These books have been chosen to reflect the diversity of an urban classroom but are also selected with a broad range of subjects to engage readers with different interests. The language of these books falls mostly in the lower end of Junior grades, so they are accessible to a broad range of reading abilities. The stories feature, indigenous, black, white, and brown characters and have protagonists who are male and female. Two of the novels are historical and based on true stories while the others are contemporary fiction. They address several themes including; the effects of racism and sexism, the impact of residential schools on indigenous families, the challenges of young people to engage with books and the cultural mis-adventures of a white, North American boy visiting Mumbai.