Diversifying texts in English: Finding contemporary reads for children and young adults
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This essential guide to diverse children's and young adult literature, created by Aston University and written by Dr Mary Davies and Dr Sarah Olive, represents a wide range of racial and ethnic perspectives.
What's included
- A comprehensive collection of carefully curated resources from UK literary organisations, publishers, booksellers and teaching bodies
- Detailed summaries of each resource, including content themes, character diversity, and accompanying teaching materials
- Clear age-appropriate recommendations to help you select the right texts for your students
This booklet is available as a free PDF download; simply create a free account to download it.
How to use this booklet
This practical guide is designed to support busy teachers in diversifying their text selections with minimal preparation time. Use it to discover new authors and titles that will engage your students, reflect their diverse experiences, and broaden their perspectives. Whether you're planning a complete curriculum overhaul or simply looking to introduce more inclusive texts into your existing schemes of work, this booklet provides a structured starting point with ready-to-implement recommendations.
A wealth of diverse perspectives
The resources in this booklet feature poetry, plays, fiction and non-fiction prose across various themes, including family, friendship, relationships, grief, and adventure. Many texts centre on the experiences of children and young people from diverse backgrounds, with a particular focus on migration stories and refugee experiences. Whilst prose fiction features prominently, you'll also find suggestions for incorporating diverse voices across all literary forms.
This guide is valuable not only for teachers but also for policymakers, awarding bodies, publishers, booksellers, librarians and parents who wish to support more inclusive reading experiences for young people.
Looking for more like this?
Explore our related resources from Teachit to further enhance diversity in your English teaching:
Browse our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion partnership resources.
Discover our series on exploring diverse voices in literature:
- Reading recommendations
- Analysing and creating narrative voice
- Building evaluation skills
- Building analytical skills
Watch our on-demand CPD webinar: Encouraging more diverse reading experiences
Try our comprehensive teaching packs:
