Black History Month feature: 9 Books for Kids, Teens and Families

In honor of Black History Month, I'd like to share some excellent books I've read recently. All are by Black authors and all speak to the Black experience in our country. Many would be excellent read-alouds and conversation starters for families.  Fiction can be an excellent gateway to learning and understanding! And all of these books are simply excellent stories, as well. (You can also see these books, with longer summaries from goodreads and reviews from others, on my goodreads profile under the shelf "bhm 2021": https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2591260-anastasia-tuckness?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=bhm-2021 .)

In order of youngest audience to oldest, here are my picks.

Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke--Most of Anna's books take place in Africa, but in this book, she visits Canada and faces the reality of life where she's not the same color as most of the people around her. Anna Hibiscus books are sweet and gentle while still facing up to difficult realities, including race and income disparities. (Although this one is technically not from a United States perspective, it's an excellent start if you want an entry point for your young kids.)

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia--Clayton is determined to make one last connection with his recently deceased grandpa, so he skips school to go to the park and find Grandpa's band. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned, and the day ends with Clayton in jail (and then getting picked up by his parents).

This short juvenile fiction book would be a good one to read with a family or a class as a jumping off point for discussion about interactions with the police. And it's just a good read on its own, covering topics of family, death, music, emotion, and finding oneself. 

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson--Ryan's life is not always easy--her dad lost his job and so the family has to move to a smaller home (away from her best friend), she gets some grief from having a "boy name", she can't figure out how to translate her talents (caring for people and cooking) to the stage for the 4th grade talent show, and her hair does not always behave.

But she has loving parents and some good friends, and together in their Portland, Oregon community they figure out "ways to make sunshine."

This contemporary realistic fiction book is an excellent choice for fans of Ramona Quimby, Clementine, and Junie B. Jones--girls with a little personality to them! It works as a read-together or as a beginning reader chapter book at around that same level. It's also an excellent window or mirror book re. regular African American kids.

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon--I. love. this. book! It's a perfect summer book, with a mysterious stranger showing up in the woods nearby, and he has a plan--a plan to get something they all want (a scooter), starting with almost nothing. It's funny and endearing and just realistic enough to make for a really good story. 

Twins by Varian Johnson--Middle school can be a fresh new start; at least, that's what Francine thinks. A chance to be her own person--not just a twin! When the girls end up in different classes for the first time, Francine is thrilled, but her twin Maureen is not. Not at all.

The girls work through some serious sibling rivalry and even some secrets kept from each other as their middle school life unfolds. Note that the author himself is a twin (and the author of one of my very favorite books, The Great Greene Heist !) Other themes include life as a person of color and navigating blended families. I'd recommend this book for anyone looking to establish their own identity as well as fans of realistic graphic novels like Smile.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis--Solid, classic historical adventure novel about a town in Canada (just across from Detroit) that's been settled by runaway slaves. It will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper--This book was heartbreaking because of its truth about life in the American South in the 1930s for black people. Stella, her family, her church, and her community face discrimination of all kinds, and in the midst of it they band together and support each other. The book is straightforwardly written as a narrative of several months in her life and covers many topics, including: voting, the Klan, school segregation, poverty, and more. 

Although it would be hard, it could be read as a family and would certainly provoke many discussions. I appreciated the number of hymns/spirituals that were worked into the book.

Blended by Sharon M. Draper--Same author, very different feel. Excellent realistic tween fiction that blends the every day (making slime, going to the mall) with the super-serious—being biracial, having divorced parents, facing prejudice. Recommended reading for families/tweens/teens wanting a contemporary portrayal of life as a person of color or just a good contemporary fiction read. The ending is pretty rough, so be prepared.

New Kid by Jerry Craft--It's a graphic novel that's funny and interesting about the new kid (who’s not white) at a primarily white private school. I really enjoyed it and appreciated the complexity of characters and plot that Craft was able to bring to the table, somewhat unusual for a graphic novel. It won a fair number of awards, too.