Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Awareness Month! We believe that it is so crucial to raise awareness for different minority groups and do whatever we can to support those close to our heart. At Girls for Books, that means picking a new novel off of our shelf that helps out different authors around the globe. Here are our favorite AAPI picks this May!

*Remember to ask your parents before reading anything on our list! We try our best to be age-appropriate and inclusive with our picks.

For Younger Readers:

Eyes That Kiss in The Corners by Joanna Ho

Punky Aloha by Shar Tuiasoa

Sari-Sari Summers by Lynnor Bontiago

Brown Is Beautiful by Supriya Kelkar and Noor Sofi (read our review of Supriya Kelkar’s American as Paneer Pie!)

I’m From Here Too by Kashmira Seth

For Middle Grade Readers:

Top Secret by Kelly Yang (releases June 2nd, 2025) (read our reviews of Kelly Yang’s Front Desk, Three Keys, and Room to Dream!)

Drawing Deena by Hena Khan (read our review of Hena Khan’s Amina’s Voice!)

Boomi’s Boombox by Shanti Sekaran

Summer at Squee by Andrea Wang

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

For YA/Adult Readers:

homebody by Rupi Kaur

Kuleana by Sara Kehaulani Goo

The Incredible Kindness of Paper: A Novel by Evelyn Syke

Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang

Home Has No Borders: An Anthology edited by Sona Charaipotra and Samira Ahmed (read our review of Samira Ahmed’s Love, Hate, and Other Filters!)

Happy reading!
Love, the Book Twins,
Neerja and Nidhi