#BlackVoicesMatter: Essential YA by Black Authors
Whether your teaching and librarianship is virtual or in person, your workspace could surely use some book-themed decoration. Lucky for you, we have just the thing! Artist Anjola Coker created this gorgeous free downloadable poster featuring some of our favorite YA by Black authors.
Curious about the books pictured? Scroll down for more information, educator guides, sample chapters, and more.
The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
Angie Thomas’s #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning debut inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, about a teen girl who is the only witness to her friend’s fatal shooting by a police officer.
Punching the Air
by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
From award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five comes a powerful novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds, Walter Dean Myers, and Elizabeth Acevedo.
Grown
by Tiffany D. Jackson
Award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another riveting, ripped-from-the-headlines mystery that exposes horrific secrets hiding behind the limelight and embraces the power of a young woman’s voice.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
by Ben Philippe
A hilarious contemporary realistic novel about a witty Black French Canadian teen who moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the joys, clichés, and awkward humiliations of the American high school experience—including falling in love. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon, When Dimple Met Rishi, and John Green.
Felix Ever After
by Kacen Callender
From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes an honest and layered story about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
by Roseanne A. Brown
The first in a gripping fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction—from debut author Roseanne A. Brown. This New York Times bestseller is perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi, Renée Ahdieh, and Sabaa Tahir.
The Black Flamingo
by Dean Atta
A fierce coming-of-age verse novel about identity and the power of drag, from acclaimed poet and performer Dean Atta. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, and Kacen Callender.
Dread Nation
by Justina Ireland
At once provocative, terrifying, and darkly subversive, Dread Nation is Justina Ireland's stunning vision of an America both foreign and familiar—a country on the brink, at the explosive crossroads where race, humanity, and survival meet.
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree
by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
In the vein of Patricia McCormick’s Never Fall Down, this poignant novel based on interviews with young women who were kidnapped by Boko Haram tells the story of one girl who was taken from her home in Nigeria and her harrowing fight for survival.
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America
edited by Ibi Zoboi
Edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, and featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling Black authors writing for teens today, Black Enough is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it’s like to be young and Black in America.
Monster
by Walter Dean Myers
This New York Times bestselling and award-winning novel from acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial. Presented as a screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can change our whole lives.
Not So Pure and Simple
by Lamar Giles
Two-time Edgar Award finalist Lamar Giles spotlights the consequences of societal pressure, confronts toxic masculinity, and explores the complexity of what it means to be a “real man.”
All the Things We Never Knew
by Liara Tamani
From the moment Carli and Rex first locked eyes, they both knew it was destiny. But can you truly love someone else if you don't love yourself? Acclaimed author Liara Tamani’s All the Things We Never Knew explores first love, family, heartbreak, and self-reliance in gorgeous prose that reads like poetry.
This is What it Feels Like
by Rebecca Barrow
This tender story of friendship, music, and ferocious love asks: what will you fight for, if not yourself? You Don’t Know Me But I Know You author Rebecca Barrow’s sophomore novel is perfect for fans of Katie Cotugno and Emery Lord.
Opposite of Always
by Justin A. Reynolds
Before I Fall meets Everything, Everything in this hilarious and heart-racing romance that follows Jack King as he falls in love with Kate, never expecting that she’ll die only months later, or that he’ll be sent back—over and over again—to the moment they first meet.
The Poet X
by Elizabeth Acevedo
Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth.
Kingdom of Souls
by Rena Barron
An epic, captivating fantasy debut perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Strange the Dreamer, set in a West African-inspired world where power can always be had… if you’re willing to pay the price.