Black Authors Archives - The Musical Librarian

The Proudest Blue – A Picture Book That Champions Identity, Family, and Resilience

4 Star, Black Authors, Book Reviews, Classroom Library, Grade, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Read Aloud, Teaching / Margaret

When I first read The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family, I knew it would spark meaningful classroom conversations. Written by Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and author S.K. Ali, this picture book shares a touching story of pride, identity, and strength. The illustrations by Hatem Aly make it even more powerful. If you’re […]

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Mare’s War

5 Star, Black Authors, Book Reviews, Grade 8, Literature Circles, Read Aloud, Teaching / Margaret

Mare’s War by Tanita Davis 5 stars An amazing book by an amazing author! Mare’s War was nominated for the 2010 NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literary Work (In the Youth/Teen category). It even won the Coretta Scott King Honour Award the same year, and I can see why! The story of Mare is such

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Dear Martin by N Stone

5 Star, Black Authors, Book Reviews, Classroom Library, Grade, Grade 8, Read Aloud / Margaret

Dear Martin by Nic Stone is a fantastic book; and one of the few that has been able to make me cry openly while reading it. As such, before you think to use it in a classroom setting make sure you and your class are in for an emotional rollercoaster that deals with privilege, perspective,

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The Boy in the Black Suit by J Reynolds

4 Star, Black Authors, Book Reviews, Classroom Library, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Literature Circles, Read Aloud, Teaching / Margaret

This story is one of a few i’m going to be reading to educate myself more on black lives, history, and stories. I realize that while i’ve always tried to offer a variance in my classroom library, it can be hard to find good books for tweens by black authors or about black characters; so

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The Hate U Give by A. Thomas

5 Star, Black Authors, Book Reviews, Grade, Grade 8, Read Aloud, Teaching / Margaret

The Hate U Give is an AMAZING book by Angie Thomas. Based around the very real and tragic death of Oscar Grant in 2009, the book follows a 16 year old girl by the name of Starr, who witnesses her best friend Khalil killed by police at a traffic stop. Throughout reading the novel you

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