Black joy, history, and identity — mirrors and windows for every reader.
Black kids deserve joy and history that are not waiting for February. This hub holds both: hair, light, bus rides, first days, and the books that tell the truth about race without treating the reader like they just arrived.
We look for Black life as a life. We skip titles that only work as a unit on hardship. We skip books where a Black child exists to teach the other kids a feeling. Celebration stories belong on this shelf next to the harder ones, because a shelf that is only pain is also a lie.
Picture books: What Is Light for the lap, Sulwe for colorism, The Proudest Blue for pride first, Hair Love for a Sunday morning, Last Stop on Market Street for beauty on an ordinary ride. The stories that celebrate every child guide is the joy layer.
Older readers: New Kid for middle grade that is funny on purpose, The Hate U Give for YA that needs a person, not a headline.
This hub gathers books tagged Black joy, Black history, or race when those tags are doing finding-aid work for Black life on the page. It is not a claim that every book about race belongs only here. Use the filters. If a tag is wrong, contact us.
Related guides: Stories That Celebrate Every Child · Inclusive Middle Grade Books That Aren't a Lesson
222 books · Page 7 of 10
Ages 8–12
A Good Kind of TroubleLisa Moore Ramée
From debut author Lisa Moore Ramée comes this funny and big-hearted debut middle grade novel about friendship, family, and standing up for what’s right, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give and the novels of Renée Watson ...
Ages 8–12
The Stars Beneath Our FeetDavid Barclay Moore
Unable to celebrate the holidays in the wake of his older brother's death in a gang-related shooting, Lolly Rachpaul struggles to avoid being forced into a gang himself while constructing a fantastically creative LEGO city at the Harlem community center.
Ages 8–12
Brown Girl DreamingJacqueline Woodson
A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Red at the Bone, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.
Ages 8–12
Ghost BoysJewell Parker Rhodes
Ghost Boys, the New York Times bestselling novel about a Black boy killed by a white police officer from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes, is brought to a new audience in this heartbreaking and powerful graphic novel with striking ...
Ages 8–12
Clean GetawayNic Stone
Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either. Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.
Ages 8–12
Black Brother, Black BrotherJewell Parker Rhodes
From NYT bestselling author Jewell Parker Rhodes, another poignant and gripping story about how children and families face the complexities of race and racism in today's world.
Ages 8–12
Genesis Begins AgainAlicia D. Williams
Featuring award-winning and critically acclaimed writers such as Seanan McGuire, Naomi Novik, Rebecca Roanhorse, JY Yang, Alyssa Wong, Indrapramit Das, Carlos Hernandez, Sarah Gailey, Ann Leckie, John Chu, Urusla Vernon, Carmen Maria ...
Young adult
Piecing Me TogetherRenée Watson
Tired of being singled out at her mostly-white private school as someone who needs support, high school junior Jade would rather participate in the school's amazing Study Abroad program than join Women to Women, a mentorship program for at ...
Ages 8–12
The CrossoverKwame Alexander
"A bolt of lightning on my kicks, the court is sizzling, my sweat is drizzling. Stop all that quivering, cuz tonight I'm delivering," raps basketball phenom Josh Bell. Thanks to his dad, he and his twin brother, Jordan, are kings on the court, with crossovers that make even the toughest ballers cry. But Josh has more than hoops in his blood. He's got a river of rhymes flowing through him -- a sick flow that helps him find his rhythm when everything's on the line. As their winning season unfolds, things begin to change. When Jordan meets the new girl in school, the twins' tight-knit bond unravels. In this heartfelt novel, basketball and brotherhood intertwine to show Josh and Jordan that life doesn't come with a playbook, and, sometimes, it's not about winning. - Jacket flap.
Ages 8–12
ReboundKwame Alexander
But can Charlie resist when trouble comes knocking once again? From the New York Times-bestselling author Kwame Alexander, Rebound is a stunning coming-of-age novel in verse about basketball, family and staying true to yourself.
Ages 8–12
As Brave As YouJason Reynolds
Genie's summer is full of surprises. The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia. The second surprise comes when Genie figures out that their grandfather is blind. Genie thinks Grandpop must be the bravest guy he's ever known, but he starts to notice that his grandfather never leaves the house. And when he finds the secret room that Grandpop is always disappearing into, he begins to wonder if his grandfather is really so brave after all.
Ages 8–12
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the SkyKwame Mbalia
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Kwame Mbalia's epic fantasy, a middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods.
Young adult
The Hate U GiveAngie Thomas
This story is important." —Kirkus (starred review) "Heartbreakingly topical." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A marvel of verisimilitude." —Booklist (starred review) "A powerful, in-your-face novel." —Horn Book (starred review) ...
Young adult
On the Come UpAngie Thomas
Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn't always free.
Young adult
Concrete RoseAngie Thomas
Forced to flee Kurdistan by the Iraqi government, young refugee Mevan travels from country to country seeking safety and feels more and more alone until a stranger's gift changes everything, in this true story and moving reminder of how ...
Young adult
Long Way DownJason Reynolds
National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds's fiercely stunning novel takes place in sixty potent seconds, the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he's going to murder the guy who killed his brother.
Ages 8–12
Look Both WaysJason Reynolds
This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy— Talking about boogers. Stealing pocket change. Skateboarding. Wiping out. Braving up.
Young adult
Dear MartinNic Stone
"In Dad is Fat, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, who's best known for his legendary riffs on Hot Pockets, bacon, manatees, and McDonald's, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children--everything from cousins ( ...
Young adult
All American BoysJason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
When sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend.
Young adult
Felix Ever AfterKacen Callender
Felix Love, a transgender seventeen-year-old, attempts to get revenge by catfishing his anonymous bully, but lands in a quasi-love triangle with his former enemy and his best friend.
Young adult
PetAkwaeke Emezi
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • STONEWALL BOOK AWARD WINNER • ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by The New York Times • Time • Buzzfeed • NPR • New York Public Library ...
Young adult
Children of Blood and BoneTomi Adeyemi
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie's Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Young adult
LegendbornTracy Deonn
But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society ...
Young adult
March: Book OneJohn Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell
Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper’s farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the first African-American president.
