It’s actually late in the afternoon here, but I’ve spent the morning and most of the afternoon working on a list of 2023 Black/African American releases for tweens and teens, or middle grade and young adult, books. I wish I could tell you I’ve found them all, but we all know I haven’t. Please, let me know what still needs to be added. I have a plan for this list.

I’ve been quiet with Black History Month posts this year. Sometimes, during these months that celebrate different cultural heritages, I enjoy creating posts, but I really prefer doing something. Oh, building a list is doing A LOT!! I don’t know of a single source from which to copy and paste all these titles so, for me it’s scouring several sources to find this year’s releases, then collecting links, relevant information, and then fashioning a consistent, readable and attractive list. This year, I plan to move from this only creating a list to establishing a cadre of African American librarians, scholars, and authors to review MG & YA books written during the year. If you follow my blog, you know I don’t have the time. I really regret that, but it’s a reality that I have to make the best of. Collaborating is a great way to do that. Though there are a few sources that do review Black/African American books, there aren’t many. Some come and go. Others, hide our reviews behind paywalls. As one of the scholars said to me in an email, “we should be the definitive voice and source of the best identified portrayals of the African American
experience offered in books for children and young adults.” So, here we go!

All You Have to Do by Autumn Allen. Kokila. 29 Aug
Akim Aliu by Greg Anderson Elysée, Karen De la Vega, and Marcus Williams. Graphix. 7 Feb
All That It Ever Meant by Blessing Musariri. Norton. 3 Jan
Amari And The Night Brothers #3 (Supernatural Investigations #3) by B. B. Alston. Balzer + Bray. 3 Oct
And Other Mistakes by Erika Turner. Feiwel and Friends. 14 Feb
As You Walk On By by Julian Winters. Viking 17 Jan
Barracoon Adapted for Young Readers: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by  Neale Hurston, Jazzmen Lee-Johnson (Illustrator), Ibram X. Kendi. Amistad. 12 Sept
Bash! Vol.1 (Bash! 1) by Rudy Gobert, illus. by Vince Serrano. Titan Comics. 7 Mar
Black Joy by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, Timi Sotire. Penguin 13 July
Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker. Tor. 4 Apr
Cameron Battle and the Escape Trials (Cameron Battle, Bk. 2) by Jamar J. Perry. Bloomsbury. 28 Feb.
Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland. Razorbill. 28 Mar
Chaos Theory by Nic Stone. Crown Books for Young Readers. 28 Feb
Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game by Colin Kaepernick, Eve L. Ewing and Orlando Caicedo. Graphix. 7 Mar
Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney. HarperTeen  3 May
Conjure Island by Eden Royce. Walden Pond Press. 27 June
Cool. Awkard Black. Edited by Karen Strong. Viking. 10 Jan
Control Freaks by J. E. Thomas. Levine Querido. 2 May
A Crown So Cursed (The Nightmare-Verse #3) by L.L. McKinney. Feiwel & Friends  19 Oct
Daughters of Oduma by Moses Ose Udomi. Atheneum Books for Young Reader. 7 Feb
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury. Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster. 28 Feb
Dreamer by Akim Aliu. Graphix. 7 Feb
Eb & Flow by Kelly J. Baptist. Crown. 14 Mar
Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson. Disney Hyperion. 2 May
Ellis Johnson Might Be Famous (Cookies & Milk #2) by Shawn Amos. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 3 Oct
Epic Ellisons: Cosmos Camp by Lamar Giles, Morgan Bissant. Versify 9 May
Everyone’s Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni. Balzer and Bray. 5 Sept
Forever Is Now by Mariama J Lockington. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 23 May
Forgive Me Not by Jennifer Baker. Nancy Paulsen Books. 15 Aug
Friday I’m In Love by Camryn Garrett. Knopf. 10 Jan
Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes. Wordsong 14 Sept
Ghost Roast by Shawnee Gibbs. Versify. 12 Sept
Hanging with Vampires: A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural by Insha Fitzpatrick. Quirk Books. 28 Mar
A Hero Like Me by Jen Reid, Leire Salaberria, and Angela Joy. Francis Lincoln. 6 June
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert. Joy Revolution. 3 Jan
Hitting the Crossbar: A Bad Boy and the Tomboy Romance by Nicole Nwosu. Wattpad Books. 18 Apr
Honest June: Secrets And Spies by Tina Wells, Brittney Bond. Random House Books. 4 April
Hope’s Path: The Story of a Family’s Journey on the Overland Trail by Jerdine Nolen. Simon & Schuster/Wiseman. 7 Feb
House Party by edited by Justin A Reynolds. Joy Revolution. 27 June
How to Be A Young Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone. Kokila. 31 Jan
I Rise by Marie Arnold. Versify. 2 Aug
It’s Not Bragging If It’s True: How To Be Awesome At Life by Zaila Avant-Garde, Marti Dumas. Random House. 2 May
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. Simon and Schuster 29 Aug.
Invisible Son by Kim Johnson. Random House Books for Young Readers. 27 June
Just a Pinch of Magic by Alechia Dow. Feiwel and Friends. 10 Oct
Last Chance Dance by Lakita Wilson. Viking Books for Young Readers. 21 Feb
Link and Hud: Heroes by a Hair by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey. Norton Young Readers. 7 Mar
A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography Of Race In America From Ona Judge To Barack Obama by Ray Anthony Shepard, R. Gregory Christie. Calkins Creek. 8 Aug
Malcolm Kid And The Perfect Song by Austin Paramore, Sarah Bollinger, Marika Cresta, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Oni Press, 1 Aug
Master of Souls (Kingdom of Souls, Bk 3) by Rena Barron. HarperTeen. 11 Apr
Money Out Loud: All the Financial Stuff No One Taught Us by Berna Anat and Monique Sterling. Quill Tree. 25 Apr
My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix (Remixed Classics, 6) by Kalynn Bayron. Feiwel & Friends. 7 Mar
My Week with Him by Joya Goffney. HarperTeen. 11 July
Nerdcrush by Alisha Emrich. Running Press Kids. 7 Feb
Neverwraith by Shakir Rashaan. Entangled Teen. 29 Aug
Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas. Balzer + Bray.4 Apr
Nigeria Jones: A Novel by Ibi Zoboi. Balzer + Bray. 9 May
Nightmare Island by Shakirah Bourne. Scholastic Press. 6 June
Not an Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles. Random House. 28 Feb
On Air with Zoe Washington by Janae Marks. Katherine Tegen Books. 14 Feb
Once in a Blue Moon by Sharon Flake. Knopf. 11 July
Outer Banks: Dead Break by Jay Coles. Amulet Books. 14 Nov
Pilar Ramirez and the Curse of San Zenon (Pilar Ramirez Duology, Bk. 2) by Julian Randall. Henry Holt and Co/Macmillan. 28 Feb
Promise Boys by Nick Brooks.  Henry Holt. 31 Jan
Promposal by Raechell Garrett. Poppy. 4 Apr
Play the Game by Charlene Allen. Katherine Tegen. 31 Jan
A Quantum Life (Adapted For Young Adults) My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars by Hakeem Oluseyi, Joshua Horwitz. Delacorte.  15 Aug
Rain Remembers by Courtne Comrie. HarperCollins.24 Oct
Rhythm & Muse by India Hill Brown. Quill Tree Books. 30 May
Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson. 10 Oct
Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland. Balzer + Bray. 20 Sept
School Trip: A Graphic Novel by Jerry Craft. Quill Tree Books. 4 Apr
The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade. Sourcebooks 27 July
She Persisted: Dorothy Height by Kelly Starling Lyons, Chelsea Clinton, illus. by Alexandra Boiger, illus. by Gillian Flint. Philomel Books 7 Apre
She Persisted: Simone Biles by Kekla Magoon, Chelsea Clinton, Alexandra Boiger, Gillian Flint. Philomel Books. 17 Oct
Simon B. Rhymin’ Gets in the Game by Dwayne Reed. Little Brown. 4 Apr
Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton. Bloomsbury YA. 27 June
Songs of Irie by Asha Bromfield. Wednesday Books. 10 Oct
Soul Beat, Volume 1: The Payback (Saturday AM TANKS / Soul Beat, 1) by Morganne Walker and Saturday AM. Rockport Press  3 Oct
Sparkle by Lakita Wilson. Viking Books. 24 Oct
Speculation by Nisi Shawl. Tu Books. 14 Feb
Splintered Magic (The Mirror Book #4) by L.L. McKinney. Disney Hyperion. 18 July
Spirit of the Slayer by Sharina Harris. Entangled: Teen. 4 Apr
Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender. Forever Press. 10 Oct
Stay Up: Racism, Resistance, and Reclaiming Black Freedom by Khodi Dill, Stylo Starr. Annick Press 17 Oct
Stories from the Storyteller: Life Lessons from the Parables of Jesus by Jonathan Evans and Todd Hampson. Harvest Kids. 7 Feb
Sun Keep Rising by Kristen R. Lee. Crown. 24 Jan
Suspended: A Miles Morales Novel by Jason Reynolds, illus. by Zeke Peña. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books. 2 May
That Self-Same Metal (Forge 7 fracture, 1) by Brittany N. Williams. Abrams. 25 Apr
The Beauty Trials (The Belles, Bk. 3) by Dhonielle Clayton. Disney-Hyperion. 14 Feb
The Black Queen by Juamata Emill. Writers House. 31 Jan
The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert. Balzer and Bray. 3 Oct
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis. Dial. 31 Jan
The Dark Place by Britney S. Lewis. Disney Hyperion. 8 Aug
The Fall Of The House Of Tatterly by Shanna Miles. Union Square Kids. 29 Aug
The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson. 3 Oct
The Fruit (Wrath & Athenaeum #3) by Na’amen Gobert Tilahun. Nightshade 7 Nov
The Girl I Am, Was and Never Will Be by Shannon Gibney. Dutton. 10 Jan
The Jump by Brittney Morris. Simon and Schuster 7 March
The Making of Yolanda LaBruja by Lorraine Avila. Levine Querido. 11 apr
The Melancholy of Summer by Louisa Onome. Feiwel & Friends. 30 May
The Minus-One Club by Kekla Magoon. Macmillan. 24 Jan
The Mirror World by Femi Fadugba. HarperTeen. 4 July
The Probability Of Everything by Sarah Everett. Clarion Books 27 June
The Rhythm of Time by Questlove and S. A. Cosby. G.P. Putnam’s Sons 18 Apr
The Sister Switch (Best Wishes #2) by Sarah Mlynowski, Debbie Rigaud, and Maxine Vee. Scholastic Press. 4 Apr
The Song of Wrath by Sarah Raughley. Abrams. 18 Apr
The Undead Truth Of Us by Britney Lewis. Disney-Hyperion. 8 Aug
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington. Simon & Schuster. 25 Jul
There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia. Disney Hyperion. 7 March
This Town is On Fire by Pamela N. Harris. Quill Tree. 20 June
Those Who Saw the Sun: African American Oral Histories from the Jim Crow by Jaha Nailah Avery. LevineQuirido. 16 May
True True by Don P Hooper. Nancy Paulsen Books. 1 Aug
Untraceable (The Factory Book 2) by Aya de Leon. Candlewick 10 Oct
Wade in the Water by Nyani Nkrumah. Amistad. 7 Jan
Walking the Way of Harriet Tubman: Public Mystic and Freedom Fighter by Therese Taylor Stinton and Barbara Holmes. Broadleaf Books. 14 Feb
What She Missed by Liara Tamani. Greenwillow Books. 13 June
Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood. Wednesday Books. 7 Feb
Work with What you Got: A Memoir by Zion Clark and James S. Hirsch. Candlewick. 11 Apr
Young, Gifted and Black Too by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins. Wide Eyed Editions. 4 Apr
Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay by Kelly McWilliams. Little, Brown Books. 2 May
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron. Bloomsbury 20 June