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Home · Entertainment

15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life

These YA novels delve into the nuances of growing up Black in ways that connect to the lives youth are living today.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Getty Images
By Keyaira Boone · Updated November 9, 2021

Adolescence hits different when you’re a Black kid. Today’s YA authors are going into the nuances of growing up while Black in different countries, neighborhoods, family structures, and body types. They are inventing characters that speak to the unique challenges our children are facing today, and could be facing tomorrow. 

Scribes are embracing mystical traditions by tapping into ancestral knowledge to create fantasy work that highlights our history. They are allowing kids to escape through engaging storylines that provoke interest in their own cultures and those of nations across the diaspora.

They are also grounding their works in relatable mundane experiences by using a variety of settings that include back tables at open mic nights, the trails of clandestine forests, behind the other side of a Youtuber’s ring light, and the common rooms of physical rehabilitation centers. 

15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
African woman working at her own bookstore

The stories they are telling include conflicted influencers, soulless real estate developers, disabled bodies, deceased parents, overpacked schedules, family obligations and race related climate change struggles. There are elder siblings fighting to set an example, athletes fighting to become effective leaders, young activists looking to prevent erasure, and lovestruck girls working their way to learning the lesson that who they are is enough. 

Every plot point does not center around stealing a standardized test so they can get into an Ivy or finding a perfect prom date for a picture they’ll forget about in five years. These characters are finding themselves by connecting to authentic experiences that are occurring everyday in neighborhoods across the country. The characters find out what happens when you try your best and still lose, or you’re faced with a friend whose suddenly has more clout than you know how to handle.

These books dispense wisdom by tapping into the moments that take place between the big games or the annual recitals and they’re better for it.

See 15 YA novels you should pass on to the teen in your life below.

01
Feminist AF: A Guide to Crushing Girlhood – Brittney Cooper, Chanel Craft Tanner, and Susana M. Morris Overview
This manual to mastering girlhood helps young girls, parents, and guardians of teens and tweens figure out how to handle issues that are unique to growing up Black.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Photo Credit: Norton Young Readers
Buy Here
02
A Chorus Rises – Bethany C. Morrow
An influencer discovers the limits to her privilege and reconsiders what she wants from her platform.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Macmillan
Buy Here
03
Turning – Joy L. Smith
After suffering a fall that leaves her unable to use her legs, a ballerina builds a friendship with another young person on a journey of healing.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Buy Here
04
Honest June – Tina Wells
A teenage people pleaser is forced to speak up when hit with a spell that prevents her from telling lies.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Random House
Pre-Order Here
05
Take Back the Block – Chrystal D. Giles
A sixth grader stands up in the face of gentrification.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Random House Books for Young Readers
Buy Here
06
Happily Ever After – Elise Bryant
Gaining admittance to a writers workshop places a teenage Black writer at the center of her very own love story.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
HarperCollins
Buy Here
07
Reach For The Skai How To Inspire, Empower, And Clapback – Skai Jackson
The young Queen of classy clapbacks shares how she keeps it cute with her fellow kids.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Penguin Random House
Buy Here
08
Fast Pitch – Nic Stone
A young leader fights to prove that she can lead her team to softball victory as challenges create curveballs in her day to day life.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Crown Books for Young Readers
Buy Here
09
Where The Rhythm Takes You – Sarah Dass
A love story set in paradise follows a young girl reunited with her first love at her family’s resort.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Harper Collins
Buy Here
10
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry – Joya Goffney
A high-school senior is forced to face her fears when a finsta account threatens to expose her secrets.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Harper Collins
Buy Here
11
The Black Flamingo – Dean Atta
A young boy blossoms after entering the world of drag.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Harper Collins
Buy Here
12
Ace of Spades – Faridah Abike-Iyimide
Billing itself as Gossip Girl meets Get Out this novel follows a group of private school students fighting off an anonymous bully.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Macmillan
Buy Here
13
Love Is A Revolution – Renée Watson
A trip to an open mic night introduces a young girl to a relationship that teaches her the value of self-love and radical acceptance.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Bloomsbury Publishing
Buy Here
14
Bold Words From Black Women Inspiration And Truths From 50 Extraordinary Leaders Who Helped Shape Our World – Tamara Pizzoli, Monica Ahanonu
Powerful Black women dispense nuggets of wisdom in this collection of affirming messages.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books
Pre-Order Here
15
Paradise on Fire – Jewell Parker Rhodes
After losing her parents in a fire a young girl confronts the realities of how race and class intersect with climate change concerns.
15 YA Novels To Pass On To The Teen In Your Life
Hachette Book Group
Buy Here
TOPICS:  black books black childrens book YA ya novels

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