Part two of our summer reading list features nonfiction books that cover a variety of historical people, events, poetry, and inspirational stories. According to Reading Rockets, “Children are naturally fascinated by the lives of real people and the world around them.” And, like adults, some children enjoy and prefer reading nonfiction more than fiction. With these selections and the 75 Picture-to-YA fiction list, you’ll have a happy summer!
1. Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins
Michelle Meadows | Ebony Glenn | Henry Holt and Co. BYR, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
2. The Undefeated
Kwame Alexander | Kadir Nelson | Versify, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
3. Let ‘Er Buck!: George Fletcher, the People’s Champion
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson | Gordon C. James | Carolrhoda Books, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
4. This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality
Jo Ann Allen Boyce | DebbieLevy | Bloomsbury, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
5. Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow
Henry Louis Gates Jr. | Tonya Bolden | Scholastic Nonfiction, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound
6. Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich | Feiwel & Friends, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
7. Young Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present
Jamia Wilson | Andrea Pippins | Wide Eyed Editions, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
8. Mae Among the Stars
Roda Ahmed | Stasia Burrington | HarperCollins, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
9. Seeing into Tomorrow: Haiku
Richard Wright | Nina Crews | Millbrook Press, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
10. Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams
Howard Bryant | Floyd Cooper | Philomel Books, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
11. Hammering for Freedom
Rita Lorraine Hubbard | John Holyfield | Lee & Low, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
12. No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas
Tonya Bolden | Don Tate | Knopf BYR, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
13. The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just
Mélina Manga | Luisa Uribe | Millbrook Press, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
14. Proud: Living My American Dream
Ibtihaj Muhammad | Little, Brown BYR, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
15. Resist: Profiles of Ordinary People Who Rose Up Against Tyranny and Injustice
Veronica Chambers | Paul Ryding | HarperCollins, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
16. Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning
Leslie Odom Jr. | Feiwel & Friends, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
17. Bold and Blessed: How to Stay True to Yourself and Stand Out from the Crowd
Trinitee Stokes | Zondervan, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
18. Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?
Sherri L. Smith | Penguin Workshop, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
19. For Every One
Jason Reynolds | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
20. Just Mercy (Adapted for Young People): A True Story of the Fight for Justice
Bryan Stevenson | Delacorte Press, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
21. A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919
Claire Hartfield | Clarion, 2018 | Amazon | IndieBound
22. Hey Black Child
Useni Eugene Perkins | Bryan Collier | Little, Brown BYR, 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound
23. Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library
Carole Boston Weatherford | Eric Velasquez | Candlewick, 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound
24. What’s the Difference?: Being Different Is Amazing
Doyin Richard | Feiwel & Friends, 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound
25. Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee!
Andrea J. Loney | Keith Mallett | Lee & Low, 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound
26. Now or Never!: Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry’s War to End Slavery
Ray Shepard | Calkins Creek, 2017 | Amazon | IndieBound
27. Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas
Gwendolyn Hooks | Colin Bootman | Lee & Low, 2016 | Amazon | IndieBound
28. Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Javaka Steptoe | Little, Brown BYR, 2016 | Amazon | IndieBound
29. Ticktock Banneker’s Clock
Shana Keller | David C. Gardner | Sleeping Bear Press, 2016 | Amazon | IndieBound
30. This Kid Can Fly: It’s About Ability (NOT Disability)
Aaron Philip | Tonya Bolden | Balzer + Bray, 2016 | Amazon | IndieBound
31. Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express
Holly Robinson Peete | Ryan Elizabeth Peete | RJ Peete | Scholastic, 2016 | Amazon | IndieBound
32. My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey
Lesa Cline-Ransome | James E. Ransome | Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
33. Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America
Carole Boston Weatherford | Jamey Christoph | Albert Whitman & Company, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
34. Jake Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, a Young Artist in Harlem
Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts | Christopher Myers | Museum of Modern Art, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
35. The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can
Tererai Trent | Jan Spivey Gilchrist | Viking BYR, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
36. Book: My Autobiography
John Agard | Neil Packer | Candlewick, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
37. Birchtown and the Black Loyalists
Wanda Lauren Taylor | Nimbus Publishing, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
38. A Moose Boosh: A Few Choice Words About Food
Eric-Shabazz Larkin | Readers to Eaters, 2014 | Amazon | IndieBound
39. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
William Kamkwamba | Bryan Mealer | Elizabeth Zunon | Scholastic, 2012 | Amazon
40. He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
Kadir Nelson | Dial Books, 2005 | Amazon | IndieBound
If you believe BCBA provides a valuable service, please take a few minutes to donate and support our mission to promote awareness of children’s and young adult literature by Black authors. Thanks in advance for your thoughtful gift!
Amazon/IndieBound Disclosure: BCBA is a participant in the Amazon and IndieBound Affiliate Programs. Both are services that offer participants the opportunity to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and IndieBound.org. Clicking on the book links will direct you away from bcbooksandauthors.com. Thanks for your support!
