New and Recommended Juvenile & Middle Grade Fiction to Read During Black History Month and Beyond

Updated January 28, 2026
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Amari and the despicable wonders
Alston, B. B.
Paper Book
The highly anticipated third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Supernatural Investigations series that began with Amari and the Night Brothers!  Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Nevermoor. War...
Amari and the night brothers
Alston, B. B.
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller! Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a series filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor. Amari Peters has...
As brave as you
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
Kirkus Award Finalist Schneider Family Book Award Winner Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book In this "pitch-perfect contemporary novel" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award-winning author...
Becoming Muhammad Ali : a novel
Patterson, James
Paper Book
Two literary heavy-hitters--New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander and the world's #1 bestselling author James Patterson--deliver a knockout critically acclaimed bestselling biographical novel about cultural icon Muhammad Ali. ...
Becoming Muhammad Ali : a novel
Patterson, James
Paper Book
Two literary heavy-hitters--New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander and the world's #1 bestselling author James Patterson--deliver a knockout critically acclaimed bestselling biographical novel about cultural icon Muhammad Ali. ...
Before the ever after
Woodson, Jacqueline
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER OF THE CORETTA SCOTT KING AUTHOR AWARD National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson's stirring novel-in-verse explores how a family moves forward when their glory days have passed and the cost of professional sports on Black bodies...
Bird in a box
Pinkney, Andrea Davis.
Paper Book
Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot in common: they've all lost a loved one, they each have secret dreams, and they won't stop fighting for what they want. And they're also a lot like their hero, famed boxer Joe Louis. Throughout this moving novel, their lives gradually...
Black star
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book The thrilling follow up to the #1 New York Times bestseller The Door of No Return stars Kofi's granddaughter, Charley, who's set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball...
Crossover 2 : Booked
Alexander, Kwame/ Anyabwile, Dawud (ILT)
Paper Book
In this electrifying follow-up to Kwame Alexander's Newbery winner The Crossover, soccer, family, love, and friendship take center stage. A New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Longlist nominee, now in a graphic novel edition featuring art from Dawud Anyabwile. ...
Elijah of Buxton
Curtis, Christopher Paul
Paper Book
Master storyteller Christopher Paul Curtis's Newbery Honor novel, featuring his trademark humor and unique narrative voice, is now part of the Scholastic Gold line! Elijah of Buxton, recipient of the Newbery Honor and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, joins the Scholastic Gold...
Finding Langston
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction When eleven-year-old Langston's father moves them from their home in Alabama to Chicago's Bronzeville district, it feels like he's giving up everything he loves. It's...
Freewater
Luqman-Dawson, Amina
Paper Book
Winner of the John Newbery Medal Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award  An Indiebound Bestseller A New York Times Bestseller Award-winning author Amina Luqman-Dawson pens a lyrical,...
From the desk of Zoe Washington
Marks, Janae
Paper Book
#1 Kids Indie Next List * Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year * SLJ Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * Junior Library Guild Selection * Edgar Award Nominee * Four Starred Reviews * Bank Street Best...
Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel
Rhodes, Jewell Parker
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! A heartbreaking and powerful novel about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes. Only the living can make...
Hip-hop hustle
Andral, Dolores
Paper Book
Chery lives to dance. She has her own hip-hop dance crew and a signature move that's a surefire showstopper. But when her crew is forced to break up, Chery is faced with joining her school's hip-hop dance team. Trouble is, Chery's not like most dance hopefuls who have formal training. She moves to...
Leaving Lymon
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
A companion novel to Finding Langston, recipient of a Coretta Scott King Writing Honor and winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Behind every bad boy is a story worth hearing and at least one chance for redemption. It's 1946 and Lymon, uprooted from his...
Moonwalking
Elliott, Zetta
Paper Book
"This novel in verse, alternately narrated by two boys in 1980s Greenpoint, Brooklyn, one channeled by Elliott and one by Miller-Lachmann, eloquently tackles race, culture and life on the spectrum." -- The New York Times For fans of Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson,...
On air with Zoe Washington
Marks, Janae
Paper Book
* An instant New York Times bestseller * An empowering and big-hearted sequel to the bestselling and critically acclaimed From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks! Two years ago, Zoe Washington helped clear Marcus' name for a crime he didn't commit. Now her birth father has...
One crazy summer
Williams-Garcia, Rita.
Paper Book
In this Newbery Honor novel, New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three sisters who travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them. A strong option for summer reading--take this book along on a family road...
One crazy summer : the graphic novel adaptation of the Newbery honor book
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Paper Book
"I wish I didn't know that I was marching my sisters into a boiling pot of trouble cooking in Oakland..." Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a...
The only black girls in town
Colbert, Brandy
Paper Book
A Bank Street Best Book of 2021! From award-winning YA author Brandy Colbert comes a debut middle-grade novel about the only two Black girls in town who discover a collection of hidden journals revealing shocking secrets of the past. Beach...
Operation Sisterhood
Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
Paper Book
Fans of the Netflix reboot of The Babysitters Club will delight as four new sisters band together in the heart of New York City. Discover this jubilant novel about the difficulties of change, the loyalty of sisters, and the love of family from a prolific award-winning author. ...
Ophie's ghosts
Ireland, Justina
Paper Book
Winner of the 2001 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction The New York Times bestselling author of Dread Nation makes her middle grade debut with a sweeping tale of the ghosts of our past that won't stay buried, starring an unforgettable girl named Ophie. ...
The Parker inheritance
Johnson, Varian
Paper Book
A Boston Globe / Horn Book Honor winner * Four Starred Reviews * Over Ten Best-of-Year Lists"Powerful.... Johnson writes about the long shadows of the past with such ambition that any reader with a taste for mystery will appreciate the puzzle Candice and Brandon must solve." -- The New York Times...
Pilar Ramirez and the curse of San Zenon
Randall, Julian
The Land of Stories meets Dominican culture and mythology come to life in Julian Randall's Pilar Ramirez and the Curse of San Zenon, the action-packed fantasy duology finale--for fans of the Tristan Strong series and Amari and the Night Brothers. After...
Playing the cards you're dealt
Johnson, Varian
Paper Book
"With a deft hand, Johnson shows us there's no such thing as "too young" when it comes to questioning big ideas like manhood, or even family." -Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of Look Both Ways and Stamped Literary powerhouse and Coretta...
Remember us
Woodson, Jacqueline
Paper Book
National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson brings readers a powerful story that delves deeply into life's burning questions about time and memory and what we take with us into the future. It seems like Sage's whole world is on fire the summer before she starts seventh grade....
Rick Riordan Presents Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Graphic Novel
Mbalia, Kwame
Paper Book
The talented team of Robert Venditti and Olivia Stephens brings to glorious full color the novel that best-selling author Jason Reynolds called "A brilliant action adventure rooted in African American lore." Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to...
Roll of thunder, hear my cry
Taylor, Mildred D.
Paper Book
Winner of the 1977 Newbery Medal, this is a remarkably moving novel--one that has impressed the hearts and minds of millions of readers. Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, it is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of...
Some places more than others
Watson, Ren©?e
Paper Book
From Newbery Honor- and Coretta Scott King Author Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Renée Watson comes a heartwarming and inspiring novel for middle schoolers about finding deep roots and exploring the past, the present, and the places that make us who we are. ...
Swim Team
Christmas, Johnnie
Paper Book
"Combines wonderful characters and history to create a story that will make you want to dive right in!" JERRY CRAFT, author of the Newbery Medal-winning New Kid A splashy, contemporary middle grade graphic novel from bestselling comics creator Johnnie Christmas! Bree can't wait for...
Time for change
Johnson, Varian
Paper Book
American Girl's 2017 Girl of the Year, Gabriela, makes some tough decisions in her third story.Gabby has never been so busy! In this third novel featuring American Girl's 2017 Girl of the Year, Gabby is already juggling homework, school leadership activities, dance classes, and rehearsals for a...
Twins 1
Johnson, Varian/ Wright, Shannon (ILT)
Paper Book
Coretta Scott King Honor author Varian Johnson teams up with rising cartoonist Shannon Wright for a delightful middle-grade graphic novel!Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects....

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