Monday, February 13, 2023

YA African American History Month


Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently has been observed in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
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Promise Boys is a YA thriller/mystery that follows the J.B., Ramon, and Trey as they attempt to clear their names when they are framed for the death of their prep school principal. Told through a variety of perspectives, readers follow along as they attempt to clear their names of the crime.



Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.



Morris Award Finalist. Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend--but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates.



Through a series of flashbacks and letters to Justyce, Quan's story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there's a dead cop and a weapon with Quan's prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge?



 If there's one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it's that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad's in prison.



It tells the story of Bri, a sixteen-year old rapper hoping to fill the shoes of her father and "make it" as an underground hip-hop legend. Overnight, Bri becomes an internet sensation after posting a rap hit which sparks controversy. As Bri defeats the odds to "make it" she battles controversy to achieve her dreams.



THE COST OF KNOWING is a heartbreaking and beautiful read about family, fate, and racism. After losing his parents and best friend, Alex feels that he has grown decades. At 16 years old, he works to earn money to help out his best friend's family and tries to keep his little brother safe.



A teenager explores her magical connections to greenery and gods. Briseis Greene is a Black high schooler with magical powers that she hides from most people save her adoptive mothers, Thandie and Angie. She has an innate connection to plants and is even able to grow them from seeds using just her mind and hands.





A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN is a dual-POV YA fantasy novel inspired by West African folklore, and it follows two protagonists: a refugee named Malik and a princess named Karina. When Malik's younger sister is abducted by a vengeful spirit, he strikes a deal to win her freedom by murdering the crown princess of Ziran.



A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family's magic. The problem is, she's never been in love—she'll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.





An NAACP Image Award Nominee, I'm Not Dying with You Tonight follows two teen girls—one black, one white—who have to confront their own assumptions about racial inequality as they rely on each other to get through the violent race riot that has set their city on fire with civil unrest.



The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system. Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row.



The poem celebrates the U.S. not as a "perfect union," but as a country that has the grit to struggle with its all-too-real problems. Progress, the poem argues, doesn't happen all at once: it's a slow and sometimes painful "climb" up the "hill" of justice, a climb that takes patience and humility.



To Be A Slave is the intense and heartbreaking collection of stories from those who were slaves themselves. The book is written by the slaves who experienced the horrible and torturous journeys through slavery. The stories take place anywhere from the start of slavery in 1776 to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.



Bobby's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school and house parties and hanging with friends no longer seem important as they're replaced by visits to Nia's obstetrician and a social worker who says that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption.



The behind-the-scenes access of Almost Famous meets the searing revelations of metoo in this story of a teen journalist who uncovers the scandal of the decade. Ever since seventeen-year-old Josie Wright can remember, writing has been her identity, the thing that grounds her when everything else is a garbage fire.





Ali's boxing coach Malloy and his parents help him learn from his mistakes and gain responsibility for his actions. This is a powerful story about friendship and family, showing how they might not always be perfect but are still tremendously important in both good and bad times.



All American Boys is a young adult novel that looks at a specific instance of police brutality from the perspectives of two high school classmates: Rashad, who is savagely beaten by a local policeman who (wrongly) suspects him of shoplifting and assaulting a white woman, and Quinn, who sees the beating and initially



A paintbrush and a pen come together to depict a vividly real portrait of the lives of two Jasons, living in New York City, trying to make their dreams come true. Jason writes, Jason illustrates, in a way that allows the reader to get both of their perspectives - but at the same time, they can be seen as one entity.



Reynolds writes an encouraging letter to dreamers of all ages in four short chapters. From the beginning, he lets us know that his own dreams are yet to be realized, and so this is not a self-help or how-to manual, but a letter from an aching heart to all fellow dreamers.



Book Summary. A timely and powerful story about a teen girl striving for success in a world that too often feels like it wants to break her. Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way.

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