Here’s a not-so-surprising secret: children’s/YA books are kind of my favorite. And because I’m a middle school librarian, books on this level are kind of my JAM. I could go on and on with a list of recommendations…and I’ve struggled for several days with writing it in the first place – what to include, how to organize – because there’s so much I could share.
There’s been a big push in recent years for diverse books for young readers, and publishers have really stepped up their game with getting more diverse stories and authors out there. Not only are more POC-centric books being published – at this level, they’re most often #ownvoices stories written by authors of color, as well. (Most of these authors have other great books, in addition to what I’ve listed; don’t stop with just this list!)
As an adult, you’ve probably already heard of some of the most well-known titles with Black characters; books like The Hate U Give (by Angie Thomas) and Dear Martin (by Nic Stone) have held their spots on bestseller lists for eons, because they’ve perfectly captured a voice and movement that was missing from YA literature for too long. However, there are loads of books beyond these important social justice titles that share the everyday voices and perspectives of Black characters – not just the struggles that have finally, in the past decade, begun to be addressed and represented by mass media.
Lastly, here’s a very important announcement I need to share: Grown-ups, these books ARE. NOT. JUST. FOR. TEENS. Adults can 100% read these and be entirely invested and entertained; they have strong voices, compelling stories, and everything that “adult books” have, just in a smaller package. Do yourself a favor and grab one of these for summer reading – for many of these, you’ll most likely be able to finish the whole book during one afternoon at the pool or beach.
Note: I own all of these in my middle school library, but if I haven’t personally read it yet, I’ve marked with an asterisk and shared my reason for recommending.
THE SCHOOL-ASSIGNED CLASSICS
*Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis – Set in the 1930s, ten-year-old orphan Bud embarks on an adventure to find his father. Currently my school’s 6th grade summer reading pick.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor – Another set in the 1930s, Cassie Logan discovers and fights the injustices facing her tight-knit family during Mississippi’s Jim Crow era. Such a good protagonist, you’ll pick up the rest in the series.
*The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis – It’s 1963, and the Watsons are an African-American family from Michigan who see a whole different world when they head south to Alabama to visit family. Many of my 5th-8th grade middle schoolers read this in elementary and still love it.
EVERYDAY STORIES FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL
The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson – Jackson Greene is known for his pranks, but this time he’s putting his schemes to good use by saving the student election from some nefarious intervention. Funny school-based story.
Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth – Jarrett’s mom has always taken in foster babies, but when one baby shows up with an older brother too, Jarrett is not too keen on befriending this stranger, no matter what everyone else says.
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander – Told in verse; 12-year-old twins Josh and Jordan live for basketball, though it’s life off the court that is proving more difficult to conquer. Great for sports-loving boys, and the author has several more in the same series and style.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia – The three Gaither sisters travel from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, in 1968 for a tumultuous summer vacation, reunited with a very different mother than the one they remembered and thrown into the middle of the Black Panthers movement. The sisters are great fun to read; there are two more books in the series.
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson – Jade has taken every opportunity to guarantee a successful future away from her neighborhood, but with each encounter she’s learning about her place and identity among class, race, gender, and privilege.
Like Vanessa by Tami Charles – Nessy never believed her life could resemble that of Miss America Vanessa Williams, but when she enters a beauty pageant at school, her view on life begins to change.
The Usual Suspects by Maurice Broaddus – Two kids are tired of being the ones always blamed for the trouble at school, so they’re on a mission to find who’s to blame for the gun recently found on campus before they get blamed for it. You can tell this author is an educator and actually knows middle school dynamics. Applause.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds – Ghost has always been outrunning his past, but a chance encounter leads to a life-changing opportunity on an elite track team. The first in a four-book series, each featuring a different team member. BIG hit with middle school boys.
For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington – Makeda is Black, adopted by a White family, and when her family moves from Baltimore to New Mexico, her world and identity are turned upside down. Not just a story about race, this one broaches lots of different conflicts, as a good reminder that people can have more than one major conflict in their lives.
Dough Boys by Paula Chase – Best friends on the most elite neighborhood basketball team begin to question their individual lives, identities, and, ultimately, their friendship. I book-talked this to 6th grade classes, and literally had to break up arguments between boys fighting to check this out.
*My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi – In the summer of 1984, a sci-fi obsessed girl travels from her home in Huntsville, AL, to stay with her father in Harlem where her sheltered life suddenly becomes unfamiliar and overwhelming. This Haitian-American author has quickly become one to note, as her first novel was a National Book Award finalist.
*Clean Getaway by Nic Stone – Scoob ends up on an impromptu roadtrip with his grandmother and learns about his own history set against the backdrop of a segregated South. Nic Stone is the author of Dear Martin, and this is her foray into middle grade literature.
*Blended by Sharon M. Draper – Isabella’s parents are recently divorced, meaning her life – and, in turn, her identity – are now split between her Black and White. This is her newest book, but Draper has several other older series for YA readers.
YOUNG ADULT DRAMA
Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers – Two best friends have avoided the gang life so common and familiar of their Harlem neighborhood, but a series of incidents begin to lead the two down very different life paths. Myers has LOADS of books to check out.
The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake – Dark-skinned Maleeka is bullied so often that her self-confidence is non-existent, but a confident new teacher with an unusual skin condition opens Maleeka’s eyes to how she’s been letting people treat her. Loved doing a 7th grade book club on this one.
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes – An assignment on the Harlem Renaissance inspires one class to begin weekly poetry sessions where 18 students share their unique voices and stories. Props to the author for crafting and sharing so many distinct, compelling voices.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo – Emoni’s got the skills and drive of an aspiring chef, but she’s also got a 3-year-old daughter who brings heavy responsibilities that constantly gnaw away at the hope of achieving her dreams. Also by this author: The Poet X, a novel told in verse that was one of my favorite reads of 2019.
*Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson – Three friends hatch a plan to turn their murdered friend into a rap star after his death by releasing his music under a new name. When this was new to my library, I recommended it to a 7th grader who grabbed it instantly, updated me frequently on her progress, and then never returned it (haha).
*On the Come Up by Angie Thomas – When Bri, an aspiring rapper, speaks her truth, she faces a nasty, unexpected reality when the public misinterprets her words and assigns their own meaning to her voice. This is Thomas’ follow-up novel to the wildly successful/popular The Hate U Give.
*American Street by Ibi Zoboi – Fabiola is American-born but has spent most of her life in Haiti. When she and her mother try to immigrate through Detroit, her mother is detained, and Fabiola is forced to navigate an unfamiliar new life on her own. This is the book mentioned early that was a finalist for the National Book Award.
*Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi – An anthology of short stories by many of today’s most well-known and popular Black authors, featuring a hugely diverse perspective of voice and experience.
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okofor – A foray into fantasy; 12-year-old Sunny is albino and constantly reminded of how she’s different, but some new friends introduce her to a world in which her differences signify great power. Based on Nigerian folklore.
*Dread Nation by Justina Ireland – A historical horror fantasy in which the dead of the Civil War begin walking the battlefields as zombies, and students of the Native and Negro schools have been trained to defeat the dead. I just want to read because, I mean, did you read that premise??
STAND UP FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE (FICTION)
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes – A 12-year-old boy is wrongly shot and killed by a police officer, and his ghost observes the impact of the crime on his community, finding help from another young boy with a similar story, Emmett Till. I had a 6th grade class just read as a class, and they were obsessed.
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely – Rashad gets beat up by a cop who wrongly accuses him of theft; Quinn witnessed the beating and struggles with the meaning of what he saw. Told from the alternating perspectives of a black boy and a white boy facing the racism and prejudice of their community. Hosted a book club with both white and black students, and the discussion was FIRE (in a good way).
*Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagen – Two girls start a Women’s Rights Club at school and share their gender-, race-, and sexuality-based struggles on social media, but online trolls threaten to silence their voices. I loved Watson’s Piecing Me Together, and this seems to address a hugely diverse range of identity struggles.
*How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon – A 16-year-old black boy is shot by a white hand; the community is in an uproar; everyone has something to say; but no one can say for certainty how it exactly went down. Published in 2014, this one’s on the front-end of YA social justice narratives; a follow-up was just published last year.
TRUE LIFE NON-FICTION
It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime (Young Readers Edition) by Trevor Noah – An age-appropriate adaption of the author’s popular memoir on growing up biracial in apartheid South Africa. An awesome launchpad for discussion on identity, it’s our 8th grade summer reading this year.
*Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds – A young reader’s version of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning; a journey through America’s racially motivated history that forces the reader to understand how our present has been shaped by our past. Currently our 7th grade summer reading selection.
March by John Lewis – A graphic novel trilogy on Congressman John Lewis’ journey through Civil Rights activism, from the 1960s to the present. I hosted an awesome book club this year with 7th graders on the first in the series.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – Told in verse, the author shares her experience growing up in the 1960s and 70s in both South Carolina and New York. The poetry is powerful.
*The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater – The true story of two teens sharing a fateful interaction on their Oakland public transit commute, an incident that garnered international attention and highlighted the power of race, class, privilege, and identity in a case of criminal justice. Colin taught this book to his 8th grade class a couple years ago.