September is National Literacy Month, and this new releases list is huge with 70 books! Prolific writer Nikki Grimes is once again collaborating with artist Elizabeth Zunon on another fun and colorful picture book. Playtime for Restless Rascals is the third book for the creators. NBA superstar Stephen Curry encourages “young readers to unlock their very own superpower” in his debut picture book, I Have a Superpower. Curry is not the only athlete making a September appearance as an author. Look for books from Serena Williams, Caron Butler, Tacko Fall, and Tommie Smith. Smith’s graphic memoir, Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice “paints a stirring portrait of an iconic moment in Olympic history that still resonates today.” Derrick Barnes (Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut and I Am Every Good Thing) is the co-author.
From biographies about and stories from literary icons Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Zora Neale Hurston, and Nikki Giovanni to historical, vampire hunting, horror, and holiday reads from burgeoning and accomplished Black creators, September’s new releases list is exciting. What books are you most interested in exploring and reading? If you know of any traditionally published books by Black authors that are not included, please leave a comment below. Our stories matter.
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1. Little Santa’s Workshop
Lala Watkins | Cartwheel Books | September 6, 2022 | Bd Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
2. Playtime for Restless Rascals
Nikki Grimes | Elizabeth Zunon | Sourcebooks Jabberwocky | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
3. I Have a Superpower
Stephen Curry | Geneva Bowers | Penguin Workshop | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
4. Song in the City
Daniel Bernstrom | Jenin Mohammed | HarperCollins | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
5. Zuri Ray and the Backyard Bash
Tami Charles | Sharon Sordo | Quill Tree Books | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
6. Charlie Makes a Splash
Holly Robinson Peete | RJ Peete | Shane W. Evans | Scholastic Press | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
7. Black-Eyed Peas and Hoghead Cheese: A Story of Food, Family, and Freedom
Glenda Armand | Steffi Walthall | Crown BYR | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
8. Magnolia Flower
Zora Neale Hurston | Ibram X. Kendi | Loveis Wise | HarperCollins | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
9. I Am Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges | Nikkolas Smith | Orchard Books | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
10. Stacey Abrams: Lift Every Voice
Sarah Warren | Monica Mikai | Lee & Low | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
11. The Very Best Sukkah: A Story from Uganda
Shoshana Nambi | Moran Yogev | Kalaniot Books | September 6, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
12. Kitten Around (Home for Meow #3)
Reese Eschmann | Scholastic Inc. | September 6, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
13. The Science of Baking (Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files #3)
Andrea Beaty | Theanne Griffith | Amulet | September 6, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
14. Talent Showdown (That Girl Lay Lay, Chapter Book #1)
Jevon Bolden | Deandra Hodge | Scholastic Inc. | September 6, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
15. The Beginnings: 1939 (Exploring Civil Rights)
Jay Leslie | Franklin Watts | September 6, 2022 | MG | Amazon | IndieBound
16. The Beginnings: 1942 (Exploring Civil Rights)
Jay Leslie | Franklin Watts | September 6, 2022 | MG | Amazon | IndieBound
17. Moonflower
Kacen Callender | Scholastic | September 6, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
18. We Were the Fire: Birmingham 1963
Shelia P. Moses | Nancy Paulsen Books | September 6, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
19. Black Panther: Uprising (The Young Prince, Bk. 3)
Ronald Smith | Marvel Press | September 6, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
20. Prank Day
Kel Mitchell | Santy Gutiérrez | Thomas Nelson | September 6, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
21. Shot Clock
Caron Butler | Justin A. Reynolds | HarperCollins/Tegen | September 6 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
22. Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution
Sherri Winston | Bloomsbury Children’s Books | September 6, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
23. Eden’s Everdark
Karen Strong | Simon & Schuster BYR | September 6, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
24. Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Vampire Hunting
Roseanne A. Brown | Rick Riordan Presents | September 6, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
25. The Weight of Blood
Tiffany D. Jackson | HarperCollins/Tegen | September 6, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
26. A Door Made for Me
Tyler Merritt | Lonnie Ollivierre | WorthyKids | September 13, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
27. Winter Wonderland (Ty’s Travels, Bk. 5)
Kelly Starling Lyons | Nina Mata | HarperCollins | September 13, 2022 | Early Reader | Amazon | Bookshop
28. Who Is Stacey Abrams? (Who HQ Now)
Shelia P. Moses | Who HQ | Dede Putra | Penguin Workshop | September 13, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
29. Save the… Tigers
Christine Taylor-Butler | Philomel | September 13, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
30. Maya and the Lord of Shadows (Maya and the Rising Dark, Bk. 3)
Rena Barron | Clarion Books | September 13, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
31. Astrology for Black Girls: A Beginner’s Guide for Black Girls Who Look to the Stars
Jordannah Elizabeth | Chellie Carroll | Running Press Kids | September 13, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
32. Hello, Beautiful You! (A Bright Brown Baby Board Book)
Andrea Pinkney | Brian Pinkney | Cartwheel Books | September 20, 2022 | Bd Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
33. Brown Baby Jesus: A Picture Book
Dorena Williamson | Ronique Ellis | WaterBrook | September 20, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
34. Shuri Is Brave! (Marvel: Black Panther)
Frank Berrios | Anthony Conley | Golden Books | September 20, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
35. Maya’s Song
Reneé Watson | Bryan Collier | HarperCollins | September 20, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
36. Bessie the Motorcycle Queen
Charles R. Smith Jr. | Charlot Kristensen | Scholastic | September 20, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
37. Every Other Christmas
Katie Otey | SJ Winkler | Sky Pony | September 20, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
38. Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual
Carole Boston Weatherford | Frank Morrison | Crown BYR | September 20, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
39. Tacko Fall: To New Heights
Tacko Fall | Justin Haynes | Reggie Brown | Candlewick Entertainment | September 20, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
40. If You Lived During the Civil War
Denise Lewis Patrick | Alleanna Harris | Scholastic Press | September 20, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
41. Mapmaker
Lisa Moore Ramée | Balzer & Bray/Harperteen | September 20, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
42. Call Him Jack: The Story of Jackie Robinson, Black Freedom Fighter
Yohuru Williams | Michael G. Long | Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR | September 20, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
43. The Vanquishers
Kalynn Bayron | Bloomsbury Children’s Books | September 20, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
44. Snitchers
Stephane Dunn | Cinco Puntos Press | September 20, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
45. Until We Break
Matthew Dawkins | Wattpad | September 20, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
46. The Getaway
Lamar Giles | Scholastic | September 20, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
47. Rust in the Root
Justina Ireland | Balzer + Bray | September 20, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
48. Eternally Yours
Patrice Caldwell | Viking BYR | September 20, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
49. Bonnie’s New Old Outfit
Madison Moore | Danielle Bennett | Albert Whitman | September 22, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
50. A Library
Nikki Giovanni | Erin Robinson | HMH/Versify | September 27, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
51. Shine Bright
Kheris Rogers | Mechal Roe | HarperCollins | September 27, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
52. Dear Black Child
Rahma Rodaah | Lydia Mba | HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray | September 27, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
53. The Little Book of Joy
Dalai Lama | Archbishop Desmond Tutu | Rafael López | Crown BYR | September 27, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
54. The Adventures of Qai Qai
Serena Williams | Yesenia Moises | Feiwel & Friends | September 27, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
55. Curve and Flow: The Story of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams
Andrea J. Loney | Keith Mallett | Knopf BYR | September 27, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
56. Yellow Dog Blues
Alice Faye Duncan | Chris Raschka | Eerdmans BYR | September 27, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
57. On Her Wings: The Story of Toni Morrison
Jerdine Nolen | James E. Ransome | Simon & Schuster | September 27, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
58. Tiana’s Cookbook
Disney | Joy Howard | Disney Press | September 27, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop
59. Ways to Share Joy (A Ryan Hart Story, Bk. 3)
Renée Watson | Nina Mata | Bloomsbury Children’s Books | September 27, 20222 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
60. Ruby Finley vs the Interstellar Invasion
K. Tempest Bradford | Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR | September 27, 2022 | MG| Amazon | Bookshop
61. Holler of the Fireflies
David Barclay Moore | Knopf BYR | September 27, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
62. Rain Rising
Courtne Comrie | HarperCollins | September 27, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
63. The Door of No Return
Kwame Alexander | Little, Brown BYR | September 27, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
64. The Flag Never Touched the Ground: America’s Brave Black Regiment in Battle (True Adventures)
Kekla Magoon | Thy Bui | Pushkin Children’s Books | September 27, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
65. Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution
Kacen Callender | Abrams | September 27, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
66. How to Succeed in Witchcraft
Aislinn Brophy | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BYR | September 27, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
67. Soul of the Deep
Natasha Bowen | Random House BYR | September 27, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
68.*
69. Opening My Eyes Underwater: Essays on Hope, Humanity, and Our Hero Michelle Obama
Ashley Woodfolk | Feiwel & Friends | September 27, 2022 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
70. Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice
Tommie Smith | Derrick Barnes | Dawud Anyabwile | Norton | September 27 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop
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*Although the cover image is still present for #68, House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson (Ace, 2022) was removed from the list because is not categorized as a YA book. BCBA apologizes for the error. (Edited on October 25, 2022)
