The moving coming-of-age novel tells the story of Kirali Lewis, a young woman from Australia of South East Australian Aboriginal heritage. However, Kirali has no personal connection to her heritage as she did not grow up in its community or with the Aborigines’ traditions- Kiralli was adopted by a white family.  Her story begins in […]

This intriguing whodunit follows a group of five students in their investigation concerning the murder of Simon, Bayview High’s resident gossiper. He dies just 24 hours before posting the students’ deepest secrets on his gossip app ‘About That’. But who is the culprit and what were they trying to hide? From resident jock to star […]

This novel combines a beautiful and unique love story with the terrifying reality of war and seeking refuge. When Nadia and Saeed meet, their country is on the brink of a civil war. As violence and unrest increases, they decide they need to leave their home and jump into uncertainty. Jump being meant quite literally, […]

This animated short film will tug at your heart strings, no dialogue needed. When a Chinese-Canadian mother’s son leaves the nest, she is heartbroken and lonely. Her heartache is only soothed when she finds an adorable little steamed bun has come alive on her plate. Having something to take care of gives her a new […]

This documentary is a wonderful way to introduce discussions around multiculturalism and intercultural contact to the EFL classroom. Set in post-industrial Ohio, the camera team follows the opening of a Chinese factory. Due to the employment of 2000 American workers, conflicts arise as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

This book can give children a wonderful insight into the lives of other children across the globe. The daily lives and activities of seven different children are highlighted, from countries like Japan, Peru, and Uganda. Getting a glimpse into the lives of others can help us understand differences but also, that at the end of […]

This heartwarming story shows the beauty of non-traditional families and can help introduce this topic to young readers. The Central Park Zoo houses all kinds of animals, the penguins being among the ones that love living in pairs. Roy and Silo, two male penguins, are in love and desperately want a little penguin of their […]

This novella addresses present-day themes and issues wrapped up in a far from realistic scenario. When Esther and her friends are approached by a billionaire, the challenge they were confronted with was not one they expected. In return for a thousand dollars each, they have to give up their smartphones for six weeks. But what […]

In this epistolary novel, the speaker “Little Dog” addresses his mother who cannot read. The letters narrate the complicated story of the speaker’s family history. They are not limited to Little Dog’s life, but instead include themes such as the lasting impact of war and struggles of immigration. Whereas the text’s level of difficulty is […]

The series Little People, Big Dreams offers a wonderful introduction to various historical figures for young readers. And there are so many to choose from! Whatever the child’s field of interest is, there is a role model out there just waiting to be discovered. The beautiful illustrations accompany the accessible text written specifically with young […]

As a combination of evolutionary biology and anthropology, this work of non-fiction offers answers to some of life’s most fascinating questions. The subheading On the Evolution and Future of the Human Animal gives a glimpse of the insightful content specifically written for younger readers. From what point on and how did humans differentiate themselves from […]

This award-winning graphic novel tells, or rather shows, the autobiographical coming-of-age story of Craig Thompson. Raised in rural isolation, Craig and his younger brother Phil are both depicted as devout Christians with a knack for art. Through his teen years, however, Craig finds it hard to fit in with his peers and suffers a lot […]

When Donovan tells his mom about the adventure novel they’re reading at school, her reaction comes as a surprise. So what if the two boys in the story talk about loving each other? However, this kickstarts an attempt to ban the assigned book The Adventurers due to “mature” and “inappropriate” content. This storyline is intertwined […]

17-year-old Lily Hu wasn’t planning on falling in love. 1954’s San Francisco isn’t a safe place for two young women in love, and the Red Scare makes society’s prejudice against Chinese Americans more prevalent than ever. As the daughter of a Chinese-American immigrant, Lily worries for her father, the threat of deportation constantly looming over […]

This young-adult book focuses on child abuse, parental neglect, social stratification, and friendship and is structured as diary entries of the two girls Treasure and India.Young Treasure lives with her mother and her abusive stepfather Terry who one day hits her with his belt and scars her forehead. Upon this incident, Treasure’s grandmother takes her […]

This children’s book is about special educational needs and understanding and raising awareness of different types of intelligence.Chester is the new kid at school and has to sit next to the sloppy, chaotic, and seemingly dumb Joe. Joe is incredibly messy, cannot write properly, and does not understand the ways in which things are explained. […]

This wonderfully illustrated book is all about the beauty of helping others. George the giant just got a brand new outfit that finally makes him feel good about himself again. But what makes him feel even better is helping out others. So when he gives all of his new clothes away to different animals, he […]

Katie loves her family, weird quirks included. However, she can’t help but feel misunderstood by her parents and longs for a fresh start at Art School in California. Her Dad insists on one last road trip to bond as a family. And so, the Mitchells embark on a trip across the country to drop Katie […]