure he didn't commit. Things get even worse when her brother is similarly arrested…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Yes No Maybe So

  Albertalli, Becky,

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  Also available as an eBook and eAudiobook. Jamie Goldberg, who chokes when speaking to strangers, and Maya Rehrman, who is having the worst Ramadan ever, are paired to knock on doors and ask for votes for the local state senate candidate.

• The Black Kids

  Hammonds Reed, Christina,

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  Also available as an eBook and eAudiobook. Ashley has always lived a charmed life: she's rich, she's popular, and she's happy. Then, 4 police offices are acquitted after viciously beating a Black man and protests rise up across LA. Now…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Voting Booth

  Colbert, Brandy,

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  Also available as an eBook and eAudiobook. The first year they are eligible to vote, Marva and Duke meet at their polling place and, over the course of one crazy day, fall in love.-- Marva Sheridan has always been driven to make a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Before the Ever After

  Woodson, Jacqueline,

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  Also available as an eBook. For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone's hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he's as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is to his millions of adoring sports…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Are Not From Here

  Torres Sanchez, Jenny,

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  Also available as an eBook and eAudiobook. Pulga has his dreams. Chico has his grief. Pequeña has her pride. And these three teens have one another. But, none of them have illusions about the town they've grown up in and the dangers that…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Didn't Ask for This

  Alsaid, Adi,

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  Every year, lock-in night changes lives. This year, when a group of students stages an eco-protest, it might just change the world.

• Kent State

  Wiles, Deborah,

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  Told from different points of view--protesters, students, National Guardsmen, and "townies"--recounts the story of what happened at Kent State in May 1970, when four college students were killed by National Guardsmen, and a student protest…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Take the Mic

  Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance

  Morrow, Bethany C.

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  An anthology of young adult stories and poems conveys acts of resistance by people marginalized by racism, discrimination, and hatred, offering contributions by diverse literary masters ranging from Jason Reynolds and Samira Ahmed to Laura…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Downstairs Girl

  Lee, Stacey (Stacey Heather),

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  Also available as an eBook and eAudiobook. 1890, Atlanta. By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel Caroline Payne, the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tyler Johnson Was Here

  Coles, Jay,

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  Also available as an eBook. After Marvin's twin brother is killed by a police officer, Marvin has to figure out how to come to terms with his own grief while his brother's death becomes a trending topic and a hashtag.

• Watch Us Rise

  Watson, Renee,

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  Jasmine and Chelsea are best friends on a mission. Sick of the way that young women are treated at their 'progressive' New York City high school, they decide to start a Women's Right's Club. One problem - no one shows up. That won't stop…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Anger Is a Gift

  Oshiro, Mark,

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  A young adult debut by the popular social media personality and critic reflects the racial and economic struggles of today's teens in the story of high school junior Moss, who in the face of a racist school administration decides to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Moxie

  a Novel

  Mathieu, Jennifer,

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  In a small Texas town where high school football reigns supreme, Viv, sixteen, starts a feminist revolution using anonymously-written zines.

• A Heart in a Body in the World

  Caletti, Deb,

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  Followed by Grandpa Ed in his RV and backed by her brother and friends, Annabelle, runs from Seattle to Washington, D.C., becoming a reluctant activist as people connect her journey to her recent trauma.

• The Hate U Give

  Thomas, Angie,

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  After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died.