Diversity & Inclusion
Diverse and Inclusive Books – Inspire Empathy and Understanding
At MBE Books, we’ve carefully curated a selection of diverse and inclusive titles for young readers. These stories feature characters and voices that are often under-represented in fiction, helping pupils to explore different perspectives and experiences.
Ideal for classroom libraries or guided reading, these books support the development of empathy, inclusion, and a broader understanding of the world — all while engaging students with relatable and inspiring stories.
Showing 1–25 of 43 results
Birdie (Shortlisted For Carnegie Medal 2026)
Winner of the Young Quills Award and the Diverse Book Awards.
Birdie Bagshaw has never known her parents. Having grown up in a children's home for mixed race children in 1950s Leeds, now she has come to live with her great-aunt in the Yorkshire ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 256
- MBE Code : 762
Bobby Bains Plays A Blinder
A young Sikh footballer reaches out across the generational divide to help a lonely old man in an uplifting story from acclaimed author Bali Rai.
Bobby Bains loves football. He also loves helping other people. As a Sikh, it’s part of his ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 88
- MBE Code : 759
Can You See Me?
With diary entries written by eleven-year-old Libby Scott, based on her own experiences of autism, this pioneering book, writtenin collaboration with esteemed author Rebecca Westcott, hasbeen widely praised for its realistic portrayal of autism.
...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 368
- MBE Code : 415
Cinnamon
In a hot, hot country, ringed with mountains on one side and jungle on the other, lives a princess called Cinnamon. Her eyes are made of pearls, which means that she is blind. And, for reasons her parents the Rajah and Rani cannot fathom, she will ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 40
- MBE Code : 1201
Cloud Boy – Award Winning Picture Book Celebrating Neurodiversity
When Bobby gets distracted, he starts to float. His friends and family try everything they can to help him stay grounded, but the world is full of bright sights, strong smells, and unexpected sounds that pull his attention in every direction. ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 32
- MBE Code : 839
Coming To England
When she was ten years old, Floella Benjamin, along with her older sister and two younger brothers, set sail from Trinidad to London, to be reunited with the rest of their family. Alone on a huge ship for two weeks, then tumbled into a cold and ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 32
- MBE Code : 591
Dance Of Resistance
Catherine Johnson celebrates the incredible life of Josephine Baker in this "superb autobiography" (Guardian), chronicling her journey from an impoverished childhood to beloved actress, dancer and wartime heroine.
Dancer, singer, actress, movie ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 122
- MBE Code : 801
Evie And Maryam’s Family Tree – Winner Of The Waterstones Best Book For Young Readers
Evie and Maryam are in the same class at school, uneasily thrown together at the start of a new term as they start a project together looking into their family trees. The two girls don't think they have much in common - Maryam feels like an outsider,...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 352
- MBE Code : 843
Finding My Voice (Graphic Novel)
A two-colour graphic novel about speaking-up and standing out when you feel different. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier
How do you find your voice when everyone around you is telling you to be quiet?
Frankie is different, and so is her ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 272
- MBE Code : 856
Kofi And The Rap Battle Summer
Kofi is used to stuff going wrong, he's usually in detention or about to be. But when he finds out his best friend Kelvin has a photographic memory, he comes up with a genius money-making scheme. The whole school is obsessed with music, but no one...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 246
- MBE Code : 798
Malala’s Magic Pencil
As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil that she could use to redraw reality. She would use it for good; to give gifts to her family, to erase the smell from the rubbish dump near her house. (And to sleep an extra hour in the ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 48
- MBE Code : 841
Me And My Brian
With help from his grandma, Josh finds a way to quieten his overactive ‘Brian’ in this gently humorous and empathetic tale about family and mental health by bestseller Helen Rutter.
Josh has always called his brain Brian, and Brian can ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 84
- MBE Code : 804
On The Wall (Longlist For Carnegie Medal 2026)
Amid the frantic bustle of breaktime, Finley Tandy sits peacefully on the wall.
Mr Goodhew, watching from the staffroom, can't help but wonder at the
boy's gift for stillness, and his seemingly cast-iron happiness.
But maybe tranquility can be ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 256
- MBE Code : 711
Oranges In No Man’s Land
Oranges in No Man's Land brings Elizabeth Laird's emotional and gripping adventure to her next generation of fans.
Since her father left Lebanon to find work and her mother tragically died in a shell attack, ten-year-old Ayesha has been living in...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 128
- MBE Code : 242
Popcorn (Shortlisted For Carnegie Medal 2026)
A heartfelt and laugh-out-loud-funny story about letting go of control and accepting help, interspersed with Rob Harrell's amazing spot art and comic panels that depict the real, difficult feelings of anxiety and OCD, as well as real tips for coping....
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 288
- MBE Code : 813
Race To The Rescue: Meet The Maliks
Maysa Malik has got herself into trouble yet again and this time she's forgotten to post her dad's passport application before his SUPER IMPORTANT work trip.
Then Imam Abdullah goes missing, and Maysa and her twin brother Musa have a new mystery ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 198
- MBE Code : 862
Reggie Houser Has The Power
Reggie Houser has ADHD and struggles to make friends at school, plus his mum and teachers seem constantly weary about his erratic, high-energy ways.
But when he sees a hypnotist perform on stage at the holiday park he visits, Reggie ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 276
- MBE Code : 736
Safiyyah’s War (Shortlisted For The Yoto Carnegie Medal 2024)
War comes to the streets of Paris and Safiyyah’s life changes for ever.
Her best friend’s family have fled, and the bombing makes her afraid to leave the mosque where she lives. But when her father is arrested by the Nazis for his secret ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 336
- MBE Code : 582
Six Weeks
The hotly anticipated new book from award-winning writer Matt Goodfellow, author of bestselling The Final Year. Meet Alfie Piper, embarking on a summer he'll never forget ...
Alfie Piper has six weeks of summer - and nothing left to lose.
...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 304
- MBE Code : 822
The Boy At The Back Of The Class
WINNER OF THE BLUE PETER BOOK AWARD 2019 WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE 2019Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child's perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 298
- MBE Code : 195
The Boy In The Suit
It's not easy to fit in when you're the boy in the suit...
Ten-year-old Solo - embarrassingly, that isn't short for anything - just wants to be normal.
He wants a name that doesn't stand out. He wishes he had a proper school uniform that ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 384
- MBE Code : 863
The Boy Who Cried Ghost
There's a ghost in Richard's wardrobe.
Every day he carries out a series of rituals that he believes will keep the ghost trapped inside. He tries to tell his friends and family, but they dismiss his worries and concerns as being part of his OCD. But...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 336
- MBE Code : 810
The Boy Who Didn’t Want To Die
A story of survival, of love between mother and son and of enduring hope in the face of unspeakable hardship. An important read.
The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die describes an extraordinary journey, made by Peter, a boy of five, through war-torn ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 224
- MBE Code : 860
The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh
Billy Plimpton is an eleven-year-old boy with a big dream.
He wants to be a stand-up comedian when he grows up: delivering pinpoint punch-lines and having audiences hang on his every hilarious word.
A tough career for anyone, but surely ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 360
- MBE Code : 444
The Cheat Book Vol.1
Kamal is better than anyone else in his school at fading into the background. When you're a refugee and you've started a new school three times in as many years, you learn to keep your head down.
But, after a major puke incident in front of the ...
- Book Cover : Paperback
- Number Of Pages : 240
- MBE Code : 857