Themed Booklists
Sometimes it just takes one wonderful book to turn a kid into a reader. Browse these booklists created by Rebecca Dove, our children’s literature expert.
These books are for kids 0–12 years old, focus on new titles, and emphasize quality and diversity. Happy Reading!

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BOOKLIST
Featured Booklists
Recommended Books by Theme
Teen Stories
- The Usual Suspects, by Maurice Broaddus
- Public School Superhero, by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
- Genesis Begins Again Alicia D. Williams
- Ghetto Cowboy, by by G_Neri
- For Black Girls Like Me, by Mariama J. Lockington
- Middle School, The WORST Years of My Life, by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
- The Long Ride by Marina Budhos
History or Biography Books
- Malcolm Little, The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcom X , by Ilyasah Shabazz
- The Oldest Student, How Mary Walker Learned to Read, by Rita Lorraine Hubbard
- Roll of Thunder, by Mildred D. Taylor
- Light It Shine, by Andrea Davis Pinkney
- One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams Garcia
- Superman Smashes the Klan, by Gene Luen Yang
Books about Peace
- Peace is an Offering, by Annette LeBox
- All Are Welcome Here, by Alexandra Penfold
- The Seed of Compassion by 14th Dalai Lam
- Grandpa Stops A War, by Susan Robeson
- Hiawatha and the Peacemaker, by Robbie Robertson
- A Bowl Full of Peace, by Caren Selson
- Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson
- Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone
Black History: Before Slavery
- African Princess: The Amazing Lives of Africa’s Royal Women
- Anacaona
- The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medival Africa
- Mansa Musa
Read2Think
We want to help young people to become better readers and thinkers. Our platform connects you with resources about literacy and features wordsmiths of color.
Tips for parents
WIth Pennez’s products and service we hope to close the illiteracy gap with our software, after school & summer programming, and storytelling events
Educator Tips
Listed tips from real-world and research-based information. All in all, whatever your approach is, your essential goal should be addressing the individual child’s needs.