Kekla Magoon
Author
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Description
Eleven-year-old Dally's monotonous life takes an unexpected turn when she discovers a mysterious envelope containing a map to an ancient vault filled with books that serve as portals to different moments in time, leading her on thrilling adventures and uncovering her family's hidden history.
Author
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Apr 25 4th/5th grade
Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black Lives Fiction
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Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black Lives Fiction
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Description
Caleb Franklin and his big brother Bobby Gene have the whole summer for adventures in the woods behind their house in Sutton, Indiana. Caleb dreams of venturing beyond their ordinary small town, but his dad likes the family to stay close to home. Then Caleb and Bobby Gene meet new neighbor Styx Malone. Styx is sixteen and oozes cool. He's been lots of different places. Styx promises Caleb and Bobby Gene that together, they can pull off the Great Escalator...
Author
Publisher
Candlewick Press
Publication Date
2021.
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Description
"In this powerful history, Magoon presents an incisive, in-depth study of the Black Panther Party."– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
In this comprehensive, inspiring, and all-too-relevant history of the Black Panther Party, Kekla Magoon introduces readers to the Panthers' community activism, grounded in the concept of self-defense, which taught Black Americans how to protect and support themselves in a country that treated
Author
Publisher
Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
Publication Date
[2021]
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Black Authors: Youth Biographies (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month
Black History Month - ROD Children's
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Black History Month
Black History Month - ROD Children's
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Description
Thurgood Marshall's determination to make all Americans equal under the law led him to the Supreme Court. But to get to the highest court in the land, Thurgood had to make space for himself every step of the way. Kekla Magoon and Laura Freeman tell the incredible story of the first Black Supreme Court justice.
Author
Publication Date
[2022]
Language
English
Appears on these lists
If You Like...Greenglass House
OBD Funny Books - YOUTH
OBD Level Up at Your Library (Summer Reading 2025) - Youth
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OBD Funny Books - YOUTH
OBD Level Up at Your Library (Summer Reading 2025) - Youth
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Description
Eleven-year-old Chester and his classmate Skye, tasked with a complex puzzle-solving mission, discover the key to their spy assignment is to stop a heist, but cracking the code could mean finding out things are not always what they seem.
Author
Series
Publisher
Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date
2014.
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Description
When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson is shot to death, his community is thrown into an uproar because Tariq was black and the shooter, Jack Franklin, is white, and in the aftermath everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events agree.
Author
Publisher
Candlewick Press
Publication Date
2024.
Language
English
Appears on these lists
5th Grade Recommended Reads
February 2026 | Black History Month (Kids)
Miss Rachel's Book Talks
Native American Heritage Month - Older Kids
February 2026 | Black History Month (Kids)
Miss Rachel's Book Talks
Native American Heritage Month - Older Kids
Description
"When cousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn move to Urbanopolis to live with their activist grandma, they get off to a rocky start. Outgoing Riley misses her Muscogee cousins but is sure that she and Maya will be instant BFFs. Meanwhile, introvert Maya misses her parents, on active duty in Japan, and just wants some space to herself. At school, Maya joins Robotics Club and Riley bonds with fellow gymnasts. Just when they start to feel at home, their...
Author
Publisher
Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
Publication Date
[2023]
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
"Ketanji Brown Jackson is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. When a high school guidance counselor told her she should set her sights lower than Harvard, she decided to go to Harvard for college and law school. When she became a public defender and saw inequalities in the justice system, she used her legal skills to advocate for people who needed help, but couldn't afford an attorney. Ketanji's path to the Supreme Court was unique: She's the only...
9) Prom babies
Author
Publisher
Henry Holt Books and Company
Publication Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
"A multi-generational novel beginning with three teen girls who become pregnant on prom night, and picking up as their three teens head to prom eighteen years later"-- Provided by publisher.
10) Light it up
Author
Series
How It Went Down volume 2
Publisher
Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date
2019.
Language
English
Description
Told from multiple viewpoints, Shae Tatum, an unarmed, thirteen-year-old black girl, is shot by a white police officer, throwing their community into upheaval and making it a target of demonstrators.
Author
Publisher
Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date
2023.
Language
English
Appears on these lists
GPLD Best Contemporary for High Schoolers
GPLD Best Contemporary for Middle Schoolers
Tough Topics for Teens
GPLD Best Contemporary for Middle Schoolers
Tough Topics for Teens
Description
After losing his older sister in a car accident, Kermit Sanders knows grief and its all-encompassing shadows. He receives an invitation to meet with the "Minus-One Club," a group of his schoolmates who have all suffered the tragic loss of someone they loved, and banded together as a form of moral support. Kermit's secret crush, Matt-- the only out gay student at school-- is also a part of the group. Matt's positive headstrong approach to life helps...
12) Ruby Bridges
Author
Publisher
Philomel Books
Publication Date
2021.
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Black Authors: Youth Biographies (SCPL-YS)
Black Icons (kids)
OBD Women's History Month (March) - YOUTH
She Persisted Chapter Book Series
Black Icons (kids)
OBD Women's History Month (March) - YOUTH
She Persisted Chapter Book Series
Description
"As a first grader, Ruby Bridges was the first Black student to integrate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was no easy task, especially for a six-year-old. Ruby's bravery and perseverance inspired children and adults alike to fight for equality and social justice." -- Amazon.com.
"A chapter book biography of Ruby Bridges, part of the She Persisted series"-- Provided by publisher.
14) Simone Biles
Author
Publisher
Philomel
Publication Date
2023.
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
Two-time Olympic gymnast Simone Biles reigns over gymnastics. With four impressive skills already named after her, Biles has amassed legions of fans. Explore this standout superstar's career and life.
Author
Series
Kids in Mrs. Z's class volume 6
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date
2025.
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
Ayana struggles to find a talent for the school variety show and worries that her dad will embarrass her in his role as a variety show volunteer.
Author
Series
Publisher
ABDO Pub. Co
Publication Date
[2008]
Language
English
Description
Explores the Salem witch trials and how that event has sculpted societies, the sciences, and politics. Essential Events explores historic happenings around the globe and how those events have sculpted societies, the sciences, and politics.
18) Today the world is watching you ; the Little Rock Nine and the fight for school integration, 1957
Author
Publisher
Twenty-First Century Books
Publication Date
2011.
Language
English
Description
On September 4, 1957, nine African American teenagers made their way toward Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. They didn't make it very far. Armed soldiers of the Arkansas National Guard blocked most of them at the edge of campus. The three students who did make it onto campus faced an angry mob of white citizens who spit at them and shouted ugly racial slurs.
Author
Series
Publisher
ABDO Pub. Co
Publication Date
2008.
Language
English
Description
Discusses the life and achievements of Nelson Mandela, discussing his childhood, education, family, and influence. Essential Lives introduces the people who have shaped the world, impacted humanity, and changed the course of history
Author
Publisher
Bloomsbury
Publication Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
When Nott City is taken over by a harsh governor, Ignomus Crown, and her parents disappear, twelve-year-old Robyn Loxley flees for her life and joins a group of children trying to take back what is rightfully theirs in this futuristic retelling of Robin Hood.


