2024 Notable Books for a Global Society

​Mary Ellen Oslick, Tracey Hodges, Bethany Scullin, Lesli Morris, Emily Reed
 
In this first of two columns, members of the 2024 Notable Books for a Global Society committee proudly present reviews of 12 of the 25 outstanding books for readers in PreK to 12th grades from this year’s list. These books, which vary in genre and format, represent multicultural literature at its finest, amplifying diverse voices and illuminating stories. 

The Artivist. Nikkolas Smith. (2023). Kokila.
Inspired by his own journey from artist and activist to artivist, Nikkolas Smith’s picture book The Artivist is a visually stunning masterpiece depicting a better world for all. The narrator is a Black child who is told he is an artist because he likes to paint and also an activist because he wants to help his community and “seed goodness in the world.” He shows the reader some problems in the world through a series of images depicting homelessness, voter suppression, and pollution in our oceans. The child combines his artistic and activistic sides to paint messages of hope for the world: love, clean water, protection of children from gun violence, justice, and more. Nikkolas Smith leaves the reader with the question, “What change will you create?” Each time readers open The Artivist, they will discover new depths of imagery on each page. (PreK Up)
—LM

---

Dancing Hands: A Story of Friendship in Filipino Sign Language. Joanna Que & Charina Marquez. Trans. by Karen Llagas. Illus. by Fran Alvarez.  (2023). Chronicle.
The allure of a new friend can make certain things like communicating in the same language seem trivial. A new family moves into Sam’s neighborhood, and she is intrigued to see a girl her age, Mai, using her “dancing hands” to talk to her family members. After a series of accidentally-on-purpose meetings, Sam and Mai become friends, and Mai teaches Sam how to make her hands dance in Filipino Sign Language (FSL). They work through their initial miscommunications and eventually share their dreams for the future—Mai wants to be a teacher, and Sam wants to protect the Earth. The back matter for Dancing Hand, originally published in the Philippines, includes information about Filipino Sign Language (FSL) and how it is different from American Sign Language (ASL) as well as sign languages around the world and a visual glossary of FSL words. The endpapers display images of Mai and Sam signing with English and Filipino translations. (PreK Up) 
—MEO

---

Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust. Elisa Boxer. Illus. by Amy June Bates. (2023). Abrams.
“Hate has a way of bringing out heroes.” As a teenager, Jacqueline Gauthier worked for the French Resistance during World War II fighting against the Nazis and protecting Jewish families. With cover as a social worker helping children, she was able to deliver false identity papers to Jews in the hidden compartment of a toy duck. “After all, who would suspect that a wooden duck with an orange beak and wheels and wings hid such a deep secret?” In this picture book based on a true story, readers learn of Jacqueline’s heroic acts of bravery and compassion; she was able to save over two hundred lives during the war. Readers also become privy to another secret—Jacqueline is really Judith Geller, a Jewish girl with her own false identity papers. The extensive back matter includes notes from the author and the illustrator and a bibliography with websites, testimonies, interviews, articles, and books listed. (PreK Up) 
—MEO

---

How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee. Carole Boston Weatherford. Illus. by Frank Morrison. (2023). Candlewick.
This picture book biography immerses readers in the inspiring journey of eighth-grader MacNolia Cox (1923-1976) from Akron, Ohio, to becoming the first African American finalist in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Along with highlighting MacNolia's talent and determination, the story details the stark prejudices and discrimination she faced. When MacNolia and Elizabeth Kenney, another Black competitor, participated in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D. C., in 1936, they were required to enter the competition stage through the back door and were seated at a card table apart from the white student contestants. Her story is a testament to courage and resilience educating readers about past injustices and celebrating the strength to challenge and rise above them. Carole Boston Weatherford’s provides a context for the story with a foreword and an epilogue about the Scripps National Spelling Bee and the history of the fight to integrate spelling bees in the United States. A bibliography is included. (Grade 3 Up)
—BS

---

The Lost Year. Katherine Marsh. (2023). Roaring Brook.
Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His father is overseas and his mother has just moved his 101-year-old great-grandmother in with them to finish out the time of the Covid pandemic. Like many others, he feels stressed and isolated. His mom even takes away his video game, and asks him to spend time with his great-grandmother. In an attempt to start a conversation, he asks about her past. Clues begin to unravel as Matthew finds a photograph and other items that are pieces to his great-grandmother's life growing up during the Holodomor, the Ukrainian famine. The book is written from different points of view and in alternating timelines connecting the present day to the  1930s and the United States to the Soviet Union. This novel inspired by the author’s family history is a page turner about secrets, survival, family, and sacrifice. The reader’s heart will beat fast as the mystery of Matthew’s great-grandmother’s life story is slowly revealed. (Gr 6 Up)
—ER

---

Mascot. Charles Waters & Traci Sorell. (2023). Charlesbridge.
 “Be strong. Be visible. Educate allies and keep them busy reaching out to others.” An eighth-grade English class is assigned to research and debate one of the most charged issues facing their suburban community: Should the school’s mascot, the Braves, be changed? Ms. Williams, the teacher, selects the side each student is to defend and pairs them with another student arguing the opposing side. Readers get to examine the issue from the perspectives of six students with diverse family backgrounds in short chapters in verse. Not everyone believes the mascot should be changed, and the students provide a wide variety of persuasive arguments for each side of the debate. As the story unfolds, each student must challenge their beliefs and those of their classmates. Back matter includes information and resources: Words to Know (Cherokee and Salvadoran Spanish), the history of Native people as mascots and advocacy against their use, and acknowledgments. (Gr 6 Up)
—TH

---

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir. Pedro Martín. (2023). Dial.
Pedro Martín’s parents and eight brothers and sisters are taking a road trip down to Jalisco, Mexico, to pick up his abuelito to live with them in Watsonville, California.  As a first generation Mexican American, preteen Pedro has his own identity struggles. Is he American enough? Is he losing his Mexican heritage? Now, coming face to face with his legendary abuelito, a former fighter in the Mexican Revolution, Pedro worries that he is not tough enough to be part of his family. This graphic memoir balances the hijinks of a family’s Winnebago road trip in 1977 and the heartache of a man leaving the only home and people he has ever known. Despite their language barrier (Abuelito knows little English and Pedro prefers to speak English), the two connect during this time together and come to realize all they share. (Gr 3 Up)
—MEO

---

My Powerful Hair. Carole Lindstrom. Illus. by Steph Littlebird. (2023). Abrams
This remarkable picture book is a celebration of hair and its significance across Indigenous cultures. The narrator, a young girl, relates the length of her hair with events of her life. She can’t wait to have her hair grow long and to feel a connection to her culture, the Earth, and the people who came before her. Learning to fish with Nimishoomis (her grandfather), celebrating the birth of her baby brother, being taught how to make moccasins by her cousins, having her hair braided to dance at Pow Wow by Aunti Delia, and cutting her hair now past her waist in length when Nimishoomis dies—all of these are key events woven into her hair and are such a beautiful part of her. The illustrations visually express the beauty and strength that hair possesses for Indigenous cultures. This story reflects traditions, celebration. and recognition of the importance of belonging and culture. Back matter includes a note on the significance of hair in Indigenous cultures, an Ojibwe glossary, and an author’s note. (PreK Up)
—ER

---

Remember Us. Jacqueline Woodson. (2023). Nancy Paulsen.
“When the thing we remember is gone, I wondered, what do we have left to remember it by?” In this short and poignant novel taking place over one year, Jacqueline Woodson explores the remembrance of childhood while simultaneously letting go of the past. Black 11-year-old Sage lives in “The Matchbox,” a run-down section of Brooklyn where houses are burning down, and waits for the day her own home will burn. She spends her time playing basketball better than all the neighborhood boys and exploring the familiar streets with her best friend, Freddy. However, their friend Jacob dies when his house burns down in the summer, and Sage discovers that the neighborhood isn’t as safe for her as she once thought. In the end, she reflects on that summer acknowledging “that time soothes the sharp sting of pain. Until only the soft and hazy edges of the hurt are remembered.” (Gr 6-8)
—LM

---

Saints of the Household. Ari Tison. (2023). Farrar Straus Giroux.
Saints of the Household is a compelling exploration of brotherhood, resilience, and the search for identity. The novel follows Max and Jay, two Bribri American brothers trying to deal with the aftermath of a violent incident they were involved in set against their struggles with family abuse and their cultural heritage. Alternating narratives of Max’s vignettes and Jay’s poems tell their story, offering a raw and insightful look into the complexities of their lives during their last year in high school in a small town in Minnesota. This novel stands out for its honest portrayal of challenging themes such as abuse, recovery, and moral integrity as it captures the essence of the Bribri (Indigenous Coast Rican) culture and the brothers' journeys toward understanding and healing. With its combination of depth and straightforward narrative, the book makes a notable contribution to young adult literature. This thoughtful and engaging story highlights the power of family bonds and personal growth. (Gr 9-12)
–BS

---

Tenacious: Fifteen Adventures Alongside Disabled Athletes. Patty Cisneros Prevo. Illus. by Dion MBD. (2023). Lee & Low.
Patty Cisneros Prevo, a Paralympian who competes in basketball, provides profiles of 15 athletes, including a blind downhill skier, an adaptive surfer, and a wheelchair basketball player, who are tops in their sports and have set world records, won medals and championships, and accomplished many other amazing achievements. Each entry includes an introductory verse, a brief biography, and the athlete’s expression of their “daily challenge” and “daily joy” as an athlete with a disability set against a background illustration of the individual engaged in their sport. The back matter includes an author’s note, a section on the preferred language in the book, resources, glossary, timeline of the Paralympics, and bibliography. (PreK Up)
—ER

---

That Flag. Tameka Fryer Brown. Illus. by Nikkolas Smith. (2023). Harper.
Is a flag a “symbol of violence and oppression” or “a celebration of courage and pride”? This stunning picture book examines two friends’ different understandings of what is represented by the Confederate flag. Keira, a young Black girl, treasures her friendship with Bianca, a young white girl. Keira says they are just alike as they share interests and spend time together, but their friendship faces one glaring challenge. Bianca’s home displays a Confederate flag. Ater their class takes a field trip to the Southern Legacy Museum where the students learn about the history of that flag, Keira talks with her parents about the history of racism and views a TV broadcast the next day of a tragedy involving the shooting of two Black people. The friends must reckon with their beliefs and decide if their friendship can endure. This tender portrayal of a divisive topic provides young readers with an introduction to the racist history symbolized by the Confederate flag. Back matter includes additional information about the Confederate flag, author’s and illustrator’s notes, and source note and recommended reading. (PreK Up)
—TH

---

Mary Ellen Oslick, Chair of the 2024 NBGS Committee, is an associate professor at Stetson University, DeLand, FL. Tracey Hodges is the owner of The Empowering Advocate, LLC, in Austin, TX. Bethany Scullin is an associate professor at the University of West Georgia, Carroltton, GA. Lesli Morris is a teacher specialist at Canyons School District in West Jordan, UT. Emily Reed is a Literacy Specialist at Northern York County School District in Dillsburg, PA.