BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Feb. 1st – March 1st, 2024
Celebrate Martin Luther King., Jr.’s dream by participating in our community Dream Board!
- BHM Dream Board
- Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. What’s yours? Share your dream in words or art and we’ll post onto the Dream Board to inspire others! No registration required.
Check out our book display of Black Authors, Characters & Stories in the Teen Department and our list of recommended reads below.
Black History Month Reading List for Grades 6-12
Click the book cover to view the title in the Library catalog.
Ace of Spades (Àbíké-Íyímídé, Faridah)
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
“At Niveus Private Academy, Devon and Chiamaka are the only students chosen to be Senior Prefects who are also black, which makes them targets for a series of anonymous texts revealing their secrets to the entire student body. Both students were on track toward valedictorian and bright college futures, but this prank quickly turns into a very dangerous game and they are at more than one disadvantage as it looks like things could turn deadly.”
Ain’t Burned All the Bright (Reynolds, Jason)
Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds
“A smash-up of art and text that viscerally captures what it means to not be able to breathe, and how the people and things you love most are actually the oxygen you most need.”
The Awakening of Malcolm X (Shabazz, Ilyasah)
The Awakening of Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz
Sequel to X: a Novel.
“While in Charlestown Prison in the 1940s, young Malcolm Little reads all the books in the library, joins the debate team and the Nation of Islam, and emerges as Malcolm X.”
*This title is also available as a Playaway.
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America (Zoboi, Ibi)
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America by multiple authors
“A collection of short stories explore what it is like to be young and black, centering on the experiences of black teenagers and emphasizing that one person’s experiences, reality, and personal identity are different than someone else’s.”
Authors: Justina Ireland — Varian Johnson — Rita Williams-Garcia — Dhonielle Clayton — Kekla Magoon — Leah Henderson — Tochi Onyebuchi — Jason Reynolds — Nic Stone — Liara Tamani — Renée Watson — Tracey Baptiste — Coe Booth — Brandy Colbert — Jay Coles — Ibi Zoboi — Lamar Giles
Chlorine Sky (Browne, Mahogany L.)
Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne
“Picked on at home, criticized for talking trash while beating boys at basketball, and always seen as less than her best friend, a girl struggles to like and accept herself.”
A Chorus Rises (Morrow, Bethany C.)
A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow
“Once Portland-famous and now infamous, seventeen-year-old Naema Bradshaw is an Eloko–a charismatic person gifted with a melody that people adore–who navigates a personal and public reckoning, confronts the limits of her privilege, and discovers the nature of her Black girl magic.”
Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Kaepernick, Colin)
Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game by Colin Kaepernick
“High school star athlete Colin Kaepernick is at a crossroads in life. Heavily scouted by colleges and MLB as a baseball pitcher, he has a bright future ahead of him as a highly touted prospect. Everyone from his parents to his teachers and coaches are in agreement on his future. Colin feels differently.”
Concrete Rose (Thomas, Angie)
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
“The author revisits Garden Heights 17 years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood.”
*This title is also available as a Playaway.
Kneel (Buford, Candace)
Kneel by Candace Buford
“For guys like Russell Boudreaux, football is the only way out of their small town. As the team’s varsity tight end, Rus has a singular goal: to get a scholarship and play on the national stage. But when his best friend is unfairly arrested and kicked off the team, Rus faces an impossible choice: speak up or live in fear. Desperate for change, Rus kneels during the national anthem. In one instant, he falls from local stardom and becomes a target for hatred. But he’s not alone. With the help of his best friend and an unlikely ally, Rus will fight for his dreams, and for justice.”
The Life I’m In (Flake, Sharon G.)
The Life I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
“The powerful and long-anticipated companion to The Skin I’m In—Sharon Flake’s bestselling modern classic–presents the unflinching story of Char, a young woman trapped in the underworld of human trafficking.”
*This title is also available as a Playaway.
The Weight of Blood (Jackson, Tiffany D.)
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
“New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson ramps up the horror and tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in this suspenseful YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom.”
March: Book One (Lewis, John)
March: Book One by John Lewis
“A graphic novel trilogy based on the life of civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis. The complete graphic novel trilogy is available too.”
Muted (Charles, Tami)
Muted by Tami Charles
“For seventeen-year-old Denver, music is everything. Writing, performing, and her ultimate goal: escaping her very small, very white hometown. So Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean Mercury Ellis. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights–plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it. Until they’re not.”
One of the Good Ones (Moulite, Maika)
One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite
“When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic. One of the good ones. Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind–why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?–Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected–one that will change everything all over again.”
This Book is Anti-Racist (Jewell, Tiffany)
This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell
“This book is written for the young person who doesn’t know how to speak up to the racist adults in their life. For the 14-year-old who sees injustice at school and isn’t able to understand the role racism plays in separating them from their friends. For the kid who spends years trying to fit into the dominant culture and loses themselves for a little while. It’s for all of the Black and Brown children who have been harmed (physically and emotionally) because no one stood up for them or they couldn’t stand up for themselves; because the color of their skin, the texture of their hair, their names made white folks feel scared and threatened. It is written so children and young adults will feel empowered to stand up to the adults who continue to close doors in their faces. This book will give them the language and ability to understand racism and a drive to undo it. In short, it is for everyone.”
This is My America (Johnson, Kim)
This is My America by Kim Johnson
“While writing letters to Innocence X, a justice-seeking project, asking them to help her father, an innocent black man on death row, teenaged Tracy takes on another case when her brother is accused of killing his white girlfriend.”
Questions? Contact Teen Services at 203.385.4167 or email slateen(at)stratfordlibrary.org.