Young Adult Books About Black Girls who are passionate About Ballet

July 29, 2020 Laura McKinney

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Dance is an essential form of artistic expression and strength. These books focus on young Black girls who are passionate, dedicated, and invested in ballet & dance.

Tiny Pretty Things

Authors: Dhonielle Clayton & Sona Charaipotra
Description: *Tiny Pretty Things* is a contemporary young adult novel set in a prestigious ballet school in New York City. It follows three ballet dancers who are competitive and ruthless in their goals of becoming the best prima ballerina. One dancer is the only Black ballet dancer at their school, another is white, and the final is biracial Korean American.
Includes: #Black #eastasian #korean #biracial #multipleperspectives #femaleprotagonist #ballet
Citation: Clayton, D. & Charaipotra, S. (2015). *Tiny Pretty Things*. HarperCollins.
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26198216._SX318_.jpg — Shiny Broken Pieces

Authors: Dhonielle Clayton & Sona Charaipotra
Description: *Shiny Broken Pieces* is a contemporary young adult novel set in a prestigious ballet school. It is the sequel to *Tiny Pretty Things*. It follows three ballet dancers as they compete for a spot within the American Ballet Company. One dancer is the only Black ballet dancer, another is white, and the final is biracial Korean American.
Includes: #Black #eastasian #korean #biracial #multipleperspectives #femaleprotagonist #ballet
Citation: Clayton, D. & Charaipotra, S. (2016). *Shiny broken pieces*. HarperCollins.
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Pointe

Author: Brandy Colbert
Description: *Pointe* is a contemporary young adult mystery novel. It follows a Black female ballet dancer who is recovering from disordered eating and her friend who returns from being kidnapped. When her best friend returns safely from being kidnapped for 4 years, he starts having post traumatic stress (PTSD) related to his abductor. This book deals with kidnapping, eating disorders, rape, drugs, ballet, and friendships.
Includes: #Black #africanamerican #femaleprotagonist #ballet #mentalhealth #PTSD
Citation: Colbert, B. (2014). *Pointe*. Penguin.
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I Wanna Be Where You Are

Author: Kristina Forest
Description: *I Wanna Be Where You Are* is a contemporary love story. It follows a female protagonist who is set on attending the dance conservatory of her dreams. Her mom, on the other hand, forbids her from applying. She devises a plan to road trip two hundred miles to the nearest audition. Her annoying neighbor and his dog tag along.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #contemporary #ballet #femaleprotagonist
Citation: Forest, K. (2019). *I wanna be where you are.* Roaring Book Press.
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1455928._SY475_.jpg — Dancer

Author: Lorri Hewett
Description: *Dancer* is a contemporary love story (written in the late 1990s). It follows a Black female protagonist who is deeply dedicated to her study fo ballet. Her parents are both working class and her father is the custodian at her elite private school where she attends on scholarship. She is the only Black student in her ballet school until a boy joins her classes and begins to dance with her despite his real loves being hip hop dance and break dancing. His aunt was a Black ballet dancer in the 1950s and offers to help teach her how to improve her dancing so that she will be competitive during her auditions into some of the larger dance conservatories in NYC, Seattle, and San Francisco.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #contemporary #ballet #femaleprotagonist
Citation: Hewett, L. (1999). *Dancer.* Puffin Books.
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Another Way To Dance

Author: Martha Southgate
Description: *Another Way To Dance* is a contemporary love story (written in the late 1990s). It follows a 14 year old Black female protagonist who joins a summer program with the NYC School of American Ballet. Though she thinks that she is ready to dance her heart out and learn and grow in the summer program, she is not prepared to be one of only two Black dancers within her cohort, nor is she prepared to deal with the racism she encounters at the school.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #contemporary #ballet #femaleprotagonist
Citation: Southgate, M. (1998). *Another Way To Dance.* Laurel Leaf.
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Black Jewish Teens in Young Adult Literature by Black Authors

July 28, 2020 Laura McKinney

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Little & Lion

Author: Brandy Colbert
Description: *Little & Lion* is about a bisexual Black girl coming to terms with her identity and her white step brother who is dealing with his recently diagnosed bipolar disorder. Both are both are falling for the same girl. This book also has lesbian characters, a prominent biracial Korean/Black character who wears a hearing aid, interracial relationships, references to abortion, and discussions around what it means to be loyal and what it means to care.
Includes: #bisexual #LGBTQIA #africanamerican #black #femaleprotagonist #contemporary #mentalhealth #bipolar #judaism
Citation: Colbert, B. (2017). *Little & Lion.* Little, Brown.
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Color Me In

Author: Natasha Diaz
Description: *Color Me In* is a contemporary novel about a biracial Black and white Jewish teen who is white passing. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she moves to Harlem where she has a hard time fitting in with her family and her new community. She is stuck between two cultures, that of her new Black community and that of her posh private school. When her dad decides to throw her a belated bat mitzvah instead of a Sweet 16, she doesn’t know where she belongs.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #biracial #femaleprotagonist #contemporary #judaism
Citation: Diaz, N. (2019). *Color me in*. Delacorte.
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Young Adult Books By Black Authors With Main Characters Who Speak American Sign Language (ASL)

June 18, 2020 Laura McKinney

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In both of these stories, the main characters are bilingual, speaking American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English. The characters speak ASL for different reasons. The two main characters in A Song Below Water speak ASL as a way of communicating underwater (in the case of one character) and when they are not able to physically speak (in the case of the other main character). In Feathers, the main character uses ASL to communicate with her brother who is deaf. In both books, ASL is celebrated as beautiful, essential, and important. It is vital to have representations of people speaking ASL within books because deaf culture and deaf communities deserves to see themselves and their language shared in the stories that they read.

39085465._SY475_.jpg — A Song Below Water

Author: Bethany C. Morrow
Description: *A Song Below Water* is a grounded fantasy novel set in the Pacific Northwest city of Portland. The book follows two Black teenage girls, one who is a siren and the other who is an unknown magical being. Forced to keep her siren identity secret due to the stigma placed on Black women sirens, one protagonist uses American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate when her voice feels like too much. The other main character, who is discovering her magical connection, uses ASL to communicate when performing as an underwater mermaid in the local renaissance fairs. This book also deals with the ivtersectionalities of race and womanhood.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #femaleprotagonist #sayhername #sirens #americansignlanguage #ASL #fantasy #magic #alternativeworlds #youngadultliterature
Citation: Morrow, B.C. (2020). *A Song Below Water*. Tor Teen.
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272334._SY475_.jpg — Feathers

Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Description: *Feathers* is a coming of age story set in the 1970’s about a Black girl whose brother is deaf and whose mother is dealing with depression. The story picks up when a new boy arrives at the protagonists school. Like her, he speaks both spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL). Unlike her, he is white. The two build a connection as she learns to re-frame her viewpoint on her brother’s deafness, her mom’s fear, and her own school community. This book also deals with the ivtersectionalities of race and disability.
Includes: #femaleprotagonist #africanamerican #black #historical #youngadultliterature
Citation: Woodson, J. (2007). *Feathers*. G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers.
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Young Adult & Middle Grade Books by Black Authors About Transracial Adoption

June 15, 2020 Laura McKinney

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Middle Grade books by Black Authors about transracial adoption:

For Black Girls Like Me.jpg — For Black Girls Like Me

Author: Mariama J. Lockington
Description: *For Black Girls Like Me* is a contemporary Middle Grade novel told through the point of view of a Black 11-year-old girl who is a transracial adoptee. When she and her family move to New Mexico, she leaves behind her only friend who understands what it is like to be a Black transracial adoptee. Told through lyrical prose and verse, this middle grade book deals with microaggressions, family dynamics, connectedness, and hope.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #femaleprotagonist #verse #adoption #transracialadpotee #contemporary #middlegradeliterature
Citation: Lockington, M.J. (2019). *For Black Girls Like Me*. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR).
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Young Adult books by Black Authors about transracial adoption:

52074946._SX318_SY475_.jpg — See No Color

Author: Shannon Gibney
Description: *See No Color* is a contemporary young adult novel told through the point of view of a 16-year-old biracial Black teen girl who is a transracial adoptee and a baseball player. When she finds the letters from her biological father that her parents kept from her, she begins to question who she really is and what it really means to be Black.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #femaleprotagonist #adoption #transracialadpotee #contemporary #biracial #baseball #sports #youngadultliterature
Citation: Gibney, S. (2015). *See no color*. Carolrhoda Lab.
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How To Be Remy Cameron.jpg — How To Be Remy Cameron

Author: Julian Winters
Description: *How To Be Remy Cameron* is a contemporary young adult novel told through the point of view of a Black high school junior boy who is a transracial adoptee. After being assigned an essay in his AP Literature class asking him to define himself, he dives into questions of self discovery. He is Black, gay, adopted, popular, a good son, a loving brother, and still discovering what else he is.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #maleprotagonist #adoption #transracialadpotee #contemporary #hope #joy #LGBTQIA+ #youngadultliterature
Citation: Winters, J. (2019). *How To Be Remy Cameron*. Duet.
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When The Black Girl Sings.jpg — When The Black Girl Sings

Author: Bil Wright
Description: *When The Black Girl Sings* is a contemporary young adult novel told through the point of view of a Black teen girl who is a transracial adoptee. When her parents begin to discuss divorce, she sides with her mother and the two begin attending a local church with an amazing gospel choir. Simultaneously, her teacher nominates her for a talent show and she decides to join the church choir to improve her singing. There she finds more than song, she finds community.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #femaleprotagonist #adoption #transracialadpotee #contemporary #divorce #choir #singing #youngadultliterature
Citation: Wright, B. (2008). *When The Black Girl Sings*. Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers.
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Young Adult & Middle Grade Black Verse Novels

June 9, 2020 Laura McKinney

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There are loads of verse novels out there and these are just a few by Black authors. Most of these authors have written multiple verse novels, but only one or two of their verse novels are listed here. If you would like to learn about more verse novels, look up these authors or reach out to us so that we can point you in the right direction.

33294200._SY475_.jpg — The Poet X

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Description: *The Poet X* is a verse novel about an Afro-Latina girl growing up in Brooklyn as she questions her faith, struggles with her family, and learns how to share her voice as a poet.
Includes: #latinx #afrolatinx #dominican #black #versenovel #contemporary #femaleprotagonist #youngadultliterature #youngadult
Citation: Acevedo, E. (2018). *The Poet X.* New York: Harperteen.
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Crossover

Author: Kwame Alexander
Description: *The Crossover* is a verse novel about family, basketball, growing up, and the consequences of following the rules. This book centers around a male protagonist.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #maleprotagonist #versenovel #sports #contemporary #middlegradeliterature
Citation: Alexander, K. (2014). *The Crossover*. Houghton Mifflin.
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52696938._SX318_SY475_.jpg — The Black Flamingo

Author: Dean Atta
Description: *The Black Falmingo* is a verse novel about a biracial Black Jamaican and Greek gay teen growing up in the United Kingdom. He struggles to feel like fits in to either side of his identity until he starts University and finds a way to express himself through drag, under the drag name The Black Flamingo.
Includes: #jamaican #british #greek #black #versenovel #contemporary #LGBTQIA #drag #biracial #maleprotagonist #youngadultliterature #youngadult
Citation: Atta, D. (2020). *The black flamingo.* Balzer + Bray.
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8355975._SY475_.jpg — Dark Sons

Author: Nikki Grimes
Description: *Dark Sons* is a verse novel told through alternating perspectives of Ishmael from the Bible and a contemporary Black teen boy. Both grapple with the abandonment of their fathers and their love of their half-brothers despite the fact that their father’s seem to love their half-brothers more.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #maleprotagonist #christianity #family #versenovel #contemporary #biblical #youngadultliterature
Citation: Grimes, N. (2007). *Dark Sons*. Jump At The Sun.
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Street Love

Author: Walter Dean Myers
Description: *Street Love* is a verse novel retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in an urban context.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #maleprotagonist #femaleprotagonist #versenovel #contemporary #youngadultliterature
Citation: Myers W. D. (2006). *Street love*. Amistad Press.
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22552026._SY475_.jpg — Long Way Down

Author: Jason Reynolds
Description: *Long Way Down* is a contemporary verse novel told during the span of one elevator ride in which the protagonist has to decide what he is going to do about the death of his brother. The book features an African American male main character.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #maleprotagonist #intergenerationalviolence #grief #trauma #versenovel #contemporary #youngadultliterature
Citation: Reynolds, J. (2017). *Long Way Down*. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
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Brown Girl Dreaming

Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Description: *Brown Girl Dreaming* is an essential verse memoir of the author’s childhood. Woodson shares the experience of growing up as a young Black girl in the 1960 and 1970s in South Carolina and New York where the civil rights movement was growing. Despite having difficulty learning to read as a child, Woodson’s love of writing grows and grows.
Includes: #black #africanamerican #versenovel #memoir #femaleprotagonist #youngadultliterature #youngadult
Citation: Woodson, J. (2014). *Locomotion.* Speak.
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51ldAvBTBCL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg — Locomotion

Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Description: *Locomotion* is a verse novel about an 11-year-old black boy in the foster care system. The book is told through 60 poems and traces the story of the protagonist as he learns how to share his voice as a poet.
Includes: #black #fosterhome #versenovel #contemporary #maleprotagonist #youngadultliterature #youngadult
Citation: Woodson, J. (2004). *Locomotion.* Speak.
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Black Bisexual Young Adult Literature

June 7, 2020 Laura McKinney

Here is a list of four books by Black authors which discuss the spectrum of bisexuality. They discuss bisexual asexuality, bisexual girls, bisexual boys, and the spectrum of sexuality that can exist within a person.

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31625039._SY475_.jpg — Let’s Talk About Love

Author: Claire Kann
Description: *Let’s Talk About Love* is a contemporary love story between an African American bi-romantic asexual girl and a Japanese American boy.
Includes: #bisexual #asexual #biromantic #LGBTQIA #africanamerican #black #asianamerican #japanese #femaleprotagonist #contemporary #interraciallove
Citation: Kann, C. (2018). *Let’s Talk About Love.* Swoon Reads.
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Odd One Out

Author: Nic Stone
Description: *Odd One Out* is a contemporary novel about three friends and their complicated love triangle. The triangle includes bisexual love interests and three alternating perspectives.
Includes: #bisexual #lovetriangle #interraciallove #africanamerican #black #asianamerican #latinx #contemporary #femaleprotagonist #maleprotagonist
Citation: Stone, N. (2018). *Odd One Out.* Crown Books for Young Readers.
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Home and Away

Author: Candice Montgomery
Description: *Home and Away* is a contemporary coming of age novel about a Black teen girl from a wealthy family. She goes through a journey of thinking about her identity as Black and what that means to her. She also builds a friendship and relationship with an artsy bisexual boy.
Includes: #black #bisexual #africanamerican #black #asianamerican #contemporary #femaleprotagonist
Citation: Montgomery, C. (2018). *Home and away.* Page Street Kids.
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Black Trans Young Adult Literature

June 6, 2020 Laura McKinney

Unfortunately there is still a long way to go in the fight for more books by and about trans and non-binary Black people. Here are two that came out this year by trans and/or non-binary Black authors.

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