AGES 9-12 / GRADES 4-5

Doreen Rappaport (A) and Shane W. Evans (ILT)

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback- African American History / Civil Rights Era – 2006)

In the summer of 1955, Moses Wright braved mortal danger to testify against three white men accused of murdering Emmett Till – a brutal event that helped to spur the…

Edited By Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson + Many Creative Voices

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – Anthology of Black Life – 2021)

In the stunning follow-up to The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth, award-winning Black authors and artists come together to create a moving anthology collection celebrating Black love, Black creativity, Black resistance,…

From the author of the critically acclaimed novel When Life Gives You Mangos comes a captivating journey of love, loss, and letters. Named a best book of the year by Waterstones!

When Brie was younger, her mama used to surprise her with treasure hunts around their island town. After she died three years…

Megan Stine (A) and John O’Brien (ILT)

List Price: $5.99 (Paperback – Biography / First Lady – 2014)

Born into a close knit family inChicago, Michelle Robinson was a star student who graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law. Then in 1992, she married another promising young lawyer and the rest, as they say,…

A stunning repackage of a companion to Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, with cover art by two-time Caldecott Honor Award winner Kadir Nelson!

The son of a prosperous landowner and a former slave, Paul-Edward Logan is unlike…

Varian Johnson (A) Who HQ (A) and Steven Marchesi (ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Sports / Baseball Pioneers – 2020) 

This baseball league that was made up of African American players and run by African American owners ushered in the biggest change in the history of baseball.

In America during the early twentieth century,…

Roberta Edwards (A), Nancy Harrison (ILT) and John O’Brien (ILT)

List Price: $5.99 (Paperback – Biography / Leader / President of the United States – 2009)

As the world now knows, Barack Obama has made history as our first African-American president. With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this biography is perfect for primary graders looking…

Tonya Bolden (A) 

List Price: $10.99 (Paperback – Young Girl Seeking A Better Life – 2020)

As a young black woman in 1880s Savannah, Essie’s dreams are very much at odds with her reality. Ashamed of her beginnings, but unwilling to accept the path currently available to her, Essie is trapped between…

Frederick Douglass (A)

List Price: $6.00 (Paperback – Autobiography / Former Slave / Self Taught / Abolitionist – 1995)

Former slave, impassioned abolitionist, brilliant writer, newspaper editor and eloquent orator whose speeches fired the abolitionist cause, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) led an astounding life. Physical abuse, deprivation and tragedy plagued his early years, yet…

Gail Herman (A), Who HQ (A) and Gregory Copeland (ILT)

List Price: $5.99 (Paperback – Biography / Civil Rights Leader – 2017) 

The wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King was a civil rights leader in her own right, playing a prominent role in the African American struggle for racial equality…

Jim Gigliotti (A) and Who HQ (A) and Stephen Marchesi (ILT) 

List Price: $6.50 (Paperback – Biography / Singer – 2018)

Discover more about Stevie Wonder, the music prodigy whose awards include 25 Grammy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Stevie Wonder is one of the most successful singer-songwriter-musicians of our time.…

Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu (A)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Fantasy / Futuristic Africa / Friendship – 2008)

In the Ooni Kingdom, children born dada—with vines growing in their hair—are rumored to have special powers. Zahrah Tsami doesn’t know anything about that. She feels normal. Others think she’s different—they fear her. Only Dari, her best…

Another powerful story in the Logan Family Saga and companion to Mildred D. Taylor’s Newbery Award-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

With the depression bearing down on her family, there isn’t much that Cassie Logan can count on anymore. 

But there is one thing that hasn’t changed—the whispering trees outside…

Margarita Engle (A) and Rafael Lopes (A)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – Poetic  Biographies – 2017)

Musician, botanist, baseball player, pilot―the Latinos featured in this collection, Bravo!, come from many different countries and from many different backgrounds. Celebrate their accomplishments and their contributions to a collective history and a community that continues to…

Jason Reynold (A)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Track and Field / Competition – 2019)

Sunny tries to shine despite his troubled past in this third novel in the critically acclaimed Track series from National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds. 

Ghost. Patina. Sunny. Lu. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds, with personalities that…

Arlisha Norwood (A)

List Price: $14.99 (Paperback – Black Leaders In History  – 2020)

Meet extraordinary black heroes throughout history―biographies for kids ages 8 to 12

You’re invited to meet ancient Egyptian rulers, brilliant scientists, legendary musicians, and civil rights activists―all in the same book! Black Heroes introduces you to 51 black…

Dana Meachen Rau (A)

List Price: $6.99 (Paperback – Caesar Chavez Bio / Activist Leader – 2017)

When he was young, Cesar and his Mexican American family toiled in the fields as migrant farm workers. He knew all too well the hardships farm workers faced. His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive…

Ibi Zoboi (A)

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – Coming of Age Strory – Loves Science – 2019)

National Book Award-finalist Ibi Zoboi makes her middle-grade debut with a moving story of a girl finding her place in a world that’s changing at warp speed.

Twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace Norfleet has lived with her beloved…

Margot Lee Shettterly (A) 

List Price: $9.99 (Paperback – Biography / Science – Aerospace Engineer – 2015) 

This inspiring biography tells the story of Katherine Johnson, an African American mathematician. An inspiring figure in the history of STEM, she eventually worked on the mission to send a man to the moon.  Her story…

Kwame Mbalia (Editor) 

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – 17 Voices Sharing Their Joy – 2021)

THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • FIVE STARRED REVIEWS

Celebrate the joys of Black boyhood with stories from seventeen bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors—including Jason Reynolds, Jerry Craft, and Kwame Mbalia!

★ “Pick up Black Boy Joy for a heavy…

Rachelle Burke (A) 

List Price $6.99 (Paperback – Biography / Gymnastics Star -2021)

Simone Biles has been called the greatest gymnast of all time, winning five Olympic and 25 World Champion medals by age 22. Before she wowed the world with her incredible gymnastics skills, Simone was an energetic young girl who dreamed of becoming…

 Amanda Gorman (A and Poet)

List Price: $24.99 (Hardcover – Poetry / Inaugeral Messenger – 2021)

The breakout poetry collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman

Formerly titled The Hill We Climb and Other Poems, the luminous poetry collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author…

In this timely follow-up to the best-selling, genre-defining Young, Gifted and Black, you can meet 52 more Black icons from around the world – this time spanning even more countries and including inspiring figures from as far back as the 1500s right up to present-day heroes.

Featuring the stories of recent changemakers such…

Karen Callender (A)

List Price: $17.99 (Hardcover – Loss, Grief and Courage – 2020)

Winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature!

Winner of the 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry!

In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy’s grief takes him beyond…

Langston Hughes (A) and Bryan Collier (ILT)

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – Poetry / Equality – 2012)

Winner of the Coretta Scott King illustrator award, I, Too, Am America blends the poetic wisdom of Langston Hughes with visionary illustrations from Bryan Collier in this inspirational picture book that carries the promise of equality.

…

Ta-Nehisi Coates (A) and Chris Sprouse  (ILT)

List Price: $15.99 (Paperback – Graphic Novel / Black Super Hero – 2017)

Dark times for the Black Panther, as Ta-Nehisi Coates chronicles the fi nal days of the kingdom of Wakanda! As Zenzi and the People poison Wakanda’s populace against their king, a cabal of…

Pablo Cartaya (A)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – A Protest Story / Finding Your Voice – 2018)

Save the restaurant. Save the town. Get the girl. Make Abuela proud. Can thirteen-year-old Arturo Zamora do it all or is he in for a BIG, EPIC FAIL? 

For Arturo, summertime in Miami means…

Renee Watson (Author)

List Price $16.99 (Hardcover – A Novel About Family And Forgiveness – 2019)

From Newbery Honor- and Coretta Scott King Author Award-winning, New York Timesbestselling author Renée Watson comes a heartwarming and inspiring novel for middle schoolers about finding deep roots and exploring the past, the present, and the places that make…

Walter Dean Myers (A)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Teen Fiction / Gangs / Drugs / Relationships – 1995)

Lately everybody is messing with Jamal. His teachers, the kids at school, even his dad. And now that Jamal brother Randy in the slam, Crazy Mack has a crazy idea. He wants…

Mariama J.Lockington (A)

List Price: 17.99 (Hardcover – Teen Girls / Self Discovery – 2019)

In this lyrical coming-of-age story about family, sisterhood, music, race, and identity, Mariama J. Lockington draws on some of the emotional truths from her own experiences growing up with an adoptive white family.

I am a girl but most days…

Diane Bailey (A)

List Price: $6.99 (Paperback –  Biography / Journalist/ She Exposed Lynching – 2019)

Jeter Publishing presents a brand-new series that celebrates men and women who altered the course of history but may not be as well-known as their counterparts.

Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and activist…

Eve Bunting (A) and Chris K. Soentpiet (ILT)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Japanese Family / Internment Memories – 2009)

Laura Iwasaki and her family are paying what may be their last visit to Laura’s grandfather’s grave. The grave is at Manzanar, where thousands of Americans of Japanese heritage were interned during…

Cynthia Leitich Smith (EDIT)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover – Anthology of Native American Stories – 2021)

Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride.

Native…

Lamar Giles (A)

Martha Freeman (A) and Katy Wu (ILT)

List Price: $19.99 (Hardcover –  Bios of 20 Female Scientists – 2020)

“An inspiring look at women who realized curiosity plus tenacity equals success.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[A] captivating compendium.” —Publishers Weekly

Discover the histories of twenty incredible female scientists in this inspiring biography…

Rick Bowers (A) 

List Price: $16.95  (Hardcover – African American History / Civil Rights Era / White Supremacy – 2010) 

The Spies of Mississippi is a compelling story of how state spies tried to block voting rights for African Americans during the Civil Rights era. This book sheds new light on one of…

Sharon M. Draper (A) and Jesse Joshua Watson (ILT)

List Price: $6.99 (Paperback – Adventure / Shadows of Caesar Creek – 2011)

After their counselors told them a story about spirits in the woods near the campsite, Ziggy and his friends get lost in that very place, known as Caesar’s Creek. When strange…

Jacqueline Woodson (A) 

List Price: $17.99 ( Hardcover – Middle Students / Support Group / Friendships – 2018)

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Jacqueline Woodson’s first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of…

Ellen Labrecque (A), Dede Putra (ILT), Nancy Harrison (ILT)

List Price: $6.99 (Paperback – Biography / Author / Poet – 2016)

Born in Missouri in 1928, Maya Angelou had a difficult childhood. Jim Crow laws segregated blacks and whites in the South. Her family life was unstable at times. But much like her…

Andrea Davis Pinkney (A)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – Africa / Sudan / Refugee – 2016)

The powerful story of one girl’s triumphant journey, inspired by true tales of life in Sudan — now in paperback.

Life in Amira’s peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when Janjaweed attackers arrive, unleashing unspeakable horrors. After losing…

Help kids grow their executive functioning skills with activities for ages 6 to 9

Executive functioning is the name for the skills we use to pay attention, complete tasks, and remember important things. But that’s a lot for a brain to do every day―especially for kids. TheExecutive Functioning Workbook for Kids helps them train…

Jason Reynold (A)

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Track and Field / Competition – 2019)

“Pure gold.” —School Library Journal (starred review)
“The perfect anchor leg for a well-run literary relay.” —Kirkus Reviews

Lu must learn to leave his ego on the sidelines if he wants to finally connect with others in the…

Kadir Nelson (A and ILT)

List Price: $10.99 (Paperback – African American History / Colonial Days to Civil Rights Movement – 2011)

Kadir Nelson’s Heart and Soul—the winner of numerous awards, including the 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Award and Illustrator Honor, and the recipient of five starred reviews—now features eight pages of discussion…

John Lewis (A) and Andrew Aydin (A) and Nate Powell (ILT)

List Price: $19.99 (Paperback – Civil Rights Era / Leader / Congressman – 2016)

One of the Best Books of 2016” – Publishers Weekly

Welcome to the stunning conclusion of the award-winning and best-selling

MARCH trilogy. Congressman John Lewis, an American icon…

Renee Watson (A) & Nina Mata (ILT)

List Price: $16.99 (Hardcover – A Young Girls World – 2020)

From Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Renée Watson, the first book in a young middle grade series about Ryan Hart, a girl who is pure spirit, kindness, and sunshine.

Ryan…

Tim Crothers (A) 

List Price: $16.00 (Paperback – Uganda / Chess Champion – 2016)

Now a major motion picture starring Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo, directed by Mira Nair.

The “astonishing” (The New York Times Book Review) and “inspirational” (Shelf Awareness) true story of Phiona Mutesi—a teenage chess prodigy…

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (A) and Ray Obstfeld (A) and A.G. Ford (ILT)

List Price: $8.99 (Paperback – African American History / Scientists – 2013)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball legend and the NBA’s all time leading scorer, champions a lineup of little-known African-American inventors in this lively, kid-friendly book.

Did you know that James West invented…

Jewell Parker Rhodes (A)  

List Price: $7.99 (Paperback – Mystery / Friends – 2016) 

A magical coming-of-age story from Coretta Scott King honor author Jewell Parker Rhodes, rich with Southern folklore, friendship, family, fireflies and mermaids, plus an environmental twist.

It’s city-girl Maddy’s first summer in the bayou, and she just…