BOOKS


includes stories and poems exploring themes of joy, home and family. Each author has been paired with a different illustrator to spotlight Black British artistic talent.


Forthcoming titles Black Authors’ Preview


A picture book adventure pairing Blackman and rising star Adeola, it follows two intrepid adventurers as their imaginations transform their house into a wild wonderland and their big brother into a mighty monster.


Kelly Baptist


Isaiah Dunn is My Hero Random House Children’s, out now, £12.99, 978 0593121368 A coming-of-age tale about a boy who becomes the “big man” of the house and is inspired by the amazing superhero in his dad’s journal.


Derrick Barnes, Gordon C James (illus) Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut Walker, 6th May, £12.99, 9781529500288 A sanctuary for Black men, the barber shop is where magic happens and Black boy joy thrives. Crown is a rhythmic, read- aloud title about a young boy finding confidence and self-esteem.


Jeffrey Boakye, Ngadi Smart (illus) Musical Truth Faber, 3rd June, £12.99, 9780571366484 Following on from his début Hold Tight, Musical Trust is a re-telling of Black British history, structured around a playlist of 28 songs. Redefining British history, the empire and postcolonialism in the music of artists such as Musical Youth, Craig David and Stormzy, Musical Truth invites us to think again about the narratives in history that have been taught up to now.


Natasha Bowen Skin on the Sea PRH Children’s, 11th Nov, £7.99, 9780241413975 A YA début infused with West African mythologi- cal creatures and gods, Skin of the Sea follows Simidele, a mermaid who is duty-bound to collect the souls of those who die at sea. One day, Simidele goes against an ancient decree and saves the life of a living boy.


Maxine Beneba Clarke When We Say Black Lives Matter Wren & Rook, out now, £12.99, 9781526363978 This much-needed chil- dren’s book explores the background to the Black Lives Matter movement for young kids.


Malorie Blackman Endgame PRH Children’s,19th August, £7.99, 978 0241443996 The final instalment in the ground-breaking series that sparked a love of reading in a generation of teenagers is influenced by the unprecedented global events of recent years.


Malorie Blackman & Dapo Adeola We’re Going to Find a Monster PRH Children’s, 2nd Sep, £6.99, 9780241401309


52 9th April 2021


Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff & Timi Sotire Black Joy PRH Children’s, 2nd Sep, £14.99, 9780241519660 Bringing together 30 Black British voices, Black Joy celebrates everything that is brilliant and beau- tiful about being Black British, from Nigerian hall parties to being at one with nature.


Marina Budhos The Long Ride Random House Children’s, 11th May,£5.99, 9780553534252 Jamila, Josie and Francesca are three mixed-race girls who have always felt like outsiders in their mostly white neighbourhood. When they are sent to different schools, they are forced to try to find their place in systems that are divided between Black and white.


Steven Camden, Chanté Timothy (illus) My Big Mouth


Macmillan Children’s Books, 8th July, £6.99, 9781529010978 Camden’s tender first novel for readers aged eight-plus is about friendship, storytelling and the cost of being the coolest kid in school as an impulsive lie spirals out of control.


Candice Carty-Williams Empress & Aniya Knights Of, 7th Octo- ber, 9781913311100 South London’s answer to “Freaky Friday”, according to the publisher, Empress & Aniya is Carty- Williams’ first YA novel. It follows two teenage girls from different back- grounds who accidentally cast a body-swap spell on their 16th birthday.


Joseph Coelho, Freya Hartas (illus) Frankenstiltskin: Fairy Tales Gone Bad Walker, 7th October, 9781406389678 Frankenstein meets Rumpelstiltskin in this story about a powerful king and a monstrous creature with magic and greed in his bones. This is the second story in a three-part series of “twisted” classics, written in verse by Coelho.


Tiffany D Jackson, Dhonielle Clayton, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk & Nicola Yoon Blackout Farshore, 24th July, £7.99, 9780755503063 This collaboration sees YA authors celebrating Black joy in six intertwined love stories that take place over the same night.


The sequel to Davis’ fantasy début The Good Luck Girls sees protagonist Aster trigger a series of small rebellions that build to a world-changing revolution.


Alesha Dixon & Katy Birchall Sister Power Scholastic, 3rd June,£6.99, 9781407198507 When Pearl’s mum becomes the UK’s first Black Prime Minister, Pearl begins to hatch a plan to force her mum and her mum’s boyfriend to split up, although this has an adverse effect on her mum’s popularity in the polls.


Akwaeke Emezi Bitter Faber, March 2022, £7.99, 9780571371198 Bitter is the companion novel to Emezi’s Pet, which was published by Faber in 2019. Its depic- tion of police violence, protest and prejudice is underscored with themes of art and the power of youth.


Femi Fadugba The Upper World PRH Children’s, 19th Aug, £7.99, 9780241505618 An original thriller from quantum physicist Fadugba, The Upper World is about two teen- agers a generation apart who are connected by one bullet, which is about to devastate both of their lives.


Rachael Davis, Beatrix Hatcher (illus) I am Not a Prince Orchard Books, Jan 2022, £12.99, 9781408362259 The story of one little frog who dares to be different, I am Not a Prince chal- lenges gender stereotypes and features a cast of non-binary characters.


Charlotte Nicole Davis The Sisters of Reckoning Hot Key, 10th Aug, £13.07, 9781250299741


Isaac Fitzsimons The Passing Playbook PRH Children’s, 3rd June, £7.99, 9780241401286 Fifteen-year-old Spencer is trans, but no-one at his new school knows. When a discriminatory law forces Spencer’s coach to bench him, Spencer has to make a choice: cheer his team on from the sidelines, or publicly fight for his right to play, even if it means coming out to everyone.


Camryn Garrett Off the Record PRH Children’s, 27th May, £7.99, 9780241367162 Garrett’s latest book follows a teen journalist who stumbles across the #MeToo story of the decade and has to weigh the risks against the need to fight for justice.


Joya Goffney Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry Hot Key, 4th May, £7.99, 9781471410116 This heartfelt YA rom-com début is an enemy-to- lover romance filled with secrets. It follows Quinn, who keeps a list of all the boys she’d like to kiss. When her list is published on Instagram, Quinn doesn’t know who to trust and teams up with her enemy in a race to find the culprit.


witness the conversations they have with their children about race in America today. A power- ful call-to-action, The Talk invites all families to be anti-racists and advocates for change.


Jordan Ifueko Redemptor Hot Key, 17th Aug, £13.82, 9781419739842 The sequel and final instalment of the Raybearer duology, Redemptor follows protagonist Tarisai as she decides whether to die for justice or to live for it.


Jayri Gomez My First Heroes Macmillan Children’s Books, 16th Sep, £6.99, 9781529062625 This novelty board book series for pre-schoolers introduces them to key figures across medicine, sports and Black history. They feature fun facts and bright, bold illustrations.


Swapna Haddow, Dapo Adeola (illus) My Mum is a Lioness Macmillan Children’s Books, Feb 2022, £11.99, 9781529013986 The warm follow-up to Haddow’s My Dad is a Grizzly Bear is a story about a family where the young son is convinced his mum is a fierce lioness.


Lenny Henry The Boy with Wings Macmillan Children’s Books, 14th Oct, £12.99, 9781529067835 Superstar Henry’s first middle-grade fiction book stars a young boy named Tyrone, who has always been average—until one sports day, he starts to fly and sets off on a “very extraordinary” adventure.


Wade Hudson (ed) The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth Random House Children’s, 1st June, £12.99, 9780593121610 In this book edited by Hudson, 30 authors invite us into their homes to


Danielle Jawando When Our Worlds Collided S&S Children’s, January 2022, £7.99, 978 1471178795 A coming-of-age story about chance encounters, When Our Worlds Collided follows three teenagers who are unexpectedly thrust together when a 14-year-old is stabbed in Manchester. The second novel from YA rising star Jawando.


Catherine Johnson, Rumbidzai Savanhu (illus) We Were Here: 2,000 Years of History Through the Eyes of Black Britons Walker, 2022, £14.99, 9781529500981 Johnson’s narrative non- fiction book covers British history from Roman times right up to the 21st century. It re-tells stories of Black Britons from history, such as the Ivory Bangle Lady, who lived in fourth-century York.


Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandele When they Call You a Terrorist: A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World Canongate , 27th May, £7.99, 9781838855208 Adapted for young adults


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