Initially I had planned to look a few months ahead. Every time I found a new book by a author of color or with characters of color, it got extended another month. I have noted a few paperback releases . I have reviewed a few of the books in January, and will link to those. So I don't look vein, I've decided to link to other early reviews or excerpts. Like my blog this list isn't exclusively books featuring characters of color. It's simply books I think I will enjoy and in many cases know that to be the truth.I debated a long time about whether I should make the books with characters of color or by authors of color stand out in anyway. I was leaning towards no for the longest, (stories are stories it shouldn't matter) but it does because authors of color and stories with characters of color are at and unfair disadvantage.
Plus, maybe someone finds this list and is in the mood to read a book with characters of color. So I made it as easy as possible to find The books in bold, either feature characters of color or are written by author color.
My easy to follow key -
NF - Non fiction QP - Paperback
S - Series Book
D - Debut author
Before I get to January, I want to point out a recent release (November) for a small publishing house Holiday House that looks really good Celia's Robot by Margaret Chang. Celia is in the fifth. She is half Chinese and half White. Her dad builds her robot to keep on task I read the excerpt and loved it. Celia is a protagonist that I can get behind.
Also check out a wonderful recent Library Journal list by Martha Cornog of 24 Graphic Novels for children and teens with African American characters.
January
Picture Books
The Little Piano Girl : The Story of Mary Lou Williams by Ann Ingalls & Mary Mcdonald illus. by Giselle Potter (NF)
Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds illus by Floyd Cooper (NF)
The Hallelujah Flight by Phil Bildner illus by John Holyfield (NF)
Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya By Donna Jo Napoli illus. by Kadir Nelson
All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil F. Alexander Illus. by Ashley Bryan
Henry Aaron's Dream by Matt Tavares my review
Little Cloud and Lady Wind by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison illus. by Sean Qualls
Early Chapter Books
Nikki and Deja: The Newsy News Newsletter by Karen English illus. by Laura Freeman (S)Sugar Plum Ballerinas #3 Perfectly Prima by Whoopi Goldberg illus. by Maryn Roos (S)
Middle Grade
Eighth-Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich (D) my review
The Chestnut King: Book 3 of the 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson
Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham (D)
The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas (D)
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia my review @ color online
Boys without Names by Kashmira Sheth
Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell (QP)
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt (QP)
Spies of Mississippi: by Rick Bowers (NF, D)
Young Adult
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (D)
By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison (D)
Sweet, Hereafter by Angela Johnson (S)
Freefall by Ariela Anhalt (D)
Good Fortune by Noni Carter (D)
The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped by Yxta Maya Murray
Time You Let Me In: 25 Poets under 25 by Naomi Shihab Nye
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
Night Road by A. M. Jenkins (QP)
The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer (QP)
Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Pena (QP)
Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones (QP)
Feburary
Picture Books
The Boys by Jeff Newman
A Nest for Celeste byHenry Cole
Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham illus. by Juan Wijngaard
My Shoes and I by Rene Colato Lainez illus. by Fabricio Vanden
No Easy Way: The Story of Ted Williams and the Last .400 Season by Fred Bowen
Early Chapter Books
Calvin Coconut: Dog Heaven by Graham Salisbury illus. by Jacqueline Rogers
Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs by Ursula Vernon (S) my review
Franie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000 by Eric Wright (S)
Middle Grade
Lucky: Maris, Mantle, and My Best Summer Ever by Wes Tooke (D)
Love Puppies and Corner Kicks by Bob Krech
Escaping the Tiger by Laura Manivong (D)
The Lost Children by Carolyn Cohagan (D)
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz and Angela Barrett
The Brooklyn Nine by Alan M. Gratz (QP)
Liberty or Death: by Margaret Whitman Blair (NF)
Young Adult
A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott reviews the cover looks even better in person
Finnkin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson (S) A booksheleves of doom review
You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys by Sharon Flake
Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Fiction
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (S, D) This is fantasy fiction but the protagonist is 19. I think it will work will for older teens. my reivew @ color onlineMarch
Picture Books
The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez by Rene Colato Lainez illus. by Tom Lintern
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan illus. by Sophie Blackall
Dear Primo by Duncan Tonatiuh (D)
My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete
She Sang Promise: The Story of Betty Mae Jumper by J.G. Annino and Lisa Desimini illus. by Moses Jumper (NF)
All Star!: Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever by Jane Yolen illus by James Burke (NF)
Early Reader
Ling and Ting by Grace Lin
Middle Grade
Roy Morelli Steps Up to the Plate by Thatcher Heldring
Take Me with You by Carolyn Marsden
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell
The Celestial Globe by Marie Rutkoski (S)
Six Innings by James Preller (QP)
Young Adult
Saving Maddie by Varian Johnson
The Last Summer Of The Death Warriors by Francisco Stork
Keep Sweet by Michele Dominguez Greene
Finding My Place by Traci L Jones
Center Field by Robert Lipsyte
The Heart Is Not a Size by Beth Kephart Em's review @ Em's Bookshelf
House of Dance by Beth Kephart (QP)
He Forgot To Say Goodbye by Benjamin Alire Saenz (QP)
Fiction
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (S) This is classified as an adult mystery. Flavia de Luce is 11 with a passion for chemistry. Its perfectly fine (and so much fun) for middle grade up. no review found but read an excerpt
April
Goal! by Mina Javaherbin (D) illus. by A.G. Ford
My Friend Maya Loves to Dance by Cheryl Willis Hudson illus. by Eric Velasquez
Orange Peel's Pocket by Rose Lewis illus. by Grace Zong
Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus by R. L. LaFevers an excerpt Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald
Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush - by Luis Alberto Urrea illus. by Christopher Cardinale
May
Around Our Way by Tameka Fryer Brown (D)
Chavela and the Magic Bubble by Monica Brown and Magaly Morales
Clemente by Willie Perdomo illus. by Bryan Collier
Middle Grade
The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez
Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes
I So Don't Do Makeup by Barrie Summy
The Magic Thief: Lost by Sarah Prineas
A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis
The Boneshaker by Kate Milford illus. by Andrea Offermann
Blimpo: The Third Circle of Heck by Dale Bayse (S)
Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light by Tim Tingle
June
Picture Books
A Place Where Hurricanes Happen by Renee Watson illus. by Shadra Strickland
A Perfect Season for Dreaming by Benjamin Alire Sáenz illus. by Esau Andrade Valencia (QP)
Middle Grade
The Basilisk's Lair Nathaniel Fludd by R. L. LaFevers (S)
Nice and Mean by Jessica Leader
Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai (D)
The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee T. Frazier
Tall Story by Candy Gourlay (D) author interview @ Asia in the Heart, World on my Mind
They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (NF)
Young Adult
Can't Hold Me Down (Come Up) by Lyah B. LeFlore (S)
Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger (QP) Ah Yuan review @ Gal Novelty
July
Picture Books
A Pirates Guide to First Grade by James Preller illus. by Greg Ruth
Mali Under the Night Sky: A Lao Story of Home by Youme Landowne
Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson by Charles R. Smith Jr. illus. by Shane W. Evans (NF)
August
My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood by Rosemary Wells and Secundino Fernandez illus. by Peter Ferguso
The Wonder of Charlie Anne by Kimberly Fusco
September
Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
19 comments:
I just so happen to be reading a book where the main character is African-American. It's called The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill. Came out in 2007, and I'm going to review it on my blog soon.
I have to say I'm right there with you in terms of books with characters of color being at a disadvantage, or maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. I've found quite a few interesting titles while checking out book blogs this week. Sadly, most were news to me.
WOW WOW WOW!
This is an amazing list! Thanks so much for doing all this hard work. I have requests out for several of these but I'm psyched to see several others. Awesome stuff!
(Also - just as an aside, I have a book on Hank Aaron by Matt Tavares and Jackie Robinson by his daughter Sharon and then i see all the others you have listed as well. It's serious baseball loving in kidlit this year!)
well this is a list i'm very happy to part of! and this must have taken a lot of effort. thanks so much - what a service!
cheers,
candy gourlay
Fabulous list! Thanks for putting so much time and effort into something that all of us need to be more aware of.
Thanks for pulling all this together, Doret! (Although I keep trying to make my TBR list shorter, I don't think I'm going to succeed.)
YES YES YES! I love this list, Doret you're AMAZING :) I'll be sharing ths link on otmorrow's post and updating my blog later on and adding to my tbr pile.
Thanks for the bounty of recommendations - many to be added to my TBR list!
This is such an amazing resource and I'm absolutely adding a number of these titles to my TBR. You're awesome!
Woah, rocking list! I can't even imagine how long it must have took you to put it together. Totally bookmarking this post. =D
I just have to believe you are making all this up, because I surely do never see any such books in my bookstore or library! It just MAKES ME WANNA HOLLER!!!
But I'll take it on faith that somewhere in the world these books have been published, and the lists look great, like your other lists!
I'm back to sigh with happiness over this list! It gives me hope :) Also I gave you an award (not sure if you post these, but your blog makes me happy, especially this post)
http://blackteensread2.blogspot.com/2010/01/waiting-on-wednesday-finding-my-place.html
I love this list, and I love the way you included both writers of color and white writers, noting the difference with, ha, color. There are so many books on this list I'm looking forward to--esp One Crazy Summer, which I've heard Rita read. It's hilarious but makes you tear up, too.
Awesome awesome list!!! Thank you soooo much for doing this. I saw many listed that I hadn't seen before and they sound fantastic. I will be bookmarking this and using it over and over.
Thanks everyone.
If the books are as good as some of these covers it's going to be a very good reading year.
Doret, you're freakin' awesome. You know that, right?
Such an impressive list...so glad to be included. Thank you for spreading the word. These look to be some seriously fine books!
Fabulous, comprehensive list! Thanks also for the link to the list of graphic novels with African-American protagonists--very cool.
I'm still hoping my novel will come out in April or thereabouts, but I don't have final info yet...but it will definitely have protagonists of color (the narrator is half South Asian...like me!). I don't have any real info to provide yet, though. And, of course, dates tend to change...sigh.
Thank you so much. This is a wonderful list.I am always digging around the bookstores and libaries in search of books with brown faces. It is so nice to have a great, extensive list to work with.
Thank Maude for you!
I will be on my JOB with your post at Color Online asap.
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