Introduction
An inspiring collection of stories about activism and social justice for children and teenagers mostly collated by independent bookstore Readings. Have a book to add to this list? Please Contact Us
Younger Kids
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 depicted resonate with their parents’ values of community, equality and justice. This engaging little book carries huge messages as it inspires hope for the future.
Mahatma Gandhi
Part of the bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, Gandhi tells the inspiring story of this peaceful protester and father of India.
We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures
An illustrated celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stunningly brought to life by internationally-renowned artists.
Young Dark Emu: A truer History
Bruce Pascoe
Young Dark Emu: A Truer History is a children’s version of Bruce Pascoe’s incredibly popular Dark Emu – a book that explains that Australian Aboriginals at the time of British colonisation were not only hunter gatherers, but also people who made agricultural use of their land. They were people who settled and built villages – something the British denied in order to establish their own claim over the land.This book is the perfect jumping board for families to talk about Australia’s historical treatment of our Indigenous peoples. It is full of diary entries of settlers from the time – many of which seem mind-blowingly ignorant. It’s full of ingenious ways Aboriginals worked and sustained the land for thousands and thousands of years. But more than anything, Young Dark Emu is an interesting book. After reading it, your kids will want to know more – about our land, its native fauna and flora, its people and how they fought off the Europeans. (Review by Dani Solomon)
My First Little Book of Intersectional Activism
Titania McGrath
MY FIRST LITTLE BOOK OF INTERSECTIONAL ACTIVISM is a godsend for parents looking to raise respectful, understanding and, of course, woke children. A thought-provoking and vital collection of real-life stories, it will inspire a new generation of young activists. Radical slam poet and queen of social justice Titania McGrath has turned her talents to the realm of children’s non-fiction. Aimed at activists from the age of six months to six years, Titania’s book will help cultivate a new woke generation.
Kids Who Did: Real Kids Who Ruled, Rebelled, Survived and Thrived
From the distant past to the present moment, Kids Who Did shows kids making their mark on history; and now they’re set to change the world.
Stand Up for the Future: A Celebration of Inspirational Young Australians
From slam poet Solli Raphael to gender equality advocate Caitlin Figueiredo, soccer star Sam Kerr and youth worker Zack Bryers, this is a book about young people, for everyone. Through activism, innovation, giving back and leading by example, these game changers are building a brighter tomorrow. Brought to life by colourful illustrations from local artists, this book showcases emerging Aussie talent and encourages readers to create positive social change.
Stories for Boys Who Dare to be Different
“These accessible stories range from historical figures in all fields, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Galileo Galilei, and Nelson Mandela, to contemporary figures with strong values who set positive models of activism, such as Ai Weiwei, Jamie Oliver, or Steve Irwin. There are also individuals whose stories are more personal – dealing with gender decisions, overcoming learning or physical difficulties, or making challenging decisions”. – Janine Larson
Older Kids and Teenagers
Youth to Power: Your Voice and How to use it
Jamie Margolin
Climate change activist and Zero Hour founder Jamie Margolin offers the essential guide to changemaking for young people. Climate change activist and Zero Hour cofounder Jamie Margolin offers the essential guide to changemaking for young people. The 1963 Children’s March. The 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests. March for Our Lives, and School Strike for Climate. What do all these social justice movements have in common? They were led by passionate, informed, engaged young people. Jamie Margolin has been organizing and protesting since she was fourteen years old. Now the co-leader of a global climate action movement, she knows better than most how powerful a young person can be. You don’t have to be able to vote or hold positions of power to change the world.
In Youth to Power, Jamie presents the essential guide to changemaking, with advice on writing and pitching op-eds, organizing successful events and peaceful protests, time management as a student activist, utilizing social and traditional media to spread a message, and sustaining long-term action. She features interviews with prominent young activists including Tokata Iron Eyes of the #NoDAPL movement and Nupol Kiazolu of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, who give guidance on handling backlash, keeping your mental health a priority, and how to avoid getting taken advantage of. Jamie walks readers through every step of what effective, healthy, intersectional activism looks like. Young people have a lot to say, and Youth to Power will give you the tools to raise your voice.
Woke: A young poet’s call to justice
Mahogany Browne
Historically poets have been on the forefront of social movements. Woke is a collection of poems by women of color that reflects the joy and passion in the fight for social justice, tackling topics from discrimination to empathy, and acceptance to speaking out. With Theodore Taylor’s bright, emotional art and writting from Mahogany Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatwood, kids will be inspired to create their own art and poems to express how they see justice and injustice.
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
This book brings you Greta in her own words. Collecting her speeches that have made history across Europe, from the UN to mass street protests, No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference is a rallying cry for why we must all wake up and fight to protect the living planet, no matter how powerless we feel.
Watch Us Rise
A stirring and unputdownable read about what it means to be a woman today. Perfect for fans of Moxie and The Hate U Give.
We Are Displaced
Five years on from the publication of her internationally bestselling memoir, We Are Displaced presents true stories of the refugee experience interwoven with Malala’s own story of her displacement.
Girls Resist!: A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution
A smart, contemporary, stylish and practical handbook for aspiring teen girl activists who are mad as hell about the way the world is going and aren’t gonna take it anymore.
Moxie
When an unlikely teenager stands up to sexism in her high school she unwittingly starts a feminist revolution that shakes her whole town. It’s time to fight like a girl! Perfect for fans of Holly Bourne.
Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World
This first-ever LGBTQ history book of its kind for young adults will appeal to fans of fun, empowering pop-culture books like Rad American Women A-Z and Notorious RBG.
We Should All Be Feminists
A personal and powerful essay from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the bestselling author of ‘Americanah’ and ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’, based on her 2013 TEDx Talk of the same name.
When Michael Met Mina
A boy. A girl. Two families. One great divide. When Michael meets Mina, they are at a rally for refugees – standing on opposite sides. Mina fled Afghanistan with her mother via a refugee camp, a leaky boat and a detention centre. Michael’s parents have founded a new political party called Aussie Values. They want to stop the boats. Mina wants to stop the hate. When Mina wins a scholarship to Michael’s private school, their lives crash together blindingly.A novel for anyone who wants to fight for love, and against injustice.
Yassmin’s Story
The Hate U Give
After witnessing her friend’s death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter’s life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice.
The Women’s Atlas
The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes & Other Dauntless Girls
To respect yourself, to love yourself, should not have to be a radical decision. And yet it remains as challenging for an American girl to make today as it was in 1927 on the steps of the Supreme Court. It’s a decision that must be faced when you’re balancing on the tightrope of neurodivergence, finding your way as a second-generation immigrant, or facing down American racism even while loving America. And it’s the only decision when you’ve weighed society’s expectations and found them wanting. In The Radical Element, twelve of the most talented writers working in young adult literature today tell the stories of girls of all colours and creeds standing up for themselves and their beliefs – whether that means secretly learning Hebrew in early Savannah, using the family magic to pass as white in 1920s Hollywood, or singing in a feminist punk band in 1980s Boston. And they’re asking you to join them.
Piecing Me Together
Acclaimed author Renee Watson offers a powerful story about a girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it’s trying to break her.
I Am Malala: The Girl who Stood Up for Education and wa Shot by the Taliban
The bestselling memoir of youngest ever NOBEL PRIZE winner, Malala Yousafzai, the schoolgirl who stood up to the Taliban.