Black Experiences for Middle Grade Readers | MORE Libraries

New Kid

by Craft, Jerry

Graphic Novel - 2019

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two w...Show more As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself? Show less

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Blended

by Draper, Sharon M.

Book - 2018

Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole? Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole? Show less

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The Season of Styx Malone

by Magoon, Kekla

Book - 2018

Meet Caleb and Bobby Gene, two brothers embarking on a heartwarming, one-thing-leads-to-another adventure in which friendships are forged, loyalties are tested . . . and miracles just might happen. Meet Caleb and Bobby Gene, two brothers embarking on a heartwarming, one-thing-leads-to-another adventure in which friendships are forged, loyalties are tested . . . and miracles just might happen. Show less

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Betty Before X

by Shabazz, Ilyasah

Book - 2018

In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty’s house doesn’t quite feel like home. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose in volunteering for the Housewive...Show more In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty’s house doesn’t quite feel like home. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League, an organization that supports black-owned businesses. Soon, the American civil rights icon we now know as Dr. Betty Shabazz is born. Show less

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Harbor Me

by Woodson, Jacqueline

Book - 2018

It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat--by themselves. With no adults to listen in, they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothe...Show more It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat--by themselves. With no adults to listen in, they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them--everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes. Together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives. Show less

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The Parker Inheritance

by Johnson, Varian

Book - 2018

When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in South Carolina, she isn't sure she should read it. With the help of Brandon, the quiet boy across the stree...Show more When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in South Carolina, she isn't sure she should read it. With the help of Brandon, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the answers slip into the past yet again? Show less

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Dragons in A Bag

by Elliott, Zetta

Book - 2018

There are two rules when it comes to the dragons: don't let them out of the bag and don't feed them anything sweet. Before he knows it, Jax and his friend...Show more There are two rules when it comes to the dragons: don't let them out of the bag and don't feed them anything sweet. Before he knows it, Jax and his friends Vikram and Kavita have broken both rules! Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound? Or will they be lost in Brooklyn forever? Show less

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From the Desk of Zoe Washington

by Marks, Janae

Book - 2020

Avid baker Zoe Washington receives a letter on her twelfth birthday from her biological father, who is in prison for a terrible crime. Avid baker Zoe Washington receives a letter on her twelfth birthday from her biological father, who is in prison for a terrible crime. Show less

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Brown Girl Dreaming

by Woodson, Jacqueline

Book - 2014

"Jacqueline, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in...Show more "Jacqueline, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Show less

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Ghost Boys

by Rhodes, Jewell Parker

Book - 2018

Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better. Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real...Show more Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better. Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that's been unleashed on his family, his friend Carlos, and his community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing. Show less

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Look Both Ways

A Tale Told in Ten Blocks

by Reynolds, Jason

Book - 2019

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and weaves them into one funny, poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and weaves them into one funny, poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. Show less

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Walking With Miss Millie

by Bundy, Tamara

Book - 2017

After moving with her mother and deaf brother to Grandma's small Georgia town in the 1960s, Alice copes with feelings of isolation by befriending the elderly black woman who lives next door. After moving with her mother and deaf brother to Grandma's small Georgia town in the 1960s, Alice copes with feelings of isolation by befriending the elderly black woman who lives next door. Show less

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