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       The Penguin Random House Summer Reading Sampler, 2021 is here! 
This is a link to read the first few chapters of some adult Great Beach Reads!
https://issuu.com/prhlibrary/docs/lm_summerreadingsampler2021_1c46d8ed5ce678                                 
                                If You Watched This, Read That!
Stuck in a reading rut while your eyes are glued to the screen? Take our If You Watched This, Read That quiz for a cant-put-down page-turner that'll break up your TV binge!
Click below to take the quiz!

https://www.qzzr.com/c/quiz/483344/if-you-watched-this-show-read-this-book?fbclid=IwAR1gEjJYxYcjyUq5143JxQQAh4VHqrVfz3L4wwLB8VW4p1NKW3IWe-oasd0​

     Lois Ehlert, Creator of Boldly Colored Children’s Books, Dies at 86
​May 30, 2021
Ms. Ehlert, whose best-known book was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, made distinctive collage artwork for readers ranging in age from infancy to 10.
Lois Ehlert, the children’s book author and illustrator who won a Caldecott Honor for Color Zoo (1997) and whose 1989 book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, sold more than 12 million copies across various formats, died on Tuesday in Milwaukee. She was 86.
Ms. Ehlert created 38 books for young readers — some for infants and toddlers, others for children as old as 10. Publishers Weekly, in its obituary, paid tribute to her “signature collage artwork featuring bold colors and crisply cut shapes as well as found objects.”

                       Penguin Random House Remembering Eric Carle

It is with heavy hearts that we share that Eric Carle, author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and many other beloved classics, passed away on Sunday, May 23rd at the age of 91.

When asked why he thinks The Very Hungry Caterpillar has remained popular for so long, Carle said, “I think it is a book of hope. Children need hope. You, little insignificant caterpillar can grow up into a beautiful butterfly and fly into the world with your talent.”

Thank you, Eric Carle, for sharing your great talent and inspiration with so many generations of young readers.

Share your memories of Eric Carle's work and influence with: #RememberingEricCarle

Listen to Eric Carle read The Very Hungry Caterpillar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkYmvxP0AJI 

Coloring Pages! Games! Activities! Visit our Pinterest page, linked below, to find all things VHC (Very Hungry Caterpillar)! You can download, print and share these activities!

Download Printable Activity Sheets!

                                                         BookBrowse
Read-Alikes by Title & Author: Displays a search field linking to handpicked read-alikes for more than 4,000 contemporary books and 3,000 authors. Two to three search results are available. This is a great way to find something to read based on a book or author that you like.       
​                                    
Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people. This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored by HMH Books for Young Readers.
Ally Carter writes books about sentinels, spies, thieves, and diplomats. She is a New York Times best-selling author whose novels have sold over three million copies and have been published in more than twenty countries. She lives in Oklahoma, where her life is either very ordinary or the best deep-cover story ever. 

https://soundcloud.com/shelfcare/shelf-care-interview-ally-carter 
                                    Coronovirus: A Book for Children                                                                                  by Elizabeth Jenner and Kate Wilson and Nia Roberts (text) & Axel Scheffler
Pre K-Gr 6 A diverse cast, a global stage, practical and expert advice, along with friendly, accessible illustrations by Scheffler make this free digital download a must-have in the home or collection of everyone on the planet. In an NHS-endorsed project, Jenner, Wilson, and Roberts start with what we know right now about this virus, why it matters, how it is spread, what children can do, and how they can help. This part is a revelation, with everything from being kind to siblings also stuck at home, understanding that parents may not be available if they are working from home, that isolation is necessary, and that it may come with sadness and worry. Then the authors offer advice for what a child can do with this fear. This is a generous, straightforward, and necessary text; by showing people of all races, every age, all abilities or challenges, Scheffler’s cartoons, replete with asides in speech bubbles, smooth the facts and underscore the message that we can get through this.
An elegant, effective work. Download this now, read it immediately, share it with everyone you know. An educated citizenry is our best hope.

​                                                         Statement Against Racism
Libraries are committed to following the values of our profession as set forth by American Library Association (ALA). These values include equity, diversity and inclusion, social responsibility, and lifelong learning. At this moment in history, Morrison & Mary Wiley Library follows the example of the ALA and the Illinois Library Association in declaring that we stand against racism and systemic injustice in all forms. In the words of the ALA, “Wherever it resides, racism leads to degradation. It weakens our institutions and destroys our communities and is one of the greatest obstacles to the American Library Association’s mission ‘to enhance learning and ensure access to information to all.’”
 
Morrison & Mary Wiley Library is committed to creating a library environment where all are welcome and treated with dignity and respect. We endeavor to provide educational resources to assist members of our community of all ages to learn about the realities of racism and injustice and to build a library collection that reflects the diversity of human experience. We pledge to engage in ongoing self-examination to ensure that bias and discrimination have no place in the practices, policies or procedures of this institution. In doing so, we aspire to do our part to eradicate racism from society and create a more just world. We believe in learning and education, creating a welcoming environment to meet the needs of our community.  Information is essential for fostering change and acceptance.  To that end, we have compiled a list of books and movies that are available at our library to support conversations on race, racism and resistance. There are many more and we ask that if you have read or watched one that is not on the list that you let us know.  

Where's Rodney? Bogan, Carmen (Juv.) 
Freedom Soup Charles, Tami (Juv.) 
Grandpa's corner store DiSalvo, DyAnne (Juv.) 
Who Was Ida B. Wells? Fabiny, Sarah (Juv.) *
Hip hop speaks to children: a celebration of poetry with a beat Giovanni, Nikki (Juv.) 
Rosa Giovanni, Nikki (Juv. Bio.) 
My people Langston Hughes (Juv.) *
Fry bread: a Native American family story Maillard, Kevin Noble (Juv.) 
Alma and How She Got Her Name Martinez-Neal, Juana  (Juv.)
Blue Sky White Stars or: Naberhaus, Sarvinder (Juv.)
Sulwe Nyong'o, Lupita (Juv.)
Little Libraries, Big Heroes Paul, Miranda (Juv.)
Hiking Day Rockwell, Anne (Juv.)
Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen? Smith, Sherri L. (Juv. NF)
Just Ask! Be Different Be Brave Be You Sotomayor, Sonia (Juv.)
Henry's freedom box Levine, Ellen (Juv.)
 
Any book by Acevedo, Elizabeth (Youth)
Alexander, Kwame-anything he has written (Youth)
Forge & Chains Anderson, Laurie Halse  (Youth)
The epic fail of Arturo Zamora Cartaya, Pablo
New Kid Craft, Jerry
Jazz Owls: A Novel of the Zoot Suit Riots Engle, Margarita (Youth)
Shimmy shimmy shimmy like my sister Kate: looking at the Harlem Renaissance through poems Giovanni, Nikki (Youth NF)
Travel Team Lupica, Mike (Youth)
The radius of us Marquardt, Marie (Youth)
It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood Trevor, Noah (Youth Bio.) (Ordered)
A good kind of trouble Ramée, Lisa Moore (Youth)
Reynolds, Jason-anything he has written (Youth)
Betty before X Shabazz, Ilyasah (Youth)     
Hidden Figures: Young Readers' Edition Shetterly, Margot Lee (Youth NF)
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice Stevenson,  Bryan (Youth Bio.) (Ordered)
Roll of thunder, hear my cry Taylor, Mildred D. (Youth)
The hate u give & On the come up Thomas, Angie (Youth & DVD of 1st)
The bridge home  Venkatraman, Padma (Youth)
Stargazing Wang, Jen (Youth)
Piecing Me Together, Watch us Rise, Ways To Make Sunshine & This Side of Home Watson,  Renée (Youth)
Biddy Mason Speaks Up & Fred Korematsu Speaks Up White, Arisa  (Youth)
 
We hope for better things Bartels, Erin (Adult) (Inspirational)
Black Like Me Griffin, John Howard (Adult NF & DVD)
Green Book (DVD)
Lies my teacher told me : everything your American history textbook got wrong Loewen, James W. (Adult NF)
A Mercy & Beloved Morrison,Toni (Adult)
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood Trevor Noah ) Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood Trevor, Noah (Adult Bio.)
Twelve years a slave Northup, Solomon (Adult Bio. & DVD)
Dreams from my father: a story of race and inheritance Obama, Barack (Adult Bio.)
Hidden Figures Shetterly, Margot Lee  (Adult NF)
Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice Stevenson, Bryan (Adult Bio.)

There's no shortage of excellent anti-racist reading lists that have circulated in recent days as the nation has been convulsed by mass demonstrations and protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. We are going to add our own to the mix, with recommendations by PW editors for recent nonfiction books about some of the many issues at play, whether that's police brutality, institutional racism, activism, or what it's like to be black in America today.
This is, of course, a far from incomplete accounting of the many worthy books on these topics. 

Being Black in America
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Random/Spiegel & Grau)
"As a meditation on race in America, haunted by the bodies of black men, women, and children, Coates's compelling, indeed stunning, work is rare in its power to make you want to slow down and read every word."

Negroland: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson (Pantheon)
"Perceptive, specific, and powerful, Jefferson's work balances themes of race, class, entitlement, and privilege with her own social and cultural awakening."

No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black & Free in America by Darnell L. Moore (Nation)
"Moore’s well-crafted book is a stunning tribute to affirmation, forgiveness, and healing—and serves as an invigorating emotional tonic."

On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by DeRay Mckesson (Viking)
"[A]ctivist and podcaster Mckesson reflects on what he’s learned from protest, family upheaval, racial inequality, homophobia, community organizing, abuse, and love."

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays by Damon Young (Ecco)
“Young uses pop culture references and personal stories to look at a life molded by structural racism, the joy of having a family that holds together in a crisis, and the thrill of succeeding against difficult odds.”

Civil Rights Activism
A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History by Jeanne Theoharis (Beacon)
"Theoharis’s lucid and insightful study ...[offers] a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the civil rights movement’s legacy, and [shows] how much remains to be done."

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (One World) (We have this book in our collection). 
"Kendi follows his National Book Award–winning Stamped from the Beginning with a boldly articulated, historically informed explanation of what exactly racist ideas and thinking are, and what their antiracist antithesis looks like both systemically and at the level of individual action."

They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery (Little, Brown)
"Digging beneath the news headlines of police killings and protests, Lowery’s timely work gives texture and context to a new era of African-American activism."

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele (St. Martin's)
"This is an eye-opening and eloquent coming-of-age story from one of the leaders in the new generation of social activists."

Institutional Racism and Police Brutality
The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America’s Law Enforcement by Matthew Horace and Ron Harris (Hachette)
"Horace, a former agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and a CNN analyst, explores the 'implicit bias' and overt racism that makes black people the targets of profiling, harassment, beatings, and unjustified gunfire from cops."

Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America by Patrick Phillips (Norton)
"This is a gripping, timely, and important examination of American racism, and Phillips tells it with rare clarity and power."

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein (Liveright)
"Rothstein’s comprehensive and engrossing book reveals just how the U.S. arrived at the 'systematic racial segregation we find in metropolitan areas today,' focusing in particular on the role of government."

Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights by Gretchen Sorin (Liveright)
"Lucidly written and generously illustrated with photos and artifacts, this rigorous and entertaining history deserves a wide readership."

Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City by Wes Moore, with Erica L. Green (One World)
"Moore provides important context in the history of Baltimore’s racial and income inequality and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. Readers will be enthralled by this propulsive account."

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (Random/Spiegel & Grau) (We have this book & DVD in our collection). 
“Stevenson, a professor of law at New York University and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal firm providing services for the wrongly condemned, describes in his memoir how he got the call to represent this largely neglected clientele in our justice system.”

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (New Press) (We have this book in our collection). 
"Legal scholar Alexander argues vigorously and persuasively that '[w]e have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.' ”

Open Season: The Legalized Genocide of Colored People by Ben Crump (Amistad)
"Civil rights attorney Crump, who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, delivers a forceful debut exposé of America’s 'legalized system of discrimination.'”

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo (Beacon) (We have this book in our collection). 
“This slim book is impressive in its scope and complexity; Diangelo provides a powerful lens for examining, and practical tools for grappling with, racism today.”
​
​                            Publishers Weekly An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List
                                          Compiled by Sara Grochowski  

 
Though this is by no means a complete list, PW has compiled the following selection of recommended fiction and nonfiction about race and activism from creators of color, as well as suggested fiction that celebrates the diversity of the Black experience by #OwnVoices authors and illustrators.
Understanding Race and Anti-Racism
Nonfiction
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi, illus. by Ashley Lukashevsky (Kokila, June 16, $8.99, 9780593110416, ages up to 3)
National Book Award winner Kendi addresses the youngest of readers in this board book introduction to combatting racism, which outlines nine steps for raising accountable kids. A mindful companion for families striving together toward a more equitable future. See our full review.

M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child by Tiffany Rose (Little Bee Books, 2019, $17.99, 9781499809169, ages 3-6)
This A–Z affirmation of Black children presents each letter in different bold design, while the text works to inspire confidence and pride: “Be you. Love you. Always. All ways.” References to Black leaders—Obama (“Our first black president”) and Malcolm X (“Activist. Leader. Revolutionary”)—occur alongside calls for children to define and be themselves, and to “SPEAK OUT for what is right./SPEAK UP when others are silent.” See our full review.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin/Paulsen, 2014, $17.99, 9780399252518, ages 10 and up)
Written in verse, Woodson’s collection of childhood memories, which won the Newbery Medal and a National Book Award, provides insight into the author’s perspective of America, “a country caught/ between Black and White,” during the turbulent 1960s. See our full starred review.

This Book Is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell (Quarto, Jan. 7, $14.99, 9780711245211, ages 11-15) 
Using clear, compelling language, Jewell employs four sections to deftly explain progressive understandings of identity, history, action, and solidarity as tools to encourage anti-racist reflection, thought, and action among readers at various points in their activist journeys. See our full starred review.

Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and Me by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (Little, Brown, Mar. 10, $18.99, 9780316453691, ages 12 and up) (We have this book in our collection).
Reynolds lends his signature flair to remixing Kendi’s award-winning Stamped from the Beginning into a powerful “not a history book” primer on the historical roots and present-day manifestations of antiblack racism in America. In five sections, Reynolds discusses the influential figures, movements, and events that have propagated racist ideas, beginning in 1415 with the publication of the infamous work that laid the groundwork for subsequent religious justifications of enslaving African peoples and continuing through the “war on drugs” and #BlackLivesMatter. See our full starred review.

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson (FSG, Apr. 28, $17.99, 9780374312718, ages 14 and up)
Johnson’s debut is a collection of heartfelt personal essays revolving around themes of identity and family and his experience growing up Black and queer in New Jersey and Virginia. His story highlights the importance of community and inclusive sex education, as well as the freedom to define oneself outside of society’s conditioning. See our full starred review.

Fiction
Don’t Touch My Hair by Sharee Miller (Little, Brown, 2018, $17.99, 9780316562584, ages 4-8)
African American Aria is proud of her showstopping hair “that grows up toward the sun like a flower.” But people keep confusing admiration with acquiescence: strangers, she laments, “are so curious about my hair that they try to touch it without even asking for permission!” It feels like the entire universe has lost its sense of boundaries. Then she resolves to set limits, and, in speaking up for herself, she begins to feel free, respected, and in charge of her own body again. See our full starred review.

New Kid by Jerry Craft (HarperCollins/Quill Tree, 2019, $21.99, 9780062691200, ages 8-12) (We have this book in our collection).
In this Newbery-winning graphic novel, African American new kid Jordan Banks would rather go to art school, but his parents have enrolled him at the rigorous Riverdale Academy Day School, so he dutifully commutes to the Bronx from his home in Washington Heights, Manhattan. When he’s not being confused with the few other students of color, he is spoken to in slang, receives looks when financial aid is mentioned, or is forced to navigate many more micro-aggressions. This story captures the tensions that come with being a person of color in a traditionally white space. See our full starred review.

The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert (Little, Brown, Mar. 10, $16.99, 9780316456388, ages 8-12)
In this middle grade debut from Colbert, 12-year-old surfing fanatic Alberta and her fathers are the only Black family in their California neighborhood, until the Whitmans, including 12-year-old goth Edie, buy the B&B across the street. Despite their differences, the two become fast friends just as Alberta’s lifelong best friend, who is white, begins drifting toward the popular girl who has bullied Alberta with racist taunts for years. See our full starred review.

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown, Mar. 3, $16.99, 9780316493802, ages 8-12)
In this middle grade novel, Rhodes tells the story of two biracial brothers, Donte and Trey, navigating racism, colorism, and bullying. This novel offers relatable, three-dimensional characters considering identity, who will teach readers about colorism’s effects. See our full review.

Blended by Sharon M. Draper (Atheneum/Dlouhy, 2018, $16.99, 9781442495005, ages 8-12)
After her parents’ divorce, competitive pianist Isabella, 11, divides her time between her white diner-waitress mother and her wealthy Black father. When a history class discussion about student protests and the history of lynching ends with a noose being placed in a black classmate’s locker, Isabella’s awareness of racist behavior skyrockets, as does her need to define who she is for herself. Draper (Out of My Mind) doesn’t shy away from challenging or uncomfortable topics; police aggression, gun violence, the complicated nature of divorce, and socioeconomic imbalances are all candidly addressed as real and important parts of Isabella’s experience. See our full starred review and Draper’s conversation about the book with Jason Reynolds.

For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington (FSG, 2019, $16.99, 9780374308049, ages 9-11)
In this middle grade debut (told without commas in a mix of narration, letters, and poetry), Lockington introduces budding poet Makeda Kirkland, 11, a Black girl adopted by a white family. With intimate authenticity, she explores how fierce but “colorblind” familial love can result in erasure and sensitively delineates the pain of facing casual racism, as well as the disconcerting experience of being the child of a mentally ill parent. See our full starred review.

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams (Atheneum/Dlouhy, 2019, $17.99, 9781481465809, ages 9-13)
Forced to start over time and again because of a series of evictions, Genesis Anderson has a dearth of self-confidence (and a list of 96 reasons that she hates herself), and trouble making new friends. That slowly begins to change when her African American family moves to an upscale white suburb, and Genesis begins questioning the colorism that has seeped into her own psyche. See our full starred review.

What Lane? by Torrey Maldonado (Penguin/Paulsen, Apr. 14, $16.99, 9780525518433, ages 10 and up)
Sixth grader Stephen is growing up in Brooklyn; he loves “superheroes, fantasy, sci-fi” and basketball, as well as hanging out with his best friend Dan, the same as he always has. But though his white mother calls him “mixed,” since he’s half Black and half white, Stephen’s beginning to realize the world now sees him as “what they imagine or what the media teaches them to think about Black men.” In relatively few words, Maldonado elucidates matters related to racial profiling, police violence against Black people, and allyship. See our full starred review.

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown, 2018, $16.99, 9780316262286, ages 10 and up)
In this novel from Rhodes, Jerome Rogers, a Black 12-year-old, is playing outside in his Chicago neighborhood with a toy gun when he is shot and killed by a white policeman who views him as a threat. Now Jerome wanders the earth with other “ghost boys” whose deaths are all connected to bigotry, including the ghost of Emmett Till. The only person who can see him is Sarah, the daughter of the policeman who killed him. See our full starred review and Galley Talk feature.

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert (Disney-Hyperion, July 7, $18.99, 9781368053297, ages 12 and up)
African American teens Marva Sheridan and Duke Crenshaw, both 18, meet at their local polling station after Duke is turned away. Over the course of a day, the teens team up to beat a rigged system that uses voter suppression, and make sure Duke’s vote is counted.

Slay by Brittney Morris (Simon Pulse, 2019, $18.99, 9781534445420, ages 12 and up) (We have this book in our collection).
This debut from Flying Starts author Morris explores gaming culture and the diversity of the African diaspora. Black teen Kiera Johnson has created a virtual reality game called SLAY as a safe space for Black gamers, but must keep her identity as its developer secret from her family and friends. See our full starred review.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum/Dlouhy, 2017, $18.99, 9781481438254, ages 12 and up) (We have this book in our collection).
In this award-winning novel in verse by Reynolds, Will, 15, is following his neighborhood’s well-established rules—don’t cry, don’t snitch, but do get revenge “if someone you love/ gets killed”—when he leaves his apartment, intent on killing whoever murdered his older brother, emboldened by the gun tucked into his waistband. As Will makes his way to the ground floor of his building, the elevator stops to accept passengers, each an important figure from his past, all victims of gun violence. Are these ghosts? Or is it Will’s subconscious at work, forcing him to think about what he intends to do and what it will accomplish? See our full starred review.

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson (Bloomsbury, 2017, $17.99, 9781681191058, ages 12 and up) (We have this book in our collection).
In Watson's award-winning novel, Jade Butler, an African American artist-in-the-making, lives with her mother in Portland, Ore., and travels by bus to private school, where she is both grateful for and resentful of the opportunities presented to her. Jade’s narrative voice offers compelling reflections on the complexities of race and gender, class and privilege, and fear and courage, while conveying the conflicted emotions of an ambitious, loyal girl. See our full starred review.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (Atheneum/Dlouhy, 2015, $19.99, 9781481463331, ages 12 and up)
In this collaborative book, two authors—one Black, one white—present a story of police brutality: Reynolds voices Rashad, the innocent victim of a police beating; Kiely writes Quinn, a horrified witness. The book moves quickly, starting on a Friday night with the boys—classmates who don't know each other—preparing for a party, and ending with a social-media-inspired protest march one week later. The scenario that Reynolds and Kiely depict is as timely as ever. See our full starred review.

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany Jackson (HarperCollins/Tegen, 2018, $17.99, 9780062422675, ages 13 and up)
Jackson’s sophomore novel, following 2017’s acclaimed Allegedly, features another ripped-from-the-headlines premise that will keep readers guessing through the final pages. After a summer in Georgia with her grandmother, Claudia returns to Washington, D.C., ready to take on eighth grade with her best friend, Monday, even though Monday didn’t respond to any of Claudia’s letters. Claudia soon finds, though, that Monday is gone. Jackson’s characters and their heartwrenching story linger long after the final page, urging readers to advocate for those who are disenfranchised and forgotten by society and the system. See our full starred review.

Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard by Echo Brown (Henry Holt, Jan. 14, $17.99, 9781250309853, ages 14+)
Echo is a Black teen growing up on Cleveland’s East Side, where adults worship the “white rock,” and she is learning how to control her newfound powers as a “quantum wizard.” Using wizardry as a way to explore making something out of nothing and developing the skills it takes to survive traumatic events, Brown’s novel gives readers a potent glimpse into heartbreaking, unjust experiences and profound resilience in the face of wrongs perpetrated both systemically and interpersonally. The novel never shies from tough subject matter, as it deftly integrates magically realistic components and allegory into contemporary scenes. See our full review.

Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker (Delacorte, 2019, $18.99, 9780525707516, ages 14 and up)
Set against the backdrop of the 2008 presidential election, this novel stars 17-year-old Morgan Parker, a self-proclaimed “super-emo” kid living with anxiety and depression in Southern California and one of the only Black kids at her conservative Christian school. After regularly experiencing racist microaggressions from her teachers and peers and a devastating event the previous summer landed her in therapy and on antidepressants, Morgan is determined to “get happy” and learn to love herself and her Blackness, whatever it takes. See our full starred review.

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles (Little, Brown, 2018, $17.99, 9780316440776, ages 14 and up)
Cole’s debut novel, based on events in his own life, follows Marvin Johnson, a college-bound senior in Alabama. From the opening pages, Marvin and his twin brother, Tyler, navigate racism, drug dealers, and police violence, their lives governed by the “talk that all decent black mothers and fathers give to their children at least once a month. The You-Live-in-a-White-Man’s-World-So-Be-Careful talk.” A distressing yet empowering portrait of a Black teenager confronting relentless racism, brutality, and tragedy. See our full review.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Crown, 2017, $17.99, 9781101939499, ages 14 and up)
Written as a mixture of script-style dialogues, third-person narrative, and letters to Martin Luther King Jr., Stone’s debut novel is a portrait of a young man reckoning with the ugly, persistent violence of social injustice. After nearly getting arrested while trying to help his white ex-girlfriend, who’s “stone drunk” and trying to drive herself home, high school senior Justyce McAllister confronts racism and racial profiling while searching for identity at a prestigious prep school, where he is one of only eight Black students. Pushed to the brink of despair when a close friend is shot by a white off-duty police officer, Justyce doesn’t know what to do with his anger. See our full review.

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon (Henry Holt, 2014, $18.99, 9780805098693, ages 14 and up)
Set in a neighborhood ruled by gangs, this novel offers multiple, contradictory perspectives on the shooting of an African American youth. No one disputes that 16-year-old Tariq Johnson was shot on the street by Jack Franklin, a white gang member, but the motives of both killer and victim remain fuzzy, as do the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Through a resonant chorus of voices, Magoon masterfully captures the cycle of urban violence and the raw emotions of the young people who can’t escape its impact. See our full starred review.

Raise Your Voice: Activism and Protest
Nonfiction
A Is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara (Triangle Square, 2012, $11.95, 9781609805395, ages 3-7)
This ABC board book is written for families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and more. Alliteration, rhyming, and bright colors appeal to young readers, while the issues it brings up will resonate with parents’ values of community, equality, and justice.

Counting on Community by Innosanto Nagara (Triangle Square, 2015, $11.95, 9781609806323, ages 3-7)
Building on the success of A Is for Activist, this counting book celebrates active communities, devoting pages to everything from urban farming and chalk drawing to potlucks and protests. Digital collages and woodgrain-style textures lend an organic feel to the images, while radiating lines in the backgrounds emphasize the idea that close-knit communities have real power. See our full review

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine-Hubbard, illus. by Oge Mora (Random House/Schwartz & Wade, Jan. 7, $17.99, 9781524768287, ages 4-8)
Mary Walker, born enslaved in 1848 Alabama, knew the first rule of her plantation (“Keep working!”) and the second: “Slaves should not be taught to read or write.” When she was 114 and had outlived her entire family, she entered a reading class, practiced writing until “pages and letters and words swirled in her head,” and at last achieved her goal. Walker’s determination and her long, long life—she died at 121—offer genuine inspiration. See our full starred review.

What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?: The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan by Chris Barton, illus. by Ekua Holmes (S&S/Beach Lane, 2018, $18.99, 9781481465618, ages 4-8)
This celebration of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan follows her as a child growing up in the Fifth Ward in Houston, where she commanded attention through her powerful voice, and tells how her intellectual curiosity and desire to be civically engaged led her to become a lawyer, then a politician, “to make change from within.” See our full review.

We March by Shane W. Evans (Roaring Brook, 2012, $17.99, 9781596435391, ages 4-8)
This account of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom—identified only in a concluding note—drives home the emotion and the drama of that event. Evans spotlights a family of four, joining the march that culminates in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Though the day unfolds through the family’s perspective, what emerges is a communal voice that conveys a strong sense of solidarity and purpose. See our full review.

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illus. by Brian Pinkney (Little, Brown, 2010, $18.99, 9780316070164, ages 6 and up)
In this collaboration, the Pinkneys recreate the renowned 1960 sit-in staged by four Black college students at a Greensboro “whites only” lunch counter. The narrative incorporates a steady stream of food metaphors, noting that the students ignored the law’s “recipe” for segregation (“a bitter mix”) replacing it the “new brew” of integration. A civil rights timeline and additional facts and suggested reading about the topic round out this account. See our full review.
 
Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-ins by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, illus. by Jade Johnson (Seagrass, 2019, $17.95, 9781633224988, ages 6-9)
In this sensitive story based on African American educator and activist Clara Luper, who, in 1958, organized students to take part in a lunch counter sit-in in Oklahoma City, Rhuday-Perkovich depicts Luper’s early awakening to racial inequity that led her to channel her energies into teaching Black children about history and the power of nonviolent demonstration. An authentic tribute to a brave and compassionate activist. See our full review.

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illus. by Kadir Nelson (HMH/Versify, 2019, $17.99, 9781328780966, ages 6-9)
(We have this book in our collection).
An anthem to the courage and genius of Black Americans, the figures featured in this Caldecott-winning volume are not just well-known; Alexander writes about nameless heroes and unsung martyrs. Acknowledging deep wounds, repeating the phrase “This is for the unspeakable” over successive portraits of infamous atrocities committed against Americans of African descent and remembering peaceful civil rights activists, Alexander communicates clearly that when Black lives matter, America is stronger. See our full starred review.

A Place to Land by Barry Wittenstein, illus. by Jerry Pinkney (Holiday House/Porter, 2019, $18.99, 9780823443314, ages 7-10)
Wittenstein and Pinkney come together for a deep dive into the speech that galvanized the 1963 March on Washington. The book stars not only Martin Luther King Jr. but also the colleagues whose support was crucial to him, showing that historical moments—and movements—are not inevitable; they’re shaped and changed by many hands and voices. In emphatic phrases and art alternatingly warm and tense, the creators’ portrait of the civil rights leader in consultation with others is an invaluable addition to the shelf of King biographies. See our full starred review.

Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison (Little, Brown, 2019, $16.99, 9780316475143, ages 8-12)
This illustrated volume from Harrison compiles stories of notable Black men in history, including aviators, artists, politicians, pop stars, athletes, and activists, spanning centuries and continents, all of whom blazed a trail for future generations.

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison (Little, Brown, 2017, $16.99, 9780316475112, ages 8-12)
Featuring trailblazing Black women in American history, this collection includes women from various points in history with diverse backgrounds, all of whom take a stand against a world that doesn’t always accept them.

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer by Carole Boston Weatherford, illus. by Ekua Holmas (Candlewick, 2015, $17.99, 9780763665319, ages 9-12)
In this multi-award winning volume, Weatherford shares the story of Fannie Lou Hamer, a champion of civil rights from the 1950s until her death in 1977. Integral to the Freedom Summer of 1964, Hamer gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention that, despite President Johnson’s interference, aired on national TV news and spurred the nation to support the Freedom Democrats.

This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy (Bloomsbury, 2019, $17.99, 9781681198521, ages 10-12)
Boyce, one of 12 Black students who integrated Clinton, Tenn.’s public high school in August 1956, following racial desegregation, relays the story of that harrowing experience in verse. Addressing the duplicity of the court-ordered integration, Boyce poignantly describes the cruelty of white students, while never losing hope in the belief that racial equality is attainable and that she can help make it happen. See our full starred review.

Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott, illus. by Loveis Wise (Little, Brown, Jan. 14, $18.99, 9781368045247, ages 12 and up)
Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, this collection of 49 poems pays tribute to victims of police brutality and the activists insisting that Black Lives Matter. Elliott engages poets from the past two centuries to create a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls.

March (Books 1-3) by John Lewis, illus. by Nate Powell (Top Shelf, 2016, $49.99, 9781603093958, ages 13-16) (We have these book in our collection).
In three volumes, the third of which earned a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Georgia Congressman John Lewis frames his story as a flashback told to a few inquisitive visitors in his Washington office as he is getting ready to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama, beginning with his hardscrabble childhood on a remote Georgia farm to his gradual awakening to the pernicious evil of segregation and his growing leadership role in Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent resistance movement. See our full starred review of Book 1.

Fiction
Woke Baby by Mahogany L. Browne, illus, by Theodore Taylor III (Roaring Brook, 2018, $7.99, 9781250308986, ages up to 3)
From educator and activist Browne, this board book celebrates what it means be woke, or “aware of and actively working against racial, political, and social injustices.” Woke babies get up early, raise their fists in the air, cry for justice, and grow up to change the world.

A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson, illus. by Eric Velasquez (Simon & Schuster, 2015, $19.99, 9780689832529, ages 5-8) (We have this book in our collection).
This collaboration between Johnson and Velasquez pays tribute to the children who played a role in the civil rights movement, the "brave boys and girls who—like their adult counterparts—could not resist the scent of freedom carried aloft by the winds of change." Together, text and art evoke the gumption of two spirited sisters who sneak out of their home one day to participate in a march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. See our full review.

Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson, illus. by Frank Morrison (HMH, 2018, $17.99, 9780544704527, ages 6-9) (We have this book in our collection).
Unfolding through the resolute voice of a fictional African American girl participating in the 1963 Children’s Crusade, Clark-Robinson’s story follows young residents of Birmingham, Ala., marching to protest segregation. With her parents unable to risk losing their jobs, the girl, her brother, and thousands of their peers volunteer to serve as “Dr. King’s army.” Refrains (“Singing the songs of freedom, one thousand strong we came”) are displayed like banners across the pages, emphasizing collective strength in the face of brutal violence. See our full review.

Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Olivia Gatewood, illus. by Theodore Taylor III (Roaring Brook, Mar. 10, $18.99, 9781250311207, ages 8-12)
Following an introduction that defines what it means to be woke, Browne’s poems combine clear declarations with easy-to-grasp metaphors to convey progressive values. Privilege is compared to a toolbox (“We can choose/ to use it to help people who don’t have what we do”) and gender to a rainbow (“There are so many shades between boy and girl”). With its references to figures such as Janet Mock and Trayvon Martin, this volume is a useful conversation-starter. See our full review.

A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 2019, $16.99, 9780062836687, ages 8-12)
(We have this book in our collection). Twelve-year-old Shay’s palms itch when she senses trouble coming, and this year, they seem to be itching more than ever. She and her elementary school besties had dubbed themselves “the United Nations”—Isabella is Puerto Rican, Julia is Japanese American, and Shay is African American—but everyone begins moving in different directions as junior high begins. Meanwhile, in their city of Los Angeles, tensions are high over the trial of a police officer who shot an unarmed Black man. When the officer is set free, and Shay goes with her family to a silent protest, she starts to see that some trouble is worth making. See our full starred review.

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson (Crown, 2018, $18.99, 9780525580423, ages 8-12)
Wade and Cheryl Willis Hudson, founders of Just Us Books, offer this empowering anthology to counter today’s often-unsettling political climate for children of varying ethnicities, faiths, identities, and abilities, presenting 30 illustrated essays, poems, stories, and letters from more than 50 diverse children’s book creators. Contributions aim to calm, sustain, and inspire children. See our full starred review.

Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan, illus. by R. Gregory Christie (Calkins Creek, 2018, $17.99, 9781629797182, ages 9-12)
In this story of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike, triggered after two Black sanitation workers died when their poorly maintained truck malfunctioned, Duncan writes in fervent free verse from the perspective of Lorraine Jackson, a fictional girl whose father joins the strike and who is loosely based on Almella Starks-Umoja, a teacher who marched in strike protests with her parents as a child. Gouache paintings by Christie feature a montage of panoramas and portraits, including those of the protesters, King, and Lorraine’s family. See our full review.

Saving Savannah by Tanya Bolden (Bloomsbury, Jan. 14, $17.99, 9781681198040, ages 13 and up)
Following Inventing Victoria, Bolden returns to the world of upper-class African American society in historical Washington, D.C., where she explores the tumultuous changes of 1919—the fight for women’s suffrage, the New Negro movement, the growth of anarchism—through the eyes of 17-year-old Savannah Riddle, who has grown increasingly embarrassed, even repulsed, by her privileged life. Enhanced by a comprehensive author’s note, this is a valuable portrayal of affluent African American society and of post-WWI life. See our full review.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal (Sourcebooks Fire, 2019, $17.99, 9781492678892, ages 14 and up)
Debut authors Segal and Jones deliver split points of view in this drama that follows two teens: Lena, who is Black, and Campbell, who is white, two teens who must rely on one another after a racially charged fight breaks out during a football game, school resource officers become involved, gunshots are fired and a riot erupts. An accessible look at urgent issues of racial justice. See our full review.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 2017, $18.99, 9780062498533, ages 14 and up) (We have this book in our collection). 
At home in a neighborhood riven with gang strife, Starr Carter, 16, is both the grocer’s daughter and an outsider, because she attends private school many miles away. At Williamson Prep, where she’s among a handful of Black students, she can’t be herself either: no slang, no anger, no attitude. Already wrestling with what Du Bois called “double consciousness,” she accepts a ride home from Khalil, a childhood friend, who is then pulled over and shot dead by a white cop. Thomas authentically depicts a teenage girl, her loving family, and her attempts to reconcile what she knows to be true about their lives with the way those lives are represented—and completely undervalued—by society at large. See our full starred review and Flying Starts interview with Thomas.

Windows and Mirrors from Black #OwnVoices Creators
Picture Books
Brown Baby Lullaby by Tameka Fryer Brown, illus. by AG Ford (FSG, Jan. 14, $16.99, 9780374307523, ages 2-6)
This lyrical bedtime picture book follows two brown-skinned parents from sunset to bedtime as they lovingly care for their beautiful brown baby: first, they play outside, then it is time for dinner and a bath, and finally a warm snuggle before bed.

The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes, illus. by Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Penguin/Paulsen, 2019, $17.99, 9781524740740, ages 3-6)
When a mother gives her son the titular nickname, it inspires him throughout his first day of school. Affirming text and energizing drawings by Brantley-Newton skillfully balance bright colors, patterns, and textures, putting a spring in the step of any reluctant kindergartner. Who wouldn’t want to be thought of as “the charming, the wonderful and the kind” class sovereign? See our full starred review.

Honeysmoke: A Story of Finding Your Color by Monique Fields, illus. by Yesenia Moises (Imprint, 2019, $17.99, 9781250115829, ages 3-6)
A biracial girl searches for the perfect color word to describe herself in this empowering picture book with a universal theme of self-identity, eventually creating a special word to describe the combination of her mother’s dark and her father’s light skin colors: honeysmoke.

Bedtime Bonnet by Nancy Amanda Redd, illus. by Nneka Myers (Random House, Apr. 7, $17.99, 9781984895240, ages 3-7)
In this story about an intergenerational Black family’s nighttime hair routines, the youngest, an expressive girl sporting two Afro puffs, introduces readers to her family as they begin readying for bed. Discovering that her bedtime bonnet is missing, a search ensues, with the whole family pitching in to help. Redd’s family represents a range of varying hair textures and care routines, while Myers’s illustrations bring the close-knit crew and their daily rituals to affectionate life. See our full review.

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illus. by Gordon C. Jones (Bolden/Milner, 2017, $18.95, 9781572842243, ages 3-8)
How good can a haircut make a person feel? In this powerfully moving tribute to barbershop culture, Barnes addresses readers directly—and it’s safe to say his audience is primarily boys of color—using hyperbole to boost their confidence and help them recognize their own value. Pride, confidence, and joy radiate from the pages, both in the Black and brown faces of men, women, boys, and girls featured in James’s paintings, and in writing that celebrates human worth with every syllable. See our full review.

You Matter by Christian Robinson (Atheneum, June 2, $17.99, 9781534421691, ages 4-8) (We have this book in our collection).
Simple and heartfelt, the refrain of Caldecott Honoree Robinson’s poem speaks directly to readers: “You matter.” In a neat rhetorical twist, the line also refers to the Earth itself, whose evolutionary history flashes by in gently comic collages made with blocky forms and bold paint strokes, human concerns receding in geological time, then coming into focus as a brown-skinned astronaut orbits Earth while holding a photo of a child. A page turn shows the child back on Earth looking wistfully out an apartment window: “Sometimes, someone you love says goodbye.” Robinson represents life as both interconnected and precious. See our full starred review and read our interview with Robinson on “Creating Art That Matters.”

Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Knopf, Jan. 14, $17.99, 9780525582090, ages 4-8)
In this picture-book poetry collection, Brantley-Newton writes in the voices of various girls, exploring themes such as community and identity (“I Am a Canvas”), simple pleasures (“Summer Loves”), and unavoidable troubles (“Pimples”). Ranging from a few lines to the length of a page, the poems are matched with bright, textured, mixed-media illustrations featuring a variety of girls—curly and straight haired, ethnically diverse, blemish-dotted, glasses-wearing, spunky, shy, lonely, and empowered—in highly relatable moments. See our full review.

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, illus. by Vashti Harrison (Simon & Schuster, 2019, $17.99, 9781534425361, ages 4-8) (We have this book in our collection).
In this picture book by Academy Award-winning actor Nyong’o, when Sulwe’s schoolmates call her names, she endeavors to lighten her skin, and even her mother’s wisdom cannot convince her of her inherent worth. A nested fable shows Sulwe what happens when Night and Day, two magnificent sisters, react to peoples’ initial preference for Day’s light. By turns beguiling and magical, this volume clearly conveys the pain of colorism, confronting it head-on. See our full starred review.

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, illus. by Vashti Harrison (Kokila, 2019, $17.99, 9780525553366, ages 4-8)
Based on Cherry’s animated short film of the same title, this picture book is about Zuri, a Black girl who is proud of her hair, which “kinks, coils, and curls every which way.” In need of a spectacular coif on a special day, her devoted father tackles the task, at first underestimating the challenge, then rallying to save the day. A bighearted ode to individuality and father-daughter collaboration. See our full review.

Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel, illus. by Shane W. Evans (Dial, 2019, $17.99, 9780525552314, ages 4-8)
A brown-skinned girl’s day begins with a stretch to “greet the sun, bold and bright,” and additional hands-up motions follow as she lifts her hands to let her parents pull on her shirt, enthusiastically gestures to her teacher (“Please pick me, Ms. B!”), reaches for a book on a high shelf, lifts hands “in praise and worship,” and jumps to score during a basketball game—and then triumphantly raises a trophy above her head. An uplifting celebration of advocating for oneself, aiding those in need, and connecting with community. See our full review.

I Am Enough by Grace Byers, illus. by Keturah A. Bobo (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 2018, $18.99, 9780062667120, ages 4-8) (We have this book in our collection).
An ode to self-confidence and kindness from actor and activist Grace Byers, this picture book depicts girls of diverse body shapes and skin tones.

What Is Given from the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack, illus. by April Harrison (Random House/Schwartz & Wade, 2018, $17.99, 9780375836152, ages 4-8)
James Otis and his mother don’t have much. Daddy died last April and the family farm is gone, so the two of them now live in a “run-down shotgun house” that floods when it rains, but when their pastor asks the congregation to help a family who lost everything in a fire, Mama does her part, sewing an apron made from her cherished white tablecloth, and expects James to find “a li’l bit of something” for the girl, Sarah. After giving it much thought, he creates a book for and about Sarah herself—a gift the girl presses to her heart. See our full starred review.

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed, illus. by Stasia Burrington (HarperCollins, 2017, $17.99, 9780062651730, ages 4-8)
Ahmed’s first children’s book presents a fictional portrait of a young Mae Jemison, whose parents support her dream of becoming an astronaut; their advice (“If you can dream it, if you believe it and work hard for it, anything is possible”) becomes the book’s refrain. An afterword provides some details about Jemison’s career and various firsts she accomplished, including becoming the first African American woman in space. See our full review.

Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins, illus. by Bryan Collier (Little, Brown, 2017, $18.99, 9780316360302, ages 4-8)
Perkins’s 1975 poem features compact, rhythmic language that’s both avuncular and commandingly rhetorical (“Hey Black Child/ Do you know who you are/ Who you really are”). Each stanza begins with a close, almost photorealistic portrait of a confident, happy child, with subsequent pages showing how the child’s passion, coupled with a proud sense of heritage, leads him or her to become someone who helps make “your nation/ what you want it to be.” See our full starred review.

Saturday by Oge Mora (Little, Brown, 2019, $18.99, 9780316431279, ages 4-8) (We have this book in our collection).
Ava’s mother works six days a week, so Saturday, their only day together, “was the day they cherished,” but, despite a practiced plan and tickets to a “one-night-only puppet show,” this one isn’t going particularly well. But they face each setback the same way: “They paused, closed their eyes, and--whew!—let out a deep breath,” then Ava’s mother reassures her that “today will be special. Today will be splendid. Today is SATURDAY!” Carefully paced repetition structures the family’s experiences, and brilliantly colored collages by Mora convey their trip through the city with elegant energy. Read our full starred review.

My Hair Is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera (Albert Whitman, 2018, $16.99, 9780807509234, ages 5-7)
After being bullied by classmates about her unruly hair, Mackenzie seeks guidance from her wise and comforting neighbor, Miss Tillie. Using the garden in the backyard as a metaphor, Miss Tillie shows Mackenzie that Black hair is beautiful and that maintaining healthy hair is not a chore nor is it something to fear.

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illus. by Rafael López (Penguin/Paulsen, 2018, $18.99, 9780399246531, ages 5-8)
In this picture book, former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Woodson imagines being “an only” in the classroom—what it’s like to be the only one with an accent (“No one understands the way words curl from your mouth”), the only one who stayed home during summer vacation (“What good is this/ when other students were flying/ and sailing”), the only one whose lunch box is filled with food “too strange or too unfamiliar for others to love as you do.” Without prescribing sympathy, Woodson’s poetic lines give power to each child’s experience. See our full starred review.

Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration by Samara Cole Doyon, illus. by Kaylani Juanita (Tilbury House, Jan. 7, $16.95, 9780884487975, ages 6-8)
Browns of all kinds are lauded through a natural lens in this celebration of community and belonging. Inclusive mixed media art by Juanita portrays scenes of comfort and abundance: families laughing and cuddling; women enjoying bounty; children engaging in leaping, lively play. Throughout, the creators draw the beauty of the natural world—a forest, a snowstorm—into relationship with the characters until the twined concepts become part of a quilted family tree. A magnificent paean to a varied hue. See our full starred review.

Middle Grade
Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson (Bloomsbury, Ap.l 28, $16.99, 9781547600564, ages 7-10) (We have this book in our collection).
In this series opener, a loose reimagining of Ramona Quimby’s exploits, Watson adroitly captures the uncertainty of growing up amid change through the eyes of an irrepressible Black girl. In vignette-style chapters, Watson warmly weaves together slice-of-life moments that capture youthful doubt alongside moments of loss and joy, showing a tight-knit family navigating difficulties with plenty of courage and plenty of love. Occasional illustrations by Mata (She’s Got This) emphasize the story’s vibrant realism. See our full starred review and Watson’s essay on “Holding On to Sunshine” in difficult times.

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender (Scholastic Press, Feb. 4, $17.99, 9781338129335, ages 8-12)
In this tale of grief, intersectional identity, and love, 12-year-old Kingston “King” Reginald James has lost his beloved older brother, Khalid, 16, three months before the story starts, though King believes Khalid has become a dragonfly and visits nightly in his dreams. When Charles “Sandy” Sanders—the son of the racist sheriff and King’s former friend—disappears, and King realizes he was the last to see Sandy, he ponders his obligation to tell anyone; King knows Sandy is a victim of domestic abuse and suspects Sandy’s father is the perpetrator. King shines wholly real as a Black child learning to negotiate shifting interpersonal relationships and navigate sociocultural pressures and expectations. See our full starred review.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks (HarperCollins/Tegen, Jan. 14, $16.99, 9780062875853, ages 8-12)
On her 12th birthday, aspiring pastry chef Zoe Washington receives a letter from Marcus, the biological father she’s never met, who has been serving time for murder since just before Zoe’s birth. Zoe’s mother and stepfather don’t want her in touch with Marcus, but Zoe, curious, strikes up a correspondence with the help of her maternal grandmother, who believes Marcus to be “a good person at heart.” When Marcus tells Zoe he is innocent, and her grandmother agrees, Zoe begins to learn about inequality in the criminal justice system, and she sets out to find the alibi witness who can prove his innocence. See our full starred review.

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone (Crown, Jan. 7, $16.99, 9781984892973, ages 8-12)
Part history lesson, part road trip, this middle grade debut by the YA author stars William “Scoob” Lamar, a biracial, Black-presenting 12-year-old, as he heads off on a road trip with his beloved grandmother, G’ma, who is white. He mostly goes to escape a punishment from his father, but as the two make their way through the South, Scoob learns more about the grandfather whom he never met, the interracial couple’s 1963 road trip, which G’ma aims to complete, and the ways in which the world has changed and remained the same. A heartwarming, family-centered adventure that will leave readers guessing until the end. See our full starred review.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia (Disney/Riordan, 2019, $17.99, 9781368039932, ages 8-12) (We have this book in our collection).
In this triumphant middle grade debut inspired by West African mythology and African-American folk tales, Black seventh grader Tristan Strong accidentally tears a hole between his grandparent’s Alabama farm and the myriad lands of Alke, where he encounters legendary folk heroes such as hammer-swinging John Henry and wily Brer Fox. To mend the rift, save the day, and return home, Tristan and his allies must seek out the missing trickster god Anansi, a journey that takes them to regions inhabited by ancient gods. Flying Starts author Mbalia expertly weaves a meaningful portrayal of family and community with folklore, myth, and history—including the legacy of the slave trade—creating a fast-paced, heroic series starter. See our full starred review and our interview with Mbalia about his forthcoming sequel.

Some Places More Than Others by Renée Watson (Bloomsbury, 2019, $16.99, 9781681191089, ages 8-12)
When “sneaker-head” Amara Baker wants to visit her father’s childhood home in Harlem for her upcoming 12th birthday, her mother, eight months pregnant with a baby sister Amara is less than thrilled about, isn’t too keen on the idea. But when her humanities teacher assigns a project requiring Amara to delve into her family history, her father agrees to take her to visit his family, including Grandpa Earl, with whom her dad hasn’t spoken in 12 years. See our full review.

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles (HMH/Versify, 2019, $16.99, 9781328460837, ages 8-12)
In the Virginia county that’s home to African American cousins and renowned sleuths Otto and Sheed Alston, curious goings-on are commonplace, but on the last day of summer vacation, things “get stranger than usual”—by a lot. A fantastical time war plays out at a dizzying pace as Giles interjects affecting realism with themes of reconciliation, family, identity, and destiny. See our full starred review.

So Done by Paula Chase (Greenwillow, 2018, $16.99, 9780062691781, ages 8-12)
Growing up together in a housing project, 13-year-olds Tai and Mila are longtime best friends, but they couldn’t be more opposite, and their differences only increase after Mila spends the summer in the suburbs with her aunt and older sister. When she returns home, Tai senses that something in Mila has changed, and it causes a rift, leaving only their mutual love of dance and the upcoming audition for a program designed for fine arts students. Chase vividly conjures the triumphs, tensions, and worries percolating in the girls’ low-income neighborhood alongside the growing anticipation about who will be chosen for the program and whether Mila will divulge her secret. See our full starred review.

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson (Scholastic, 2018, $16.99, 9780545946179, ages 8-12)
Twelve-year-old Candice Miller begrudgingly moves with her mother from Atlanta to the small town of Lambert, S.C., for the summer, where in her late grandmother’s house she finds a letter addressed to her grandmother, which promises treasure to the city if the letter’s puzzle can be solved. Candice then learns that her grandmother’s efforts to do so years earlier cost her both her reputation and her job as the first African American city manager in Lambert and digs into the mystery along with Brandon, an 11-year-old neighbor who is being bullied. Johnson addresses important issues gracefully, particularly having the freedom to live a life of one’s choosing and the long-lasting effects of discrimination. See our our full review and interview with Johnson.

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (Algonquin, 2015, $15.95, 9781616204143, ages 9-12)
Jumbies are ancient, shape-shifting spirits living amid old-growth mahogany forests, feared and whispered about by humans, but 11-year-old Corinne and her father, Pierre, don’t care; they live in a cottage under the forest eaves and tend the richest garden in the village, which is dominated by an orange tree planted by Corinne’s mother before her untimely death. It’s a happy household, but her father is lonely, and gradually falls under the spell of Severine, a jumbie in human disguise, embittered and seeking revenge. See our full review and our Q&A with Baptiste.

Gloom Town by Ronald L. Smith (Clarion, Feb. 11, $16.99, 9781328841612, ages 10 and up)
In this quirky dark fantasy set in a small seaside town known as Gloom, a biracial 12-year-old boy is desperate to help his mother pay the rent on the cottage they share and takes a job as a gentleman’s valet, only to discover that his frightening new master may be an ancient inhuman entity with a sinister agenda. See our full review.

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi (Dutton, 2019, $16.99, 9780399187353, ages 10 and up)
Neurodiverse, rising seventh-grader Ebony-Grace Norfleet Freeman (or, as she prefers, Cadet E-Grace Starfleet) is obsessed with all manner of science fiction, much preferring her internal life to the real world. When her aging grandfather, who was among the first Black NASA engineers, is beset by unspecified trouble, Ebony is sent from her affluent Alabama family to stay with her working-class father in Harlem. Homesick, Ebony finds it impossible to fit in with neighborhood girls interested in Double Dutch and Dapper Dan’s and instead uses her “imagination location” to create tales about rescuing her grandfather, the audacious Captain Fleet. See our full review.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum/Dlouhy, 2016, $17.99, 9781481450157, ages 10 and up) (We have this book in our collection).
In this compelling series opener, seventh-grader Castle Cranshaw, nicknamed Ghost, knows nothing about track when a former Olympian recruits him as a sprinter for one of the city's youth teams. As far as Ghost is concerned, "whoever invented track got the whole gun means go thing right," something he learned firsthand when his father tried to shoot Ghost and his mother in their apartment three years prior. The track team provides friends, goals, and an opportunity for Ghost to move beyond his past. Reynolds uses a light hand to delve into topics that include gun violence, class disparity, and bullying. Read our full starred review.

Novels for Teens
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (Scholastic Press, June 2, $17.99, 9781338503265, ages 12 and up)
Indiana high school senior Liz Lighty has two goals: attend prestigious Pennington College like her late mother, and become a doctor to study the disease that ended her mother’s life. When the music scholarship she’s counting on falls through, Liz’s brother persuades her to do the unthinkable as one of the only Black girls at wealthy, majority-white, and sometimes racist Campbell County High—run for prom queen and win the $10,000 scholarship that accompanies the prom-obsessed town’s crown. See our full starred review.

A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope edited by Patrice Caldwell (Viking, Mar. 10, $18.99, 9781984835659, ages 12 and up)
In this anthology of 16 short stories that center Black female and gender-nonconforming characters within fantasy and speculative fiction, authors of varying backgrounds, including Elizabeth Acevedo, Justina Ireland, and Rebecca Roanhorse, cover timely themes such as colorism, mental health, ancestry and tradition, and sexual and gender identity, exploring the beauty, bravery, fear, history, and empowerment of being Black. See our full starred review.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (Random House/Make Me a World, 2019, $17.99, 9780525647072, ages 12 and up)
Carnegie Medal nominee Emezi makes their young adult debut in this story of a transgender, selectively nonverbal girl named Jam, and the monster that finds its way into their universe. Emezi’s direct but tacit story of injustice, unconditional acceptance, and the evil perpetuated by humankind forms a compelling, nuanced tale that fans of speculative horror will quickly devour. See our full starred review.

I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest (Roaring Brook, 2019, $17.99, 9781250294883, ages 12 and up)
When Chloe Pierce decides to go against her mother’s wishes to audition at the conservatory of her dreams, her annoying neighbor Eli demands to come with her, threatening to ruin her plan if she refuses. This road trip rom-com about an African American ballerina finding love en route to an audition will appeal to fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon.

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi (Razorbill, 2017, $17.99, 9780448493909, ages 12 and up)
Themes of belonging, self-discovery, and inequity round out the world of Onyebuchi’s debut, where war and dark magic are around every corner, and the main character, Taj is an ak—a sin eater; important yet reviled, aki battle and consume the sins of others, which take on the physical form of beasts. Onyebuchi’s worldbuilding is vivid and beguiling, and Taj’s outward cockiness hides a core of vulnerability. See our full review.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, June 2, $18.99, 9780062891495, ages 13 and up)
Magic creates a centuries-long divide between peoples in this stunning debut novel inspired by North African and West African folklore. An action-packed tale of injustice, magic, and romance, this novel immerses readers in a thrilling world and narrative reminiscent of Children of Blood and Bone. See our full starred review.

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (Tor Teen, June 2, $17.99, 9781250315328, ages 13 and up)
Play-sisters Tavia and Effie are both Black teens in Portland, Ore., with secrets: Tavia, who is selectively nonverbal, is a siren in a world that persecutes sirens and seeks to silence their mythic voices, and Effie, who plays a mermaid at Renaissance fairs, doesn’t know what brand of mythical creature she is, only that she’s changing day by day. When the recent murder of a Black girl is tacitly justified by rumor that she may have been a siren, Tavia’s heavily insulated world is turned upside down, with Effie as her only constant. Morrow excels at grounding her fantastical reimagining of the modern world through depictions of marginalized experiences. See our full review.

All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani (Greenwillow, May 13, $18.99, 9780062656919, ages 13 and up)
Texas high school junior basketball star Rex Carrington has a tradition at the free-throw line: blowing a kiss to his mother, who died giving birth to him. On the day his kiss happens to land on 16-year-old Carli, another basketball champion from another school, she passes out, he catches her, and the two form a bond that eventually turns into love. Readers will be easily swept away by this tale exploring the hearts and souls of two emotionally vulnerable athletes. See our full starred review.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (Inkyard, Feb. 25, $18.99, 9781335911551, ages 13 and up)
Debut author Dow combines alien invasion, dystopian romance, and road trip tropes in this story of an alien occupation of Earth. Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker, who is African American and suffers from anxiety and hypothyroidism, operates a contraband library in her New York City apartment building, where 1,000 people, including her family, are being held by the alien Ilori. Amid references to popular media, Dow paints a moving picture of two teenagers’ defiance and the power of song and story to combat despair. See our full review.

Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles (HarperCollins/Quill Tree, Jan. 21, $17.99, 9780062349194, ages 13 and up)
High schooler Del Rainey has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten, but Kiera has never been single. When she suddenly becomes single, he’s determined to give things a go, inadvertently signing up for their church’s Purity Pledge group alongside her, an eight-week program offering “a thorough review of why Jesus wants me to abstain.” With true-to-life characters and a straightforward handling of sex, including often ignored aspects of male sexuality, Giles’s thoughtful, hilarious read offers a timely viewpoint on religion, toxic masculinity, and teen sexuality. See our full starred review.

A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison (Inkyard, Jan. 7, $18.99, 9781335016041, ages 13 and up)
Despite having been shot, Tyson Trice has survived the mean streets of Lindenwood, so nothing can faze him—not even being tossed into the affluent coastal community of Pacific Hills. Nandy Smith is not pleased when she hears her parents are taking in a troubled teen boy, fearing her summer plans and reputation will be ruined. Will one house be big enough for their hate—or love?

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite (Inkyard, 2019, $18.99, 9781335777096, ages 13 and up)
Alaine Beauparlant, 17, is the ambitious, impulsive, and highly opinionated first-generation Haitian-American daughter of divorced parents whose future plans hit turbulence months shy of her graduation after an incident involving her journalist mother and an overfamiliar politician. After a poorly executed plot to defend her mother leaves Alaine suspended, she’s sent to Haiti to volunteer with a charity app created by her aunt, the Haitian Minister of Tourism. The Moulite sisters’ debut is a funny, bittersweet story of loss, regret, love, and sacrifice, centered on the fictional female descendants of real-life Haitian queen Marie-Louise Coidavid. See our full starred review.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (HarperCollins/Quill Tree, 2019, $17.99, 9780062662835, ages 13 and up)
In this novel from National Book Award and Printz winner Acevedo, Afro–Puerto Rican and African-American high school senior Emoni Santiago lives in Philadelphia with her two-year-old daughter, Emma and paternal grandmother. A talented cook, Emoni balances school, work at a local burger joint, and motherhood—including shared custody with her ex-boyfriend, Tyrone—with moments in the kitchen, where her “magical hands” create dishes that allow the eater to access deep, surprising memories. But she’s not sure what to do with her passion, or after high school, until enrolling in a culinary arts elective. Acevedo’s unvarnished depiction of young adulthood is at once universal and intensely specific. See our full starred review.

The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis (Inkyard, 2019, $18.99, 9781335008497, ages 13 and up)
Indigo Phillips has always lived in the shadow of her popular, perfect identical twin, Violet, but when Violet becomes terminally ill and plans to die via medically assisted death, Indigo spirals into desperation in her efforts to cope, beginning to hear a mysterious voice claiming to be God. As she deals with outrageous mishaps, strange lodgings and even stranger folks along the way, Indigo will figure out how to come to terms with her sister, her family, and the voice in her head.

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson (HarperCollins/Tegen, 2019, $17.99, 9780062840325, ages 13 and up)
Jackson deftly chronicles the timely story of bold young talent gone too soon and the survivors who struggle to keep it alive. Aspiring teen rap artist Stephon Davis Jr. is dead in Brooklyn, the victim of an apparent street shooting perpetrated by persons unknown. Determined not to let his musical genius die with him, Steph’s heartbroken best friends, Quadir and Jarrell, and his grief-stricken sister, Jasmine, hatch a plan to pretend that Steph is still alive in order to turn him into a rap superstar like his recently slain idol, Biggie Smalls. Jackson scores a bullseye with her passionate homage to Black city life in the late ’90s. See our full starred review.

Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan (Bloomsbury, 2019, $18.99, 9781547600083, ages 13 and up) (We have this book in our collection).
From poets Watson and Hagan comes a complex and socially conscious coming-of-age tale featuring Jasmine, a plus-size African American girl with a passion for acting, and her best friend Chelsea, a white girl and budding feminist. As the two struggle with the racism and sexism that are thriving even in seemingly progressive spaces, they come into their own as young activists pushing back against injustice. See our full review.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 2018, $17.99, 9780062564047, ages 13 and up)
“It’s a truth universally acknowledged that when rich people move into the hood... the first thing they want to do is clean it up,” begins this Haitian-Dominican Pride and Prejudice retelling that stands on its own while paralleling Austen’s classic, in a story about five economically challenged sisters. Zoboi skillfully depicts the vicissitudes of teenage relationships, and Zuri’s outsize pride and poetic sensibility make her a sympathetic teenager in a contemporary story about race, gentrification, and young love. See our full starred review and Flying Starts interview with Zoboi.

Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess (Blink, 2017, $17.99, 9780310761839, ages 13 and up) (We have this book in our collection).
Betrayed by those closest to him and stunned by a family secret, 17-year-old Blade Morrison flees his comfortable but chaotic life as the son of a drug-addicted rock star. Seeking answers and closure, Blade travels to the Ghanaian village of Konko, where he gains new perspective on family and belonging. Readers will identify with Blade’s struggle to find his place in a family where he feels like an outsider. See our full review.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, May 26, $18.99, 9780062990297, ages 14 and up)
In this uplifting coming-of-age novel told in accessible verse, Atta chronicles the growth and glory of Michael Angeli, a mixed-race kid from London, as he navigates his cultural identity as Cypriot and Jamaican as well as his emerging sexuality. Atta expounds on matters of identity and the struggle to find love and community as a gay Black man in a majority-white space—Michael feels neither Greek nor Black enough, nor, in his estimation, queer enough to fit in. Atta’s story uplifts as it informs and entertains as it affirms. See our full starred review and Q&A with Atta.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, May 5, $18.99, 9780062820259, ages 14 and up)
Black trans artist Felix Love, 17, has never been in love. His mostly supportive single father still struggles to call him by his name and pronouns, and Felix is convinced that nobody except his ride-or-die bestie, wealthy Ezra Patel, can appreciate him for who he is. Felix is attending an ultracompetitive arts summer program to have a better shot at a full scholarship to Brown when someone posts Felix’s dead name beside photos of him, pre-transition, in the school’s lobby. As Ezra begins dating a new guy and the competition for Brown heats up, Felix’s plot to get revenge throws him onto the path of love and self-discovery. See our full starred review and Q&A with Callender.

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk (Delacorte, Mar. 10, $17.99, 9781524715915, ages 14 and up)
Ever since she and her best friend stopped speaking, Cleo has felt “haunted” by the past; things started going wrong sophomore year, when Layla, who stutters except when she’s singing, auditioned for chorus. The girls in chorus don’t think much of dreamy, Shakespeare-loving, decidedly casual Cleo, and as the girls grow apart, they both behave badly, exchanging harsh words and spreading tit-for-tat rumors. In this satisfying coming-of-age friendship story Cleo learns to stop seeing people as all good (her father, past Layla) or all bad (her mother, current Layla), and realizes that change can be exhilarating rather than disastrous. See our full starred review.

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett (Knopf, 2019, $18.99, 9781984829955, ages 14 and up)
Simone Garcia-Hampton, a Black 17-year-old, is HIV-positive and, though she’s healthy, she knows how people react when they find out; bullying and other negative reactions are why she left her old school. But just as she’s settling in, directing the school play and maybe starting a relationship, she starts getting notes threatening to reveal her HIV status. Readers will root for sympathetic Simone in this frankly sex-positive debut. See our full review.

Jackpot by Nic Stone (Crown, 2019, $17.99, 9781984829627, ages 14 and up)
On Christmas Eve, Gas ’n’ Go employee Rico Danger, 17, sells two lottery tickets to a woman with memory troubles and, when she realizes that one of the tickets may be worth $106 million, she begins obsessing about its whereabouts. When no one claims the jackpot after several days, Rico enlists classmate Zan Macklin, a wealthy computer whiz, to help her track down the customer. As they work together, she and Zan careen toward a romance layered with intersectional issues: multiethnic Rico is believably resentful about her family’s situation; Zan, part white and part Latinx, is often oblivious to his privilege and high-handed with his wealth; and neither believes they have much choice for their future. Stone authentically portrays the precarious, terrifying act of living with far less than is needed to survive, and its financial and emotional fallout. See our full review and our profile on Stone.

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds (HarperCollins/Tegen, 2019, $17.99, 9780062748379, ages 14 and up) (We have this book in our collection).
Ask African American high school senior Jack who he is and he’ll tell you: he’s an only child, and the king of “nice try” and “almost.” Unlike his best friend Franny, he never makes the team. And he doesn’t get the girl because he’s in love with his other best friend, Jillian, who’s dating Franny. But Jack does learn from his mistakes, and he has lots of opportunities to try again when he finds himself in a time loop. See our full review.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 2019, $18.99, 9780062498564, ages 14 and up) (We have this book in our collection).
Sixteen-year-old aspiring rapper Brianna Jackson contends with her mother Jayda’s addiction, which has cost Jayda her job, leading to their rent being late, their heat being shut off, and Jayda being forced to choose between staying in college and feeding her kids, because welfare benefits don’t include food stamps for unemployed students. When Bri begins to gain notice in the local music scene, her success draws the unwanted attention of the gang suspected of killing her father, while, at the same time, an incident at school connects her with activists. Thomas introduces readers to an unforgettable cast of characters who seek to thrive in close-knit neighborhoods that are also shaped by violence and systemic racism. See our full starred review.

A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney (Imprint, 2018, $18.99, 9781250153906, ages 14 and up)
Ever since police in Atlanta killed an unarmed Black girl at a school football game, Alice Kingston’s mother has watched Alice like a hawk. The attention is proving problematic for the 17-year-old Black Dreamwalker, who secretly guards the city’s Gateway to Wonderland (the “collective unconscious of the entire world”) and slays any monsters (aka “Nightmares”) that attempt to cross over. Alice is pondering retirement when her mentor, Addison Hatta, contracts a mysterious disease dubbed the Madness. Relentless action, spiraling stakes, and a fierce heroine distinguish debut author McKinney’s fantasy update of Alice in Wonderland. See our full review.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt, 2018, $18.99, 9781250170972, ages 14 and up)
Eleven years ago, King Saran cemented his grip on the throne by banishing magic from Orïsha and slaughtering the realm’s maji—Zélie Adebola’s mother included. The maji’s descendants—dark-skinned, white-haired people called divîners—have lived under tyranny ever since, but now there is cause for hope. Thanks to information gleaned from Saran’s kindhearted daughter, Amari, 17-year-old Zélie has a chance to restore magic to Orïsha and activate a new generation of maji. First, though, Zélie, Amari, and Zélie’s brother Tzain must outrun the crown prince, Inan, who is determined to finish what his father started by eradicating magic for good. By making tangible the power that comes from embracing one’s heritage, Adeyemi conjures a story that resonates with magic both literal and figurative while condemning apathy in the face of injustice. See our full starred review and interview with Flying Starts author Adeyemi.

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 2018, $17.99, 9780062570604, ages 14 and up)
Shortly after Jane McKeene was born, the dead rose and attacked the living, effectively ending the Civil War. A reunified army fought the shambling hordes until Congress passed the Negro and Native Reeducation Act, requiring adolescent children of color to train for battle. At age 14, Jane—who is mixed race—enrolled at Miss Preston’s School of Combat for Negro Girls, hoping to avoid conscription by becoming a socialite’s bodyguard. Three years later, Jane is close to earning her attendant certificate when she, her ex, and her rival stumble across a dastardly plot hatched by Baltimore’s elite. Abundant action, thoughtful worldbuilding, and a brave, smart, and skillfully drawn cast entertain as Ireland illustrates the ignorance and immorality of racial discrimination and examines the relationship between equality and freedom. See our full starred review.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (Freeform, 2018, $17.99, 9781484728499, ages 14 and up)
Sixteen-year-old sisters Camellia, Edelweiss, Ambrosia, Padma, Valeria, and Hana are the new generation of Belles, young women who are responsible for keeping the citizens of Orléans beautiful, magically transforming their appearances to align with the latest trends. Talented Camellia believes that she will be selected as the Queen’s favorite, a role the sisters covet deeply, but when another Belle is chosen and Camellia is assigned to a teahouse to perform beauty rituals on the wealthy, she begins to wonder if what she has always believed about the Belles is true. Readers will be left with much to consider about morality, individuality, and the malleability and artificiality of beauty.

More than the stereotype of the docile smart student that sits in the back row and lives for math and science, the AAPI community has taken it upon themselves to rewrite outdated characters in favor of vibrant multifaceted ones that encapsulate their contemporary experiences—written by and for AAPI individuals who weren’t able to find themselves in popular media. As shown by the myriad of AAPI children’s and YA authors and their stories—from struggles with self-identity, fitting in with the crowd, the joys of rediscovering and sharing culture, and contributing to society—every AAPI has a distinct story to tell. Here we have collected some of the year’s new and forthcoming titles that celebrate AAPI experiences, strength, and resilience no matter the circumstance. The recent rise in hate crimes toward AAPI continues to shake the community, but stories like these serve as a reminder of joy and belonging.

Picture Books and Graphic Novels
Always Anjali
Sheetal Sheth, illus. by Jessica Blank. 
When Anjali receives the bike of her dreams on her birthday, she is excited to get a license plate with her name on it. But Anjali can’t find her name. To make matters worse, she is bullied for her name, and is so upset she wants to change it.
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho, illus. by Dung Ho * 
An Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her friends’ and begins to wish for eyes that are like theirs, until she realizes that her eyes are like her family’s: filled with stories of the past and hope for the future. See our profile on Joanna Ho’s bestselling picture book debut.

Hair Twins by Raakhee Mirchandani, illus. by Holly Hatam 
A Sikh father and daughter with a special hair bond proudly celebrate and share a family tradition. Every morning Papa combs through his daughter's waves like he does his own. Her favorite style is when he combs her hair in a tight bun on the top of her head, just like the joora he wears every day under his turban.
I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne, illus. by Julia Kuo 
When a girl and her family emigrate from Taiwan to San Diego, they leave behind the narrator’s maternal grandmother, Popo. This story touches on learning a new language, acclimating to a new home, and the changing relationship the child maintains with Popo even while apart.
My First Day by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huy'nh Kim Liên 
The rainy season has come to the Mekong Delta, and An, a Vietnamese boy, sets out alone in a wooden boat wearing a little backpack and armed only with a single oar. Although daunted by the unknown, An realizes that his efforts will be worth it when he reaches his destination.
The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee by Julie Leung, illus. by Julie Kwon 
The picture book biography focuses on Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese American woman to fly for the U.S. military. When people scoffed at her dreams of becoming a pilot, Hazel wouldn't take no for an answer; she joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II.
When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling, illus. by Aaron Asis *
For one girl, summer doesn’t start until her lola—her grandmother from the Philippines—comes for her annual visit. Her lola fills the house with the aroma of mango jam and her quiet, sweet singing in Tagalog. The whole family gathers to share in their happiness of another season spent together.
Watercress by Andrea Wang, illus. by Jason Chin. 
Driving through Ohio, a girl’s parents stop the car when they spot watercress growing wild by the side of the road, and the family wades into the muck to collect as much as they can. First, the girl is embarrassed, but when her mother shares a story of her family’s time in China, the girl learns to appreciate what they foraged. See our In Conversation with Wang and Chin.
Middle Grade
All You Knead Is Love by Tanya Guerrero 
Alba, who is one quarter Filipino and one quarter Spanish, doesn't want to live with her estranged grandmother, Lola Abuela, in Barcelona. She wants to stay with her mother, even if that means enduring her father’s abuse. But in her new home, Alba forms a close relationship with Lola Abuela, discovers a talent for baking, and gets to know the city her mother used to call home.
Amina’s Song by Hena Khan 
In this companion novel to Amina’s Voice, it is the last few days of vacation in Lahore, Pakistan and Amina is excited to share her experience with her friends back home in Wisconsin. But her friends don’t seem interested. When she decides to do a presentation on Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the worst parts of the story. Amina wonders how she can share the beauty of Pakistan when no one wants to listen. See our q&a with Khan here.
Clues to the Universe by Christina Li * 
Li’s debut middle grade novel is about losing and finding family, forging unlikely friendships, and searching for answers to questions bigger than yourself. If there is anything Ro loves more than watching rockets being launched, it’s building them with her father, until he is unexpectedly killed. When Ro and Benji become science partners at school, they become unlikely friends and grow together facing bullying, grief, and their own differences.
Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh 
While facing racist vandalism at her middle school, Junie must decide between staying silent or speaking out. When her teacher assigns an oral history project, Junie learns of her grandparents’ experiences as lost children during the Korean War and finds her inner strength, just as her grandparents did.
Generation Misfits by Akemi Dawn Bowman 
Millie Nakakura is starting sixth grade at a real school for the first time in her life, and making friends is trickier than expected. When she spots a flyer for an after-school club for fans of Japanese pop music, Millie begins to find her place with this crew of misfits.
Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna 
Kiki has always been a worrier, but the thing that has always soothed her is drawing. Her sketchbook is full of doodles depicting the rich Indian legends her mother has told her over the years. One day, her sketchbook’s calming effect is broken when her mythological characters spring to life and Kiki ends up falling into the mystical world she drew.
Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab by Priya Huq 
In this middle-grade graphic novel, a Bangladeshi American girl is the victim of a hate crime on her way home from school. Deeply traumatized, she spends the summer only leaving her house for therapy. The night before her freshman year at a new school, she decides to start wearing hijab, to the dismay of her family. This puts her on a path to discovering more about Islam, her family’s complicated relationship with the religion, and the reasons they left Bangladesh.
Rea and the Blood of the Nectar by Payal Doshi 
After a fight with her twin brother, Rohan, who goes missing, Rea’s life in the village of Darjeeling, India, gets turned on its head. Her grandmother is also behaving strangely. Unwilling to give up on Rohan, Rea meets a fortuneteller whose powers of divination set her off on a secret quest.
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca 
Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family and close community. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted. Reha feels especially disconnected from her mother, or Amma. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is very sick.
Sugar and Spite by Gail D. Villanueva 
In this tale steeped in Villanueva’s Filipino culture, Jolina can't take Claudine's bullying any longer. Though Jolina knows she's still in training to use her grandfather's arbularyo magic, she brews a batch of gayuma, a powerful love potion to use on Claudine as revenge. But magic comes with a cost, and bad intentions beget bad returns.
Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flames by Supriya Kelkar 
In 1857 India, Meera escapes a life she has no say in only to end up a servant to a British general in the East India Company. When a rebellion against British colonizers spreads, she must choose between safety in a British household or standing up for herself and her people.
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook 
Chaya must play Robin Hood for her impoverished community, but when she steals the queen’s jewels a messy getaway jeopardizes a friend’s life. After a haphazard prison break, Chaya barely escapes on the king’s prized elephant into the lush Sri Lankan jungles.
That Thing About Bollywood by Supriya Kelkar 
An Indian American girl’s world turns upside down when she involuntarily starts bursting into glamorous song-and-dance routines during everyday life.
The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim 
Riley can't wait to see her sister get initiated into the Gom clan, a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister's footsteps, she's a saram—a person without magic. Then Hattie gets an idea: what if they cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie's powers?
The Many Meanings of Meilan by Andrea Wang 
Meilan’s world has a few key ingredients: a family matriarch, Nai Nai; the family bakery in Boston’s Chinatown; and her Chinese fairy tales. After Nai Nai dies, the family has a falling-out that sends Meilan, her parents, and her grieving grandfather in search of a new home in Redbud, Ohio.
Unsettled by Reem Faruqi 
When Nurah’s family moves from Karachi, Pakistan, to Peachtree City, Ga., she wants to blend in, but she stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah’s accent, floral-print kurtas, and skin make her feel excluded, and she’s left to eat lunch alone under the stairwell, until she meets Stahr at swimming tryouts.
We Belong by Cookie Hiponia Everman 
Stella and Luna know that their mother came from the Philippines when she was a child. One night they ask her to tell them her story. As they get ready for bed, their Mama spins two tales: that of her youth as a strong-willed middle child and immigrant; and that of the life of Mayari, the mythical daughter of a god.
While I Was Away by Waka T. Brown 
When Waka’s parents suspect she can’t understand basic Japanese, they send her to Tokyo to live with her strict grandmother. Waka flies across the globe from rural Kansas, where she faces the culture shock of a lifetime. Even though this is the country her parents came from, Waka has never felt more like an outsider.
YA
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le 
In this romantic comedy, two Vietnamese American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing neighboring restaurants. See our q&a with debut author Le.
A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen 
High school senior Liza Yang is nearly perfect. But compared to her older sister Jeannie, Liza is rebellious and determined to push back against their mother’s traditional dating values. When Liza agrees to help at the family bakery’s junior competition, she realizes there’s a catch: all of the contestants are Asian American men her mother has handpicked for Liza to date.
American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar 
Rani Kelkar has never lied to her parents, until she meets Oliver. They begin dating in secret, but when Oliver’s troubled home life unravels, he starts to ask more of Rani than she knows how to give. When a twist of fate leads Rani from Evanston, Ill., to Pune, India for a summer, she has a reckoning with herself.
Anna K Away by Jenny Lee 
In this sequel to Anna K, the former golden girl of Greenwich, Conn., and New York City has been brought low by a scandalous sex tape and the tragic death of her first love, and is now in South Korea to connect with her family. Set during one summer, the story also features familiar characters Lolly, Steven, Kimmie, Dustin, and Bea.
Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan 
Karina has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents’ rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents travel to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet. Instead, one simple lie unravels everything.
From Little Tokyo, with Love by Sarah Kuhn 
If Rika’s life seems like the beginning of a fairy tale, she would be the first to reject that notion. After all, her biracial background doesn’t quite fit the princess mold. That changes when she sees Grace Kimura, America’s rom-com sweetheart, setting off a chain of events to find her long-lost mother and a sense of belonging.
Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar 
In Irish Bangladeshi author Jaigirdar’s new YA novel, everyone likes Hani―she’s the most popular girl at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she has only dated guys. Panicked, Hani says she is in a relationship with academic overachiever Ishu, a girl her friends absolutely hate. When Ishu agrees to help Hani, they start to develop real feelings for each other. But some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from being together.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao 
Chinese history and mecha science blend together in this fantasy. The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing with girls to pilot Chrysalises, robots that battle the mecha aliens lurking beyond the Great Wall, but at the cost of the girls’ lives. When Zetian offers herself up, it’s to assassinate the male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. After she gets vengeance in an unexpected way, she is determined to fight the misogynist system and stop the sacrifice of more girls.
Jade Fire and Gold by C.L. Tan (
In this debut novel inspired by Chinese mythology, Ahn is a nobody, with no past and no family. Altan is a lost heir, his future stolen away as a child. When they meet, Altan sees in Ahn a path to reclaiming the throne. Ahn sees a way to finally unlock her past and understand her lethal magical abilities.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo 
America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
Luck of the Titanic by Stacy Lee 
Valora has two things: a ticket for the most luxurious ocean liner in the world, and a dream of leaving England behind and making a life as a circus performer. Much to her surprise, she’s turned away at the gangway because Chinese people aren’t allowed into America. But there’s not much a trained acrobat like Val can’t overcome when she puts her mind to it. She’ll need that determination more than ever when disaster strikes the ship.
Made in Korea by Sarah Suk 
Valerie has made a name for herself selling K-beauty products at school to help fund a trip to Paris with her halmeoni. But when the new kid in class threatens to upend her beauty business with one of his own, Valerie refuses to go down without a fight.
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach 
An ambitious Chinese Vietnamese American girl finds herself trapped between leading a feminist movement and falling for her patriarchal enemy.
Sisters of the Snake by Sarena Nanua and Sasha Nanua 
This debut fantasy is inspired by the co-authors’ (twin sisters) Indian heritage. Princess Rani longs for a chance to escape her gilded cage and prove herself. Ria is a street urchin, stealing just to keep herself alive. When their lives collide, everything turns on its head: because Ria and Rani, orphan and royal, are unmistakably identical. A deal is struck to switch places—but danger lurks in both worlds.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
In this fantasy drawing from “The Wild Swans” and East Asian folklore, Shiori’anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. But when she loses control and is banished by her stepmother who also turns the princess’ brothers into cranes, Shiori must search for her brothers while uncovering a dark conspiracy to seize the throne.
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He 
In this story that centers on Asian sisterhood and family, Cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago. With no idea of how she was marooned, she only has a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and Cee needs to find her.
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean 
Izumi (“Izzy”) has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, California town. But Izzy discovers that her previously unknown father is the Crown Prince of Japan. In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet her father and discover the country she always dreamed of. Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough.
Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi 
Sisters Jayne and June Baek are nothing alike. Once thick as thieves, these sisters who moved from Seoul to San Antonio to New York together don’t want anything to do with each other anymore. That is, until June gets cancer and Jayne becomes the only one who can help her.
You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao 
Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail. And Sam picks up the phone.
XOXO by Axie Oh 
Cello prodigy Jenny finds herself falling for a K-pop idol who isn’t allowed to date, and has to decide whether their love is worth the risk.
Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan 
Zara’s family has waited years for their visa process to be finalized so that they can officially become U.S. citizens. But it only takes one moment for that dream to come crashing down around them. See our q&a with Khan about the personal story behind her new novel.