School Library Journal has proudly partnered with We Are Kid Lit Collective to share and promote the group’s 11th annual summer reading recommendations. In the next couple of weeks, SLJ will publish individual posts featuring their recommendations of board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult titles.

We Are Kid Lit Collective is pleased to present our 11th annual summer reading list. At a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, we remain committed to uplifting titles written or illustrated by BIPOC creators. As in previous years, we have sought out books that explore the intersections of these identities through stories that invite readers to celebrate, question, imagine, hope, and explore. Diversity in our list extends from characters, authors, and countries of origin to publishers, genres, and formats. Each book on the list has been carefully selected, discussed, and vetted by two or more members.

ALI, S.K. Misfit in Love. (Saints and Misfits: Bk. 2). S. & S./Salaam Reads. 2021. ISBN 9781534442757.
Muslim American Janna is in love with Nuah, but before she can confess her feelings to him, she finds out that her father doesn’t approve of Nuah because he’s Black. This second book in the “Saints and Misfits” series is all about summer love and Janna’s brother’s wedding.

FERGUSON, Jen. A Constellation of Minor Bears. HarperCollins/Heartdrum. 2024. ISBN 9780063334229.

Molly (white/Métis), Traylor (Métis), and Hank (white) are each centered in alternating chapters following an adventure they planned to take after Molly’s graduation. But Hank’s accident definitely wasn’t planned, and it is redefining the trio’s relationships. Where will this road take them?

GIBNEY, Shannon & Nicole Chung, eds. When We Become Ours: A YA Adoptee Anthology. HarperTeen. 2023. ISBN 9780063144408.
Featuring 15 short stories by and about transracial adoptees in a variety of genres, this anthology explores the complexity of adoptee experiences and themes of identity, belonging, and grieving. The stories provide a vital space for transracial adoptees to reclaim their narratives and be heard for their individual, diverse, and authentic experiences.

HA, Robin. The Fox Maidens. HarperAlley. 2024. ISBN 9780062685131.
In 16th-century Korea, Kai wants to become a warrior, something women just don’t do. While her father supports Kai developing her skills, her mother does not. Kai really doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps, but a secret is revealed that links Kai to her mother in ways that she could have never imagined.

ILOH, Candice. Salt the Water. Dutton. 2023. ISBN 9780593529317.
In this novel in verse, Nigerian American author Iloh delivers Cerulean “Blue” Gene’s senior year in high school. Keenly aware of how school is failing them, Blue finds it harder every day to participate in such an oppressive system. While friends and family nurture Blue’s intelligence and feed their creativity, school has become fraught with limitations. Blue thought they could make it to the end of the year and graduate, but when their family takes a huge hit, Blue’s worldview is rocked.

LOCKINGTON, Mariama J. Forever Is Now. Farrar. 2023 ISBN 97803 74388881.
After witnessing police brutality, Sadie finds her anxiety worsens, leading to agoraphobia. Still wanting to engage in activism, she hosts live, virtual discussions and shares poetry on social media. Through her relationships with friends, family, and a crush, Sadie discovers safety and community as she opens up about mental health, Black joy, and her bisexual identity.

LUCIER, Makiia. Dragonfruit. HarperCollins/Clarion. 2024. ISBN 9780358272106.
After her father steals the dragonfruit (a seadragon egg meant to cure the crown princess), Hanalei and her father are exiled from Tamarind. Now seeking to rectify these wrongs, Hanalei returns to work with Sam, her childhood friend and the last prince of Tamarind, to obtain a dragonfruit to cure his mother’s illness. But dangers abound from others also seeking the dragonfruit, and from the dragonfruit itself.

MARTIN, Jetta Grace, Joshua Bloom & Waldo E. Martin, Jr. Freedom!: The Story of the Black Panther Party. Levine Querido. 2022. ISBN 9781646140930.
This well-researched and riveting book follows the Black Panther Party from its origin in Oakland to its dissolution due to myriad circumstances, all of which are explained thoroughly. Along the way, readers get to know the major players in the party, including the important role of often overshadowed women members.

NYE, Naomi Shihab. Grace Notes: Poems About Families. Greenwillow. 2024. ISBN 9780062691873.
Nye has gracefully collected poems about family, loss, and grief into this slim volume.

SALEH, Haya. Wild Poppies. tr. from Arabic by Marcia Lynx Qualey. Levine Querido. 2023. ISBN 9781646142019.
Brothers Omar and Sufyan struggle to survive and help their sickly mother and little sister in a refugee encampment after government forces bomb their Syrian hometown. But when the rebellious Sufyan’s “errands” lead to him joining an extremist group, Omar and his friends must risk everything to rescue him and protect their family from the group’s revenge.

SYLVESTER, Natalia. Breathe and Count Back from Ten. HarperCollins/Clarion. 2022. ISBN 9780358536864.
Verónica, who has hip dysplasia, feels most at home in the swimming pool. She dreams of performing at kitschy Mermaid Cove near her Central Florida home, but her strict parents won’t approve. And forget about getting their blessing to date the boy she likes. Verónica finds out she isn’t the only one keeping secrets—her parents have hidden important information about her condition, making her feel even more like a prisoner in her own body.

UKAZU, Ngozi. Bunt!: Striking Out on Financial Aid. illus. by Mad Rupert. First Second. 2024. ISBN 9781250193520.
Molly’s first day at art school is marred by the news that her full ride scholarship is gone. Ever meticulous, Molly reads the fine print and finds that if she can field a softball team, and if that team can win a single game, they will receive a major scholarship. Can Molly’s ragtag squad get their victory, or will her plan be a big strikeout?

ZALDÍVAR, Bessie Flores. Libertad. Dial. 2024. ISBN 9780593696125.
As her older brother draws her into the student movement to oust a corrupt dictator in Honduras in 2017, and her mother finds a cell phone photo of her kissing another girl, high school senior Libi must consider whether there’s a place for her in her country as a queer activist, or if she needs to make a new life for herself in the United States.
 

Sam Bloom is the children’s collection development librarian at Lane (OH) Public Library. Edith Campbell is a librarian at Indiana State University. Ariana Sani Hussain is a teacher librarian at the Blake School, Hopkins, MN. Sujei Lugo is a children’s librarian at the Boston Public Library and an independent researcher. Lyn Miller-Lachmann is an award-winning author and translator of children’s books. Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez is a professor of English at LaGuardia Community College (CUNY).