Black History Month Picks for Teens

Updated February 1, 2024
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Ace of spades
Àbíké-Íyímídé, Faridah
Paper Book
A contemporary thriller by New York Times bestselling 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 conquer. Like all great tyrants...
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 scion
Falaye, Deborah
Paper Book
"Equal parts soaring fantasy, heart-pounding action, and bloody social commentary, Blood Scion is a triumph of a book." --Roseanne A. Brown, New York Times bestselling author of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin  This is what they deserve. They wanted me to be a monster....
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...
Dear Martin
Stone, Nic
Paper Book
"Powerful, wrenching." -JOHN GREEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down "Raw and gripping." -JASON REYNOLDS, New York Times bestselling coauthor of All American Boys "A must-read!...
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. ...
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...
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...
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...
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.
Paper Book
Can you be a hero...if society doesn't see you as a person? Nubia has always been a little bit...different. As a baby she showcased Amazonian-like strength by pushing over a tree to rescue her neighbor's cat. But despite her having similar abilities, the world has no problem...
Poemhood: Our Black Revival : History, Folklore & the Black Experience: a Young Adult Poetry Anthology
Mcbride, Amber/ Martin, Erica/ Byas, Taylor/ Ashwin Writing, Llc (COR)
Paper Book
"A rich, thoughtful anthology exploring centuries of Black poetry." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "This deep and complex assemblage of Black poetry culminates in a joyful, painful, and emotionally rich experience." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "An eclectic mix of Black...
Punching the air
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu
Paper Book
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...
Stamped : racism, antiracism, and you
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
Don't miss this "fresh and conversational" (TIME Magazine), "potent and provocative" (The San Francisco Chronicle), #1 New York Times bestselling exploration of racism--and antiracism--in America. ...
We deserve monuments
Hammonds, Jas
Paper Book
"An absolute must read." --Buzzfeed "A gripping portrayal of the South's inherent racism and a love story for queer Black girls." --Teen Vogue Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery...
When you look like us
Harris, Pamela N.
Paper Book
"A high-speed story that will draw teens in and keep them turning pages until they reach the unpredictable and thrilling ending. A must for YA collections." (School Library Journal) A 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work nominee and a 2022 Edgar Award nominee, this...

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