Human Rights Stories
Get inspiration from these stories about people around the world who survive and thrive in the face of injustice. Click here for a print-friendly version of this list.
Picture Books (JE)
| Author | Title | Call Number |
|---|
| Cline-Ransome | Freedom's School Lizzie and her brother Paul attend a new school built for freed slaves. | JE Cline-Ransome |
| Karr | Mama Went to Jail for the Vote Susan Elizabeth's mother pickets the White House for the right to vote. | JE Karr |
| Rosen | This Is Our House A boy rejects others until there is no one left for him. | JE Rosen |
Children’s Fiction (J)
| Author | Title | Call Number |
|---|
| Burg | Unbound Grace and her family attempt to flee slavery via the Underground Railroad. But first, they have to make it through the Dismal Swamp. | J Burg |
| Hoban | The Mouse and His Child Two mice overcome an evil, oppressive rat in the junkyard. | J Hoban |
| Taylor | Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry This novel is first in a series depicting an African-American family's survival in the face of bigotry in Mississippi during the early twentieth century. | Y Taylor |
Children’s Illustrated Fiction (J Illus.)
| Author | Title | Call Number |
|---|
| Bandy | Granddaddy's Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box Michael watches his grandfather leave the farm for a day to take his rightful place as a voter. | J Illus Bandy |
| Innocente | Rose Blanche During World War II, a young German girl's curiosity leads to a terrible discovery. | J Illus. Innocente |
| Smith | Half Spoon of Rice: A Survival Story of the Cambodian Genocide Nine-year-old Nat and his family endure the Cambodian genocide. | J Illus. Smith |
Junior High Fiction (Y)
| Author | Title | Call Number |
|---|
| Free: Stories About Human Rights An anthology of fourteen stories by young adult authors from around the world, on themes including asylum, law, education, and faith. | Y FR |
| Alvarez | Before We Were Free Describes life in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. | Y Alvarez pb |
| Bauer | Tell Me Twelve-year-old Anna helps rescue a girl being held against her will. | Y Bauer |
| Choi | Year of Impossible Goodbyes A young Korean girl survives the oppressive Japanese and Russian occupation of North Korea and later escapes to freedom. | Y Choi |
| Draper | Stella by Starlight When the Klan causes panic and fear in her small town, Stella must find the strength to demand change. | Y Draper |
| Ellis | The Breadwinner In this first book in a series, eleven-year-old Parvana must disguise herself as a boy so she can elude the Taliban and provide for her family. | Y Ellis |
| Farmer | House of the Scorpion Matt discovers he is a clone, bred to supply body parts for his "Patron." | Y Farmer |
| Naidoo | The Other Side of Truth Smuggled out of Nigeria, Sade and her brother try to make a new life. | Y Naidoo |
| Paterson | Lyddie Vermont farm girl Lyddie Worthen works as a domestic servant and then as a factory worker in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1840s. | Y Paterson |
| Sepahban | Paper Wishes Because they are Japanese American, Manami, her parents, and Grandfather are sent to an ugly, dreary internment camp in the desert. | Y Sepahban |
| Sheth | Boys Without Names Imprisoned in a sweatshop, Gopal must find a way to freedom. | Y Sheth |
| Sullivan | Golden Boy Rejected for being albino, Habo must find a way to survive and also to love himself. | Y Sullivan |
| Whelan | Homeless Bird After Koly is widowed at age thirteen and abandoned by her mother-in-law in a strange Indian city, she must find a way to survive on her own. | Y Whelan |
Last Updated: 2/18
