Diverse Voices (High School)

Diversity is more than a publishing buzzword—it's an integral part of the human experience. This study guide collection gathers texts written by and celebrating marginalized voices for a high school audience.

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Western, Action / Adventure, Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: World

Under a Painted Sky is a young adult historical novel set on the Oregon Trail during the 1849 Gold Rush. It is a debut novel by Stacey Lee, inspired by her own family history as a fourth-generation Chinese American. The novel won several prizes, including an American Library Association award. Her corpus focuses on Chinese culture and Chinese American experiences. Her other works with these themes include Outrun the Moon (2016), The Downstairs Girl (2019), Luck of... Read Under a Painted Sky Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Immigration, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family

Tags Drama / Tragedy, Immigration / Refugee, Poverty, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Arts / Culture

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall is a coming-of-age story about the importance of family, heritage, and perseverance. This young adult novel comes directly from McCall’s own experiences as a young Mexican immigrant, a writer with a dream, and a teenager who watches her mother die from cancer. Under the Mesquite infuses poetic form, free verse, imagery, and sprinkles of the Spanish language in order to portray a bildungsroman in which a young girl... Read Under The Mesquite Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Gender, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure


Publication year 2014

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Community

Tags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Social Justice, Politics / Government

“We Should All Be Feminists” is an essay by Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Adichie is also the author of the novels Half of a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize, and Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. “We Should All Be Feminists” is based on Adichie’s December 2012 TED talk. In the essay’s introduction, Adichie states that her aim in delivering the speech was to challenge stereotypical notions of feminism.Adichie... Read We Should All Be Feminists Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Race / Racism, Class, Disability, Modern Classic Fiction

When I Was the Greatest, published in 2014 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, is the debut novel by award-winning young adult fiction writer Jason Reynolds. It tells a nuanced and often emotional coming-of-age story in a low-income and predominantly Black New York borough. This is not a romanticized portrait but rather an earnest one that does not shy away from representing the harsher effects of poverty alongside heartfelt depictions of friendship, family, and community... Read When I Was the Greatest Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Siblings

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Romance, Fairy Tale / Folklore, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Humor, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, LGBTQ, Bullying, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Winger is a young adult novel written by American author Andrew Smith and first published in 2013. It belongs to the genre of contemporary early 21st century teen fiction and garnered recognition from the American Library Association (ALA), Publishers Weekly, and the Junior Library Guild. Because of Winger’s storyline involving LGBTQIA+ issues, it was also chosen as part of the ALA’s 2014 Rainbow List in 2014, made up of books for children and young adults... Read Winger Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Class, Sociology, History: World


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Community

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Friendship, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Romance, Magical Realism, Drama / Tragedy, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality