A Flag for Juneteenth by Kim Taylor; illus. by the authorPrimary Porter/Holiday 40 pp.1/23 9780823452248 $18.99e-book ed. 9780823455218 $11.99Huldah, a young Black girl in Texas, just so happens to be celebrating her tenth birthday on June 19, 1865. Expecting to wake up to songs from her family, she is instead...
Sincerely Sicily by Tamika BurgessIntermediate, Middle School Harper/HarperCollins 304 pp.1/23 9780063159600 $17.99e-book ed. 9780063159624 $8.99Sicily Jordan had been excited about starting sixth grade with her friend group, the “Tether Squad” (including coordinated “outfits for almost the entire first month”). A last-minute redistricting plan means she has to transfer to Shirley...
We Deserve Monuments by Jas HammondsHigh School Roaring Brook 384 pp.11/22 9781250816559 $18.99e-book ed. 9781250816566 $10.99Seventeen-year-old Avery is convinced her family has made a huge mistake in moving from Washington, DC, to Bardell County, Georgia. Biracial and queer, Avery is not sure how she will be received in her mother’s...
To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton; illus. by Lauren Semmer Primary Harper/HarperCollins 40 pp. 1/23 9780063073210 $18.99 e-book ed. 9780063292796 $12.99 During the struggles of the civil rights movement, one weekly image on America’s television screens was seen as a...
How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford; illus. by Frank Morrison Primary Candlewick 40 pp. 4/23 9781536215540 $18.99 As a young Black girl growing up in 1930s Akron, Ohio, MacNolia Cox had an affinity for words—long and complicated words in particular....
Rain Rising by Courtne ComrieMiddle School, High School Harper/HarperCollins 336 pp.9/22 9780063159730 $16.99e-book ed. 9780063159747 $8.99Plagued by body-image concerns and a lack of self-worth for as long as she can remember, Rain Washington can’t seem to escape her sadness. Every day is a struggle to wake up and head to...
Jump In! by Shadra Strickland; illus. by the authorPrimary Bloomsbury 32 pp.1/23 9781619635807 $18.99e-book ed. 9781547603152 $13.29It’s a warm day, and a diverse group of children in a city neighborhood heads to the playground, where “asphalt sizzles in wait, / ropes lie in the corner as bait.” One child calls...
The Talk by Alicia D. Williams; illus. by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu Primary Dlouhy/Atheneum 40 pp. 10/22 9781534495296 $18.99 e-book ed. 9781534495302 $10.99 In this effective and affecting introduction to race relations and police brutality in America, Jay is a young boy who loves racing up and down the block with...
I Am Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges ; illus. by Nikkolas Smith Primary Orchard/Scholastic 48 pp. g9/22 978-1-338-75388-2 $18.99e-book ed. 978-1-338-89321-2 $11.99 “When I grow up, my work will be precious, I will be a bridge.” Bridges, known for her brave work in desegregating a...