Elise is an only child, living with a mother who does not express affection. Her mom never uses terms of endearment with her daughter, such as "honey" or "sweetie."  Birthdays are not celebrated in their household; they both simply pretend they do not exist. The void and lack of love is a chronically painful condition in the girl's life.  She never feels happy, and ardently wishes that were not the case. Other women, including those with no children, seem much kinder to her.

During the school day, Elise speaks as little as possible. She makes an art form out of pretending not to hear other and ignoring their incessant chatter and behavior. She has one friend, Mel, but that relationship soon sours when Elise overhears Mel telling her mother she no longer wants to bother with Elise. She calls Elise rude; but it is difficult to be nice when your experience is that no one goes too far out of their way for you.

Elise finds some solace in running. She is on the track team, and her coach values her because she is one of the fastest girls. During one race, Elise notices Mel and another girl, Sylvia, on the sidelines. Seeing the girls causes her to stride out a bit more. Elise also notices others, both in school and life, making the connections she sorely lacks. Perhaps someday, someone will pay attention to her.

After Zero by Christina Collins, 2018

This is a very sad story about a girl who feels forgotten.

Christina Collins' website

Books about selective mutism
 

Write Like a Girl. That's the name of the club Chelsea and Jasmine created with their advisor, Ms. Lucas, at their activist high school in NYC. Loud and proud, these girls say what they want, when they want, using their blog as a forum. Through prose and poetry, they discuss everything from feminism to black power. Jasmine wants the world to know that big is beautiful, and that women are their own beings with opinions—and that writing like a girl is a positive accomplishment. 

Jasmine's father is dying of cancer, and it's devastating. Gone is the fun-loving, energetic dad she grew up with, the dad her younger brother, James, will never know. They won't be cooking together at barbeques and joking during quiet weekend moments in the kitchen. Her dad, Mr. Gray, is a shadow of his former self, but he tries to keep his energy and good spirits up. Jasmine's friends, Isaac, Nadine, and Chelsea, try to help, but the pain for Jasmine is sometimes unbearable.

Chelsea writes about the fundamental rights of women. She is vocal on their club blog, and speaks her mind with their principal…for better or worse. Write Like a Girl has an edge, and the girls' high school does not like blogs to be too controversial. Their version of appropriate social media includes things such as information about upcoming events. Being stifled by authority is not exactly Chelsea's style, and the girls may be searching for another avenue through which to be heard.

Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan 

The poetry in this work blew me away; it is very raw and powerful. Watson is a wonderful author.

Renee Watson's website

Books about black power

Books about feminism
 

She is told her skin is too dark, she is too big. But Vanessa Martin has other ideas. She knows that black girls rock. Since judges have finally crowned an African American Miss America, the world is aware that dark girls are pretty. Vanessa will show her classmates, grandfather, and father that she too can win. The lights, the dresses, the makeup: she plans to relish and revel in it all.

Some people opine that beauty pageants are simply a "meat market," but Vanessa thinks they are fun. Her best friend, Tanisha, supports her, cheering when her friend gets selected for the pageant. The world of beauty is not exactly Tanisha's thing, and she does not want to accompany Vanessa to practices. Vanessa resents this lack of involvement, especially because she attended so many of Tanisha's noisy, raucous basketball games.

Luckily, Vanessa has her writing to escape to.  She pours her passion about pageants into poetry and into her diary, named Darlene. The girl loves twirling words into rhythm. Rhyme and melody float into her writing and imagination. The lights, history, fame, and bliss captivate the teen. A beautiful dress and makeup adorn her sparkling walk and smile. Vanessa's dark, curvy self dazzles the stage.

Like Vanessa by Tami Charles, 2018

I am not a fan of beauty pageants, but definitely support equity and racial diversity in all ventures. The character was brave enough to challenge an unfair status quo.

Tami Charles' website

Books about beauty pageants