2018 MG & YA Books by African Americans

2018 is drawing to a close and that means it’s time for us to compile our annual list. Edith Campbell tracks new releases all year round and then shares her results with me. If we’ve missed a middle grade (MG) or young adult (YA) title, please let us know in the comments! This looks like a big improvement from previous years, especially in terms of debut authors. What do you think?

I’m interested in what’s being published by US presses, so scroll down to find some titles from foreign publishers.

1. Black Girl Magic by Mahogany L. Brown and Jess X. Snow (Roaring Brook Press)
2. Black Panther: the Young Prince by Ronald L. Smith (Disney) Ages 9-12
3. Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz with Renée Watson (Farrar Straus and Giroux) Ages 8-12
4. The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis (Scholastic) Ages 8-12
5. King Geordi the Great by Gene Gant (Harmony Ink Press)
6. Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann (Swoon Reads) Ages 13-18 DEBUT AUTHOR
7. A Sky Full of Stars by Linda Williams Jackson (HMH Books) Ages 10-12.
8. Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney (Scholastic) Ages 8-12
9. For Everyone by Jason Reynolds (Antheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books) Ages 12 and up
10. The Middle Passage by Tom Feelings (Dial) Ages 12 and up REPRINT
11. The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (Freeform) Ages 12-18
12. Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes (Penguin) Ages 12 and up
13. Bingo Love by Tee Franklin, Jenn St Onge and Joy Sn (Image Comics)
14. #Prettyboy Must Die by Kimberly Reid (Tor Teen) YA
15. Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy by Tony Medina (Penny Candy) Ages 8-12
16. The Beauty that Remains by Ashley Woodfolk (Pisces Books) DEBUT AUTHOR
17. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt) DEBUT AUTHOR
18. Divas Don’t Cry (Hollywood High) by Ni Ni Simone (Kensington) YA
19. Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender (Scholastic) Ages 8-12 DEBUT AUTHOR
20. Like Vanessa by Tami Charles and Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Charlesbridge)
21. The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson (Scholastic) Ages 8-12
22. President of the Whole Sixth Grade: Girl Code by Sherri Winston (Little, Brown) Ages 9-12
23. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (HarperTeen) Ages 12-18 DEBUT AUTHOR
24. The Stupendous Adventures of Might Marty Hayes by Lora L Hyler (Henschell HAUS Publishing) Ages 8-12 DEBUT AUTHOR
25. Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles (Little Brown and Co) Ages 12-18 DEBUT AUTHOR
26. We Kiss them with Rain by Futhi Ntshingila (Catalyst Press) Ages 12-18
27. When Paul Met Artie : The Story of Simon & Garfunkel by G. Neri and David Litchfield (Candlewick) Ages 9-12
28. Curveball by Derek Jeter (Simon and Schuster) Ages 8-12
29. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (HarperCollins) Ages 12-18
30. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown and Co.) Ages 8-12
31. Love Double Dutch by Doreen Spicer-Dannelly (Random House) Ages 8-12
32. Sunny by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum)
33. Tifanny Sly LIves Here Now by Dana L. Davis (Harlequin Teen) DEBUT AUTHOR
34. Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson (Razorbill)
35. Learning to Breathe by Janice Lynn Mather (Simon and Schuster) DEBUT AUTHOR
36. Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson (Katherine Tegen Books)
37. Running with Lions by Julian Winters (Duet Books) DEBUT AUTHOR
38. Courage by B. A. Binns (HarperCollins)
39. Wrong in All the Right Ways by Tiffany Brownlee (Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt) DEBUT AUTHOR
40. Finding Yvonne by Brandi Colbert (Little Brown Books)
41. Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Holiday House)
42. Fresh Ink by Lamar Giles, ed. (Random House) Ages 12-17
43. Getting Home (Attack on Earth) by Stephanie Perry Moore (Darby Creek)
44. Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books) Ages 8-12
45. Scream Site by Justine Ireland (Capstone Editions) Ages 12-18
46. So Done by Paula Chase (Greenwillow) Ages 8-12
47. A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney (Imprint)
48. Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani and Vivianna Mazza (HarperCollins)
49. Check, Please! #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu (FirstSecond Books) Ages 14–18
50. Dream Country by Shannon Gibney (Dutton) Ages 12-18
51. Grand Theft Horse by G. Neri, illus. by Corban Wilkin (Tu Books) Ages 12–up
52. Naomis Too (Two Naomis) by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Audrey Vernick (Balzer/BrayHarperCollins) Ages 8–12
53. Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Balzer and Bray) Ages 12-18
54. Tight by Torrey Maldonado (Nancy Paulsen Press) Ages 10 and up
55. We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson (Crown/RandomHouse) Ages 8–12
56. Zora & Me : The Cursed Ground by T. R. Simon (Candlewick) Ages 10-14
57. Crown of Thunder by Tochi Onyebuchi (Razorbill/Penguin) Ages 12–18
58. Definitely Daphne by Tami Charles (Stone Arch Books) Ages 9–12
59. Daphne Definitely Doesn’t Do Fashion by Tami Charles (Stone Arch Books) Ages 9-12
60. Daphne Definitely Doesn’t Do Drama  by Tami Charles (Stone Arch Books) Ages 9-12
61. Daphne Definitely Doesn’t Do Dances by Tami Charles (Stone Arch Books) Ages 9-12
62. Daphne Definitely Doesn’t Do Sports by Tami Charles (Stone Arch Books) Ages 9-12
63. Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott, illus. by Geneva B. (Random House) Ages 8–12
64. Home and Away by Candace Montgomery (Page Street)
65. Lu (Track #4) by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum) Ages 10–up
66. Odd One Out by Nic Stone (Random House) Ages 14–18
67. The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon (Wendy Lamb) Ages 8–12
68. Swing by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess (Blink/HarperCollins) Ages 13–up
69. This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender (Balzer + Bray) Ages 14–up
70. Blended by Sharon Draper (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
71. Legacy of Light (Effigies 3) by Sarah Raughley (First Simon Pulse) Ages 12-18
72. Love Like Sky by Leslie Youngblood (Disney Hyperion) DEBUT AUTHOR
73. Rebound by Kwame Alexander (HMH) Ages 10-12
74. The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Mya in the Middle by Crystal Allen (Balzer & Bray) Ages 8-12
    
75. Minecraft: The Crash by Tracey Baptiste (Del Rey)
    
76. Mirage by Somaiya Daud (Flatiron Books) DEBUT AUTHOR
    
77. Star Wars: Lando’s Luck by Justina Ireland (Disney LucasFilm Press) Ages 9-12
    
78. Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants! by Quvenzhané Wallis (Simon & Schuster) Ages 6-10
79. Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue! by Quvenzhané Wallis (Simon & Schuster) Ages 6-10
80. Dork Diaries 13: Tales from a Not-So-Happy Birthday by Rachel Renee Russell (Aladdin) Ages 9-13

NONFICTION

1. Little Leaders: Visionary Women Around the World by Vashti Harrison (Little, Brown) Ages 8–12
2. History vs. Women: The Defiant Lives That They Don’t Want You to Know by Anita Sarkeesia, Ebony Adams and T.S. Abe (Feiwel and Friends) Ages 12–18
3. We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden (Bloomsbury) Ages 12–18
4. Resist: 35 Profiles of Ordinary People Who Rose Up Against Tyranny and Injustice by Veronica Chambers, illus. by Paul Ryding. (HarperCollins) Ages 8–12
5. Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice (adapted for young adults) by Bryan Stevenson (Delacorte)
6. Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (Macmillan) Ages 9–12
7. The If in Life : How to Get off the Sidelines and into the End Zone by Rashad Jennings (Zonderkids) Ages 13 and up
8. March: 30 Postcards to Make Change and Good Trouble Card Book by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell (Chronicle Books)
9. A Child’s Introduction to African American History: The Experiences, People, and Events That Shaped Our Country by Jabari Asim (Black Dog and Leventhal) Ages 8-11
10. Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, A Monumental American Man by Tonya Bolden (Abrams) Ages 10-14
11. A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) Ages 12 and up
12. March Forward, Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine by Melba Pattillo Beals (HMH Books) Ages 10-12
13. Marley Dias Gets it Done (and so can you!) by Marley Dias and Siobán McGowan (Scholastic) DEBUT AUTHOR
14. Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream by Ibtihaj Muhammad

FOREIGN PRESSES

1. Home Home by Lisa Allen-Agostini (Papillote Press)
2. German Calendar No December by Sylvia Ofili and Birgit Weyhe. (Cassava Republic)
3. The Secret of Purple Lake by Yaba Badoe and Bgolahan Adams (Cassava Republic) ages 9-12
4. Lost Gods by Micah Yongo (Angry Robot Books) DEBUT AUTHOR