CONTEMPORARY URBAN & AFRICAN-AMERICAN FICTION for TEENS

Big City Cool 
Short stories about urban youthHip young african american woman looking out a window over the city

Coleman, Evelyn  Born in Sin
Fourteen-year-old Keisha pursues her dream to become a doctor.

Davidson, Dana  Jason and Kyra
Jason comes to terms with his father and his growing attraction to Kyra.

Deuker, Carl  High Heat
Shane’s life falls apart after his father’s arrest.

Divine, L.  Drama High (series)
Tension and drama at South Bay High School

Draper,  Sharon   Romiette and Julio
A modern day Romeo and Juliet

Flake,  Sharon  Bang!
A teenage boy faces the harsh realities of inner city life.

Flake,  Sharon  Money Hungry
Raspberry wants to make money to get herself off of the streets.

Flake,  Sharon  The Skin I’m In
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka learns to love who she is and what she looks like.

Frank,  E.R.  Life is Funny
The lives of young people from different backgrounds and races become intertwined.

Frost, Helen  Keesha’s House
Seven teens facing such problems as teen pregnancy and child abuse

Grimes, Nikki  Bronx Masquerade
Bronx high school students share their poetry.

Grimes, Nikki  Jazmin’s Notebook
Jazmin writes poetry to record the events of her difficult life.

Guest, Jacqueline  At Risk
Insightful glimpse into the dark world of street teens

Guilford, J.D.  Edification of Sonya Crane Sonya is transferred to a predominantly Black high school where she passes as bi-racial.

Johnson, Angela  First Part Last
Bobby’s carefree life changes when he becomes a father.

Juwell  Ab-Solute Truth
The pressure is on but will the truth prevail?

Juwell  Runaway
School is out and summer fun is in.

McDonald, Janet  Brother Hood
Nate returns home to his “gangsta crew” in his Harlem neighborhood.

McDonald, Janet  Chill Wind
Nineteen-year-old high school dropout tries to support herself and her two children.

McDonald, Janet  Spellbound
A teenage high school dropout decides to enter a spelling bee.

McDonald, Janet  Twists and Turns
Two friends open a hair salon in a run-down Brooklyn housing project.

McKayhan, Monica  Indigo Summer
Fifteen-year-old Indigo’s life finally seems to be going in the right direction.

Myers, Walter Dean  Autobiography of My Dead Brother
Jesse uses his sketchbook to make sense of his troubled Harlem neighborhood.

Myers, Walter Dean  145th Street
Ten stories about life on a Harlem block.

Myers, Walter Dean  Street Love
Street gangs and poverty in Harlem

Porter, Connie  Imani All Mine
A portrayal of a teenage mother

Schraff, Anne  BLUFORD SERIES
Set in urban America; the series features characters that attend the same high school.

Strasser, Todd  Can’t Get There from Here
Tired of being cold and hungry and living on the streets, a young girl ponders her future.

Thomas, Jacquelin  Simply Divine
Divine learns the importance of God and family.

Williams, KaShamba  Dymond in the Rough How many lies can you tell before they catch up with you?

Williams, Lori  Broken China
Grim, unsparing story of young people in a gritty neighborhood

Williams, Lori  Shayla’s Double Brown Baby Blues
Single mother Shayla painfully learns that friendship has its limits.

Williams-Garcia, Rita  Every Time a Rainbow Dies
Sixteen-year-old Thulani witnesses a girl being raped.

Williams-Garcia, Rita  Like Sisters on the Homefront
Fourteen-year-old Gayle experiences the healing power of family.

Wolff, Virginia Euwer  Make Lemonade
Fourteen-year-old LaVaughn baby-sits for a teenage mother.

Wolff, Virginia Euwer  True Believer LaVaughn learns that life is what you make it-an occasion to rise to.

Woods, Brenda  Emako Blue
Tragedy tears apart the lives of five Los Angeles teenagers.

Woodson, Jacqueline  Behind You
Fifteen-year-old Jeremiah is mistakenly shot and killed by the police.

Woodson, Jacqueline  Hush
Twelve-year-old Toswiahand her family enter the witness protection program.

Woodson, Jacqueline  Miracle’sBoys
Charlie blames his sister, Lafayette,
for the death of their mother.

 

2/07