Tired of reading children’s books about “dogs and white boys,” 11-year-old Marley Dias of New Jersey decided to start a project called #1000BlackGirlBooks to collect books featuring women of color. Her movement has gone viral, with people around the world collecting books to help Dias donate to kids in her mom’s hometown of Jamaica.
Her project has also got a lot of folks talking about the very real need for more diversity in children’s books. Taking a cue from Dias, we put together a list of our own books for kids with powerful girls with diverse backgrounds. Take a look, then hit the library!
‘Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music’
Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle tells the true story of a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke cultural barriers to follow her dreams.
‘The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond’
Violet Diamond, a biracial girl, explores racism while searching for her African-American family in this story by Brenda Woods.
‘Full Cicada Moon’
Half-black, half-Japanese Mimi battles stereotypes to achieve her dream of becoming an astronaut in Marilyn Hilton’s book.
‘Twintuition: Double Vision’
Real-life twin actresses Tamera and Tia Mowry wrote this book about two tweens who discover they have magical powers.
‘Tua and the Elephant’
R.P. Harris illustrates the story of Tua and her journey to help her elephant friend in Thailand.
‘Blackbird Fly’
Apple is a totally relatable Filipino heroine with plenty of 12-year-old drama in this book by Erin Entrada Kelly.
‘Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!’
This story by Grace Lin about identical twins demonstrates that just because two girls look the same, it doesn’t mean they act the same.
‘Stella by Starlight’
Sharon M. Draper tackles segregation and prejudice in her book about a young girl living in the segregated South.
‘The Game of Silence’
“Little Frog” and her Indian family are forced to leave their land in this book by national best-selling author Louise Erdrich.
‘Counting by 7s’
Holly Goldberg Sloan illustrates the story of a girl whose life is tragically altered when her adoptive parents die in a car crash.
‘The Ultra Violets’
A hit with superhero fans, this book by Sophie Bell is packed with mystery and girl power.
‘The Year of the Book’
The Year of the Book: Anna Wang, Book 1 by Andrea Cheng tells the story of a lonely Chinese girl’s struggle to make friends.
‘The Mighty Miss Malone’
Christopher Paul Curtis tells the story of the Great Depression through the eyes of a 12-year-old African-American girl.
‘The Tequila Worm’
Sofia has plenty of tales to share about growing up in the barrio in this story by Viola Canales.
‘The Popularity Papers’
Two best friends are determined to find out what it takes to be popular in the first book of Amy Ignatow’s series.
‘The Egypt Game’
This book by Zilpha Keatley Snyder about two ancient-Egypt-loving girls who decide to play a game together is a Newbery Honor Award winner.
‘Written in the Stars’
What is it like to be forced into a marriage you don’t want? Aisha Saeed answers that question in this tale about a Pakistani-American girl’s fate.
‘Does My Head Look Big in This?’
This story by Randa Abdel-Fattah takes you through what happens when a Muslim girl decides to wear her hijab full time.
‘Esperanza Rising’
Esperanza and her mama must flee their ranch in Mexico following a sudden tragedy in this classic historical fiction by Pam Muñoz Ryan.
‘Inside Out and Back Again’
A Newbery Honor Book and winner of the National Book Award, Thanhha Lai’s book is about a Vietnamese immigrant’s journey to her new home.
‘Hush’
Nothing about Evie Thomas’ life is the same in this book by Jacqueline Woodson about race and identity.
Character counts
Pin it and hit the library!
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