A family saga about migration, destiny, gender relations and intersexuality. Cal was born as Calliope, the daughter of a Greek-American family in Michigan. But during puberty, the girl develops more and more male features and Cal finds out that he is intersexual and feels more male than female. He retells the story of his family. […]
A historical novel about friendship, betrayal, discrimination, guilt and redemption. Amir lives in the USA and remembers his childhood in Kabul, entwined with Afghanistan’s troubled history. How the communists took over, the Soviets invaded, how he escaped and settled in the USA together with his father who struggled to adapt to the new environment. But […]
A drama movie about family, love and staying true to oneself: Ben and his wife Leslie decided to raise their six children far away from the quite possibly corrupting influences of modern day society, so they moved to the Washington wilderness and built their own camp. There they spend their days training their bodies and […]
In this dystopian series of five novels on racism, oppression and the abuse of power, a black majority (the Crosses) rules over a white minority (the Noughts) after African people colonized Europe. Set in Britain in an alternate reality, this paves the way for a love story a la Romeo and Juliet. The story invites […]
Combining humour, loss and grit, this teenage novel tells a travel adventure from the perspective of a strong and colourful female narrator. 10-year-old ‘Rat’ is a real character, tough, outgoing, soccer-loving and adventurous. When her father dies suddenly, she’s determined to go to New York with her brother ‘Bob’ in search of their long-lost uncle […]
In this semi-autobiographic film about life, loss and dedication, Hunter ‘Patch’ Adams is the odd one when he eventually picks up studying medicine. His joy for life seems boundless and his methods strange but slowly he manages to win over not only his co-students but also his teachers with his dedication to healing through laughter. […]
This satirical young-adult-novel problematises reality TV, sexism, stereotypes and body image. When the plane of 50 Miss Teen Dream contestants crashes on a desert island, it is time for them to re-evaluate their priorities. In isolation, they start to realise the crash may not have been an accident and odd incidents just keep piling up. […]
This children’s novel problematises gender stereotyping, prejudice and homophobia. Dennis is a 12-year-old interested in both football and fashion – he enjoys dressing up as a girl (cross-dressing). One of those hobbies is accepted by his father as a suitable hobby for boys, the other is not. He struggles with his parents’ divorce, his father’s […]
This novel opens new perspectives on religious fundamentalism, mental health and drug abuse. When Dawn was 13, her father abandoned his family to join a Christian sect. Since then, her mother has suffered from alcoholism and depression. For Dawn, it’s her father’s religious extremism that started all her problems, so she sets out to kill […]
A drama movie about sports, stereotypes, belonging and loyalty: When two US-American high schools are forced to merge, their two football coaches – one black and one white – now need to work together. Because if these two cannot overcome their mutual prejudice, how are their players supposed to develop some team spirit of their […]
Throughout this sociocritical movie drama, Ricky, his wife and his children are struggeling with the financial crisis of 2008: With the promise of a safe income, Ricky is lured into buying a van. His plan is to deliver mail as a contractor. Soon, both his boss and this exploitative system is revealed for what they […]
In this verse novel about homelessness, friendship and the willingness to help, 16-year-old Billy runs away from his abusive father – he much rather lives in an old railroad carriage than at what used to be ‘home’. There he meets a man called Old Bill, an alcoholic, and Caitlin, a rich but deeply dissatisfied girl. […]
This movie drama (based on the novel Q and A) revolves around family, friendship and fate: Jamal grows up as a poor beggar in India but when he is 18 years old he finds himself as contestant in ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ nonetheless. Neither the show’s host nor the viewers can easily believe […]
A verse novel about the search for one’s own story, this one introduces the reader to 12-year-old Kasienka. Looking for her father, she and her mother migrated from Poland to England. Life, however, poses many challenges for Kasienka: bullying in school, living in a run down flat and having to share a bed with her […]
In this novel about family relations, loss and growing up written entirely in verse, 12-year-old Josh and his twin brother Jordan ‘JB’ live for basketball. That is why they are the star players of their school’s team, the Wildcats. Still, there is a hardship on and off the court for Josh to overcome: being trained […]
The first part of the trilogy tells the story of ‘A’ and his peculiar challenge: Every day he wakes up to discover that he is another person, yet again. In the meantime, A managed to get accustomed to that. But when he one day wakes up being somebody named Justin, he meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon, […]
An easy read navigating the diffuculties of migration and growing up trapped between two cultures. Manjit is a teenage boy living in Leicester (England), brought up by strict Punbjabi parents. Dissappointed by Manny’s grades and behavior, his parents arrange for him to be married in India: They take him there and then return to England […]
In this novel between fundamentalism and family, between loyalty and disobedience, 12-year-old Martha is brought up by strictly religious parents, their rules shaping Martha’s life: no TV and no pop music among other things. Most importanty though, Martha must not invite somebody else home. Too big is her parents’ fear that Abomination, their shameful secret, […]