Inspired by West African
folklore, this novel tells the story of a grieving crown princess and a
desperate refugee who find themselves on a collision course to murder each
other despite their growing attraction.
Becoming
Muhammad Ali by Kwame
Alexander and James Patterson
Before he was a household
name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other. This book vividly
depicts his life up to age seventeen, including his childhood friends,
struggles in school, the racism he faced, and his discovery of boxing.
Born
A Crime by Trevor Noah
One of the comedy world's
fastest-rising stars tells his wild coming of age story during the twilight of
apartheid in South Africa and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.
Brown
Girl Dreaming by
Jacqueline Woodson
In vivid free verse,
award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson shares what it was like to grow up in
the 1960s and 1970s in both the North and the South.
Children
of Blood and Bone by
Tomi Adeyemi
Seventeen-year-old Zélie
and companions journey to a mythic island seeking a chance to bring back magic
to the land of Orïsha, in a fantasy world infused with the textures of West
Africa.
Concrete
Rose by Angie Thomas
Life’s not perfect, but
with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got
everything under control. Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father. But
it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child.
Daughters
of Jubliation by Kara
Lee Corthron
In the Jim Crow South,
white supremacy reigns and tensions are high. But Evalene Deschamps has other
things to worry about.
Dread
Nation by Justina
Ireland
Fighting the undead is a
breeze for Jane, but the fight for freedom? That’s a different story.
Felix
Ever After by Kacen
Callender
Felix Love, a transgender
seventeen-year-old, attempts to get revenge by catfishing his anonymous bully,
but lands in a quasi-love triangle with his former enemy and his best friend.
Genesis
Begins Again by Alicia
D. Williams
There are ninety-six
reasons why thirteen-year-old Genesis dislikes herself. She knows the exact
number because she keeps a list.
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
When legendary R&B
artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a
famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and
zero memory of the previous night.
Long
Way Down by Jason
Reynolds
As fifteen-year-old Will
sets out to avenge his brother Shawn's fatal shooting, seven ghosts who knew
Shawn board the elevator and reveal truths Will needs to know.
Monday's
Not Coming by Tiffany
D. Jackson
I know what you’re
thinking. How can an individual, a child, disappear without anyone saying a
word? Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice.
Punching
The Air by Ibi Zoboi
and Yusef Salaam
The story of how one boy
is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth in a system designed
to strip him of both.
Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
This is a book about the
here and now. A book to help us better understand why we are where we are. A
book about race.
X:
A Novel by Ilyasah
Shabazz and Kekla Magoon
X follows Malcolm from his childhood to
his imprisonment for theft at age twenty, when he found the faith that would
lead him to forge a new path and command a voice that still resonates today.