BostonPL_Black Is... 2024: 75 Books for Children, Teens, & AdultsLike this list

75 items

• Abeni's Song

  Clark, P. Djèlí

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  Children. Young Abeni's world is turned upside-down when mysterious warriors abduct the people of her village. Now she has been forced into an old witch's apprenticeship, gaining the skills she'll need to save her people in this fantasy…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Big

  Harrison, Vashti,

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  Children. A young girl with a love for ballet finds that as she grows, people around her begin to say hurtful things about her size. She goes through a difficult journey to self-love, one told through brilliantly sparse text and striking…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Cookie Monsters

  Kendrick, Erika J.,

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  Children. Brooklyn Ace won't settle for anything but first place in this year's Valentine World Scouts cookie selling contest. There's just one problem: Piper Parker, the rich new girl who quickly bewitches the whole seventh grade. Who…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Curlfriends

  New in Town

  Miller, Sharee

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  Children. Once again, Charlie faces the first day at a new school. She's always had trouble making friends, and decides reinventing her image might do the trick. Luckily, she meets a group of friendly misfits who help her realize there's…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Absolutely, Positively Love My Spots

  Rivera, Lid'ya C.,

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  Children. The unique beauty of vitiligo is poetically celebrated in this delightfully empowering picture book, which includes a personal letter from the author and some facts about the skin condition.

• Ketanji

  Justice Jackson's Journey to the U.S. Supreme Court

  Magoon, Kekla

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  Children. The first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson has led a life full of outstanding achievement. This uplifting biography follows her path from high school to Harvard to public defending and, finally, to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Link + Hud

  Heroes by a Hair

  Pumphrey, Jarrett,

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  Children. Lincoln and Hudson Dupré are masters of imagination, constantly taking on epic quest and feats. Unfortunately, the brothers' unbridled creativity has scared off every babysitter in the neighborhood. But will the boys finally meet…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Remember Us

  Woodson, Jacqueline,

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  Children. Between the house fires in her neighborhood, her growing passion for basketball, and her waning connection with her old friends, Sage is going through a lot of changes this summer. But one of them, her new friend Freddy, becomes…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• School Trip

  Craft, Jerry,

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  Children. The New Kid and his friends from Riverdale Academy are off on a trip to Paris. As an artist, Jordan is eager to see the renowned City of Lights. Of course, nothing is ever smooth sailing for Jordan, and last-minute chaperone…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Wash Day

  Golden, Tiffany,

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  Children. Today is hair-washing day, and Jelaya is not looking forward to all that tugging, scrubbing, and general discomfort. But her big sister Jazmin has a few tricks up her sleeve to change wash day forever.

• We Are Your Children Too

  Black Students, White Supremacists, and the Battle for America's Schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia

  Pearson, P. O'Connell (Patricia O'Connell),

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  Children. A fascinating middle-grade account of a Virginia county that chose to close all its public schools rather than integrate. While affluent White families built a new private school, the Black community banded together to teach…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• All You Have to Do

  Allen, Autumn,

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  Teen. In 1968, Kevin participates in a protest again Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination that shuts down his Ivy League campus. Thirty years later, Gibran challenges his own school's hypocrisy amidst controversy over the Million Man…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Davenports

  Marquis, Krystal

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  Teen. As one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in 1910 America, the Davenports live surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, finding their way and finding love—even where they’re not supposed…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Friday I'm in Love

  Garrett, Camryn

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  Teen. It might be too late to have a Sweet Sixteen, but Mahalia is determined to have the best coming-out party ever: a singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms! A love letter to Black joy and queer…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be

  A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption

  Gibney, Shannon

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  Teen. In this speculative memoir, Gibney explores possible timelines for her life by weaving together her true story of growing up as a mixed-Black transracial adoptee and the fictional story of Erin Powers, the name she was given at birth.

• Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

  Hibbert, Talia,

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  Teen. Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, two ex-best-friends must trudge through not just mud and dirt, but also their messy past. Has too much time passed for them to rekindle their feelings for one another?

• The King Is Dead

  Dean, Benjamin (Children's author),

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  Teen. Heavy is the crown James has been born to wear, especially as the first Black heir to the British throne. But with his father’s recent passing and a new boyfriend to hide, James is woefully unprepared for the sudden shine of public…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Promise Boys

  Brooks, Nick

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  Teen. When the principal of their prep school ends up murdered on school premises, three students become the prime suspects and must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested... Or is the true culprit hiding…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Salt the Water

  Iloh, Candice,

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  Teen. A novel-in-verse follows Cerulean Gene, a nonbinary Black teenager, as they deal with the ramifications of dropping out of high school, cope with a family emergency, and dream of living off-the-grid with their friends.

• Sing Me to Sleep

  Burton, Gabi

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  Teen. As a soldier and assassin, Saoirse Sorkova lies about her identity as a siren to avoid execution. But to her family, Saoirse tells the biggest lie of all: that she can control her powers and doesn’t constantly grapple with the…Read moreRead more of this annotation