BCALA Best of the Best 2024: For KidsLike this list

22 items

• Bird Nerd

  Richter, Jennifer Ann,

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  Fifth-grader Nyla wants her birdwatching group, the City Birders, to win the spring birding tournament. When a popular girl in her class starts spending more time with Nyla, it creates a rift between Nyla and her best friend. Nyla must learn how to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Girl Power

  15 Stories Celebrating Black Girlhood

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  A vibrant, heartwarming collection of 15 middle grade stories and poems that celebrates the joy, strength, and experience of Black girlhood, including stories from well-known African American female authors.

• Black Lives

  Great Minds of Science

  Bolden, Tonya,

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  Black Lives is a new graphic novel series celebrates the lives of lesser known Black innovators and legends. This book celebrates the lives of Maltilda Evans (physician), Archie Alexander (civil engineer), Gladys West (mathematician), Ayana…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Buckle Up

  Lindell, Lawrence,

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  Primarily set in car rides to and from school, a young boy grapples with his parents divorce.

• Carnival Chaos

  Baptiste, Tracey,

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  Misty has recently moved from Trinidad to Brooklyn. She is surrounded by family but is intrigued by the freedom she and her cousins have while the adults prepare for carnival. Amid her newness, she discovers that she is a "moko" which means she has…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gamerville

  Christmas, Johnnie,

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  A kid is forced into a summer camp after his mom thinks video games are ruining his life.

• It Came From the Trees

  Russell, Ally,

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  Jenna is a third-generation nature lover, skilled at navigating the outdoors. While out camping with an unwelcoming scout troop, a grotesque creature drags her best friend, Reese from their tent. When no one believes Jenna's account, she sets out…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek

  Mbalia, Kwame,

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  After an incident back home in Raleigh, middle-schooler Jax Freeman is sent to live with family in Chicago, discovering that he's part of a long line of summoners. As he learns more about his magical heritage, Jax works to clear his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kingdom of Dust

  Stringfellow, Lisa,

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  Amara lives with her adoptive mother in the land of Kun, a once lush land that is now dry and windy. After the two are separated during an attack, Amara searches for the fabled griots, who have the power to restore the land to its former glory, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mama's Chicken and Dumplings

  Mann, Dionna L.,

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  Headstrong Allie wants a daddy and a husband for her widowed mother, and aims to "catch" one using her mother's chicken and dumplings recipe, which is well-known in their community. But when a different suitor than the one she wants ends up showing…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mid Air

  Williams, Alicia, 1970-

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  Shared in prose with accompanying art, Isaiah likes a lot of things that he fears will leave him unaccepted. Following the death of his best friend, he withdraws from everyone even more. Yet, an extended trip down south to touch grass and heal…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• One Big Open Sky

  Cline-Ransome, Lesa,

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  Eleven-year-old Lettie is the daughter of formerly enslaved people living in 1879 Mississippi. When her father hears about land opportunities available through the Homestead Act, the family joins a wagon train headed west to Nebraska. On the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Onyx & Beyond

  McBride, Amber,

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  Sensitive, star-loving Onyx lives with his beloved mother, who has dementia. Fearing their separation. Onyx tries to keep up appearances by cooking and caring for the house, not even telling extended family members about her condition. As his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Oracle's Door

  Elliott, Zetta,

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  The prequel to Dragons in a Bag tells the story of Lavinia Robinson, or “Vinny” as she’s called by her best friend L. Roy Jenkins. When a faraway voice dares her to open a rainbow-edged door in the sky, Vinny discovers a world filled with dragons…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Place to Shine

  Arnold, Marie,

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  Sunny and her little brother Miles live with their beloved grandmother, Nanna Jo. Nanna Jo is placed in a nursing home after a call for a wellness check; to avoid being placed in foster care, Sunny takes Miles and decides to hide out in their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Reckoning

  Hudson, Wade,

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  Twelve year old Lamar wants to be a filmmaker. Lamar's grandfather buys him a video recorder and Lamar starts recording. When Lamar's grandfather is killed in a traffic altercation with a white who claims self- defense, Lamar does not accept this…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Saving Kenny

  Gaile, Corinne L.,

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  Kenny,12-year-old, lives in the shadow of his siblings and their greatness. He wants to find something that he makes him feel confident. After watching a performance of a popular playwright, he is intrigued by the costumes. Kenny is in awe and has…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Shark Teeth

  Winston, Sherri,

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  Preteen Kita has been forced to parent her younger siblings due to their mother's alcohol abuse. Feeling guilty about their time in foster care, Kita has a hard time trusting others. When she joins the school dance team, a caring group of people…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Timid

  a Graphic Novel

  Todd, Jonathan (writer of Timid),

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  Shy, comics-loving Cecil moves with his family from Florida to Boston in the 1980s. As one of the few Black students at his new school, Cecil longs to make friends and isn't sure where he fits in. After some false starts, Cecil comes into his own…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Untold Story of A. Philip Randolph

  Union Organizer and Civil Rights Activist

  Tyner, Artika R,

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  This entry in the First but Forgotten series spotlights A. Philip Randolph. Tyner traces his long life and tireless career as an advocate and labor organizer, including his seminal role in founding the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.