Black History Month: Teen Book List

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo – YA F ACE

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas – YA F THO

Maverick feels strongly about family ties, making choices he feels necessary to help support his mom while his King father serves time, and leaves him literally holding his son in a doctor’s waiting room after he gets paternity test results back and his baby momma ghosts.
Dear Martin by Nic Stone – YA F STO

Writing letters to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seventeen-year-old college-bound Justyce McAllister struggles to face the reality of race relations today and how they are shaping him.
One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite – YA F MOU

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.
The Awakening of Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz – YA F SHA

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.
When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris – YA F HAR

When his sister Nicole disappears, Jay Murphy must take up the search for her when the police department won’t investigate her case.
Punching the Air by Ibi Aanu Zoboi – YA F ZOB

From award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five comes a powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated.
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson – YA F JAC

When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields?
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland – YA F IRE

When families go missing in Baltimore County, Jane McKeene, who is studying to become an Attendant, finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy that has her fighting for her life against powerful enemies.
Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles – YA F GIL

High school junior Del Rainey unwittingly joins a Purity Pledge class at church, hoping to get closer to his long-term crush, Kiera.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe – YA F PHI

When Norris, a Black French Canadian, starts his junior year at an Austin, Texas, high school, he views his fellow students as cliches from “a bad 90s teen movie.”
Monster by Walter Dean Myers – YA F MYE

While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta – YA F ATT

A fierce coming-of-age novel about identity and the liberating power of drag follows the experiences of a mixed-race teen in London who struggles to connect with his heritage before coming out and establishing his place in Drag Society.
Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe – YA F PHI

Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University. There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn – YA F DEO

To discover the truth behind her mother’s mysterious death, a teen girl infiltrates a magical secret society claiming to be the descendants of King Arthur and his knights.

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds – YA F REY

After falling for Kate, her unexpected death sends Jack back in time to the moment they first met. He soon learns that his actions have consequences when someone else close to him dies.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna – YA F FOR

Inspired by the culture of West Africa, a feminist fantasy debut traces the experiences of an intuitive girl who is invited to leave her discriminatory village to join the emperor’s army of near-immortal women warriors.
Stamped by Jason Reynolds – YA 305.8009 REY

A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today, adapted from the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning.
Concrete Kids by Amyra Leaon – YA 811.6 LEO

Concrete Kids is an exploration of love and loss, melody and bloodshed. Musician, playwright, and educator Amyra Leaon takes us on a poetic journey through her childhood in Harlem, as she navigates the intricacies of foster care, mourning, self-love, and resilience.

A Few Red Drops by Claire Hartfield – YA 305.896 HAR

Examines the events and forces leading up to the 1919 race riots in Chicago.
We Are Not Yet Equal by Carol Anderson – YA 323.1196 AND

From the end of the Civil War to the tumultuous issues in America today, an acclaimed historian reframes the conversation about race, chronicling the powerful forces opposed to black progress in America.
Courage Has No Color by Tanya Lee Stone – YA 940.5412 STO

Examines the role of African-Americans in the military through the history of the Triple Nickles, America’s first black paratroopers, who fought against attacks perpetrated on the American West by the Japanese during World War II.