B. B. Alston
Amari and the Night Brothers
A fast-paced, high-stakes mystery that centers a Black girl protagonist with genuine agency and zero romance filler—perfect for kids who outgrew Percy Jackson but aren't ready for YA dystopias.
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Dragon Cursed
by Elise Kova
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 750L · 2025
A solid fantasy-adventure with a strong female lead learning to own her power — engaging enough to hold older MG readers, with enough peril to feel real but not genuinely scary.
Zora and Me
by Victoria Bond
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 750L · 2020
A smart, folklore-grounded adventure that treats a Black girl's magic and heritage as serious—not decorative—and refuses to dumb down either the history or the magic system.
The Curse Breaker
by Jen Calonita
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 2026
A solid fantasy-adventure with a cursed-princess protagonist who actually investigates her own story instead of waiting for rescue — the curse is the engine of the plot, not decoration.