The Diverse Families bookshelf was created and funded through numerous grants. Due to lack of additional grants and the loss of key personnel, the project has come to an end. We have tremendously enjoyed creating this database and hope that it can help bring readers and books together.
Browse Diverse Families by Subject:
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A Heart in a Body in the World
Deb Caletti
When everything has been taken from you, what else is there to do but run? From Seattle to Washington, DC, Annabelle is running through mountain passes and suburban landscapes, from long lonely roads to college towns. She's not ready to think about the why yet, just the how - muscles burning, heart pumping, feet pounding the earth. But no matter how hard she tries, she can't outrun the tragedy from the past year, or the person - The Taker - that haunts her. Followed by Grandpa Ed in his RV and backed by her brother and two friends (her self-appointed publicity team), Annabelle becomes a reluctant activist as people connect her journey to the trauma from her past. Her cross-country run gains media attention and she is cheered on as she crosses state borders, even thrown a block party and given gifts. The support would be nice, if Annabelle could escape the guilt and shame from what happened back home. They say it isn't her fault, but she can't feel the truth of that. Through welcome and unwelcome distractions, she just keep running to the destination that awaits her. There, she'll finally face the miles of love and loss behind her...and what still lies ahead.
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A Home for Leo
Vin Vogel
Leo grew up in the sea. He has a family of sea lions he loves. He’s happy, but he has always known he was different. Then Leo’s suddenly reunited with his human parents, and he finds he loves them too. But he still feels like a fish out of water. Being from two worlds and having two families isn’t so easy. Leo has a lot to figure out…
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A House Between Home: Youth in the Foster Care System
Joyce Libal
Discusses the laws that govern the foster care system, the newest and most innovative programs available today and provides an overview of the history of foster care, including the orphan trains and the British home children.
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A is for Activist
Innosanto Nagara
A is for Activist is an ABC board book written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives: families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that activists believe in and fight for. The alliteration, rhyming, and vibrant illustrations make the book exciting for children, while the issues it brings up resonate with their parents' values of community, equality, and justice.
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Aitor Has Two Moms (Aitor Tiene Dos Mamas)
María José Mendieta
Aitor has always wondered why he has two mothers, but it isn't until his best friend Imanol's parents forbid him from attending Aitor's ninth birthday party that Aitor sees how some in his small town see his family situation.
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A Koala for Katie: An Adoption Story
Jonathan London
On a trip to the zoo, Katie gets a special present that helps her realize how much her adoptive parents love her.
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Alan Cole Doesn't Dance
Eric Bell
As if it were not bad enough to be bullied for being gay while trying to navigate a budding relationship, Alan's father insists he take June Harrison to a school dance.
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Alan Cole is Not a Coward
Eric Bell
Hoping to keep his older brother Nathan silent about his secret crush on another boy at their school, twelve-year-old Alan agrees to a ruthless sibling competition involving nearly impossible tasks--from standing up to their demanding father to getting a first kiss.
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A Lei for Tutu
Rebecca Nevers Fellows
Nahoa loves making leis with her grandmother and looks forward to helping her create a special one for Lei Day, until her grandmother becomes very ill.
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Alex As Well
Alyssa Brugman
Alex has turned vegetarian, changed schools, stopped taking her medications, and created a new identity. An identity that shakes her world. And Alex - the other Alex - has a lot to say about it.
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A Line in the Dark
Malinda Lo
When Chinese American teenager Jess Wong's best friend Angie falls in love with a girl from the nearby boarding school, Jess expects heartbreak. But when everybody's secrets start to be revealed, the stakes quickly elevate from love or loneliness to life or death.
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A List of Cages
Robin Roe
When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he's got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn't easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can't complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian; the foster brother he hasn't seen in five years.
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A Little Friendly Advice
Siobhan Vivian
Ruby is on the verge of turning sixteen. Her friends have been planning her party for weeks. They all have gathered at her house for a pre-party. Her mom has made her favorite dinner - ziti. All is perfect, down to the vintage Polaroid camera her mother has given her. Then it turns horribly wrong. With the ring of the doorbell, her father, who has been gone for years, has come back into her life.
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All About Adoption: How Families are Made & How Kids Feel About It
Marc. A. Nemiroff and Jane Annunziata
Using simple language, describes the stages of the adoption process and discusses complex feelings commonly felt by adopted children.
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All About Adoption: How to Deal with the Questions of Your Past
Anne Lanchon
Part of the "Sunscreen" series, this book uses personal testimonial advice to help kids understand the questions about their own lives. It also discusses issues for kids who are of a different ethnic background than their adoptive parents, and includes kids who don't want to find out about their birth parentage.
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All Alone in the World: Children of the Incarcerated
Nell Bernstein
In this "moving condemnation of the U.S. penal system and its effect on families" (Parents’ Press), award-winning journalist Nell Bernstein takes an intimate look at parents and children—over two million of them—torn apart by our current incarceration policy. Described as "meticulously reported and sensitively written" by Salon, the book is "brimming with compelling case studies...and recommendations for change" (Orlando Sentinel); Our Weekly Los Angelescalls it "a must-read for lawmakers as well as for lawbreakers."
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All American Boys
Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing. Classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who's the older brother of his best friend.
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All are Welcome
Alexandra Penfold
Illustrations and simple, rhyming text introduce a school where diversity is celebrated and songs, stories, and talents are shared.
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All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome
Kathy Hoopmann
Pictures of cats in usual and unusual positions help illustrate how the behaviors of people with Asperger's syndrome are similar to those of cats.
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All Dogs Have ADHD
Kathy Hoopmann
All Dogs Have ADHD takes an inspiring and affectionate look at Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), using images and ideas from the canine world. Charming colour photographs of dogs bring to life familiar ADHD characteristics such as being restless and excitable, getting easily distracted, and acting on impulse.
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All Families are Different
Sol Gordon and Vivien Cohen
Discusses differences in families in today's society, as well as what makes each family special.
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All Families are Special
Norma Simon
Students in Mrs. Mack's class describe their families--big or small, living together or apart, with two moms or none--and learn why every family is special and important.
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Allison
Allen Say
When Allison realizes that she looks more like her favorite doll than like her parents, she comes to terms with this unwelcomed discovery through the help of a stray cat.
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All I Want to Be is Me
Phyllis Rothblatt
"All I Want To Be Is Me" is a beautifully illustrated children's book reflecting the diverse ways that young children experience and express their gender. The book gives voice to the feelings of children who don't fit into narrow gender stereotypes, and who just want to be free to be themselves. This book is a celebration of all children being who they are, and is a positive reflection of children, wherever they experience themselves on the gender spectrum. "All I Want To Be Is Me" offers a wonderful way for all children to learn about gender diversity, embracing different ways to be, and being a true friend.
