Prepared by
Revised
May 7, 2024
Fiction
All You Have To Do
2023
Intertwining the stories of two Black students decades apart, this novel follows Kevin and Gibran as they navigate similar forms of racism while discovering who they want to be.
Plan A
2023
Hitting the road with her boyfriend to the West Coast where she can legally obtain an abortion, 16-year-old Ivy encounters women who share their stories and help her chip away at the stigma, silence and shame surrounding reproduction rights.
Lexile level
820L
Dear Medusa
2023
This novel-in-verse follows a 16-year-old girl coping with sexual abuse and grappling with how to reclaim her story, her anger and her body in a world that seems determined to punish her for the sin of surviving.
Godly Heathens
2023
Seventeen-year-old Gem Echols hides their mental health challenges and mysterious dreams in the small town of Gracie, Georgia. When a newcomer claims they are reincarnated gods, Gem's life takes a perilous turn as they embark on a deadly adventure, where their past and present collide.
The Black Queen
2023
When her best friend, the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High, is murdered, Duchess Simmons becomes convinced that beautiful, wealthy and white Tinsley McArthur is responsible, and though Duchess is determined to prove Tinsley’s guilt, Tinsley has her own agenda.
April O loved this! Find out why »
A Tempest of Tea
2024
When her prestigious tearoom is threatened, criminal mastermind and collector of secrets Arthie Casimir must make a devil's bargain with an adversary to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society of Athereum to pull off a heist that turns into a fight to save the world.
Carol V loved this! Find out why »
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
2023
To win the grand prize at the end of their survival course, ex-best friends Claire and Bradley trudge through mud, dirt and their messy past to find the adventure bringing them closer together, sparking a whole new kind of relationship.
Lexile level
720L
Invisible Son
2023
Returning from juvie doesn’t feel like coming home for Andre Jackson. The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with his longtime crush, Sierra.
Lexile level
650L
A Suffragist's Guide to the Antarctic
2024
In 1914 England, 18-year-old American Clara lies about her age and citizenship to land a coveted spot on an Antarctic expedition, but when the crew is marooned on an ice floe, Clara's mission to advance the women's suffrage movement takes a back seat to survival.
The Davenports
2023
The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in 1910 Chicago, and the two daughters, Olivia and Helen, are finding their way and finding love-- even where they are not supposed to.
Lexile level
720
Jodi L loved this! Find out why »
A Long Stretch of Bad Days
2023
To earn the last credit she needs to graduate, Lydia Chass teams up with foul-mouthed Bristal Jamison to transform her listener-friendly local history podcast into a hard-hitting, truth-telling exposé as they investigate an unsolved murder from their small town’s past.
Snowglobe
2024
Given the opportunity to enter Snowglobe, the last place on Earth that's warm, where its residents, in exchange for fame, fortune and safety, broadcast their lives 24/7 to the less fortunate outside, Chobahm discovers reality is a lie-- and the truth is out of reach.
Lexile level
860L
Divine Rivals
2023
When 18-year-old journalist Iris Winnow’s personal letters fall into the hands of her rival at the paper, she forges a magical connection that follows her into the battle for her family, the fate of humankind and love.
All the Fighting Parts
2023
In the wake of being sexually assaulted by her pastor, 16-year-old Amina struggles to regain her footing until she finds the strength within herself to confront her abuser in court.
Stephanie B loved this! Find out why »
Give Me A Sign
2023
Seventeen-year-old Lilah, who wears hearing aids, returns to a summer camp for the Deaf and Blind as a counselor, eager to improve her ASL and find her place in the community, but she did not expect to also find romance along the way.
Lexile level
720L
Blood at the Root
2024
A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black and magical.
Lexile level
670L
Graphic novel
Northranger
2023
Set on a Texas ranch, 16-year-old Cade Muñoz finds himself falling for the ranch owner's mysterious and handsome son, only to discover he may be harboring a dangerous secret.
Nonfiction
How the Boogeyman Became a Poet
2024
TB KEITH TONY
The poet, writer and hip-hop educator traces his journey from being a closeted Black teen battling poverty, racism, homophobia and his own personal boogeyman to becoming an openly gay, first-generation college student who finds freedom in poetry.
Recommended for
Stephanie B
I am an adult services librarian who likes short walks to the fridge and long evenings at the park walking the dogs with my husband. To keep my imagination open, I read and watch a little of everything-- from crazy unreliable narrator thrillers to lighthearted rom-coms to fascinating nonfiction. I can be bribed with tacos.
More by me
borrow: Featured title
borrow: Featured title
borrow: Featured title
borrow: Featured title