Our middle grade book spotlight this week is focused on books that are written by Black and African American authors!! As we celebrate and participate in Black History Month, which is the whole month of February, we are going to explore a variety of titles that are written by some amazing and talented authors. While many this week are realistic titles, with some of them being my personal favorites, there is a wide and ever growing selection in the library collection just waiting for you to check out and read. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthblackauthors as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new Middle Grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams--Thirteen-year-old Genesis tries again and again to lighten her black skin, thinking it is the root of her family's troubles, before discovering reasons to love herself as is.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds--Teen Miles Morales, the current Spider-Man, worries that his spidey-sense is broken. A misunderstanding gets him suspended from school and makes him doubt himself and his abilities. After all, his father and uncle were once criminals. He begins having nightmares and his spidey-sense continues to buzz in history class where he listens to his teacher talk about the benefits of slavery. Then his scholarship at his private school is threatened, and Miles's investigations uncover a plot that puts all he loves at risk.
The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles--Cousins Otto and Sheed Alston aren't quite ready to return to school after summer break. Although they might wish for a little more time to be free of the daily grind of the classroom, they didn't mean to actually freeze time. Now they'll have to figure out how to put things back to normal before it's too late.
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson--When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in Lambert, South Carolina, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame. But the letter describes a young woman. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding its writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. So with the help of Brandon, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the answers slip into the past yet again?
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor--Young Cassie Logan endures humiliation and witnesses the horrors of a KKK cross-burning rampage before she fully understands the importance her family places on having land of their own.
Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore--Lolly is having a terrible time--his brother Jermaine got in a fight and then got shot. He doesn't know how to go on, but using the two giant bags of LEGOs his mom's girlfriend gave him, Lolly finds himself caught up in making a gigantic city--so big it goes outside his apartment. Then, he and his friend Vega get jumped by a few older guys, and Lolly will have to decide either to join a "crew" and get revenge, or find a different path.