MEETRead Books

What kinds of books are on the MEETRead Book list? We seek books that help young people learn about people and life circumstances that are different than what they know and experience. The "Bubble Busters" below show you what types of people/circumstances each book portrays. You can filter the list by age, bubble buster, or whether or not EdBoost has reviewed the book.

Yes, it's true, we have not reviewed every book on this list yet. The process of reading each book had taken far longer than we anticipated. So, we decided to include both the books that we've reviewed and books that have been recommended to us.

Here's how we recommend using the list:
1) Sort based on age group and/or bubble buster.
2) If we have read the book, the "EdBoost Summary" cell of the table will contain our notes, which tell you what the book is about, how we feel it exposes students to new situations, and any cautions that we felt important to include (also check the "Heads up" notes to check for topics you might want to discuss with students before or while reading).
3) If you want to limit the list to books that we've reviewed, check "Yes" in the "Has EdBoost reviewed this book yet?" drop down menu.
4) If you want to learn more about a book that we have not reviewed, click the book link. That link will take you to Amazon where you can read the publisher's summary and the reviews there.

We will keep adding books and writing up reviews. We may remove some books from the list if we do not think that they meet MEETReads goals.

Please note, there are many great books that are not included on the list. Although they are great reads, they don't push for MEETReads goals of empathy and understanding. Also, while we have not kept any books on the list that we thought were bad reads, not every book on the list is great literature. We have had some complaints about plots, writing style, and character development, but for every book on the list, we've decided that the benefits of the book outweigh any weaknesses. In our summaries of the books, we try to be honest about strengths and weaknesses of the books we list.

Book Cover(s) EdBoost Summary Reading Level Bubble Buster Discussion Guide
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri Grades 7 and up Gangs, Historical Event
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina Grades 8 and up Gangs, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon Grades 8 and up Historical Event, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
Wonder by R. J. Palacio Grades 5 and up Physical Appearance, Respecting Differences
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Respecting Differences
Who's In My Family?: All About Our Families by Robie H. Harris Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Respecting Differences
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt

Toby is a thirteen year old, growing up in the small town of Antler, Texas, when something interesting comes to town: it's a road show, featuring the "fattest boy in…

Grades 5 and up Physical Appearance, Poverty/Financial Insecurity, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Respecting Differences, Rural, War/ effects of war
What Night Brings by Carla Trujillo Grades 9 and up Gender Identity/ Sexual Orientation, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion
Westlandia by Paul Fleischman

Wesley is disliked by his peers for his peculiar personality. So instead of trying to get along with others, Wesley puts all of his time into dodging bullies, as well…

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Grades 3-4, Grades 5 and up Respecting Differences
We're Different, We're the Same by Bobbi Kates Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Respecting Differences
We Dream of a World by Scholastic Inc. Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Respecting Differences
We Came to America by Faith Ringgold

This picture book takes a historical look into the diverse groups of people who have immigrated to America.  The beginning of the book starts with the Native Americans…

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Refugee/ Immigrant, Respecting Differences
Tyrell by Coe Booth Grades 9 and up Homelessness, Poverty/Financial Insecurity, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Urban
Trash by Andy Mulligan

Fourteen-year-old Raphael and his friends make their living picking through garbage in a third-world dumpsite, surviving nearly unimaginable poverty with ingenuity and…

Grades 7 and up Social Class
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Grades 6 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion, Rural, Social Class
Tight Times by Barbara Shook Hazen

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Grades 3-4 Poverty/Financial Insecurity
This Boy's Life: A Memoir by Tobias Wolff Divorce
They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Benjamin Ajak, Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Judy A. Bernstein Grades 5 and up Refugee/ Immigrant, War/ effects of war
The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang Grades 3-4, Grades 5 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Refugee/ Immigrant
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis Grades 5 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
The Wall by Eve Bunting Early Readers (grades 1-2), Grades 3-4 War/ effects of war
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

When a little girl and her mother dig, plant, and water their garden, the little girl notices that they garden differently than their neighbors.  The young gardener…

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Respecting Differences
The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake

Maleeka used to be a good student, but now she's failing most of her classes and she hangs around with Char, who is repeating 7th grade for the third time.  Maleeka's…

Grades 5 and up Physical Appearance, Poverty/Financial Insecurity, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Respecting Differences, Social Class, Urban
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Grades 9 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Rural
The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin Grades 3 and up Physical Appearance, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Respecting Differences
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonya Manzano Grades 9 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney Grades 4 and up Refugee/ Immigrant
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munseh

A beautiful princess, Elizabeth, loses everything when a dragon burns her castle down and carries off her fiancé, Prince Ronald. The only thing she can find to wear is…

Early Readers (grades 1-2) Gender/ Gender Stereotypes, Physical Appearance
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate Grades 4 and up
The Little Lama Tibet by Lois Raimondo Early Readers (grades 1-2), Grades 2-3 Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
The Jumbies by Tracy Baptiste Grades 3 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
The Journey by Francesca Sanna Early Readers (grades 1-2), Grades 2-3, Grades 3-4 Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Refugee/ Immigrant, War/ effects of war
The Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Patricia C. McKissack Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Rural
The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz Grades 6 and up Gender/ Gender Stereotypes, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion, Respecting Differences, Social Class
The Hate U Give by A.C. Thomas Grades 6 and up Poverty/Financial Insecurity, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Grades 9 and up
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson Grades 2 and up Homelessness
The Family Book by Todd Parr Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Respecting Differences
The Drinking Gourd by F.N. Monjo

Young Tommy Fuller is caught misbehaving in church and is sent home by his Father.  When Tommy gets home, he stops by the family barn and discovers a family of runaway…

Early Readers (grades 1-2) Historical Event, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night-Time by Mark Haddon Grades 9 and up Disability, Learning Disability
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander Grades 6 and up
The Colors of Us by Karen Katz Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Physical Appearance, Respecting Differences
The Color Purple by Alice Walker Grades 9 and up Gender Identity/ Sexual Orientation, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion
The Chosen by Chaim Potok Grades 9 and up Religion
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier Grades 7 and up
The Children of Men by P. D. James Grades 9 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

This book tells the story of 11-year-old Parvana, a girl growing up in war-torn Kabul Afghanistan, under Taliban rule.  Parvana comes from a family that values…

Grades 3-4, Grades 5 and up Gender/ Gender Stereotypes, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion
The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible . . . on Schindler's List by Leon Leyson Grades 5 and up Historical Event, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion, War/ effects of war
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the…

Grades 7 and up Historical Event, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion, Social Class
The Acorn People by Ron Jones Grades 7 and up Disability, Physical Appearance
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Arnold Spirit, a 14 year old growing up on the Spokane Tribe Reservation, is poor.  Not only does he struggle with his family's poor resources and alcohol abuse, but…

Grades 7 and up Disability, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Respecting Differences, Social Class
Teacup by Rebecca Young

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Refugee/ Immigrant
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat Grades 7 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Refugee/ Immigrant, War/ effects of war
Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince Grades 6 and up Adoption, Physical Appearance, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Refugee/ Immigrant, War/ effects of war
Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones

Cookie, the 12-year old narrator, tells the story of her older sister's mental breakdown.  Cookie's verses tell her story -- the story of her life at school, her life…

Grades 5 and up Mental Illness
Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey by Margriet Ruurs

This picture book is about the Syrian refugee crisis. It tells the story of Rama and her family, who are forced to flee their once-peaceful village in order to escape…

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Grades 3-4, Pre-Readers Refugee/ Immigrant, War/ effects of war
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

When Stellaluna is separated from her mother before she is old enough to fly, she finds out that not all winged creatures eat fruit. Stellaluna meets…

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Respecting Differences
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda, who is just entering 9th grade, narrates this story, which is set in a high school world that is rife with cliques and clans.  Though some readers might find…

Grades 6 and up Mental Illness, Refugee/ Immigrant, Respecting Differences
Sounder by William Armstrong Grades 3-4, Grades 5 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Rural
Slob by Ellen Potter Grades 6 and up Physical Appearance
Skellig by David Almond Grades 5 and up Illness
Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People by S.D. Nelson Grades 4 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Rural
Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell Grades 3-4, Grades 5 and up
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples Grades 7 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion
Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Respecting Differences
Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani Grades 5 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Refugee/ Immigrant, Respecting Differences, Rural, Urban
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr

Twelve-year-old Sadako lives in Hiroshima Japan.  She was two years old when the the US dropped an atomic bomb on her city; she survived and her city is rebuilding.  …

Grades 3-4, Grades 5 and up Illness, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, War/ effects of war
Rules by Cynthia Lord Grades 3-4, Grades 5 and up
Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang Grades 5 and up Historical Event, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
Rainbow Crow by Nancy Van Laan

The earth's first snow is falling and as it grows deeper the animals are disappearing benath it. Cold and worried, they argue over who should ask the Great Sky Spirit…

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Grades 3-4, Pre-Readers
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp Grades 9 and up
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

This autobiographical graphic novel traces Marjane's childhood in revolutionary and then post-revolution Iran.  Marjane's parents and their friends are activists,…

Grades 7 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Refugee/ Immigrant, Religion, Social Class
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger Grades 9 and up Gender Identity/ Sexual Orientation
Paperboy by Vince Vawter Grades 6 and up Disability
Ox-Cartman by Donald Hall Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Rural
Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town by Warren St. John Grades 7 and up Refugee/ Immigrant, War/ effects of war
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Billie Jo, the 14-year-old narrator, tells the story of her family's exprience in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl (early 1930's).  Through verse, Billie Jo tells about her…

Grades 5 and up Historical Event, Rural, Social Class
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper Grades 3-4, Grades 5 and up Illness
Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Tanya Simon and Richard Simon Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Refugee/ Immigrant, Religion
One Family by George Shannon Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Respecting Differences
One Came Home by Amy Timberlake Grades 5 and up Rural
One by Kathryn Otoshi Pre-Readers Respecting Differences
Once They Had a Country: Two Teenage Refugees in the Second World War by Muriel R. Gillick Grades 8 and up Historical Event, Refugee/ Immigrant, War/ effects of war
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Annemarie Johnson is 10 years old when the Nazi's invade Copenhagen, Denmark.  Once the Nazi's start coming for Copenhagen's Jews, Annemarie's family takes in…

Grades 3-4, Grades 5 and up Historical Event, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion
Nomad by William Alexander Grades 4 and up Physical Appearance, Refugee/ Immigrant
Nomad by William Alexander Grades 4 and up Physical Appearance, Refugee/ Immigrant
Night by Jean Craighead George Grades 9 and up Historical Event, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion, War/ effects of war
My Prairie Summer by Sarah Glasscock Grades 2-3, Grades 3-4 Rural
My New Mom and Me by Renata Galindo

“My New Mom and Me” is a picture book about adoption and diversity.  The story is told from the point of view of a puppy who has just been adopted by a cat. In the…

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Adoption, Respecting Differences
My Name is Not Angelica by Scott O'Dell Grades 6 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture
My Name is Johari by Anne Sibley O'Brien Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Respecting Differences
Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest

Mr. George Baker and Harry don’t seem like they would be friends. George is an African American, one-hundred year old man and Harry is a young boy who lives next door…

Early Readers (grades 1-2), Grades 3-4 Respecting Differences
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool Grades 5 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Rural
Monster by Walter Dean Myers Grades 7 and up Gangs, Urban
Money Hungry by Sharon G. Flake

Raspberry, a spunky middle schooler, both narrates and stars in this novel.  As the title suggests, Raspberry is obsessed with money.  Although all of her friends…

Grades 5 and up Homelessness, Poverty/Financial Insecurity, Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Respecting Differences, Social Class, Urban
Mommy, Mama, and Me by Lesléa Newman Early Readers (grades 1-2), Pre-Readers Gender Identity/ Sexual Orientation, Gender/ Gender Stereotypes
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli Grades 5 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture, Religion, War/ effects of war
Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña Grades 9 and up Race/ Ethnicity/ Culture