YA Books with Black Protagonists

Published on 13 August 2024 at 13:06

Looking for Black representation in your YA reads? These books may not always get the same attention as other YA books, but that doesn't mean that books with Black representation aren't out there. In this resource, you'll find lighthearted romance, heavy contemporary fiction, adventurous fantasy, and more. If you come across books that you think should be added to this list or a future resource, send your suggestions to contact.undergroundbookshelf@gmail.com for review.

 

*You may find that some books are listed under more than one category. This is because those books fit into more than one genre.

**Please note that I have not read all of these books. I encourage you to do your own research to find the book/s right for you and your family and to use this resource merely as a guide.

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General Fiction

  • The Voice in My Head by Dana Davis
  • How to Live Without You by Sarah Everett
  • You Truly Assumed by Sarah Everett
  • We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
  • The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
  • Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
  • Love Is a Revolution by Renee Watson
  • Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
  • Vinyl Moon by Mahogany L. Browne
  • Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker
  • There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia
  • Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson
  • Pritty by Keith F. Miller, Jr.
  • Kings of B'more by R. Eric Thomas
  • Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
  • Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
  • Promise Boys by Nick Brooks
  • Punching the Air by Yusef Salaam and Ibi Zoboi
  • The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
  • Dear Martin by Nic Stone
  • Play the Game by Carlene Allen
  • Calling My Name by Liara Tamani
  • Spin by Lamar Giles
  • I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest
  • The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus
  • The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
  • How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters
  • The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
  • Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
  • Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson & Ellen Hagan
  • When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk
  • Slay by Brittney Morris
  • American Street by Ibi Zoboi
  • You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson
  • Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
  • Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  • Everyone's Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni
  • How to Live Without You by Sarah Everett
  • I Rise by Marie Arnold
  • Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi
  • The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert
  • Monster: A Graphic Novel by Walter Dean Myers, adapted by Guy A. Sims
  • What She Missed by Liara Tamani
  • This Town is On Fire by Pamela N. Harris
  • My Week with Him by Joya Goffney

Historical Fiction

  • Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Thornton
  • Saving Savannah by Tonya Bolden
  • Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney
  • Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert
  • Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
  • A Sitting in St. James by Rita Williams-Garcia
  • The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

Memoir/Nonfiction

  • All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
  • Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School by Tiffany Jewell
  • How The Boogeyman Became A Poet by Tony Keith Jr.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

  • This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
  • Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
  • Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
  • The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
  • Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
  • A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney
  • A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
  • Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
  • Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
  • Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
  • The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemison
  • The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
  • The Earthseed Duology by Octavia Butler
  • The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden
  • Wings of Ebony by J. Elle
  • The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
  • The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
  • A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton
  • Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Thornton
  • A Phoenix First Must Burn by Patrice Caldwell
  • A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
  • Dead Magic Book series by Ashia Monet
  • Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
  • The Upper World by Femi Fadugba
  • Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood
  • Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
  • Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland
  • This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
  • So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
  • The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Supernatural/Paranormal

  • Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
  • The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson
  • The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
  • A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
  • Ghost Roast by Shawneé Gibbs and Shawnelle Gibbs, illustrated by Emily Cannon
  • Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

Thriller/Mystery/Horror

  • Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
  • The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson
  • Promise Boys by Nick Brooks
  • Play the Game by Carlene Allen
  • Out of Body by Nia Davenport
  • The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
  • Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood
  • We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

Anthologies

  • Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi
  • A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton
  • A Phoenix First Must Burn by Patrice Caldwell
  • Poemhood: Our Black Revival, edited by Amber McBride, Taylor Byas, and Erica Martin
  • Cool. Awkward. Black. edited by Karen Strong

Romance

  • Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann
  • Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
  • Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle
  • Love Is a Revolution by Renee Watson
  • One True Loves by Elise Bryant
  • Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles
  • Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
  • Pritty by Keith F. Miller, Jr.
  • Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
  • Only on the Weekends by Dean Atta
  • Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles
  • Now That I've Found You by Kristina Forest
  • Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
  • I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest
  • The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
  • All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Timani
  • The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
  • A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison
  • Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon
  • Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
  • Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson
  • Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney
  • My Week with Him by Joya Goffney
  • The Wrong Kind of Weird by James Ramos
  • Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
  • Rhythm & Muse by India Hill Brown
  • When The Vibe Is Right by Sarah Dass
  • Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle
  • Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass

LGBTQ+

  • Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann
  • Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
  • We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
  • The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
  • Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
  • Pritty by Keith F. Miller, Jr.
  • Kings of B'more by R. Eric Thomas
  • Only on the Weekends by Dean Atta
  • Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles
  • The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus
  • Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney

Graphic Novels

  • Monster: A Graphic Novel by Walter Dean Myers, adapted by Guy A. Sims
  • Ghost Roast by Shawneé Gibbs and Shawnelle Gibbs, illustrated by Emily Cannon

Poetry/Verse

  • Inheritance by Elizabeth Acevedo, illustrated by Andrea Pippins
  • Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam
  • Poemhood: Our Black Revival, edited by Amber McBride, Taylor Byas, and Erica Martin
  • How The Boogeyman Became A Poet by Tony Keith Jr.

Sources

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