Last Updated: May 20, 2026
Destiny of the Diamond Princess
by Sherri Winston
For her twelfth birthday, the only thing adoptee Zahara-Grace wants to figure out who she is. Zahara-Grace is thrilled when she’s gifted a DNA test kit, but she never imagined it would lead her biological grandfather to her. And she definitely never imagined he’d be the king of a small African country! Her worlds collide when a local museum opens an exhibit showcasing the history and legends of her biological family’s country–and draws the attention of an ancient cult who believe with the help of a living heir, they can awaken the mummified remains of a powerful king and conquer the world.
The Mighty Macy
by Kwame Alexander
A young Black girl finds her voice and learns the power of advocating for herself and her community.
Will’s Race for Home
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
During the land rush of 1889, African American Will and his father journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to stake their claim.
Mid-Air
by Alicia D. Williams
Thirteen-year-old Isaiah grapples with the loss of his best friend as he strives to fit into a world that expects him to toughen up, which leads him on a exploration of identity and vulnerability.
Roswell Johnson Saves the World!
by Chris Colfer
A boy must team up with a group of quirky aliens to save Earth.
Nina Under Arrest: A Birmingham Children’s Crusade Survival Story
by Anitra Butler-Ngugi
It’s May 1963, and twelve-year-old Nina Norris is answering a call from civil rights leaders in Birmingham, Alabama. Black Americans are demanding the right to vote, but adults who protest risk losing their jobs. So, children are protesting in their place. As Nina prepares for her day, she knows she will likely be arrested and put in jail, but it’s a price she is willing to pay so that all people can have a say in their government.
Shark Teeth
by Sherri Winston
Seventh-grader Sharkita “Kita” embarks on a tumultuous journey to keep her family together while handling the consequences of her mother’s alcoholism.
The Everybody Experiment
by Lisa Moore Ramée
Coming up with the Everybody Experiment, 11-year-old Kylie has to do everything her friends do and suddenly finds herself in a grown-up world of parties, unsupervised excursions and boys, and wonders how she can do what everybody else does without losing herself.
Black Girl Power: 15 Stories Celebrating Black Girlhood
edited by Leah Johnson
From fifteen legendary Black female authors comes a collection of stories and poems about the power we find in the everyday and the beauty of Black girlhood.
The Best Friend Bracelet
by Nicole D. Collier
At Hurston Middle School, best friendship is a big deal. And Zariah Brown makes the best best friendship bracelets in town. Business is booming; Zariah can hardly keep up with orders. The problem is, Zariah doesn’t have a best friend of her own. As the entire seventh grade gears up for their big Pajama Jam weekend, it seems as if everyone else is paired up except her. So Zariah pours her heart and soul into making the ultimate friendship bracelet, using a set of beads gifted to her by a mysterious woman. But the bracelet turns out to be a tiny bit . . . magical. In fact, anyone who puts it on instantly becomes Zariah’s best friend. Now all she has to do is find the perfect best friend and get the bracelet on them. Easy, right? It turns out finding the ideal friend isn’t so simple, and things quickly spin out of control.
A Split Second
by Janae Marks
When Elise wakes up the morning after her birthday celebration, she’s surprised to find herself in her bedroom. Last she can remember, she had fallen asleep next to her best friends at her slumber party in her basement, and it was October. But now she’s alone, and her phone says it’s April 8. Elise doesn’t understand. How could she have woken up six months later?
The Manifestor Prophecy
by Angie Thomas
It’s not easy being a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world. Some things are cool–like getting a pet hellhound for your twelfth birthday. Others, not so much–like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbor. All Nic Blake wants is to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of…to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed.
Confessions of a Candy Snatcher
by Phoebe Sinclair
For the past few years, twelve-year-old Jonas and his friends have competed to see how many bags of candy they can grab from unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. No one’s supposed to get hurt, just lose their treats. So Jonas is taken by surprise when one of his smaller targets fights back against his snatching attempt. He’s even more surprised when he starts to receive anonymous notes from someone who knows what happened that night.
Ellie Engle Saves Herself
by Leah Johnson
As twelve-year-old Ellie Engle navigates seventh grade and her changing relationship with her best friend, a freak accident occurs and gives Ellie the ability to bring things back to life through touch.
Operation Sisterhood
by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Eleven-year-old Bo is used to it being just her and her mom in their cozy New York apartment, but when her mom gets married, Bo must adjust to her new sisters and a music-minded blended family that is much larger, louder, and more complex than she ever imagined.