Cleo Wade
What the Road Said
A gentle but powerful entry point into contemporary Black poetry that validates a teen's search for identity without being preachy or overly academic.
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With the Fire on High
by Elizabeth Acevedo
Verse novel · ages 14–18 · 780L · 2019
A verse novel that refuses pity—Emoni's story of balancing single motherhood and culinary ambition is funny, sensual, and fundamentally about refusing to shrink herself.
Guest in the Promise Land
by Kristin Hunter
Middle grade · ages 10–14 · 820L · 1973
A smart, unsentimental 1973 novel about a sharp Black girl navigating class and racial boundaries in Philadelphia; historically rooted and emotionally precise, though less well-known than it deserves.
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
by Sonora Reyes
Middle grade · ages 10–14 · 810L
The first genuinely seen representation of a Latina lesbian for this age group — funny, tender, and unafraid to name both the constraints of Catholic school and the deep love within her family.