30 Middle Grade Books by Black Authors with Megan from @ihaveabook4that

You can typically find me curled up in my home library, comfy clothes on, nose buried in a good book. Reading has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad was an avid reader. His dad, my grandpa, is an avid reader. I am an avid reader, and I have now passed the reading bug onto my son, Mason. Growing up, I didn’t see myself in the books I was reading. As a kid, I thought Arthur the Aardvark and the Berenstain Bears were Black people (I know, sad right?).

When you find me, curled up in my library reading a good book, it is usually a book young Megan wished she had as a kid. A book with Black characters whom I can relate to. While I didn’t have these books as a child, I have found these books as an adult, and I’ve been making up for lost time. I have listed some of my favorites for you below:

Graphic Novels

• New Kid by Jerry Craft

• Class Act by Jerry Craft

• Twins by Varian Johnson

• Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds

• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Novels in Prose

• A Soft Place to Land by Janae Marks

• From the Desk of Zoey Washington by Janae Marks

• Blended by Sharon M. Draper

• Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

• Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

• Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper

• Root Magic by Eden Royce

• Serena Says by Tanita S. Davis

• Partly Cloudy by Tanita S. Davis

• Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland

• Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Anti Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

• Isaiah Dunn is my Hero by Kelly J. Baptist

• Ghost Boys by Jewel Parker Rhodes

• The Usual Suspects by Maurice Broaddus

• A Chance in the World by Steve Pemberton

• The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert

• Playing the Cards You’re Dealt by Varian Johnson

• My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi

• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

• Child of the Dream by Sharon Robinson

Novels in Verse

• The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

• Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

• Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

• Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes

I am forever grateful for these books, their authors, and the characters I have fallen in love with. The publishing industry has come a long way since I was a kid. While there is still a long way to go, I am ecstatic that today’s Black kids have characters they can relate to and fall in love with.

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