At a time when the U.S., like many countries, is painfully divided, the ability of the arts to foster empathy and build bridges across differences is more important than ever. Describing books in terms of windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors has become commonplace, but many people don’t know that the phrase originated with Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, Professor Emerita of Education at the Ohio State University. Dr. Bishop is among the most significant modern figures in literature for young people: Her insights have resonated globally, shaping scholarship at the highest levels of academia, guiding classroom teachers and librarians in their daily work, and fundamentally shifting practices among publishers, authors, and book award jurors. As a member of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table’s Archives and History Standing Committee, I had the tremendous honor of helping to create a tribute video to honor Dr. Bishop, in which Jacqueline Woodson and other influential figures spoke of her profound influence. (It can be viewed on the American Library Association’s YouTube page.)
As Dr. Bishop famously wrote, “Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience.” Kids need affirming books that hold up mirrors to their lives. Equally critical are the books that open windows, showing them communities unlike their own, and the ones that are sliding glass doors, inviting them to enter different worlds. Adults must be mindful of providing young readers with a varied, balanced selection of books that fill all three roles. Don’t underestimate the impact of this: After all, if books didn’t possess transformative powers, we wouldn’t see people trying so hard to ban some of them.
The following books will serve different roles—as windows, mirrors, or sliding glass doors—depending on who picks them up, but each one is passionate and authentic.
Just Until by Joseph Moldover (Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House, 2024): In this insightful exploration of a family in crisis, a teen longs to escape her small, economically stratified town, but her widowed father gains custody of her nephews, who need her too.
Briarcliff Prep: Sophomore Year by Brianna Peppins (Disney-Hyperion, 2024): A high school girl attending a Historically Black Boarding School struggles with balancing academic pressures, relationship troubles, and an extracurricular project in this novel that skillfully tackles mental health concerns and treatments.
First Love Language by Stefany Valentine (Penguin Workshop, Jan. 14): This nuanced coming-of-age tale set in Salt Lake City delves into themes of family, faith, culture, adoption, and belonging through the stories of two multiracial Asian American teens who fall in love.
Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours (Wednesday Books, Feb. 4): This insightful debut thriller centers on a Black girl, possessor of the power to sense others’ needs, and on the search for her missing friend. It shines a spotlight on inequities of race, gender, and socioeconomic status.
Say a Little Prayer by Jenna Voris (Viking, March 4): In this thoughtful work, a bisexual teen, shamed by the pastor of her Baptist church, seeks revenge—in the process learning a great deal about herself and those she loves.
Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.
