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amyjanealice

A UK book blog with gushing reviews, lots of recommendations and fangirling aplenty.

in Books, Recommendations ·

World Book Day Celebration 2021: Diverse Books for Kids and Teens

Hi pals, time for me to share 3 diverse books for kids and teens.

World Book Day was one of my favourite days of the year growing up. That feeling when the book shop set up in the hall and I was let loose on the shelves with some pocket money and book tokens was the best. Reading has been a huge part of my life since being young and World Book Day was just another of the many reasons why.

Diverse books for kids and teens for World Book Day graphic

Almost twenty years since I would have first been running around those pop up shelves, parents in tow, today I’m taking part in a huge World Book Day celebration with a bunch of other fab UKYA bloggers and fellow booklovers. We’re sharing three recommendations of diverse books for kids and teens, spreading the love and hoping that you all might find some new favourites!

Make sure to check out the previous post here by Lace and Dagger Books, and I’m linking to the next recommendations from Eleanor below so keep an eye out for that.

Here are my 3 diverse books for kids and teens!
Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron*

First up we have this magical young adult story. Last Bus to Everland is a tale of escapism, hope and acceptance with an LGBTQ+ cast of characters and healthy discussions around mental health, first love and self love.

We follow Brody, a teenage boy who feels like nobody gets him. One night he meets Nico, an art student who takes him to a whole new world, one to which the door only opens at 11.21pm each Thursday for those who need it. In this “knock-off Narnia”, Brody finds his tribe and a place he feels he truly belongs, until he is forced to make a decision that will change his life. Packed with lush descriptions and a dreamlike story line, this book swept me away and left me with a smile on my face.I wrote a full spoiler free review if you were interested in hearing more.

When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten*

My next recommendation is a more recent read, one that I only actually finished a couple of weeks ago, but after I’d been really in the mood for a good middle grade tale I picked this up and it hit the spot.

On the small island in Jamaica that Clara lives on, nothing ever changes and everybody knows everybody. Until one day, a new girl turns up on the island and life as Clara knows it starts to change. As she recovers from a traumatic accident that she cannot remember, Clara navigates shifting friendships and hidden family secrets. I loved the subtle discussions of mental health, the small magical moments woven into the story and the twist that I really didn’t see coming!

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson*

This is the story of Enchanted Jones, a 17 year old aspiring singer and lover of swimming. When she auditions for a popular talent show she meets 28 year old Korey Fields, a world famous music artist, and thus begins Korey’s predatory behaviour towards Enchanted. This book had me gripped and opens up some important discussions such as racial inequality, exploitation, abuse in the music industry, privilege, classism and more. There is also a mystery thriller aspect to this story which paired with the short chapters and excellent narration in the audiobook had me racing through it.

I would say this book is definitely for the ‘older sider’ of young adult, but please be careful at any age due to the content warnings, some of which feature explicit descriptions in the book.

CW: sexual abuse, kidnapping, drugging, mental abuse, physical abuse, gaslighting, gore and violence

And there we have my three diverse recommendations for kids and teens! I hope you found something to add to your TBR here, or if you’ve already read any of these do let me know so we can have a chat about them. Our reading can always be diversified so I’m always on the look out for any recommendations, so I can’t wait to check out the rest of the posts myself.

Make sure to check out Eleanor’s recommendations next over on Instagram and see the graphic below for everyone who’s taking part. Also huge thanks to Charlotte for arranging this and creating all of the fab graphics!

If you would like to listen to lots of audiobooks or get access to a wide range of ebooks, you can get a free 60 day trial of Scribd by using my link. I will receive a month free too!**

*Affiliate links. I earn a small commission through any purchases made

**This is my Scribd referral link. If you sign up you get 60 days for free, and I receive a month free too. You can listen to plenty of audiobooks and read ebooks each month, without the one book limit you get with Audible. You can cancel any time.

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