|
|
|
|
Akata witch
by Nnedi Okorafor
Twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue, an American-born albino child of Nigerian parents, moves with her family back to Nigeria, where she learns that she has latent magical powers which she and three similarly gifted friends use to catch a serial killer.
|
|
|
|
Akata warrior
by Nnedi Okorafor
A sequel to Akata Witch finds a marginalized but increasingly powerful Sunny chosen to lead a dangerous mission to stop an apocalyptic plot by the terrifying masquerade, Ekwensu.
|
|
|
|
The stonekeeper : The Stonekeeper
by Kazu Kibuishi
After moving into an old ancestral home, Emily and Navin's mother is kidnapped and dragged down the basement stairs by a mysterious creature, and after giving chase, the kids find themselves in a magical but dangerous world of man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, and shadowy enemies.
|
|
|
|
Avatar : the last airbender. The promise. Part one
by Gene Luen Yang
Following the war, Aang travels to a colony in the center of Earth Nation where friction between neighbors threatens the world's new peace, pitting the Avatar against one of his closest friends
|
|
|
|
Betty before X
by Ilyasah Shabazz
A powerful middle-grade novel about the childhood activism of Malcolm X's wife, written by their daughter, describes how young Betty finds confidence and purpose by volunteering for the Housewives League in 1945 Detroit, learning skills and developing awareness that inspires her future as a Civil Rights icon.
|
|
|
|
Blended
by Sharon M. Draper
Piano-prodigy Isabella, eleven, whose black father and white mother struggle to share custody, never feels whole, especially as racial tensions affect her school, her parents both become engaged, and she and her stepbrother are stopped by police.
|
|
|
|
Brown girl dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson
In vivid poems that reflect the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, an award-winning author shares what it was like to grow up in the 1960s and 1970s in both the North and the South.
|
|
|
|
Bud, not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H. E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
|
|
|
|
New kid
by Jerry Craft
Enrolled in a prestigious private school where he is one of only a few students of color, talented seventh grade artist Jordan finds himself torn between the worlds of his Washington Heights apartment home and the upscale circles of Riverdale Academy.
|
|
|
|
Class act
by Jerry Craft
Eighth grader Drew Ellis recognizes that he isn't afforded the same opportunities, no matter how hard he works, that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted, and to make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids and is finding it hard not to withdraw, even as their mutual friend Jordan tries to keep their group of friends together.
|
|
|
|
Dragon hoops
by Gene Luen Yang
An introverted reader starts understanding local enthusiasm about sports in his school when he gets to know some of his talented athletic peers and discovers that their stories are just as thrilling as the comics he loves.
|
|
|
|
The first rule of punk
by Celia C. Pérez
When her first day at a new school is overshadowed by a clash with a queen bee and her dress code violating punk-rock clothes, 12-year-old Malú listens to her faraway dad's advice and resolves to be herself by pursuing the interests she loves and standing up to an anti-punk administration.
|
|
|
|
For beautiful Black boys who believe in a better world
by Michael W. Waters
Growing up, Jeremiah is puzzled by racially-motivated gun violence in and beyond his community but when he is ready to talk about it, he learns hopeful forms of activism and advocacy. Includes a discussion guide by the Muhammad Ali Center.
|
|
|
|
From the desk of Zoe Washington
by Janae Marks
Receiving an unexpected letter on her 12th birthday from the incarcerated father she has never met, a courageous young baker prepares for a cooking-show competition while scrambling to determine her father’s innocence.
|
|
|
|
Front desk
by Kelly Yang
Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was an engineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants--not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade class, the other being Mr. Yao's son, Jason.
|
|
|
|
Three keys : a Front desk novel
by Kelly Yang
A laugh-out-loud sequel to the award-winning Front Desk finds Mia Tang embarking on a sixth grade year that is complicated by a hard-to-please teacher, financial setbacks at her parents’ motel and a looming immigration law that threatens to derail her entire life.
|
|
|
|
One crazy summer
by Rita Williams-Garcia
In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn, New York, to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, 11-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of their intrusion and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.
|
|
|
|
P.S. Be eleven
by Rita Williams-Garcia
A sequel to One Crazy Summer finds the Gaither sisters returning to Brooklyn, where they adapt to new feelings of independence while managing changes large and small, from Pa's new girlfriend to a very different Uncle Darnell's return from Vietnam.
|
|
|
|
Gone crazy in Alabama
by Rita Williams-Garcia
Spending the summer with their grandmother in the rural South, three sisters from Brooklyn discover the surprising reason behind their mother's estrangement from their aunt. By the Newbery Honor-winning author of One Crazy Summer.
|
|
|
|
Marley Dias gets it done : and so can you!
by Marley Dias
The young organizer of the #100blackgirlbooks campaign explores the power of activism, drawing on her personal experiences to counsel readers on how they can work together to make positive changes in their communities in the areas of literacy and diversity.
|
|
|
|
Miles Morales : Spider-Man
by Jason Reynolds
After a misunderstanding leads him to be suspended from school, Miles Morales feels conflicted about his identity as the new Spider-Man, but when his scholarship is threatened, he uncovers a plot that puts his friends and neighborhood at risk.
|
|
|
|
Prairie lotus
by Linda Sue Park
A young half-Asian girl arriving in 1880s America struggles to adjust to new surroundings while navigating the almost unanimous prejudice of the townspeople in her heartland community.
|
|
|
|
Proud : living my American dream
by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Shares the life story of the Olympic fencer, including how she overcame feeling out of place in her sport and how she became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab
|
|
|
|
Reach for the Skai : how to inspire, empower, and clapback
by Skai Jackson
The young activist star of Disney Channel’s Bunk’d and Jessie reveals how her successful career was also impacted by bullying and insecurity, sharing advice for today’s tweens and teens on how to inspire change and embrace differences.
|
|
|
|
Secret coders
by Gene Luen Yang
Attending an elite school where enterprising students are challenged to solve a variety of clues and puzzles using computer programming, Hopper and her friend, Eni, resolve to crack the school founder's most elusive mystery together.
|
|
|
|
Stef Soto, taco queen
by Jennifer Torres
Hating her family's taco truck and wishing that her father would take a "normal" job, Estefania becomes the truck's unlikely champion when her family's livelihood is threatened.
|
|
|
|
We are water protectors
by Carole Lindstrom
When a black snake threatens to destroy the earth, one young water protector takes a stand to defend the planet's water, in a tale inspired by the many indigenous-led conservation movements across North America.
|
|
|
|
When stars are scattered
by Victoria Jamieson
A Somali refugee who spent his childhood at the Dadaab camp and the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl present the graphic-novel story of a young refugee who struggles with leaving behind his nonverbal brother when he has an opportunity to help his family by going to school.
|
|
|
|
Where the mountain meets the moon
by Grace Lin
Hearing her father speak to the Old Man on the Moon in the quiet hours of the evening, Minli turns to him one day to ask for advice in order to improve the desperate situation of her impoverished family in this enchanting fantasy adventure for middle readers.
|
|
|
|
Aru Shah and the end of time
by Roshani Chokshi
Twelve-year-old Aru stretches the truth to fit in at her private school, but when she is dared to prove an ancient lamp is cursed, she inadvertently frees an ancient demon.
|
|
|
|
Clean getaway
by Nic Stone
An 11-year-old boy confronts the realities of race relations past and present and the mysterious agenda of his unconventional grandmother during an unplanned spring break road trip through the once-segregated American South.
|
|
|
|
Count me in
by Varsha Bajaj
Told from two viewpoints, sixth-graders Karina and Chris use social media to stand up to racism in Houston, Texas, after an attack puts Karina's Indian American grandfather in the hospital.
|
|
|
|
El Deafo
by Cece Bell
The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her "superpower."
|
|
|
|
George
by Alex Gino
Knowing herself to be a girl despite her outwardly male appearance, George is denied a female role in the class play before teaming up with a friend to reveal her true self.
|
|
|
|
Rick
by Alex Gino
Eleven-year-old Rick Ramsey has generally gone along with everybody, just not making waves, even though he is increasingly uncomfortable with his father's jokes about girls, and his best friend's explicit talk; but now in middle school he discovers the Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of many genders and identities can express themselves--and maybe among them he can find new friends and discover his own identity.
|
|
|
|
Inside out & back again
by Thanhha Lai
Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama.
|
|
|
|
Ivy Aberdeen's letter to the world
by Ashley Herring Blake
Twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen's house is destroyed in a tornado, and in the aftermath of the storm, she begins to develop feelings for another girl at school.
|
|
|
|
The mighty heart of Sunny St. James
by Ashley Herring Blake
Twelve-year-old Sunny St. James must navigate heart surgery, reconnections with a lost mother, the betrayal of a former best friend, first kisses, and emerging feelings for another girl.
|
|
|
|
Joey Pigza swallowed the key
by Jack Gantos
Joey Pigza is a nice kid who happens to get into a lot trouble, from sticking his finger in the pencil sharpener and swallowing his house key, to running with scissors, but when he ends up in the district special-ed program, he knows he must stop making bad choices.
|
|
|
|
King and the dragonflies
by Kacen Callender
A 12-year-old boy spends days in the mystical Louisiana bayou to come to terms with a sibling’s sudden death, his grief-stricken family and the disappearance of his former best friend amid whispers about the latter’s sexual orientation.
|
|
|
|
Merci Suárez changes gears
by Meg Medina
Alienated from her more privileged classmates at a Florida private school, sixth-grade scholarship student Merci Suarez is targeted by a competitive rival at the same time her beloved grandfather begins to develop memory problems.
|
|
|
|
Other words for home
by Jasmine Warga
Sent with her mother to the safety of a relative's home in Cincinnati when her Syrian community is overshadowed by violence, Jude worries for the beloved family members who were left behind and forges a new sense of identity shaped by friends and changing perspectives.
|
|
|
|
Pie in the Sky
by Remy Lai
Feeling as out of place as if he landed on Mars when his family moves to an English-speaking country, 11-year-old Jingwen dreams about the cakes he would have baked with his late father, a hope that is challenged by his mother's strict kitchen safety rules.
|
|
|
|
Ghost
by Jason Reynolds
Aspiring to be the fasted sprinter on his elite middle school's track team, a gifted runner finds his goal challenged by a tragic past with a violence-prone father, in a debut entry of a series about four teammates from very different backgrounds.
|
|
|
|
Sal & Gabi break the universe
by Carlos Alberto Pablo Hernandez
A teen troublemaker with a talent for sleight of hand clashes with his school's student council president when the latter accuses him of putting a raw chicken inside a friend's locker.
|
|
|
|
The season of Styx Malone
by Kekla Magoon
Caleb Franklin and his younger brother, Bobby Gene, spend an extraordinary summer with their new, older neighbor, Styx Malone, a foster boy from the city.
|
|
|
|
Some places more than others
by Renée Watson
Looking forward to meeting her extended family for the first time during a visit to her father’s childhood brownstone in Harlem, Amara is dismayed by family estrangements and revelations about her father’s early years before discovering new ways to connect with her heritage.
|
|
|
|
The stars beneath our feet
by David Barclay Moore
Unable to celebrate the holidays in the wake of his older brother's death in a gang-related shooting, 12-year-old Lolly Rachpaul struggles to avoid being forced into a gang himself while constructing a fantastically creative LEGO city at the Harlem community center.
|
|
|
|
Tristan Strong punches a hole in the sky
by Kwame Mbalia
Seventh-grader Tristan Strong tumbles into the MidPass and, with allies John Henry and Brer Rabbit, must entice the god Anansi to come out of hiding and seal the hole Tristan accidentally ripped in the sky.
|
|
|
|
|
|