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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Michael and Me
Margaret Baker-Street
Michael and Me was written for parents, educators and children to start the conversation early as to what is meant by a transgender person. It is written for those who have not had the benefit of knowing a transgender person, to explain why it is important for one to affirm ones identity. It uses easy to understand terms and concepts, a valuable tool to increase tolerance and decrease discrimination.
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Middlesex
Jeffrey Eugenides
Calliope's friendship with a classmate and her sense of identity are compromised by the adolescent discovery that she is a hermaphrodite, a situation with roots in her grandparent's desperate struggle for survival in the 1920s.
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Midnight Without a Moon
Linda Williams Jackson
Rose Lee Carter, a thirteen-year-old African-American girl, dreams of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields during the summer of 1955, but when Emmett Till is murdered and his killers are unjustly acquitted, Rose is torn between seeking her destiny outside of Mississippi or staying and being a part of an important movement.
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Mighty Jack
Ben Hatke
Jack might be the only kid in the world who's dreading summer. But he's got a good reason: summer is when his single mom takes a second job and leaves him at home to watch his autistic kid sister, Maddy. It's a lot of responsibility, and it's boring, too, because Maddy doesn't talk. Ever. But then, one day at the flea market, Maddy does talk―to tell Jack to trade their mom's car for a box of mysterious seeds. It's the best mistake Jack has ever made. In Mighty Jack, what starts as a normal little garden out back behind the house quickly grows up into a wild, magical jungle with tiny onion babies running amok, huge, pink pumpkins that bite, and, on one moonlit night that changes everything…a dragon.
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Mighty Jack and the Goblin King
Ben Hatke
Like a bolt from the blue, Jack's little sister Maddy is gone―carried into another realm by an ogre. When Jack and Lilly follow Maddy’s captor through the portal, they are ready for anything . . . except what they find waiting for them in the floating crossroads between worlds. Even the power of their magic plants may not be enough to get them back to earth alive. Alone and injured, Jack and Lilly must each face their own monsters―as well as giants who grind the bones of human children to feed their “beast” and a fearsome goblin king in the sewers down below. But when Jack finds himself in a tough spot, help comes from the most unlikely person: the goblin king!
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Migrant
Jose Manuel Mateo
A Mexican boy tells of his journey to the U.S. with his family. They must face many dangers to cross the border, only to experience the uncertainty felt by all illegal immigrants. The narrative is accompanied by one long, beautifully vivid illustration reminiscent of pre-Hispanic codices, packaged as an accordion-style foldout frieze.
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Miguel's Family (All Kinds of Families)
Elliot Riley
There are many types of families. Miguel's family is very large and they do many activities together.
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Miles Morales: Spider-Man
Jason Reynolds
Miles Morales is just your average teenager. Dinner every Sunday with his parents, chilling out playing old-school video games with his best friend, Ganke, crushing on brainy, beautiful poet Alicia. He's even got a scholarship spot at the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. Oh yeah, and he's Spider Man. But lately, Miles's spidey-sense has been on the fritz. When a misunderstanding leads to his suspension from school, Miles begins to question his abilities. After all, his dad and uncle were Brooklyn jack-boys with criminal records. Maybe kids like Miles aren't meant to be superheroes. Maybe Miles should take his dad's advice and focus on saving himself. As Miles tries to get his school life back on track, he can't shake the vivid nightmares that continue to haunt him. Nor can he avoid the relentless buzz of his spidey-sense every day in history class, amidst his teacher's lectures on the historical benefits of slavery and the modern-day prison system. But after his scholarship is threatened, Miles uncovers a chilling plot, one that puts his friends, his neighborhood, and himself at risk. It's time for Miles to suit up.
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Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk
Dustin Lance Black
Profiles Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay people to be elected to public office, partially in the words of the people who knew him, and describes the making of the biographical film about him, "Milk."
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Milly and the Macy's Parade
Shana Corey
It's 1924 and the holidays are approaching. Milly lives in NYC with her Polish family and frolics daily in holiday displays at the Macy's store under the watchful eye of Mr. Macy. But Milly's family misses their homeland and traditions. In an effort to cheer people up, Milly convinces Mr. Macy to combine old country traditions with new American heritage in a celebration for all to enjoy. Everyone agrees that the resulting parade will become a wonderful new tradition. This heartwarming story beautifully captures the creation of a uniquely American event.
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Milly, Molly and Different Dads
Gill Pittar
Milly and Molly learn how different dads can be. The story teaches about the diversity and individual differences and to accept everyone inspite of it.
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Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle
Pija Lindenbaum and Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard
Ella, whose nickname is "Mini Mia" because her favorite soccer player is Mia Ham, loves spending time with her eccentric uncle Tommy, but finds herself a bit put out when she has to share him with his new boyfriend Fergus.
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Miracle of the Myrrh
Marci Alborghetti
When Mary gives Mendel, a young handicapped boy, the gifts presented to the baby Jesus from the three wise men, Mendel distributes them to those in need and receives a miracle in return.
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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan
Barry Denenberg
In 1932, a twelve-year-old girl who lost her sight in an accident keeps a diary, recorded by her twin sister, in which she describes life at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts.
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Mishka: An Adoption Tale
Adrienne Ehlert Bashista
Mo is a teddy bear in an airport gift shop, chosen to go on a journey to meet his new best friend, Yuri. Mo has lots of questions once he gets to his destination: Where is he? What's a mishka? And will he and Yuri finally have a real home and a family?
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Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel
Leslie Connor
Miss Bridie immigrates to America in 1856 and chooses to bring a shovel, which proves to be a useful tool throughout her life.
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Missing in Action
Dean Hughes
While his father is missing in action in the Pacific during World War II, twelve-year-old Jay moves with his mother to small-town Utah, where he sees prejudice from both sides, as a part-Navajo himself and through an unlikely friendship with Japanese American Ken from the nearby internment camp.
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Missing Sisters
Gregory Maguire
Twelve-year-old Alice, an orphan who has never been adopted because of her physical handicap and difficult personality, is shocked to discover she has an identical twin sister living nearby.
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Mitzi Tulane: What's That Smell?
Lauren MacLaughlin
Mitzi Tulane uses her detective skills to discover her own birthday cake.
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Mixed Blessing: A Children's Book About a Multi-Racial Family
Marsha Cosman
A young son discovers he does not have exactly the same skin colour as either parent. He questions this revelation and his parents explain using animals during a visit to the zoo. A candid look at children of mixed race and multiculturalism learning about their identity for the first time through a colourful illustrative story.
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Mixed Heritage: Your Source for Books for Children and Teens About Persons and Families of Mixed Racial, Ethnic, and/or Religious Heritage
Catherine Blakemore
Presents annotated lists of juvenile books on individuals and families with mixed ethnic, religious, and racial identities.
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Mixed Me!
Taye Diggs
Mom and Dad say I'm a blend of dark and light: "We mixed you perfectly, and got you just right." Mike has awesome hair. He has LOTS of energy! His parents love him. And Mike is a PERFECT blend of the two of them. Still, Mike has to answer LOTS of questions about being mixed. And he does, with LOTS of energy and joy in this charming story about a day in the life of a mixed-race child.
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Mixed Me: A Tale of a Girl Who is Both Black and White
Tiffany Catledge
Little Mixie wonders why everyone wants to know WHAT she is. Isn't it obvious? She is clearly a human being. And anyway, isn't WHO she is what matters most? Coming from a family with a black dad and a white mom makes her extra special, and maybe a little different too. But different is good. Mixie embraces her uniqueness and determines to be the best "Me" she can be.
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Mixed: My Life in Black and White
Angela Nissel
A look at growing up biracial in America in an interracial family, the complications of her parents' divorce and her move to an all-black neighborhood, and how she learned to define herself and embrace all aspects of her background.
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Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids
Kip Fulbeck
From beloved writer and artist Kip Fulbeck, author of Part Asian, 100% Hapa, this timely collection of portraits celebrates the faces and voices of mixed-race children. At a time when 7 million people in the U.S. alone identify as belonging to more than one race, interest in issues of multiracial identity is rapidly growing. Overflowing with uplifting elements including charming images, handwritten statements from the children, first-person text from their parents, a foreword by Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng (President Obama's sister), and an afterword by international star Cher (who is part Cherokee) this volume is an inspiring vision of the future.