Thursday, December 5, 2019

New Teen Reads for the New Year

Can you believe that 2019 is almost over?  I have already started planning my "to read" list for 2020 and I can tell you that the year is going to be a great one for black children's and teen literature.  I'm most excited about a few teen/young adult titles that will release right after the New Year.  Check them out below and don't forget to pick up a copy at your favorite local bookshop or library.  Happy Reading!

145th Street: Short Stories
Walter Dean Meyers
1/14/2020

"From the award-winning author of Monster, this [Anniversary Edition] collection of powerful and poignant stories about 145th Street-an unforgettable block in the heart of Harlem- celebrates African-American life in all of its glory."


Badass Black Girl
M.J. Fievre
1/14/2020

"Explore the many facets of your identity through hundreds of big and small questions.  M.J. Fievre tackles topics such as family and friends, school and careers, body image, and stereotypes in this journal designed for teenage girls."


Black Girl Unlimited
Echo Brown
1/14/2020

"Heavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism, Black Girl Unlimited fearlessly explores the intersections of poverty, sexual violence, depression, racism, and sexism---all through a coming of age story..."


Not So Pure and Simple
Lamar Giles
1/21/2020

"High school junior Del Rainey unwittingly joins a Purity Pledge class at church, hoping to get closer to his long-term crush Kiera...but as he plots and plans, he neglects to ask the most important question: What does Kiera want?"


Saving Savannah
Tonya Bolden
1/14/2020

"From acclaimed author, Tonya Bolden, comes the story of a teen girl becoming a woman on her own terms against a backdrop of widespread social change in the early 1900's"


Say Her Name
Zetta Elliot
1/14/2020

"Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, these poems pay tribute to victims of police brutality as well as activists insisting that Black Lives Matter"


Wednesday, November 6, 2019

#ICYMI: Fall Reads You Don't Want to Miss


Fall is finally here and I cannot think of a better time to find new books to share with the young people in your life. What are you excited about reading with them this season?  Do you plan to give books as gifts during the winter holidays? Not sure? I hope the recent and upcoming releases mentioned below will inspire you.  Happy Reading!

*each book includes tags about the genre, topic, and appropriate age group

Board Books & Picture Books


I Look Up To...Misty Copeland by Membrino, Anna
11/5/19
TAGS: biography, ballerinas, African- American women, black history, ages 0-4


I Look Up To...Oprah Winfrey, by Membrino, Anna
11/5/19
TAGS: biography, television personalities, African- American women, black history, ages 0-4


Love and the Rocking Chair by Dillon, Diane
10/15/19
TAGS: fiction, rocking chairs, family, love, new babies, ages 4-8

Parker Looks Up by Curry, Jessica

10/15/19
TAGS: autobiographical, Michelle Obama, African-American Girls, Self-Esteem, ages 4-8

Double Bass Blues by Loney, Andrea

10/22/19
TAGS: fiction, grandfathers, musicians, neighborhoods, ages 4-8

Saturday by Mora, Oge

10/22/19
TAGS: fiction, mothers & daughters, people & places, adaptability, ages 4-8

Happy Right Now by Berry, Julie

10/29/19
TAGS: fiction, girls, self-esteem, emotions, happiness, ages 4-8

Layla's Happiness by Tallie, Mariahadessa

11/19/19


TAGS: fiction, girls, friendship, self-esteem, emotions & feelings, ages 4-8


Chapter Books and Graphic Novels


Tristan Strong Punches a Whole in the Sky by Mbalia, Kwame
10/15/19


TAGS: fiction, adventure, supernatural, science fiction, self-confidence, ages 9-12

The Dragon Thief by Elliot, Zetta
10/22/19
TAGS: fiction, dragons, magic, Brooklyn, NY, ages 9-12

The Forgotten Girl by Brown, Indian Hill
11/5/19
TAGS: fiction, friendship, ghost stories, North Carolina, ages 9-12

Ali Cross by Patterson
11/25/19
TAGS: fiction, detective stories, action adventure, family, ages 9-12

Mia Mayhem vs. the Mighty Robot, Mia Mayhem #6  by West, Kara
11/26/19
TAGS: fiction, early reader, superheroes, action & adventure, ages 6-8

Going to Ghana, Ana & Andrew Series by Platt, Christine
12/15/19
TAGS: fiction, siblings, family, imagination & play, people & places, ages 6-8


Black Panther: Stormy Weather, Book #1 by Baker, Kyle
12/17/19
TAGS: fiction, action & adventure, superheroes, media tie-in, ages 9-12

Black History and Biography Books


The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan by Dicicco, Joan
10/1/19
TAGS: biography, African-American Inventors, technology, black history, ages 7-12

Buzzing with Questions by Harrington, Janice
11/5/19
TAGS: biography, Charles Henry Turner, African-American Biologists, zoology black history, ages 4-10

Free Your Mind by Bryant, Jen
11/12/19
TAGS: biography, August Wilson, African-American Authors, playwrights, black history, ages 7-10

Exceptional Black Men in Black History by Harrison, Vashti
11/19/19
TAGS: biography, African-American men, black history, ages 7-12

Sheroes: Harriet Tubman by Platt, Christine
12/15/19
TAGS: biography, African-American Women, black history, ages 5-8

Sheroes: Cleopatra by Platt, Christine
12/15/19
TAGS: biography, African history, Egypt, black history, ages 5-8



Teen and Young Adult Books


Shuri, vol. 2 by Ayala, Vita
9/24/19
TAGS: graphic novel, fiction, superheroes, women superheroes, Black Panther, ages 9 & Up

The Crossover [the graphic novel] by Alexander, Kwame
9/24/19
TAGS: graphic novel, fiction, fathers and sons, siblings, basketball, ages 10-16

King Shaka: Zulu Legend by Molver, Luke W.
10/1/19
TAGS: graphic novel, biographical fiction, Zulu people, kings and queens, Africa, ages 12-18

By Any Means Necessary by Montgomery, Candice
10/8/19
TAGS: fiction, families, self-identity, LGBTQ, ages 15-18

Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir by Grimes, Nikki
10/8/19
TAGS: autobiographical, poetry, childhood and youth, African-American Poets, ages 12-17

Light It Up by Magoon, Kekla
10/22/19
TAGS: fiction, race relations, police shootings, social themes, ages 14-18

Naomi: Season One by Bendis, Brian Michael
10/29/19
TAGS: graphic novel, fiction, women superheroes, family secrets, adoption, ages 17 & Up

Girls Like Us by Pink, Randi
10/29/19
TAGS: fiction, social themes, 1972, teenage pregnancy, ages 13-18

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Adeyemi, Tomi
12/3/19
TAGS: fiction, fantasy, action & adventure, Legacy of Orisha series, ages 14-17

Zora! by Fradin, Dennis Brindell
12/17/19


TAGS: biography, black history, African American Writers, African American women ages 10-14