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

Updated January 28, 2026
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Lewis and Clark Public Library Lewis and Clark Public Library
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New and Recommended Juvenile & Middle Grade Fiction to Read During Black History Month and Beyond

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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...
Bayou magic
Rhodes, Jewell Parker
Paper Book
A magical coming-of-age story from Coretta Scott King honor author Jewell Parker Rhodes, rich with Southern folklore, friendship, family, fireflies and mermaids- plus an environmental twist. It's city-girl Maddy's first summer in the bayou, and she...
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...
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. ...
Curlfriends. #1, New in town
Miller, Sharee (Illustrator)
Paper Book
New Kid meets The Baby-sitters Club in this graphic novel series opener about the Curlfriends, four inseparable Black girls who show us the meaning of true friendship-and being your true self. Charlie has a foolproof plan for the first day at her new middle school. Even...
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
Audiobook
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
Rhodes, Jewell Parker.
Paper Book
A heartbreaking and powerful story 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 the world better. Live and make it better. Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by...
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...
The Manifestor prophecy
Thomas, Angie
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times bestseller! Internationally bestselling superstar author Angie Thomas makes her middle grade debut with the launch of an inventive, hilarious, and suspenseful new contemporary fantasy trilogy inspired by African American history and folklore. It's not...
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...
Opal Watson, private eye
Thurman, Brittany
Opal Watson, Private Eye introduces an exciting new middle grade mystery series based on the popular original Pinna podcast that feels like a modern-day version of Harriet the Spy. Opal Watson loves being a detective. When her neighbor's cat goes missing or her grandmother...
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...
The Probability of Everything
Everett, Sarah
Paper Book
"One of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever)." --Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club NPR Books We Love 2023 | Publishers Weekly Best of 2023 | Winner of the Governor General's Literary Awards for Young People's Literature A heart-wrenching middle grade debut about Kemi, an...
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
The story of one African-American family fighting to stay together and strong in the face of brutal racist attacks, illness, poverty, and betrayal in the Deep South of the 1930s.
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...
Gabriela: Time for Change (American Girl: Girl of the Year 2017, Book 3)
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
Johnson, Varian
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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