It’s been three years since I wrote a blog post lamenting the dearth of black-lead character books for tweens. In that post, I recounted how I unsuccessfully tried to find five books with a black protagonist that weren’t about police brutality, drugs, gangs, social injustice, or any other trauma.
This summer, a friend sent me a message asking for book recommendations for her pre-teen nephew, so I decided to give the experiment another try. The offerings have grown a bit, but it’s still an uphill struggle to find books with black male leads that don’t focus on trauma.
You are reading: Books for black teenage males
I really hope the next time I do this experiment there will be more fantasy in the mix. I yearn for heroes of black boys wielding swords, casting spells, joining secret crime-fighting organizations, traveling to space, inventing gadgets and other out-of-the-box stuff. I want black writers to write their truths, to reflect the many worlds black children live in, to make no apologies. but I also want escapism and magic for all children, especially black children.
here are 15 beautifully written books featuring black heroes.
1the last last-day-of-summer: a legendary adventure of alston boys by lamar giles
otto and sheed are the local detectives in their town of virginia. As summer winds down and the first day of school looms, a mysterious man appears with a camera that literally freezes time. It’s up to Otto and Sheed, with the help of some very strange people and even stranger creatures, to put their differences aside and save their city and each other before time stops forever.
2the last mirror on the left: a legendary alston boys adventureby lamar giles
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missus nedraw of rorrim mirror emporium remembers the freezing of time since the last last day of summer, and how otto and sheed took their mirrors without permission to clean up their mess. usually that’s a crime that carries a million-year sentence, but she’s willing to overlook the cousins’ misdeeds if they help her with a problem of their own. One of her worst prisoners has escaped to a parallel world, and only the legendary Alston Boys of Logan County can help bring the fugitive to justice.
3black boy joy edited by kwame mbalia
A collection of 17 short stories, comics, and poems celebrating the joys and wonders of black childhood from 17 best-selling authors, including: Jason Reynolds, Tochi Onyebuchi, Dean Atta, and Lamar Giles. edited by kwame mbalia.
4tristan strong blasts a hole in the skyby kwame mbalia
Seventh grader Tristan Strong has been sent to his grandparents’ farm in Alabama to heal after his best friend Eddie is killed in a bus accident. On his first night there, a creature appears in his room and steals his best friend’s notebook. Tristan chases after him and fights the creature under a bottle tree. during the fight, he hits the tree, accidentally opening a chasm in the middle step, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and monsters that hunt the inhabitants of the world from him.
Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left African-American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. To return home, he and his new allies must lure Anansi, the weaver, out of his hiding place and seal the hole in the sky. but bartering with cheater anansi always comes at a price.
5looking both waysby jason reynolds a collection of 10 interrelated stories about kids who walk home from school. the stories cover bullying, homophobia, and grief and other topics with humor and empathy. Reynolds is currently the United States National Ambassador for Children’s Literature.
6jerry craft’s new kid, seventh grader, jordan banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school where Jordan is one of the few kids of color. As he makes the daily commute from his middle-income neighborhood to the upscale school, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds. Can he learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his friends from the neighborhood and staying true to himself?
See Also: 17 Fantastic YA Book Club Books (For Teens and Adults) In 2022
7bud not buddy by christopher paul curtisit’s 1936 flint michigan times are tough and ten year old bud is on the run. Fortunately, he has a few things going for him: -He has his own suitcase full of special things. – is the author of bud caldwell’s rules and things to have a more fun life and become a better liar. -his late mother never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: advertising flyers for herman e. calloway and his famous band, the dark depression ravagers!!! bud has an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the road to find this mysterious man, nothing can stop him: not hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman. calloway himself.
8jake livingston’s takeby ryan douglassjake livingston is one of the few black kids in his high school. It’s hard enough fitting in, but to make matters worse, Jake can also see the dead. Most of the dead are harmless, but not Sawyer, a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now Sawyer is a powerful and vengeful ghost who has plans for the afterlife, plans that include Jake. High school quickly becomes a game of survival: Jake isn’t sure if he’s going to win.
9 fake ID of lamar gilesnick pearson is hiding in plain sight. In fact, his name isn’t really Nick Pearson. I shouldn’t tell you his real name, his real hometown, or why his family just moved to stepton, virginia. And I definitely shouldn’t tell you about his friend Eli Cruz and the big conspiracy that Eli was uncovering when he died. about how nick had to choose between solving eli’s murder and “staying low key” as the show put it. but he’ll tell you, unless they catch him first…
10liccle bit by alex wheatle (first in the crongton knights series) lemar is sensitive to being the second shortest boy in his year and goes by the nickname liccle bit. But when his crush, Venetia King, starts paying attention to him, he thinks he’s on a fast track to a first date. Instead, a new gang war breaks out, South Crongton’s notorious gang leader takes an interest in him, and liccle bit finds himself on a fast track to something far more sinister.
11crossoverof 12-year-old kwame alexanderjosh and his twin jordan have basketball in their blood. they are kings of the court, star players on their school team. His father used to be a champion player and none of them want anything more than to follow in his footsteps. but on and off the court, there are conflicts and difficulties that will put their relationship to the test. a heartfelt coming-of-age story written in verse.
12ghost by jason reynoldsrunning is everything ghost (also known as castle cranshaw) has ever known. But he’s been running for the wrong reasons, until he meets the coach, a former Olympic medalist who recognizes his talent. If Ghost can stay on track, he could be the best speedster in town.
13let me hear a tiffany d jacksonit rhymefrom 1998 and three brooklyn teens hatch a plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he’s still alive. they create a new rap name for him and put out a demo. When he catches the eye of a record label rep, the teens must prove their friend’s talent from beyond the grave. As pressure mounts, the teens are forced to confront the events that led to their friend’s murder.
14spiderman by jason reynoldsmiles morales is just your average teenager. other than his secret identity as spider-man. lately his spider-sense has been failing. When a misunderstanding leads to his suspension from school, Miles begins to question his abilities and wonders if he deserves his scholarship to the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Visions. in every history class, in the middle of his teacher’s lectures on the historical “benefits” of slavery and the modern prison system. But after his scholarship is threatened, Miles uncovers a chilling plot, one that puts his friends, his neighborhood, and himself at risk.
15 verb charmby ben philippehenri is a star debater, a popular student, a dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker of his wealthy New York City neighbors . But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend the university of his dreams, Columbia University.
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Corinne Troy is Henry’s classmate and neighbor and the only person immune to his charms. when she discovers her dishonest plan to walk dogs, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Soon, what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them expected…