Book Review - Blackout

  📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Blackout

by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon

Six interconnected short stories written by six talented best-selling authors. When a blackout hits New York City, black teen love starts to shine. From two teens on a long walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn to two more helping out in an elderly home, to more. Things change when the lights go out.

Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon are the brilliant minds behind this book. While Clayton, Stone, Woodfolk, Thomas, and Yoon all have one-and-done short stories, Stone’s story is broken into chapters woven throughout the book, helping bring them all together. Each story is fabulous on its own, but together, they’re phenomenal. The characters in the book are all Black teens but vary in gender and sexuality. While, at its heart, the story is a romance, there is some humor thrown in. This book is one you can’t go wrong reading.

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Book Review - Little & Lion

 📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

Little & Lion

by Brandy Colbert

Suzette returns home to L.A. after spending the year at boarding school in New England. Between the fact that L.A. is where her friends and family are and an incident that occurred right before heading home, she isn't sure she wants to return to boarding school in the fall. Her stepbrother Lionel also needs her support, having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Things get complicated when Suzette finds herself not only crushing on her old friend Emil but on this new girl she met. This girl is the same one who Lionel is also crushing on.

Little and Lion is an excellent portrayal of how mental health often affects a person's living life and their loved ones. This book covers many aspects of diversity regarding race, religion, ability, and sexual orientation. While's mental illness is a significant plot point, the other is Suzette coming to terms with her sexual identity. The story's main plot takes place over the summer, but there are flashback chapters included that are important to the story.

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Book Review - Not So Pure and Simple

 📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Not So Pure and Simple

by Lamar Giles

When his finally available longtime crush Kiera volunteers for a church group, Del is right behind her. That's how he accidentally finds himself in the purity pledge group. Not wanting to lose his shot at Kiera, Del sticks with it. Lucky for him, there's Jameer, a fellow pledger and Kiera's best friend. The two make a deal; Jameer helps Del with Kiera, and Del gets answers from his Healthy living class that Jameer isn't allowed to take for him.

Honestly, besides being a little longer than it probably needed to, this is an enjoyable book. The characters are realistic and relatable, as well as entertaining. This story covers many hot topics. These include the debate of the type of sexual education taught in school, the different ways teen mothers are treated versus teen fathers, and masculinity. If any of these topics aren't right for you, skip this read. If you're good with them, this is worth the read.

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Book Review - Early Departures

 📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Early Departures

by Justin A. Reynolds

Jamal’s best friend Quincy, aka Q, dies in a freak accident just to be brought back to life by a mysterious organization. The thing is, Q is just going to die again, as reanimation only gives him a limited amount of more time. Also, Q is technically Jamal’s former best friend, as the pair haven’t been friends since Jamal’s parents died, and he planned Q for what happened. With this second chance, Jamal is determined to make things right with Q, but there are complications as Jamal can’t fully explain why. Only a few people know Q is reanimated and set to die again, and Q isn’t one of them.

Though longer than it needs to be, this is still an intriguing read that will make you question how you would handle this situation if you were in it. While this book is a work of science fiction, it isn’t heavy into it beyond the reanimation itself, making it a lighter sci-fi novel. Despite the impending sadness of Q’s death, there is humor in the story, including transcripts of videos the boys made back when they were initially friends. If you can get past the slow start, this is worth the read.

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Book Review - Charming as a Verb

   📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Charming as a Verb

by Ben Philippe

Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm anybody, except for his neighbor and classmate Corinne Troy. After uncovering Halti’s dog walking scheme, Corinne decides to blackmail him into helping her improve her image at school and getting her a better recommendation to her dream school. As the two spend time together, Halti discovers he enjoys hanging out with Corinne and that maybe she may provide a way to help him get into his own dream school.

A fun romantic comedy that starts with a nice dose of blackmail. The story is told from Halti’s point of view. Readers will get insight into what it’s like for him to be a first-generation Haitian-American looking to meet his father’s expectations. While Halti and Corinne are terrific and likable characters, Halti’s friend Ming often steals the scene or makes it better. Readers will love the authenticity of the characters and the ways they can relate to them.

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Book Review - Class Act

   📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Class Act

by Jerry Craft

Drew is in the minority at his prestigious school, both racially and economically. It doesn't help his good friend Liam is one of those privileged kids and realizing it causes Drew to start to feel weird around him. The boy's mutual friend Jordan hopes to keep the friends together, but he just isn't sure how. Can Drew learn to accept his friends and himself?

If you loved New Kid, you need to read Class Act. If you haven't read New Kid, read that then Class Act. This book isn't a sequel per se. Still, it is a companion novel, and readers will better appreciate the story having read the first book. The story is superb, and the illustrations are beautiful. Readers are likely to either empathize or sympathize with Drew and his story. This book does tackle race and racial injustice but does so in a way suitable for the age group.

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Book Review - A Song Below Water

  📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

A Song Below Water

by Bethany C. Morrow

Tavia and Effie are like sisters, and each has secrets and challenges they must face. Tavia is a siren, but she has to keep her powers a secret as most people do not like sirens. Effie faces demons from her past and isn't sure what she is, just that she might not be merely human. When a siren is murdered, and the trial rocks the nation, their world begins to unravel.

 In Tavia and Effie's alternate narratives, this story takes on real-world discrimination but as fantastical elements in an interesting way. There are different mythical creatures in this book. Some are basically celebrated, some tolerated, and others discriminated against, such as sirens, which are exclusively Black females. Warning, though, these groups may be a little hard to keep track of while reading. Readers will enjoy figuring out what happened too Effie in the past and what her story is. As for Tavia, readers will be intrigued by her story as well.

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Book Review - Now That I've Found You

  📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Now That I’ve Found You

by Kristina Forest

Evie Jones is going to be a big Hollywood star like her grandmother Gigi. That is until her supposed best friend leeks a video that gets Evie fired from an upcoming job and blacklisted. When she gets the chance to present a lifetime achievement award to her grandmother, Evie thinks it could help get her back in the spotlight for good reasons. When her grandmother takes off without sharing where Evie finds herself in a situation with only Milo, the cute musician Gigi helps out, to help her.

This story is a fun and adventurous one taking place mainly over a week with some personal growth thrown in. Evie isn’t the most likable character, but readers will still route for her. Milo, on the other hand, is incredibly likable, and his dynamic with Evie is envy-worthy. The story isn’t neat and pretty, but it is light-hearted. You also don’t have to be knowledgeable of NYC to fall into Evie’s journey around it, searching for Gigi.

One of the aspects of this book that I love is that it’s about a black teen girl just being. Her issues have little to nothing to do with the color of her skin. We need stories like this in addition to ones where race plays a significant role.

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Book Review - The Voting Booth

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

The Voting Booth

by Brandy Colbert

Having always been driven to change the world, Marva Sheridan is thrilled to vote in her first election. Duke Crenshaw knows that voting is essential, but he just wants to get it over with in order to get ready for his band’s gig that night. When Duke discovers he actually isn’t registered to vote as he thought, and Marva overhears, she makes it her mission to get his vote counted. After all, she didn’t spend months getting people registered only to watch somebody get turned away. The two now find themselves on a road-block-filled adventure for Duke to exercise his right to vote. And while they may start off as strangers, they also may have found something more.

Readers may not be old enough to vote themselves, but they can still enjoy and benefit from this story. While Duke’s being not registered was an accident, their journey to get his vote includes experiencing and hearing about types of voter suppression that do exist in our country. There is also talk about while it is important to vote and how it is especially important for Black people like Marva and Duke too. This book also demonstrates how those who can’t yet vote can maybe help others who can. While this is also a love story that takes place in less than 24 hours, don’t let that stop you.

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Book Review - You Should See Me in a Crown

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

You Should See Me In A Crown

by Leah Johnson

Unable to pay for college, Liz decides to run for Prom Queen in hopes of winning more the scholarship that comes with winning than the actual crown. The problem is Liz isn’t your typical Prom Queen contender, being too awkward, poor, and Black. Liz isn’t thrilled about running, and the only thing that makes it less painful is the cute new girl Mack.

A truly amazing story about an equally amazingly inspiring teen. The book is broken down into each week of events leading up to and including Prom allowing readers to have the easy option of reading a week at a time. Readers will quickly find more than one character they love in this book. While there are some stereotypes found throughout the story, readers will also find characters and events that break them. Whether you read it now or wait till Prom season, this is a book worth the read.

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Book Review - Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

After her school presentation goes horribly wrong, Alaine is suspended from school. Her parents decide to send her to Haiti, where her mom has been living since her on-air explosion. While in Haiti, Alaine is to spend her time interning at her aunt's non-profit and learning about the local culture and her family's heritage. A heritage that includes a curse that Alaine feels explains what is happening to her mother.

The story is told in multiple formats, including e-mails, postcards, texts, and diary entries, which excellently presents the story. Alaine is a smart and witty teen, who readers will come to love if they don't do so from the beginning. While Alaine and her family are fictional, readers will get an intriguing look into Haiti and its culture.

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Book Review - I Wanna Be Where You

📖Recommend for Grades 7 and up📖

I Wanna Be Where You Are

by Kristina Forest

Chloe Pierce wants nothing more than to audition for a ballet conservatory. However, her mom won't allow her to while her mom is away on vacation, Chloe devices a plan to audition anyway, which involves hitting the road to D.C.  When her neighbor Eli asks for him and his dog Geezer to hitch a ride, Chloe hits the first of the speed bumps on her road to audition. With two unwanted guests, butterflies in her stomach, and other obstacles along the way, can Chloe make it to her audition?

Readers looking for a great road trip story can find one here. The story is told through Chloe's point of view, and readers will enjoy hearing her insight. Chloe and Eli are both intriguing and entertaining characters, and the relationship between them is engaging.

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Book Review - Stamped

📖Recommend for Grades 7 and up📖

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

In a remix of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped: From the Beginning, Jason Reynolds reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. He shares how racist views have always existed and why it continues to linger today. Also, while these racist ideas came easily into existence, they can be discredited as well.

You may be thinking, why would you want to read a history textbook? But as Jason Reynolds states, “This is NOT a history book.” While history books can be long, stuffy, and dull, Jason Reynolds shares this narrative freshly and more conversationally. This book also shows a side of history you won’t learn in school.

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Book Review - The Only Black Girls in Town

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

The Only Black Girls in Town

by Brandy Colbert

Alberta has been the only Black girl on her block, in her grade, and just one of the few in the Ewing Beach. Then Edie moves in across the street, and now suddenly she isn’ the only Black Girl around. When Edie discovers old journals written by somebody named Constance, the pair decide to read them and figure out who she is. Alberta loves having a new friend in Edie, but her presence complicates things with her best friend, Laramie.

A great tween read about self-discovery, friendship, and family. Alberta very much knows what it is like to be different, being one of the few Black people in her town and being raised by two dads. Her dealing with these differences shapes her throughout the book. Interwoven into Alberta’s story are Constance’s journal entries that she reads. While they play a role in Alberta’s story, the mystery of who Constance is is a mystery within the main story.

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E-books - Five Black Male Authors You Should Be Reading

• Read Kwame Alexander
• Read Jay Coles
• Read Lamar Giles
• Read Walter Dean Myers
• Read Jason Reynolds

E-books - Five Black Female Authors You Should Be Reading

• Read Elizabeth Acevedo
• Read Brandy Colbert
• Read Tiffany D. Jackson
• Read Nic Stone
• Read Angie Thomas

Book Review - Jackpot

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Jackpot 

by Nic Stone

When Rico learns that a winning lotto ticket was sold at the Gas' n' Go where she works, she realizes she must have sold the winning ticket. She thinks this means that her luck is finally changing; she has to track down the winner first. Her popular and wealthy classmate Zan gets involved in helping her on her mission. Now, as the world of the haves and have-nots collide, this investigation gets interesting.

A delightful read that even reluctant readers will enjoy. Rico and Zan are both intriguing characters, and the dynamic between them is entertaining. They are both also mixed race but come from different financial backgrounds. The story is told from Rico's point of view. Still, there are interruptions between specific chapters of the winning ticket's story. It may sound weird but makes sense in the content of the book. Romance does play a part in their story, but readers shouldn't let that prohibit them from picking this book up. 

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E-books - Black Tween Lives

• The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

• The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert

• A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée

• Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

E-Books - Black Teen Lives

• Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
• Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson
• Also available on Hoopla
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
• Jackpot by Nic Stone
• On the Come Up by Angie Thomas