The Children’s Book Council and Goddard Riverside in New York have announced the shortlist for their new literary award, the Goddard Riverside CBC Young People’s Book Prize for Social Justice. The prize is given in honor of nonfiction books for young readers that represent urban life and themes of community, compassion, and equality. The winner will be announced at Goddard Riverside’s annual gala on October 29.

Shortlist

All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything by Annette Bay Pimental, illus. by Nabi H. Ali (Sourcebooks Explore)

For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World by Michael W. Waters, illus. by Keisha Morris (Flyaway)

Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery, illus. by Jessie Hartland (S&S/Wiseman)

Lizzie Demands a Seat!: Elizabeth Jennings Fights for Streetcar Rights by Beth Anderson, illus. by E.B. Lewis (Boyds Mills & Kane/Calkins Creek)

Goddard Riverside serves more than 20,000 New Yorkers each year with programs including early childhood education, after school, employment support, college access, youth programs, homeless outreach, senior centers, and legal assistance. Executive director Roderick L. Jones said in a statement, “It’s critical that we raise the next generation of Americans with a deep understanding of social justice. We’re thrilled to recognize these books for the powerful way they make concepts like community, caring and equality real for young people.”

Carl Lennertz, executive director of the Children’s Book Council, added, “I want to thank Goddard for the work they do every single day, the publishers for the powerful and important books from this year that they sent in, and the two judges: Beth Puffer, longtime bookseller at Eeyore’s Books for Children and Bank Street Bookstore, and Nicholas Rodriguez, the CBC intern who worked on this project all summer. We’re delighted to bring these works some well-deserved attention and we’ve listed many of the books submitted on a Courageous Women in History reading list, now up at CBCbooks.org.”

The prize is a companion to the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice for adult readers, which is now in its fourth year and will be announced on October 2.