Anti-Racist Reading- Middle Grade

Fiction and nonfiction titles about anti-racism and diversity or in support of diverse characters and authors.

 

Black Brother, Black Brother By Jewell Parker Rhodes Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316493802
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - March 3rd, 2020

I liked this book. It starts off strong with Rhodes' poetic prose telling the story of a biracial prep school boy who is wrongly accused of delinquent behavior. Fast-paced and sparse, this is a good starting point for middle grade readers looking for discussions on a serious subject matter. The characters, the details on the sport of fencing, as well as the legal and social commentary on racism, are worthy of many more pages.

Recommended by Kristine 


King and the Dragonflies (Scholastic Gold) By Kacen Callender Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781338129335
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Scholastic Press - February 4th, 2020

A 2021 Coretta Scott King Honor Book!

Winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature!

Winner of the 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry!

In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself.


DK Life Stories: Martin Luther King Jr. By Laurie Calkhoven, Charlotte Ager (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Laurie Calkhoven, Charlotte Ager (Illustrator)
$5.99
ISBN: 9781465474353
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Published: DK Children - January 8th, 2019

In this kids' biography, discover the amazing story of Martin Luther King Jr., whose powerful words and dreams for the future inspired the world.


Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks By Jason Reynolds, Alexander Nabaum (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Jason Reynolds, Alexander Nabaum (Illustrator)
$8.99
ISBN: 9781481438292
Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.
Published: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books - October 27th, 2020

UK Carnegie Medal winner
A National Book Award Finalist
Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
An NPR Favorite Book of 2019
A New York Times Best Children’s Book of 2019

A Time Best Children’s Book of 2019
A Today Show Best Kids’ Book of 2019
A Washington Post Best Children’s


The Crossover Graphic Novel (The Crossover Series) By Kwame Alexander, Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Kwame Alexander, Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator)
$12.99
ISBN: 9781328575494
Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.
Published: Clarion Books - September 24th, 2019

Series streaming now on Disney+, with executive producers including NBA great LeBron James!

Kwame Alexander’s New York Times bestseller and Newbery Medal–winning The Crossover is vividly brought to life as a graphic novel with stunning illustrations by star talent Dawud Anyabwile.


Blended By Sharon M. Draper Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9781442495012
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Published: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books - April 7th, 2020

Eleven-year-old Isabella’s blended family is more divided than ever in this “timely but genuine” (Publishers Weekly) story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Out of My Mind, Sharon M.


The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 By Christopher Paul Curtis Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9780440414124
Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.
Published: Yearling - September 8th, 1997

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree about an unforgettable family on a road-trip during one of the most important times in the civil rights movement.


Dream March: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the March on Washington (Step into Reading) By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, Sally Wern Comport (Illustrator) Cover Image
$4.99
ISBN: 9781101936696
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Published: Random House Books for Young Readers - December 26th, 2017

Introduce children to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights movement, and the historic march on Washington with this inspiring biography! 


Ghost (Track #1) By Jason Reynolds Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9781481450164
Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.
Published: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books - August 29th, 2017

A National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read


Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of the acclaimed Track series from Coretta Scott King - John


Becoming Muhammad Ali By James Patterson, Kwame Alexander, Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator) Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316498166
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: jimmy patterson - October 5th, 2020

Two heavy-hitters in children's literature deliver a critically acclaimed, bestselling biographical novel of cultural icon Muhammad Ali. 

"This utterly delightful story about Ali's childhood is a smash hit."—School Library Journal (starred review)
Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other.


From the Desk of Zoe Washington By Janae Marks Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780062875853
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Katherine Tegen Books - January 14th, 2020

#1 Kids Indie Next List * Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year * SLJ Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * Junior Library Guild Selection * Edgar Award Nominee * Four Starred Reviews * Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year A


Genesis Begins Again By Alicia D. Williams Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9781481465816
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books - August 18th, 2020

“Reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” —The New York Times

“One of the best books I have ever read…will live in the hearts of readers for the rest of their lives.” —Colby Sharp, founder of Nerdy Book Club

“An emotional, painful, yet still hopeful adolescent journey…one that needed


Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance By Jason Reynolds, Samira Ahmed, L. D. Lewis, Ray Stoeve, Laura Silverman, Sofia Quintero, Keah Brown, Darcie Little Badger, Yamile Saied Méndez, Bethany C. Morrow, Bethany C. Morrow (Editor), Connie Sun (Illustrator), Richie Pope (Illustrator) Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781338343700
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Arthur A. Levine Books - October 1st, 2019

A young adult anthology featuring fictional stories of everyday resistance.

You might be the kind of person who stands up to online trolls.Or who marches to protest injustice.Perhaps you are #DisabledAndCute and dancing around your living room, alive and proud.Or perhaps you are the trans mentor that you wish you had when you were younger.Maybe you call out false allies, or stand up to


The Crossover: A Newbery Award Winner (The Crossover Series) By Kwame Alexander, Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Kwame Alexander, Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator)
$8.99
ISBN: 9780544935204
Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.
Published: Clarion Books - March 5th, 2019

Series streaming now on Disney+, with executive producers including NBA great LeBron James!

The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award–winning middle grade bestseller! Basketball and heartache share the court in this slam-dunk novel in verse.


Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets By Kwame Alexander, Ekua Holmes (Illustrator), Chris Colderley, Marjory Wentworth Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780763680947
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Candlewick - March 14th, 2017

The 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner

A Newbery Medalist and a Caldecott Honoree’s New York Times best-selling ode to poets who have sparked a sense of wonder.


Harbor Me By Jacqueline Woodson Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780399252525
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Nancy Paulsen Books - August 28th, 2018

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Jacqueline Woodson's first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories.


What Were the Negro Leagues? (What Was?) By Varian Johnson, Who HQ, Stephen Marchesi (Illustrator) Cover Image
$5.99
ISBN: 9781524789985
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Penguin Workshop - December 24th, 2019

This baseball league that was made up of African American players and run by African American owners ushered in the biggest change in the history of baseball.


Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow (The Center for Cartoon Studies Presents) By James Sturm, Rich Tommaso (Illustrator) Cover Image
By James Sturm, Rich Tommaso (Illustrator)
$12.99
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9781368042895
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - April 23rd, 2019

Baseball Hall of Famer Leroy "Satchel" Paige (1906 - 1982) changed the face of the game in a career that spanned five decades. Much has been written about this larger-than-life pitcher, but when it comes to Paige, fact does not easily separate from fiction. He made a point of writing his own history . . . and then re-writing it.


The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth By Wade Hudson (Editor), Cheryl Willis Hudson (Editor) Cover Image
By Wade Hudson (Editor), Cheryl Willis Hudson (Editor)
$16.99
ISBN: 9780593121610
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Crown Books for Young Readers - August 11th, 2020

Thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators invite you into their homes to witness the conversations they have with their children about race in America today in this powerful call-to-action that invites all families to be anti-racists and advocates for change.

"Project[s] love and support." --The New York Times


Brown Girl Dreaming By Jacqueline Woodson Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780147515827
Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.
Published: Nancy Paulsen Books - October 11th, 2016

Jacqueline Woodson's National Book Award and Newbery Honor winner is a powerful memoir that tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.

A President Obama "O" Book Club pick


Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow (Scholastic Focus) By Henry Louis Gates Jr. Cover Image
$12.99
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9781338713657
Published: Scholastic Focus - December 1st, 2020

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. presents a journey through America's past and our nation's attempts at renewal in this look at the Civil War's conclusion, Reconstruction, and the rise of Jim Crow segregation.

This is a story about America during and after Reconstruction, one of history's most pivotal and misunderstood chapters.


Rick Riordan Presents: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky-A Tristan Strong Novel, Book 1 By Kwame Mbalia Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9781368042413
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Rick Riordan Presents - September 22nd, 2020

Class Act: A Graphic Novel By Jerry Craft, Jerry Craft (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Jerry Craft, Jerry Craft (Illustrator)
$12.99
ISBN: 9780062885500
Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.
Published: Quill Tree Books - October 6th, 2020

New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft returns with a companion book to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize.


Who Was Jackie Robinson? (Who Was?) By Gail Herman, Who HQ, John O'Brien (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Gail Herman, Who HQ, John O'Brien (Illustrator)
$6.99
ISBN: 9780448455570
Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.
Published: Penguin Workshop - December 23rd, 2010

As a kid, Jackie Robinson loved sports. And why not? He was a natural at football, basketball, and, of course, baseball. But beyond athletic skill, it was his strength of character that secured his place in sports history. In 1947 Jackie joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the long-time color barrier in major league baseball.


The Forgotten Girl By India Hill Brown Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781338317244
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Scholastic Press - November 5th, 2019

"This ghost story gave me chill after chill. It will haunt you." -- R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps

"Do you know what it feels like to be forgotten?"

On a cold winter night, Iris and her best friend, Daniel, sneak into a clearing in the woods to play in the freshly fallen snow.


Rick Riordan Presents: Tristan Strong Destroys the World-A Tristan Strong Novel, Book 2 By Kwame Mbalia Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781368042383
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Rick Riordan Presents - October 6th, 2020