To celebrate Black History Month, we have gathered together a list of noteworthy new 2024-25 titles (from birth to adult!) in the Library – enjoy!

For Wee Ones

We Are Black History by Tequitia Andrews
(Birth to 3 Years-Old)
Library Catalog

The We Are Black History board book from Mudpuppy is a wonderful introduction to the black leaders and trailblazers who have shaped our world! From the inspiring words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the incredible calculations of Katherine Johnson, celebrate the achievements of Black pioneers featuring colorful and vibrant illustrations by Tequitia Andrews.

Black History: Little Legends Alphabet by Beck Feiner
(Birth to 3 Years-Old)
Library Catalog

From Ruby Bridges to Barack Obama, Rosa Parks to Malcolm X, Little Legends' Black History Alphabet will teach your little one a very important A to Z!

Light by Ruth Forman & Katura Gaines
(Birth to 3 Years-Old)
Library Catalog

A young Black boy's eyes reflect the light of the universe in this luminous board book from bestselling author Ruth Forman! A boy visits a planetarium with his father and brother for a night of stargazing that opens him to the infinitely bright universe.

For Younger Readers

Greatness by Regis & Kahran Bethencourt
(Preschool to 2nd Grade)
Library Catalog

When Nasir and Imani step into their Grandma's studio, she opens their minds to the power of a photograph. From Bessie Smith to Basquiat to Beyoncé, Grandma introduces them to famous figures and what makes them special. And before long, Nasir and Imani find themselves in the images and stepping into greatness, too.

Our Joyful Noise by Gabriele Davis & Craig Stanley
(Preschool to 2nd Grade)
Library Catalog

Our Joyful Noise is a joyful, jazzy picture book following a Black family through a week of shared moments and simple pleasures, woven through with hidden musical jewels from spirituals and songs.

Brown Girl, Brown Girl by Leslé Honoré & Cozbi A. Cabrera
(Preschool to 2nd Grade)
Library Catalog

This powerful and hopeful picture book celebrates brown and Black girls and is magnificently illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera,  a Caldecott Honor-winning artist. Dedicated by Cabrera, “For our girls and for those who love them. For every reader, this ode to joy and resilience.”

Juvenile Fiction

Joyful, Joyful: Stories Celebrating Black Voices curated by Dapo Adeola
(Grades 3-6)
Library Catalog

Joyful, Joyful: Stories Celebrating Black Voices is a gorgeous collection of stories and poems celebrating joy, showcasing 40 talented Black writers and artists from across the world. Curated by Waterstone's Children's Book Prize Winner Dapo Adeola, with a foreword by Patrice Lawrence. Vibrant and illustrated throughout, this beautiful hardcover showcases full-colour artwork from an array of talented illustrators including Ken Wilson Max, Dapo Adeola, Dorcas Magbadelo, Odera Igbokwe, and Denzell Dankwah, alongside stories and poems by the likes of Malorie Blackman, Alex Wheatle, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Dorothy Koomson.

Black Girl Power: 15 Stories Celebrating Black Girlhood edited by Leah Johnson
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog

Black Girl Power: 15 Stories Celebrating Black Girlhood is a vibrant, heartwarming collection of 15 middle grade stories and poems that celebrates the joy, strength, and experience of Black girlhood, including stories from Ibi Zoboi, Sharon M. Draper, and Leah Johnson, as well as cover art from Caldecott winner Vashti Harrison.

Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog

Radiant  is a historical middle-grade novel in verse from multiple Coretta Scott King winner Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. As school begins in 1963, Cooper Dale wrestles with what it means to “shine” for a black girl in a predominantly white community near Pittsburgh. Set against the historic backdrop of the Birmingham church bombing, the Kennedy assassination, and Beatlemania, Radiant is a finely crafted novel in verse about race, class, faith, and finding your place in a loving family and a complicated world. 

Juvenile Nonfiction

Stokes: The Brief Career of of the NBA’s First Black Superstar by Ty Chapman, John Coy, and Lonnie Ollivierre
(Grades 1-5)
Library Catalog

Stokes tells the story of the NBA's first Black superstar, Maurice Stokes, who is not as well known as he should be in part because of a career-ending injury. Coauthors and basketball enthusiasts John Coy and Ty Chapman highlight what a standout Stokes was: he was 6'7″ and as they write, “nobody had ever seen a guy his size score, defend, rebound, dribble, and pass so well.” In a 1958 game against the Minneapolis Lakers, Stokes went down hard and hit his head, losing consciousness. At the time, there was no concussion protocol, and Stokes went back into the game. A few days later, he went into a coma and woke up unable to move his body from the neck down. Players did not have any sort of financial support in situations like this, and Stokes's teammate Jack Twyman worked with other players and Milton Kutsher to put on a benefit game during the summer at Kutsher's hotel in the Catskills. This game became an annual tradition, and Stokes was eventually able to travel and watch the game. Wilt Chamberlain said of Stokes, “He had something transcending as a person. . . . Everybody loved him.”

Claudette Colvin: I Want Freedom Now by Claudette Colvin, Phillip Hoose & Bea Jackson
(Preschool to 3rd Grade)
Library Catalog

Civil rights icon Claudette Colvin teams up with Phillip Hoose–author of the Newbery Honor and National Book Award-winning blockbuster biography Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice–to tell her groundbreaking story in this unforgettable picture book illustrated by New York Times-bestselling artist Bea Jackson. Montgomery, Alabama 1955. Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin is tired. Tired of white people thinking they're better than her. Tired of going to separate schools and separate bathrooms. Most of all, she's tired of having to give up her seat on the bus whenever a white person tells her to. She wants freedom NOW! But what can one teenager do? On a bus ride home from school one day, young Claudette takes a stand for justice and refuses to get up from her seat–nine months before Rosa Parks will become famous for doing the same. What follows will not only transform Claudette's life but the course of history itself.

Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples by Mavis Staples, Carole Boston Weatherford and Steffi Walthall
(Grades 1-4)
Library Catalog

At 85, Mavis Staples is still singing in front of large audiences and sharing her message of love, faith, and justice. She's been performing since age eight as part of her family's gospel group The Staple Singers, and has become one of America's most admired musicians, with multiple Grammys, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But Mavis has been more than a thrilling singer; she has also stood alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., at numerous Civil Rights protests where her voice was a rallying cry to the country. Now she and acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford bring her story and her inspiring message to young people in this poetic, illuminating book, beautifully illustrated by Steffi Walthall.

Teens

Clock Striker, Volume 2: The Sharing Society Series by Issaka Galadima & Frederick L. Jones
Library Catalog 

“Apprentice STRIKER Cast faces her biggest challenge yet–and she won't give up until she's used all of her smarts and all of her might!

In a thrilling new adventure, Clock Striker, Volume 3 explores Cast's obstacles to saving not only her friend Klaus but an entire town that's under the rule of a despotic king.

Cast finds herself face to face with a roomful of Klaus lookalikes and the terribly cruel Loki, a member of a gang of cyborg desperados, the Demon Bandits. While the townspeople of Alter have embraced Cast, their lives are endangered by a disaster that threatens to destroy their entire kingdom. With Cast's mentor, the powerful SMITH Ms. Clock, held captive by the secretive king, Cast must make the most of her intelligence and toughness to beat the odds. Can she do it?

The first shonen manga to feature a black female hero, Saturday AM's steampunk action-adventure series Clock Striker has received glowing accolades from fans and industry professionals alike.

Clock Striker is rated T for Teen, recommended for ages 13 and up.” –Publisher Marketing

My Fairy God Somebody by Charlene Allen
Library Catalog 

“Sixteen-year-old Clae Mitchell is excited for her internship with a prestigious summer journalism program in New York City. Not only will the position help her get a leg up in her future career, it also provides the resources to delve into the mystery surrounding the “deadbeat dad” she's never met, whom her mother refuses to talk about. All she knows is someone, who she assumes is related to her father, has been acting as her “fairy god somebody” and providing her mother with financial help. In New York, Clae tracks down her mystery benefactor, only to realize there's more to her family history than she expected. Meanwhile, she helps her new friends navigate their own challenges: 18-year-old Joelle is planning her upcoming wedding while keeping it a surprise from her parents, and 17-year-old Nze plans to complete a bucket list before she loses her eyesight due to glaucoma. Though Allen (Play the Game) packs this lively and heartfelt story with a few too many plotlines, the relatable characters and Clae's search for the family she's never known drive this entertaining piece that explores concepts surrounding Black Freedom Schools and the importance of journalism. Ages 13-up.” –Publisher Marketing

The Love Interest by Helen Comerford
Library Catalog 

“A picturesque superhero universe and the 21st-century world collide in Comerford's rom-com debut, which features comedic dialogue, sophisticated depictions of mental health, and empowering, authentic female relationships. Seventeen-year-old Jenna Ray lives in the coastal town of the Nine Trees, where a prophecy involving catastrophic disasters will be fulfilled when a new hero emerges. So when Jenna is the first person saved by newcomer Blaze, the public has already cast her as the helpless love interest, a role she has no desire fulfilling, especially if it means being kidnapped by villains. But when the villains offer Jenna the opportunity to see her mother, who has been missing for more than 10 years, in exchange for spying on Blaze and the Hero's Association, she realizes there's more to the superhero industrial complex than costumes and cool weapons. Mixed-media formatting including splashy text and in-world newspaper clippings add to the classic superhero flair, offering ominous foreshadowing throughout the easy-to-follow plot. The juxtaposition between the stories being told to Nine Trees' population and the real, uneasy truth behind these tales is handled maturely, and the incorporation of contemporary sensibilities that mimic IRL society add a hilarious twist to this male-dominated superhero world. Ages 12-up.” –Publisher Marketing

I Was Told There Would Be Romance by Marie Arnold
Library Catalog 

“Grades 7-11 Fifteen-year-old Falencia “Fancy” Augustine wants what every high schooler covets: to be noticed. At Ellen Craft High, that means securing a spot at an exclusive party hosted by the most-popular girl. Not being welcomed into the fold is bearable only with a BFF like Tilly by her side–until Fancy gets a boyfriend and is suddenly invited. What ensues are antics only a fanciful person can conjure up, like saying you're a voodoo witch with the know-how to make a certain potion for a crush named Rahim in exchange for a fake relationship to be invited to said party. But as Fancy's focus shifts to her social life, her slipping academics could mean a one-way ticket to living with her grandparents in Haiti. From the snowballing lies, endearing adult confidante, hilarious tone, and obsessive crushing, this story has hit Netflix show Never Have I Ever written all over it. Fancy's dishonesty and pettiness may not be flattering, but her acceptance of the consequences is more telling. A fun twist to a timeless trope that is sure to keep readers laughing.” –Booklist

Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron
Library Catalog 

“Cinderella is dead, but Snow White fights on . . .

New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron makes her highly anticipated return to the realm of fairy tales with this thrilling twist on the classic story of Snow White.

Princess Eve was raised with one purpose: to destroy the Knight. Far too many of subjects of Queen's Bridge have been devastated by this evil sorcerer's trickery. Eve's own unique magic–the ability to conjure weapons from nature–makes her a worthy adversary.

As she approaches her seventeenth birthday, Eve is ready to battle. But her mother, Queen Regina, has been acting bizarrely, talking to a strange mirror alone every night. Then a young man claiming to be the Knight's messenger appears and shares a shocking truth about Eve's past. Unsure of who to trust, Eve must find the courage to do what she's always done: fight. But will it be enough to save her family and her queendom?” –Publisher Marketing

Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers
Library Catalog 

“For fans of Bridgerton and The Davenports comes a sweeping historical novel from bestselling author Veronica Chambers about courageous (and flirtatious) Ida B. Wells as she navigates society parties and society prejudices to become a civil rights crusader.

Before she became a warrior, Ida B. Wells was an incomparable flirt with a quick wit and a dream of becoming a renowned writer. The eldest child of newly freed parents who thrived in a community that pulsated with hope and possibility after the Civil War, Ida had a big heart, big ambitions, and even bigger questions: How to be a good big sister when her beloved parents perish in a yellow fever epidemic? How to launch her career as a teacher? How to make and keep friends in a society that seems to have no place for a woman who speaks her own mind? And – always top of mind for Ida – how to find a love that will let her be the woman she dreams of becoming?

Ahead of her time by decades, Ida B. Wells pioneered the field of investigative journalism with her powerful reporting on violence against African Americans. Her name became synonymous with courage and an unflinching demand for racial and gender equality. But there were so many facets to Ida Bell and critically acclaimed writer Veronica Chamber unspools her full and colorful life as Ida comes of age in the rapidly changing South, filled with lavish society dances and parties, swoon-worthy gentleman callers, and a world ripe for the taking.” –Publisher Marketing

Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos
Library Catalog

“Autistic high school senior and photographer Daniel Sanchez is convinced that his introverted, geeky ways make him a poor friendship match for popular, bisexual soccer player Ramona ‘Mona’ Sinclair. Though they’ve been friends since they were 12 and share a passion for old movies and Harrison Ford, he’s convinced that, come graduation, she will leave him behind. That’s fine with Daniel—he just wants her to be happy. When he meets charismatic Gabe, who is nonbinary, during a LARPing bout, he denies his instant attraction to them and instead focuses on matchmaking them with Mona. But no matter how hard Daniel tries, his growing relationship with Gabe keeps throwing a wrench in his plans.” –Publisher’s Weekly Annex

Blood at the Root by Ladarrion Williams
Library Catalog

“Seventeen-year-old Malik is haunted by the memory of his mother's disappearance. Or was it her death? He can't be sure. He can only remember the confusion and fear as shadowy, cloaked figures surrounded her, taking her away from him. The opportunity to find answers falls in his lap when he gets a letter from a grandmother in New Orleans he never knew he had, inviting him to stay with her, leading him to Caiman University, an HBCU for kids just like him—kids who've inherited magic. At Caiman, he has the chance to trace his mother's footsteps, reconnect with the first girl he ever loved, and most of all, understand himself, the Black history that's been hidden from him, and the forces within which he can barely control or comprehend.“ –School Library Journal

Not About a Boy by Myah Hollis
Library Catalog
“Seventeen-year-old Amélie Cœur has lost hope after several failed adoptive placements have left her feeling disillusioned and resentful. She desperately wants to believe she will someday belong somewhere and be accepted for who she is. However, negative thoughts quickly remind her that “everything that has ever made me happy has broken my heart.” Through insightful and clever dialogue, Hollis draws readers into Amélie's mind, enabling them to become invested in her search for happiness. Amélie's life begins to change for the better when she is unexpectedly placed in a pre-adoptive home where she is wanted and loved. However, mental health issues, past unresolved trauma, a new romantic relationship that she both wants and fears, and a twin sister of whom she has no memory transform Amélie's desire to “simply belong somewhere” into a complicated journey that she must navigate through to survive.” –School Library Journal

Something Like Right by H.D. Hunter
Library Catalog

“Things are going poorly for Xavier ‘Zay’ Rogers at the start of eleventh grade. After a fight, he’s expelled, and his mother sends him to live with his aunt Mel to attend Broadlawn Alternative School. There he finds a new friend in Kenny, a love interest in Feven, and a supportive uncle in Smith, his aunt’s boyfriend. Zay is biracial (his mom is Black and his dad is white), Feven is from Eritrea, and Kenny is Black. Hunter lightly touches on what it means to be a Black immigrant, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the difficulties of reintegration into society after a stint in prison—or just at an alternative school. Zay's candid and illuminating first-person narrative reveals a caring teen who makes bad decisions but who ultimately survives his junior year, making this a hopeful, uplifting story even during his darkest hours.” –Booklist

Tangleroot by Kalela Williams
Library Catalog

“In this mystery set in the rural South, a teen from Wellesley, Massachusetts, faces racist legacies and the enduring implications of enslavement. Sophronia ‘Noni’ Reid is devastated when her mother makes her give up a dream internship in costume design to move to Magnolia, Virginia. Her mom, an esteemed researcher in the field of Black literature, is the new president at an elite liberal arts college in her small hometown, and frustrated Noni, who feels like she’s living in her mom’s shadow, struggles to adjust. Their new home, Tangleroot, was built by Noni’s great-great-great-grandfather, who was enslaved there. While she’s exploring the former plantation’s cemetery, Noni discovers a grave belonging to a Sophronia Dearborn, who died in 1859 at the age of 18 and was buried with her baby boy, who died the same day. Hoping to learn more, Noni accepts a commission from one of the area’s most influential—and racist—white families to sew a dress based on one her seamstress great-great-grandmother designed for one of their forebears. Along the way, the history of the dress and the search to learn more about the other Sophronia lead to the unearthing of long-buried secrets.” –Kirkus Reviews

The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté
Library Catalog

“Shanté’s poetic memoir highlights lessons from the author’s lived experiences through a variety of text formats and sociocultural talking points. Shanté dissects the intersectionality of growing up as a Black girl in New York City, explaining the influence of the women in her life, the gender roles assigned to her at birth, and the things she learned from her own corner of the Bronx. Poems often include footnotes referencing and recommending music, movies, and books by Black artists, as well as hints to the meanings behind the stanzas, explicitly stating the racist ideologies that exist throughout our culture. The author’s story is split into the boxes that Black women do and don’t fit into, proving perseverance in a binary world and providing readers with the tools they need to understand the limitations of the boxes, why they exist, and how they affect the lives of Black girls. As she follows her own time line, Shanté’s influences, passions, frustrations, and landscape come together as lyrical poems with chaotic subjects and essential messages.” –Booklist

Adult

A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit:  The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune by Noliwe Rooks
Library Catalog

 From the 1920s through the 1940s, Bethune “moved the needle” on issues including voting rights, child labor laws, and educational opportunities for African Americans. But those are simply “the things Bethune did,” Rooks writes. “To feel her impact, to understand her genius, is a more subtle matter…”  A layered portrait of a roving mind that pushed constantly against bounded systems. –Publishers Weekly

Picturing Black History: Photograph and Stories That Changed the World  by Daniela Edmeier, Damarius Johnson, Nicholas B. Breyfogle, & Steven Conn
Library Catalog

“An astonishing work, Picturing Black History offers a trove of both famous and unseen photos with brief, poignant accompanying essays to show not only the centrality of Black people to American history but also how African Americans used the photographer's lens to tell their own stories. The editors, authors, and Getty images have created a beautiful book that stands on its own as a work of art, a veritable museum in print.”  -Henry Louis Gates, Jr.  

Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya Miles
Library Catalog

The National Book Award—winning author of All That She Carried returns with a nuanced and newly fashioned biography of Harriet Tubman, searching beyond her legendary status to find a deeper way to understand and learn from her.  Part of the “Significations” series edited by  Henry Louis Gates Jr.  –Library Journal

Nat Turner, Black Prophet:  A Visionary History by Anthony E. Kaye & Gregory P. Downs
Library Catalog

The story of an infamous slave rebellion and its enigmatic leader. In this remarkable book, historians Kaye and Downs explore the 1831 rebellion led by Nat Turner, a brilliant and charismatic enslaved man who, as an evangelical Methodist, claimed visionary powers….A profoundly insightful analysis of a controversial figure and the rebellion he led. -Kirkus Reviews

The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History by Karen Valby
Library Catalog

A vibrant portrait of the “first permanent Black professional ballet company” in the U.S and the five trailblazing dancers who put it on the map…. a captivating corrective to an often-whitewashed history.  –Publishers Weekly

Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest by Fawn Weaver
Library Catalog

Reading a 2016 New York Times article about Nearest Green, an enslaved Black man who taught Jack Daniel how to distill whiskey in the 1850s, set bestseller Weaver (Happy Wives Club) on a path that changed the course of her career, as she recollects in this striking account. Venturing to Lynchburg, Tenn., home of the Jack Daniel's distillery, she was surprised to find that Nearest's “contributions… were no secret . His family had passed down the story… for generations…”  A powerful portrayal of a largely hidden American history. –Publishers Weekly

Lovely One: A Memoir by Ketanji Brown Jackson
Library Catalog

The first Black female Supreme Court justice shares her story…a well-written, intriguing, and quintessentially American story about a fascinating woman who is truly the embodiment of what is possible in the United States because of its freedoms and in spite of its flaws — lovely indeed.  A terrific memoir.  –Kirkus Reviews