Multicultural Reads for Teens

Expand your horizons with these multicultural novels!

Abdel-Fattah, Randa. Does My Head Look Big In This? 2007, 2005.
Year eleven at an exclusive prep school in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith – without losing her identity or sense of style.

Bray, Libba. Beauty Queens. 2011.
When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island’s other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

Fichera, Liz. Hooked. 2013.
Invited to become her varsity golf team’s only female member, Native American Fredericka Oday pursues her dream of earning a scholarship, only to be challenged by spoiled golden boy Ryan Berenger, who resents Fred for replacing his best friend on the team.

Goo, Maurene. Since You Asked… 2013.
Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim, the copy-editor for her San Diego high school’s newspaper, accidentally submits a piece ripping everyone to shreds and suddenly finds herself the center of unwanted attention – but when the teacher in charge of the paper asks her to write a regular column, her troubles really begin.

Holland, L. Tam. The Counterfeit Family Tree of Vee Crawford-Wong. 2013.
When Vee Crawford-Wong’s history teacher assigns an essay on his family history, Vee knows he’s in trouble. He’s parents – Chinese-born dad and Texas-bred Mom – are mysteriously and stubbornly close-lipped about his ancestors. So, he makes it all up and turns in the assignment. And then everything falls apart.

Medina, Meg. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your ASS. 2013.
Informed that a bully she does not know is determined to beat her up because of her pale skin, good grades, and lack of accent, Latina teen Piddy struggles to stay on top of a busy work schedule and learn more about the father she has never met, until the bully’s gang forces her to confront more difficult challenges.

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. No Crystal Stair. 2012.
Told by a banker that he should sell fried chicken rather than books, Lewis Michaux defied the odds to build Harlem’s National Memorial African Bookstore, an intellectual center and gathering place from 1939 to 1975.

Sheinkin, Steve. The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights. 2014.
On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed. When the dust settled, fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution.

Venkatraman, Padma. A Time to Dance. 2014.
Losing her leg after a devastating injury, talented Indian dancer Veda begins retraining on her prosthetic leg before falling in love with a young man who approaches dance from a spiritual perspective and who helps Veda to better understand herself and the world.

  Yang, Gene Luen. Boxers & Saints. 2013.
Boxers: In 1898 China, Little Bao has had enough of foreign missionaries and soldiers robbing peasants, and he recruits an army of Boxers to fight  to free China from its oppressors.
Saints: Vibiana, an unwanted fourth child, finds her name and identity in Christianity, but with the Boxer Rebellion in full swing and Chinese Christians facing death, she must decide whether her loyalties will lie with her religion or her country.