Great African-American Fiction Reads for YA/Teens
Discover top African-American fiction books for YA/Teens! Explore engaging stories, diverse voices, and powerful narratives perfect for young readers.
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Bucking the Sarge
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Luther T. Farrell has got to get out of Flint, Michigan. As his best friend Sparky says, "Flint's nothing but the Titanic." And his mother, a.k.a. the Sarge, says, "Take my advice and stay off the sucker path." The Sarge milked the system to build an empire of slum housing and group homes. Luther's just one of the many people trapped in the Sarge's Evil Empire--but he's about to bust out. If Luther wins the science fair this year, he'll be on track for college and a future as America's best-known and best-loved philosopher. All he's got to do is beat his arch rival Shayla Patrick, the beautiful daughter of Flint's finest undertaker--and the love of Luther's life. Sparky's escape plans involve a pit bull named Poofy and the world's scariest rat. Oh, and Luther. Add to the mix Chester X., Luther's mysterious roommate; Dontay Gaddy, a lawyer whose phone number is 1-800-SUE'M ALL; and Darnell Dixon, the Sarge's go-to guy who knows how to break all the rules. "Bucking the Sarge" is a story that only Christopher Paul Curtis could tell. Once again the Newbery Award-winning author of "Bud, Not Buddy" and "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963" gives us a whole new angle on life and a world full of unforgettable and hilarious characters. Readers will root for Luther and Sparky every step of the way. Praise for "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963": "An exceptional first novel."--"Publishers Weekly," Starred "Ribald humor . . . and a totally believable child's view of the world will make this book an instant hit."--"School Library Journal," Starred Praise for "Bud, Not Buddy": "Curtis has given a fresh, new look to a traditional orphan-finds-a-home story that would be a crackerjack read-aloud." --"School Library Journal," Starred "From the Hardcover edition."
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The Battle of Jericho
by Sharon M. Draper
Sixteen-year-old Jericho is awaiting initiation to the Warriors of Distinction, the oldest and most exclusive club in school—but how high a price will he have to pay to belong? Find out in this first novel in Sharon M. Draper’s Jericho Trilogy. When Jericho is invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, he thinks his life can’t get any better. As the most exclusive club in school, the Warriors give the best parties, go out with the hottest girls, and great grades are a given. When Arielle, one of the finest girls in his class, starts coming on to him once the pledge announcements are made, Jericho is determined to do anything to become a member… But as the initiation week becomes progressively harrowing, Jericho is forced to make choices he’s not entirely comfortable with. And one member seems to have it in for the sole female pledge in the group…a pledge who will stop at nothing to show she can handle the pressure. But when is she being pushed too far, and when should Jericho and his friends step in and risk losing their places in the pledging process? As Jericho becomes increasingly uneasy, his cousin Joshua breezes through the initiation, never thinking of the consequences, even when the fine line between fun and games, and life and death is crossed.
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Begging for Change
by Sharon Flake
Fourteen-year-old Raspberry Hill is still struggling to find security in her life. More than anything, she wants a father who will love and protect her, like Zora's dad. When her mother is attacked, Raspberry does the unthinkable: she steals money from Zora, her best friend. It's only when her thieving, drug-addicted father returns that Raspberry begins to wonder whether betraying Zora will cost her more than she can ever repay. Is Raspberry destined to follow in her father's footsteps? Raspberry is certain...something's got to change.
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Who Am I Without Him?
by Sharon Flake
In the game of love, young men and women weigh what they need from the opposite sex against what they need to find in themselves. This popular short story collection, including two never-before published entries, gives teens a chance to witness the outcomes of 12 unique trysts. As relationships go either right or wrong, with surprising, often funny, always on-point results, mindful readers will appreciate the warning signs and perhaps save themselves from the same fate as these fictional protagonists.
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Keesha's House
by Helen Frost
In this extraordinary debut novel for young adults, Frost stretches the boundaries of traditional poetic forms as she weaves together the stories of seven teenagers who courageously struggle to hold their lives together and overcome their difficulties. Accelerated Reader: Reading Level 4.4, 2 Points.
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No Laughter Here
by Rita Williams-Garcia
In this groundbreaking novel, Coretta Scott King Award winner Rita Williams-Garcia uses her vividly realistic voice to highlight an often taboo practice that affects millions of girls around the world every year, and to explore a perspective not often depicted in YA fiction. Readers will identify with headstrong, outspoken Akilah, whose struggle to understand what's happened to her best friend reveals a painful truth in an honest and accessible way. Even though they were born in different countries, Akilah and Victoria are true best friends. But Victoria has been acting strange ever since she returned from her summer in Nigeria, where she had a special coming-of-age ceremony. Why does proud Victoria, named for a queen, slouch at her desk and answer the teacher's questions in a whisper? And why won't she laugh with Akilah anymore? Akilah's name means "intelligent," and she is determined to find out what's wrong, no matter how much detective work she has to do. But when she learns the terrible secret Victoria is hiding, she suddenly has even more questions. The only problem is, they might not be the kind that have answers.
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Bird
by Angela Johnson
Devastated by the loss of a second father, thirteen-year-old Bird follows her stepfather from Cleveland to Alabama in hopes of convincing him to come home, and along the way helps two boys cope with their difficulties.
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The First Part Last
by Angela Johnson
Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.
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Devil on My Heels
by Joyce McDonald
In 1959, fifteen-year-old Dove, the daughter of a prosperous orange grower in Benevolence, Florida, feels increasingly uneasy after learning of acts of racism against the African-American orange pickers by those close to her.
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The Beast
by Walter Dean Myers
A visit to his Harlem neighborhood and the discovery that the girl he loves is using drugs give sixteen-year-old Anthony Witherspoon a new perspective both on his home and on his life at a Connecticut prep school. Reissue.
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Shooter
by Walter Dean Myers
Cameron: "Deep inside, you know that whoever gets up in your face gets there because he knows you′re nothing, and he knows that you know it too." Carla: "What I′m trying to do is to get by -- not even get over, just get by." Leonard: "I have bought a gaw-juss weapon. It lies beneath my bed like a secret lover, quiet, powerful, waiting to work my magic." Statement of Fact: 17-year-old white male found dead in the aftermath of a shooting incident at Madison High School in Harrison County. Conclusion: Death by self-inflicted wound. Ages 12+
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Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
by Gary D. Schmidt
Turner Buckminster is purely miserable. Not only is he the son of the new minister in a small Maine town, but he is shunned for playing baseball differently from the local boys.
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Behind You
by Jacqueline Woodson
After fifteen-year-old Jeremiah is mistakenly shot by police, the people who love him struggle to cope with their loss as they recall his life and death, unaware that 'Miah is watching over them.
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Shayla's Double Brown Baby Blues
by Lori Aurelia Williams
Thirteen-year-old Shayla is upset when her estranged father's new baby is born on her birthday, but she learns that her problems are nothing compared to those faced by her friends Kambia and Lemm.