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All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

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All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

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All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
Farrar, Strauss and Giroux; April 28, 2020
Kirkus Review

As a queer, Black boy growing up in America, journalist and activist George M. Johnson never saw much literature written for people like him. In this memoir-manifesto, Johnson tells stories of growing up and living life as a queer Black boy and man and all the joys and hardships along the way. This book provides a mirror for other queer Black boys and young men, and it holds others accountable to allyship.

Great to recommend to students who are grappling with intersectional identities and representation.

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The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
Balzer & Bray; May 26, 2020
Stonewall Book Award Winner
Kirkus Review

Dean Atta's debut novel is all about fitting in and standing out. Michael has grown up in London a bit confused about who he is. It hasn't been easy to grow up as a mixed-race teen: he never feels Black enough or Greek enough. After he comes out and joins a drag racing community, however, he starts to find more security in who he is supposed to be.

Perfect for students who are struggling with identity or want to know more about what it's like to grow up with multiple challenged identities.

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Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles
Quill Tree Books; January 21, 2020
Indie Next List Pick
Kirkus Review

Del has had a crush on Kiera for about as long as he can remember, and when she finally breaks up with a longtime boyfriend, he thinks he has a shot with her. To get closer to her, he starts to volunteer at the same church as her. To his surprise, volunteering at this church means volunteering himself for a purity pledge. This means that he is promising not to have sex until he's married. As he questions his own knowledge of sex and relationships, he starts to put together what it means to him to be a man. Maybe he'll even get the girl along the way.

This book is great for students who are curious about masculinity and sex.

Kirkus Review

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Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson; Katherine Tegen Books; September 15, 2020

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Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson; Katherine Tegen Books; September 15, 2020

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Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
Katherine Tegen Books; September 15, 2020

Kirkus Review

Award-winning Tiffany D. Jackson brings readers a new, thriller-ish story all about a young woman named Enchanted who, after a night she can't remember, wakes up with blood on her hands and a dead man on the scene. Before the man, Korey, was dead, he was a controlling presence in Enchanted's life. Where once she thought he could help her propel into a music career, over time it shows that he has a dark side and her dreams are turning nightmarish.

This book will keep the pages turning in suspense. Though meant for 8th-12th grade, be sure you recommend to a mature reader due to themes of abuse and violence.

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Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Quill Tree Books; May 5, 2020
Indiebound Bestseller
Kirkus Review

From award-winning Elizabeth Acevedo comes a novel in verse about the bond of two teenage girls who only recently learned that each other exists. Camino and Yahaira's worlds are shattered when their father dies unexpectedly in a plane crash. Both have their own issues in their lives, but their love for their father always felt strong, if complicated. Now, with Papi gone, they find each other to pick up the pieces of the past and future blown apart by tragedy.

Perfect for the poetry-averse or reading-averse because it reads quickly in verse and still packs quite a punch!

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PET by Akwaeke Emezi
Make Me a World; September 10, 2019
National Book Award Finalist; Stonewall Book Award Winner; Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal
Kirkus Review

In this fantasy novel, teenager Jam and her friend Redemption come face-to-face with a creature named Pet that comes to life from one of Jam's mother's paintings to hunt a monster. Even though everyone has always told Jam that monsters do not exist anymore, she has no choice but to believe Pet and understand what this means for her existence. This book asks, "How do you save the world from monsters, even if no one will admit they exist?" and it sends Jam into the dark corners of her and Redemption's lives along the way.

Suggest to students who love fantasy novels and who love to question society's norms.

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War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi
Razorbill; October 15, 2019
Kirkus Review

In this futuristic, Black Panther inspired novel, two sisters navigate the war-torn Nigeria together in the year 2172. Based on the Nigerian civil war, Onyebuchi tells the tale of child soldiers fighting for peace and dreaming of a better life amid climate crisis and a post-Apocolyptic world. This is book one of two in the War Girls series.

This book is perfect for sci-fi lovers who want a different perspective on a post-apocolyptic society.

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Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson & Ellen Hagan

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Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson & Ellen Hagan

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Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan
Bloomsbury YA; February 12, 2019
Kirkus Review

When best friends Chelsea and Jasmine become fed up with how women are treated around them (even in progressive NYC!) they team up to create the Women's Rights Club. They share about the experience online, and they go viral. This means that even though they get praise, they also get trolled. Together the friends find a way to keep the club afloat and their voices heard, so that all the women around them may prosper.

This fun, empowering novel is perfect for any students who love a triumphant tale of friendship that addresses racial injustices and women's rights.

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Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America (Edited by Ibi Zoboi)

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Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America (Edited by Ibi Zoboi)

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Black Enough (Short Story Collection) edited by Ibi Zoboi
Balzer & Bray; January 8, 2019
A selection of the Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List
Kirkus Review

This collection of essays, edited by Ibi Zoboi of Punching the Air (2020), explores the nuances, joys, and complexities of the Black teen experience in many of its forms. From the adultification of Black girls and boys, to what it means to be a queer Black teen, to processing the #MeToo movement as a young Black woman, this collection gives readers multiple perspectives to consider. It features authors such as Jason Reynolds, Leah Henderson, Renee Watson, and Rita Williams-Garcia.

Perfect for students who want to dive into complex topics without picking up an entire novel. Essays could pair nicely with novels you're already discussing in class.

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Riding Chance by Christine Kendall
Scholastic Inc; August 28, 2018
Kirkus Review

When Troy gets in trouble at age 13, he is not sentenced to counseling, community service, or even juvie. He's sentenced to taking care of horses and learning to play polo at the local urban equestrian center, and it's worse than anything he could have imagined. Soon, he gets used to mucking the stalls and even the rules of the game of polo. Read along as Troy deals with family complexity and social issues along the way.

This book shows a great example of a Black boy growing without having to encounter traditional incarceration. Suggest to sports fans for a story with a side of empathy.

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You Should See Me in A Crown by Leah Johnson

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You Should See Me in A Crown by Leah Johnson

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You Should See Me in A Crown by Leah Johnson
Scholastic Inc; June 2, 2020
Reese's Book Club: YA  Pick
Kirkus Review

Coming from a small midwestern town, Liz Lightly struggles with feelings of belonging and identity. She's one of the only Black girls in Campbell, Indiana and she's poor and awkward on top of that! She wants to become a successful college student and then a doctor, but relies on financial aid to bring her dreams to life.

Enter the prom queen prize, which promises a scholarship along with the winning sash and crown. Liz never saw herself as a beauty queen, but she can't pass up the opportunity! Follow Liz as she gets outside her comfort zone to find self worth and realize her goals.

Offer this book to students who live for a beauty queen story, who have big dreams, and who want a window into what it might be like to be the only Black girl in town.

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Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam

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Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam

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Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam
(Balzer & Bray; September 1, 2020)
Kirkus Best Book of the Year; Walter Award Winner; New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
Kirkus Review

Imagine being accused of a crime you did not commit and getting sent to jail as a teenager. This is what happens to main character Amal after a fight on the wrong side of town.

Sixteen-year-old Amal is incarcerated in a juvenile detention center and relies on his family, friends, and his art for hope while he serves time for something he is not guilty of. Readers will see racist systems fail Amal while watching his community build him back up with community and art.

Use this book as a window into the experience of Black boys and racist systems. Students will connect with Amal's frustration with oppressive power dynamics and empathize with his determination amid racist systems.