Appelt, Kathi. Kissing Tennessee. (Ages 12 and older)
This ensemble collection of short stories includes some that are less than successful; however, "The Question" stands as stellar in its portrayal of the 8th grade boy who confronts himself about his growing awareness of his gay identity.

Bauer, Marion Dane, ed. Am I Blue?: Coming Out from the Silence. (Ages 12 and older)
An enthralling anthology of original short stories featuring gay/lesbian teens by such authors as Bruce Coville, M.E. Kerr, William Sleator, Jane Yolen, C.S. Adler, Bauer, Marion Bauer, Francesca Lia Block, Nancy Garden, James Cross Giblin, Ellen Howord, Jonathan London, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Leslea Newman, Cristina Salat, and Jacqueline Woodson.

Bruchac, Joseph. The Heart of a Chief.  (Ages 10 – 13)
An eleven-year-old Penacook Indian boy living on a reservation faces his father's alcoholism, a controversy surrounding plans for a casino on a tribal island, and insensitivity toward Native Americans in his school and nearby town.

Flake, Sharon G. The Skin I'm In. (Ages 10-16)
Maleeka Madison suffers from low self-esteem because she is so dark-skinned. When she meets her new teacher whose skin is blotched with a rare skin condition, she gains the courage to accept herself.

Garden, Nancy. Holly's secret. (Ages 9 and older)
When she starts middle school, eleven-year-old Holly decides to become sophisticated and feminine, change her name to Yvette, and hide the fact that her two moms are lesbians.

Jimenez, Francisco. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. (Ages 12 and older)
This largely autobiographical book tells of the immigration of a child with his family to California from Tlaquepaque, Mexico.

Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-Kira.   (Ages 10-14)
A lyrical story of two Japanese sisters growing up in Georgia in the early 60s. When one sister becomes terminally ill, the other must help herself and her family look to the future.

Newton, Robert.  Runner .  (Ages 12 and older)
Charlie's father is dead and he would like to quit school, in spite of his mother's objections. All he wants is to make money so he can give his mother and baby brother a better life. How far would you go to feed your family?

Osa, Nancy. Cuba 15 . (Ages 12 – 15)
Violet Paz, a Chicago high school student, reluctantly prepares for her upcoming "quince," a Spanish nickname for the celebration of an Hispanic girl's fifteenth birthday. (Pura Belpre Author Honor, 2004)

Park, Linda Sue. When My Name Was Keoko: A Novel of Korea in World War II. (Ages 11 – 14)
With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the increasingly oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during World War II, which threatens to entirely suppress Korean culture.

Sheth, Kashmira. Blue Jasmine. (Ages 11 – 14)
Twelve year-old Seema is moving with her family from their small town in India to Iowa City, where Seema is forced to confront a new language, strange foods and customs, and a bully who has it in for her.

Wolf, Joan M. Someone Named Eva.  (ages 9-12)
On the night Nazi soldiers come to her home in Czechoslovakia, Miladas grandmother says, "Remember, Milada. Remember who you are. Always." Milada promises, but she doesnt understand her grandmothers words. After all, she is Milada, who lives with her mama and papa, her brother and sister, and her beloved Babichka. Milada, eleven years old, the fastest runner in school. How could she ever forget? Then the Nazis take Milada away from her family and send her to a Lebensborn center in Poland. There, she is told she fits the Aryan ideal: her blond hair and blue eyes are the right color; her head and nose, the right size. She is given a new name, Eva, and trained to become the perfect German citizen, to be the hope of Germanys future-and to forget she was ever a Czech girl named Milada. Inspired by real events, this fascinating novel sheds light on a little-known aspect of the Nazi agenda and movingly portrays a young girls struggle to hold on to her identity and her hope in the face of a regime intent on destroying both.

Woodson, Jacqueline. I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This. (Ages 11 – 14)
Marie, the only African-American girl in the eighth grade willing to befriend her white classmate Lena, discovers that Lena's father is doing horrible things to her in private.

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. (Ages 13 and older)
This book alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to participate in the popular culture.