African American Fiction
Battle of Jericho
Draper, Sharon
Jericho Prescott feels like an outsider. He is overweight and not part of the popular crowd. That’s why he is surprised when he and his cousin Josh are invited to pledge for the prestigious Warriors of Distinction club. He thinks about impressing Arielle, one of the most beautiful girls in his high school. But as the pledging activities get more intense, Jericho begins to doubt that belonging to the club is worth the humiliation.
The Skin I’m In
Flake, Sharon G.
Seventh-grader Maleeka feels tormented at school because of her dark black skin. When a new teacher with a birthmark on her face is hired, Maleeka is forced to confront her self-doubts and recognize her strengths, talents, and beauty.
The First Part Last
Johnson, Angela
Bobby is 16 when his girlfriend tells him the news: he is going to be a father! By alternating chapters between the past and the present, we meet Bobby the father, struggling with a newborn daughter and Bobby a teenager, wanting to party, hang with friends and go to school. Winner of the Printz and Coretta Scott King Awards.
Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue
Lester, Julius
The voices of the slaves, a plantation owner and the abolitionists seem like first-hand accounts rather than fictional stories of the people involved in the largest slave auction in American history. Winner of the 2006 Coretta Scott King Award.
47
Mosley, Walter
In his first book for teens, Mosley writes a personal slave narrative that is part mystery, part historical fiction and part science fiction. ‘47’ is the number given to the 14-year old slave at the Corinthian Plantation in 1832. He meets Tall John who claims to be from the future and on a mission to find the chosen one to defeat the evil Calash. With Tall John as his inspiration, 47 must learn to confront the Calash to break the chains of slavery.
Shooter
Myers, Walter Dean
Len likes guns and is tired of bullies. One day he brings his rifle and pistol to school and shoots & kills football jock, Brad Williams, and then himself. Len’s friend, Cameron Potter, becomes a major part of the investigation as the story unfolds through interviews, newspaper articles and journal excerpts and school officials try to figure out if this unfortunate event could have been prevented.
Black & White
Volponi, Paul
College talent scouts are looking at Marcus Brown & Eddie Russo. So are the police. Can their interracial friendship survive a bungled robbery?
No Laughter Here
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Akilah and Victoria are true friends—not just best friends—true friends. Victoria goes to Nigeria, her homeland, for the summer. They promise to write each other while Victoria is gone, but suddenly the letters stop from Victoria. What has gone wrong? It is a secret that will change their lives forever.
Coldest Winter Ever
Sister Souljah
Winter Santiaga is 17 and obsessed with money, possessions and looks. Her father is a rich drug dealer in the Brooklyn Projects who has pampered and spoiled her. It all falls apart when her father is arrested and everything is taken away from her family. Winter uses sex and an aggressive attitude as she tries to make her own way in the violent street world that she knows so well. (recommended for mature readers)
Maizon at Blue Hill
Woodson, Jacqueline
Although this novel is the sequel to Last Summer with Maizon, it can be read on its own. In this book, Maizon wins a scholarship to an exclusive private girls school, Blue Hill. She is one of only 5 African American girls at the school. Rejected by both African American and White girls, Maizon must confront many challenges and let her intelligence and spirit rise.
Other great authors to read:
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