Black History Month: Middle School Books

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Powerful true story of African American women at NASA.

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It's March 2, 1955, and an ordinary 15-year-old girl from Montgomery, Alabama is about to do something extraordinary. When a white bus driver orders Claudette Colvin to give up her seat for a white passenger, she refuses to move. After Claudette is arrested, her brave actions help inspire Civil Rights leaders organize bus boycotts and perform similar acts to defy segregation laws. Eventually, Claudette's court case results in overturning Alabama's unconstitutional laws and provides greater freedom for black Americans everywhere

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August Wilson (1945-2005) was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who had a particular talent for capturing the authentic, everyday voice of black Americans. As a child, he read off soup cans and cereal boxes, and when his mother brought him to the library, his whole world opened up.

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In exuberant verse and stirring pictures, Patricia Hruby Powell and Christian Robinson create an extraordinary portrait for young people of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world.

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Katherine, Dorothy, Mary, and Christine were hardworking and persistent and most important, smart. And that s why NASA hired them as mathematicians, also known as colored computers, to help send the United States into space for the very first time. This inspiring story brings to life these four hidden figures and what they overcame to succeed, changing not only their own lives, but the face of air and space travel forever.

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Paula Young Shelton shares her memories of the civil rights movement and her involvement in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery.

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Martin Luther King Jr. was an influential and inspiring leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. His life, work, and death are brought to life for readers like never before.

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Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement.

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Published in collaboration with curators from Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, this illustrated biography compilation captures the iconic moments of more than fifty African American women whose heroism and bravery rewrote the American story for the better.

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Shares the story of the youngest person to complete the Selma to Montgomery March, describing her frequent imprisonments for her participation in nonviolent demonstrations and how she felt about her involvement in Civil Rights events.

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Captures a story of passion, courage, and triumph through Bayard's own words and archival photographs, and through spirituals and protest songs that Bayard often sang.

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Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro–Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk’s life’s passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and bring to light the achievements of people of African descent through the ages.

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Using the records kept by mixed Indian and African-American colonies located in South, Central, and North America, the author traces the development and contributions of these biracial societies, which formed as a result of white oppression.

Barbara Jordan's work as an educator, a lawyer, and a politician helped shape the American civil rights movement. Barbara Jordan: Politician and Civil Rights Leader explores her legacy.

In 1954, segregation in public schools was banned. But the road to desegregate American schools was long and difficult. Activist Daisy Bates helped nine black students integrate Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine explores their legacy.

In the 1950s, NASA relied on human computers. These skilled women did calculations by hand. While astronauts and their accomplishments were well known, human computers often worked behind the scenes. Hidden Heroes: The Human Computers of NASA explores the legacy of NASA's human computers.

Motown music emerged in the United States in the 1960s. It launched the careers of many African American musicians. Motown music shaped culture and society during the American civil rights movement. The Making of Motown explores the history and legacy of Motown.

In 1931, nine black teenagers were arrested in Alabama. The young men were accused of crimes they did not commit, including rape. This unjust arrest led to years of imprisonment and trials for the young men, who were known as the Scottsboro Boys. The Scottsboro Boys examines their legacy and how their trials shaped the criminal justice system.

In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges walked into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. She became the first black student to attend the previously all-white school. This event paved the way for widespread school desegregation in the South. Ruby Bridges and the Desegregation of American Schools explores Bridges's legacy.

President George Washington and his wife enslaved more than 150 people in the mid-1700s. In 1796, one of their slaves escaped. Her name was Oney Judge. Oney Judge: Escape from Slavery and the President's House explores her story and her legacy.

Recommended for Middle Grades.
What started as a hashtag in 2013 quickly grew into the Black Lives Matter movement. Black Lives Matter examines the police shootings that fueled the movement, the events that led up to racial tensions in the United States, and the goals the movement has set for the future.

The Dreamers and DACA explores what the DACA program is and how it has affected US society. It also examines various views on immigration and discusses the US immigration policy under President Donald Trump, encouraging readers to form their own opinions.

Class and Race examines how African Americans, Native Americans, and other groups have grappled with class structures in American society, studying the ways in which racism has shaped those structures and continues to do so today.

Race plays a significant role in shaping women of color's experience with sexism. This title takes a look at the history of sexism that women of color have endured, the current issues surrounding this topic, and steps people can take to eliminate sexist practices.

This book brings together 52 iconic talents from the past and present and celebrates their inspirational achievements. Meet figureheads, leaders and pioneers such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and sporting heroes, including Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams.

In this accessible "keep-it-real" guide, Marley explores activism, social justice, volunteerism, equity and inclusion, and using social media for good. Drawing from her experience, Marley shows kids how they can galvanize their strengths to make positive changes in their communities, while getting support from parents, teachers, and friends to turn dreams into reality.

Using the records kept by mixed Indian and African-American colonies located in South, Central, and North America, the author traces the development and contributions of these biracial societies, which formed as a result of white oppression.

Explores the life and achievements of Althea Gibson, the first African-American woman to win the Wimbledon Cup.

Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City.

A biography of African American writer, performer, and activist Maya Angelou, who turned a childhood of trauma and emotional pain to become one of the most inspiring voices of our lifetime.

“Where is our historian to give us our side? To teach our people our own history?” asks Afro-Puerto Rican Arturo Schomburg on the first page of this beautifully illustrated picture book. Schomburg’s 5th-grade teacher had told him “Africa’s sons and daughters had no history, no heroes worth noting.” Schomburg dedicated his life to ensuring that future generations would learn of Africa and African Americans’ powerful heritage.

Captures a story of passion, courage, and triumph through Bayard's own words and archival photographs, and through spirituals and protest songs that Bayard often sang.

Shares the story of the youngest person to complete the Selma to Montgomery March, describing her frequent imprisonments for her participation in nonviolent demonstrations and how she felt about her involvement in Civil Rights events.

Published in collaboration with curators from Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, this illustrated biography compilation captures the iconic moments of more than fifty African American women whose heroism and bravery rewrote the American story for the better.

Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement.

Paula Young Shelton shares her memories of the civil rights movement and her involvement in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery.

Based on extensive interviews with Claudette Colvin and many others, Phillip Hoose presents the first in-depth account of an important yet largely unknown civil rights figure, skillfully weaving her dramatic story into the fabric of the historic Montgomery bus boycott and court case that would change the course of American history.

August Wilson (1945-2005) was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who had a particular talent for capturing the authentic, everyday voice of black Americans. As a child, he read off soup cans and cereal boxes, and when his mother brought him to the library, his whole world opened up.

Tells how with a single photograph a self-taught African American photographer captured the attention of America. Includes a brief biography of African American photographer, writer, and director, Gordon Parks.

Katherine, Dorothy, Mary, and Christine were hardworking and persistent and most important, smart. And that s why NASA hired them as mathematicians, also known as colored computers, to help send the United States into space for the very first time. This inspiring story brings to life these four hidden figures and what they overcame to succeed, changing not only their own lives, but the face of air and space travel forever.

Recounts how the young Jacob Lawrence, as a boy recently arrived in Harlem, reacted to the world around him and translated his responses into art at an after-school arts center.

Presents an introduction to the life of the passionate performer and civil rights activist that traces her journey from the slums of St. Louis to the world's most famous stages.

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Recounts the events surrounding the 1957 photograph taken by Will Counts that captured one of nine African-American students trying to enter an Arkansas high school while being taunted by an angry white mob and discusses how the photo brought the civil rights movement to the forefront of the nation's attention.

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Tells the story of how the museum on the National Mall got built, from educators and activists, to politicians, architects, curators, construction workers, and ordinary Americans who donated cherished belongings, to honor black citizens.

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Examines the history of the United States, focusing on events that influenced African-Americans and how they advanced liberty and justice in America.

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A collection of poems inspired by the 1963 March on Washington weaves together the voices of multiple witnesses, from a woman singing through a terrifying bus ride to a teen who marched because he was ordered to stay away.

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In 1963, more than 30 African-American girls ages 11 to 16 were arrested for taking part in Civil Rights protests in Americus, Georgia. Combining historical research and personal interviews with several of the girls, Heather E. Schwartz brings this true story of the Civil Rights Movement to life.

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Discusses the 1963 Birmingham Children's March in Birmingham, Alabama.

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On a hot day in July 1919, five black youths went swimming in Lake Michigan, unintentionally floating close to the "white" beach. An angry white man began throwing stones at the boys, striking and killing one. Racial conflict on the beach erupted into days of urban violence that shook the city of Chicago to its foundations. This mesmerizing narrative draws on contemporary accounts as it traces the roots of the explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture.

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Describes the circumstances surrounding the 1833 opening of a school for African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, and discusses the attitudes of the townspeople who persecuted the teacher and burned down the school.

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In 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another.

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In this collection of poetry, Nikki Grimes looks afresh at the poets of the Harlem Renaissance -- including voices like Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and many more writers of importance and resonance from this era -- by combining their work with her own original poetry.

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An examination of the landmark march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this book focuses on the children who faced terrifying violence in order to walk alongside him in their fight for freedom and the right to vote.

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Presents an account of the 1944 civil rights protest involving hundreds of African-American Navy servicemen who were unjustly charged with mutiny for refusing to work in unsafe conditions after the deadly Port Chicago explosion.

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Years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez, an eight-year-old girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, played an instrumental role in Mendez v. Westminster, the landmark desegregation case of 1946 in California.

The civil rights sit-ins sparked the larger civil rights movement, inspiring many people to protest racial inequality. Civil Rights Sit-Ins discusses how the United States' history of slavery and segregation led people to make a change, how the sit-ins began to make businesses available to all, and how the protests changed the laws of a nation.

During the American Civil War, escaped slaves found refuge near Union forts. They formed communities called contraband camps. The largest of these was the Grand Contraband Camp near Fort Monroe in Virginia. The Grand Contraband Camp explores the history and legacy of this camp.

In the 1960s, African Americans protested for equal rights in the United States. In the 1970s, Catholics demanded equality in Northern Ireland. Catholics were influenced by the American civil rights movement. But peaceful protests erupted into violence on two fateful days. Two Bloody Sundays: Civil Rights in America and Ireland explores the legacies of the Bloody Sunday in Alabama and the Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland.

Anthems, or songs of hope and praise, can help support communities through difficult times. Throughout the 1900s, the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing" evolved into an anthem for black people in the United States. The Story of the Black National Anthem explores the history and the legacy of this uplifting song.

The March on Washington was the largest protest gathering in the American civil rights movement. Thousands of protesters marched on Washington, DC, in 1963. They demanded equal rights for African Americans. The March on Washington and Its Legacy explores the legacy of this iconic march.

Covers the shootings that touched off passionate protests, the work of activists to bring about a more just legal system, and the tensions in US society that these events have brought to light.

Recounts the journey of Black slaves to freedom via the underground railroad, an extended group of people who helped fugitive slaves in many ways.

An examination of the landmark march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this book focuses on the children who faced terrifying violence in order to walk alongside him in their fight for freedom and the right to vote.

The Million Man March on October 16, 1995 was a milestone in African-American history. These powerful photos, collected from photographers across the nation and enhanced with insightful text, celebrate the men of the march. For those who attended, for those who love them, as well as for those who couldn't go, this book commemorates this momentous gathering and preserves its spirit for generations to come.

In this collection of poetry, Nikki Grimes looks afresh at the poets of the Harlem Renaissance -- including voices like Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and many more writers of importance and resonance from this era -- by combining their work with her own original poetry.

Presents an account of the 1944 civil rights protest involving hundreds of African-American Navy servicemen who were unjustly charged with mutiny for refusing to work in unsafe conditions after the deadly Port Chicago explosion.

Archival photographs paired with fictional text depicting thoughts and emotions of students who lived through school desegregation capture the spirit, sadness, and struggle of the time.

Years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez, an eight-year-old girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, played an instrumental role in Mendez v. Westminster, the landmark desegregation case of 1946 in California.

In 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another.

A collection of poems inspired by the 1963 March on Washington weaves together the voices of multiple witnesses, from a woman singing through a terrifying bus ride to a teen who marched because he was ordered to stay away.

Discusses the 1963 Birmingham Children's March in Birmingham, Alabama.

This is a story about America during and after Reconstruction, one of history's most pivotal and misunderstood chapters. In a stirring account of emancipation, the struggle for citizenship and national reunion, and the advent of racial segregation, the renowned Harvard scholar delivers a book that is illuminating and timely.

On a hot day in July 1919, five black youths went swimming in Lake Michigan, unintentionally floating close to the "white" beach. An angry white man began throwing stones at the boys, striking and killing one. Racial conflict on the beach erupted into days of urban violence that shook the city of Chicago to its foundations. This mesmerizing narrative draws on contemporary accounts as it traces the roots of the explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture.

Describes the circumstances surrounding the 1833 opening of a school for African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, and discusses the attitudes of the townspeople who persecuted the teacher and burned down the school.

Offers an account of the civil rights crusade in Mississippi fifty years ago that brought on shocking violence and the beginning of a new political order.

Examines the history of the United States, focusing on events that influenced African-Americans and how they advanced liberty and justice in America.

Tells the story of how the museum on the National Mall got built, from educators and activists, to politicians, architects, curators, construction workers, and ordinary Americans who donated cherished belongings, to honor black citizens.

Recounts the events surrounding the 1957 photograph taken by Will Counts that captured one of nine African-American students trying to enter an Arkansas high school while being taunted by an angry white mob and discusses how the photo brought the civil rights movement to the forefront of the nation's attention.

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Poetic reflections on race, class, violence, segregation, and the hidden histories that shape our divided urban landscapes.

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Told in two voices, thirteen-year-old best friends Simp and Rollie play on a basketball team in their housing project, but Rollie dreams of being a drummer and Simp, to impress the gang leader, Coach Tez.

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Thirteen-year-old Genesis tries again and again to lighten her black skin, thinking it is the root of her family's troubles, before discovering reasons to love herself as is.

Audiobook (eBook also available)
After seventh-grader Jerome is shot by a white police officer, he observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen black boys including historical figure Emmett Till.

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When fourteen-year-old Staggerlee, the daughter of a racially mixed marriage, spends a summer with her cousin Trout, she begins to question her sexuality to Trout and catches a glimpse of her possible future self.

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Born a slave, raised by a woman not his mother, and denied an education, Juan overcame all the personal obstacles he faced as a child in order to reach freedom, pursue his natural talents, and become the celebrated poet he was destined to be.

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Amid the Depression, the Logan family struggles to protect their Mississippi farm and begins to feel the pressures of racial unrest when a friend is unjustly convicted of a crime by a white jury.

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In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, twelve-year-old Lanesha, who can see spirits, and her adopted grandmother have no choice but to stay and weather the storm as Hurricane Katrina bears down upon them.

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In the summer of 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

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Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, these poems pay tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists insisting that Black Lives Matter. Elliott engages poets from the past two centuries to create a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls.

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A boy tries to steer a safe path through the projects in Harlem in the wake of his brother’s death in this outstanding debut novel that celebrates community and creativity.

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Poems that explore Cuba's fight for independence follow Rosa, a nurse who turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her, and who does her best to help everyone, with no regard to race or nationality.

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Kayla must salvage her double Dutch dreams after her parents' rocky relationship takes her away from Brooklyn - and her beloved team - to spend the summer in North Carolina

Poetic reflections on race, class, violence, segregation, and the hidden histories that shape our divided urban landscapes.

Raised by her aunt until she is six, Betty, who will later marry Malcolm X, joins her mother and stepfamily in 1940s Detroit, where she learns about the civil rights movement.

Three moves is all it takes to change the outcome of the game. In Marcus's world, battles are fought everyday on the street, at home, and in school. Angered by his sister's death and his father's absence, and pushed to the brink by a bullying classmate, Marcus fights back with his fists.

Told in two voices, thirteen-year-old best friends Simp and Rollie play on a basketball team in their housing project, but Rollie dreams of being a drummer and Simp, to impress the gang leader, Coach Tez.

The weekend she turns thirteen, aspiring clothing designer Teresa "Reesie" Boone is separated from her family by Hurricane Katrina, but, during the horrific storm and its aftermath, she begins to find strength in herself.

A powerful novel in verse about an early women’s rights pioneer and the journey to Cuba that transformed her life.

Thirteen-year-old Genesis tries again and again to lighten her black skin, thinking it is the root of her family's troubles, before discovering reasons to love herself as is.

After seventh-grader Jerome is shot by a white police officer, he observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen black boys including historical figure Emmett Till.

This story opens the door to age-appropriate conversations with young children about representation, institutional racism, youth activism, museum studies, lessons from family, and community engagement.

When fourteen-year-old Staggerlee, the daughter of a racially mixed marriage, spends a summer with her cousin Trout, she begins to question her sexuality to Trout and catches a glimpse of her possible future self.

Born on Water Island in the Virgin Islands during a hurricane, which is considered bad luck, twelve-year-old Caroline falls in love with another girl--and together they set out in a hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother.

Born a slave, raised by a woman not his mother, and denied an education, Juan overcame all the personal obstacles he faced as a child in order to reach freedom, pursue his natural talents, and become the celebrated poet he was destined to be.

The ghost of fifteen-year-old Alfonso Jones travels in a New York subway car full of the living and the dead, watching his family and friends fight for justice after he is killed by an off-duty police officer while buying a suit in a Midtown department store.

Amid the Depression, the Logan family struggles to protect their Mississippi farm and begins to feel the pressures of racial unrest when a friend is unjustly convicted of a crime by a white jury.

In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, twelve-year-old Lanesha, who can see spirits, and her adopted grandmother have no choice but to stay and weather the storm as Hurricane Katrina bears down upon them.

In the summer of 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

Twelve-year-old Candice Miller is spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, in the old house that belonged to her grandmother, who died after being dismissed as city manager for having the city tennis courts dug up looking for buried treasure--but when she finds the letter that sent her grandmother on the treasure hunt, she finds herself caught up in the mystery and, with the help of her new friend and fellow book-worm, Brandon, she sets out to find the inheritance, exonerate her grandmother, and expose an injustice once committed against an African American family in Lambert.

Princess Adrienne is tired of being locked in a tower, waiting around to be rescued by a prince. She escapes from the tower with the help of her guardian dragon, Sparky, and with her plucky sidekick Bedelia, Adrienne sets off on a quest to rescue her sisters who are suffering the same fate.

When the heroic princess Amira rescues the kind-hearted princess Sadie from her tower prison, the two band together to defeat a jealous sorceress with a dire grudge against Sadie.

Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, these poems pay tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists insisting that Black Lives Matter. Elliott engages poets from the past two centuries to create a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls.

A boy tries to steer a safe path through the projects in Harlem in the wake of his brother’s death in this outstanding debut novel that celebrates community and creativity.

Poems that explore Cuba's fight for independence follow Rosa, a nurse who turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her, and who does her best to help everyone, with no regard to race or nationality.

Commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of this significant Supreme Court decision, a collection of stories, poems, and reflections from authors who lived during the era examines the impact it has had on lives thorough the decades.

Kayla must salvage her double Dutch dreams after her parents' rocky relationship takes her away from Brooklyn - and her beloved team - to spend the summer in North Carolina