Black Girl Power: 15 Stories Celebrating Black Girlhood

Gr 3-7–A mighty collection of 15 tales of Black girlhood from titans of kid lit. The entries run the genre gamut, deftly tackling common tween concerns such as bullying, identity, and first-day-of-school jitters through prisms of tongue-in-cheek fantasy, heartfelt realism, and even a touch of horror. An incumbent seventh-grade class president works hard to correct her big mistake in Sharon G. Flake’s “Fake President,” while an aspiring opera singer takes one step closer to her dream (despite her parents’ skepticism), with the help of her sister in Tolá Okogwu’s “An Aria for Abi.” Prevalent throughout is the theme of Black girls tackling big life changes, and realizing they possess the inner strength to weather their respective storms. Also emphasized is the power of friendship, family, and community; most of the protagonists succeed thanks to unexpected allies or supportive loved ones. Highlights include Amerie’s “The House Downstairs”—a delightfully unnerving horror story of two sisters battling a sinister dollhouse that wants them to stay, forever—and Reneé Watson’s “Black Girl, Be,” a lyrical beckoning for Black girls to delight in everything they are and all they can be, even (and especially) when the world does not. Readers will enjoy dipping into these bite-sized stories of complex characters finding their footing.