Black History Month Picks for Teens

Updated January 31, 2024
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Accountable : the true story of a racist social media account and the teenagers whose lives it changed
Slater, Dashka
Paper Book
YALSA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION WINNER ● From the New York Times-bestselling author of The 57 Bus comes Accountable, a propulsive and thought-provoking true story about the revelation of a racist social media account that changes everything for...
Ace of spades
Àbíké-Íyímídé, Faridah
Paper Book
Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, a YA contemporary thriller by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé about two students, Devon & Chiamaka, and their struggles against an anonymous bully. All you need to know is . . . I'm here to divide and...
All you have to do
Allen, Autumn
Paper Book
Powerful, thought-provoking, and heartfelt, this debut YA novel by author Autumn Allen is a gripping look at what it takes (and takes and takes) for two Black students to succeed in prestigious academic institutions in America. In ALL YOU HAVE TO DO, two Black young men attend...
Black birds in the sky : the story and legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
Colbert, Brandy
Paper Book
A searing new work of nonfiction from award-winning author Brandy Colbert about the history and legacy of one of the most deadly and destructive acts of racial violence in American history: the Tulsa Race Massacre. Winner, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. In the early morning of June 1, 1921,...
The black mage
Barnes, Daniel
Paper Book
When St. Ivory Academy, a historically white wizardingschool, opens its doors to its first-ever black student, everyone believes thatthe wizarding community is finally taking its first crucial steps towardinclusivity. Or is it? When Tom Token, the beneficiary of the school...
Blood debts
Benton-Walker, Terry J.
Paper Book
GODS MEDDLE AND MAGIC WILL BETRAY YOU, BUT THIS TIME JUSTICE WILL REIGN. Terry J. Benton-Walker's contemporary fantasy debut, Blood Debts, is "an extravaganza from start to finish" (Chloe Gong) with powerful magical families, intergenerational curses, and deadly drama in...
Concrete rose
Thomas, Angie
Paper Book
International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood. A Printz Honor Book! If there's one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it's that a real man...
Courage to soar : a body in motion, a life in balance
Biles, Simone
Paper Book
In Courage to Soar, the official autobiography from four-time Olympic gold-winning and record-setting American gymnast Simone Biles, Simone shares how her faith, family, passion, and perseverance has made her one of the top athletes and gymnasts in the world--and how you too can...
The Davenports
Marquis, Krystal
Paper Book
*Instant New York Times Bestseller* The Davenports delivers a totally escapist, swoon-worthy romance while offering a glimpse into a period of African American history often overlooked. "The perfect read for fans of escapist historical fiction." --NBC...
Dear Martin
Stone, Nic
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WILLIAM C. MORRIS AWARD FINALIST * ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME   After a traffic stop turns violent at the hands of the police, a young Black teen grapples with racism--and what it means for his future....
Delicious monsters
Sambury, Liselle
Paper Book
The Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie in this evocative and mind-bending psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart. Daisy sees dead people--something impossible to forget in bustling,...
Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School
Jewell, Tiffany
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Book Is Anti-Racist and The Antiracist Kid, Tiffany Jewell, this YA nonfiction book, highlighting inequities Black and Brown students face from preschool through college, is the most important, empowering read this year. ...
For Lamb
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
An interracial friendship between two teenaged girls goes tragically wrong in this powerful historical novel set in the Jim Crow South. For Lamb follows a family striving to better their lives in the late 1930s Jackson, Mississippi. Lamb's mother is a hard-working,...
Ghost Roast
Gibbs, Shawnee/ Cannon, Emily (ILT)/ Gibbs, Shawnelle.
Paper Book
Ghost Roast delivers a paranormal adventure full of first crushes, lost histories, and the impossible task of fitting in when your dad is a professional ghosthunter. A stand-alone YA graphic novel from authors Shawneé and Shawnelle Gibbs and artist Emily Cannon! For as long...
The gilded ones
Forna, Namina
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TEEN VOGUE   "A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold. Must read!" -Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author...
The hate u give
Thomas, Angie
Paper Book
8 starred reviews · Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best  ·  William C. Morris Award Winner · National Book Award Longlist · Printz Honor Book · Coretta Scott King Honor Book · #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Absolutely riveting!" --Jason Reynolds "Stunning." -...
The hill we climb : an inaugural poem for the country
Gorman, Amanda
Paper Book
The instant #1 New York Times bestseller and #1 USA Today bestseller Amanda Gorman's electrifying and historic poem "The Hill We Climb," read at President Joe Biden's inauguration. "Stunning." --CNN "Dynamic." --NPR...
Inheritance : a visual poem
Acevedo, Elizabeth
Paper Book
They tell me to "fix" my hair. And by fix, they mean straighten, they mean whiten; but how do you fix this shipwrecked history of hair? In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the...
Into the sunken city
Thiru, Dinesh
Paper Book
"Steal-your-breath adventure." --Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles Perfect for fans of Fable and House of Salt and Sorrows, this spectacular YA fantasy adventure debut is like nothing else, featuring a unique twist on Treasure Island, a...
Legendborn
Deonn, Tracy
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn's YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of...
Love is a revolution
Watson, Renée
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Renée Watson comes a love story about love-not only in a romantic relationship but also in how a girl finds herself and falls in love with who she really is. When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an...
Miles Morales shock waves : a Spider-Man graphic novel
Reynolds, Justin A.
Paper Book
An original middle grade graphic novel from Graphix starring Brooklyn's Spider-Man, Miles Morales, by bestselling author Justin A. Reynolds and Eisner nominee Pablo Leon!Miles Morales is a normal kid who happens to juggle school at Brooklyn Visions Academy while swinging through the streets of...
Nearer my freedom : the interesting life of Olaudah Equiano by himself
Edinger, Monica
Paper Book
"Permit me to lay at your feet the following genuine Narrative . . ." Olaudah Equiano was a writer and abolitionist whose autobiography, The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, captured the attention of British readers at the height of the transatlantic slave trade. The...
Now let me fly : a portrait of Eugene Bullard
Wimberly, Ronald
Paper Book
From author Ronald Wimberly, creator of the viral comic Lighten Up, comes a soaring graphic biography that casts new light on the first African-American fighter pilot. On the eve of World War I, Eugene Bullard was a refugee of the Jim Crow South who was determined to...
Nubia : real one
McKinney, L. L.
Ebook
Promise boys
Brooks, Nick
Audiobook
Punching the air
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu
Ebook
New York Times and USA Today bestseller * Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor * Walter Award Winner * Goodreads Finalist for Best Teen Book of the Year * Time Magazine Best Book of the Year * Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * Shelf Awareness Best Book of...
Shuri. 1, The search for Black Panther
Okorafor, Nnedi
Ebook
Stamped : racism, antiracism, and you
Reynolds, Jason
Stand-alone player
This chapter book edition of the #1 New York Times bestseller by luminaries Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds is an essential introduction to the history of racism and antiracism in America RACE. Uh-oh. The R-word. But actually talking about race is one of the most important...
The taking of Jake Livingston
Douglass, Ryan
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Get Out meets Holly Jackson in this YA social thriller where survival is not a guarantee. Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced...
That self-same metal
Williams, Brittany N.
Paper Book
This stunning YA fantasy debut "seamlessly weaves together history, fantasy, culture, magic, and love" (New York Times bestselling author Daniel José Older) and is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Holly Black, and Justina Ireland. The Forge &...
Things that make white people uncomfortable : adapted for young adults
Bennett, Michael
Paper Book
A version for Young Adults is also available. Michael Bennett is a Super Bowl Champion, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end, a fearless activist, a feminist, a grassroots philanthropist, an organizer, and a change maker. He's also one of the most scathingly humorous athletes on the planet, and he...
Uncelebrated narratives from Black history
Gill, Joel Christian.
Ebook
Strange Fruit Volume I is a collection of stories from early African American history that represent the oddity of success in the face of great adversity. Each of the nine illustrated chapters chronicles an uncelebrated African American hero or event. From the adventures of lawman Bass...
White smoke
Jackson, Tiffany D.
Audiobook
The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out in this chilling YA psychological thriller and modern take on the classic haunted house story from New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson! Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep...
Wildblood : a novel
Blackwood, Lauren
Paper Book
A thrilling new fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blackwood! Eighteen-year-old Victoria is a Wildblood. Since she was kidnapped at the age of six and manipulated by the Exotic Lands Touring Company, she's worked as a tour guide ever since with a team...
Witches steeped in gold
Smart, Ciannon
Paper Book
This Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut about two enemy witches who must enter into a deadly alliance to take down a common enemy has the twisted cat-and-mouse of Killing Eve with the richly imagined fantasy world of Furyborn and Ember in the Ashes. Divided by their order. United by...

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