Reviews+

It's just not summer if teenagers aren't pocketing S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, with its iconic gang members, dusty American landscape, and exquisitely crafted life lessons; this year, SLJ and NCTE reveal the 2023 round of “Refreshing the Canon” selections, where multimedia suggestions enrich The Outsiders and so much more.

Black Boy, published in 1945, is Richard Wright's memoir about growing up in the South during the Jim Crow era. Pair it with these books, movies, and art pieces to translate Wright's experience to modern day.

The House on Mango Street centers around Esperanza Cordero’s coming of age in her Chicago neighborhood. The below resources, including nonfiction and artwork, can enhance students’ engagement with Sandra Cisneros’s classic.

These outstanding works by 12 authors encompass historical fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, picture books, and more. 

Self-identifying mixed-race people make up the largest demographic among Americans under 18. These picture books and middle grade novels feature multiracial kids as heroes of their own stories.