Arts & Culture Exceptional Tween Fiction by Black Writers and Narrators Part of making this a more equitable world is ensuring that young readers and listeners can see themselves represented in stories, though for too long people of color have been underrepresented in publishing. If you’re looking for captivating listens for you or your kids about Black experiences, these are some of the incredible listens that have won our hearts. By Staff As Brave as You stop Principles By Jason Reynolds Narrated by Guy Lockard 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. Genie's summer is full of surprises. The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia.... Tyrell stop Principles By Coe Booth Narrated by Barrie Buckner 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. An astonishing new voice in teen literature, writing what is sure to be one of the most talked-about debuts of the year.... My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich stop Principles By Ibi Zoboi Narrated by Ibi Zoboi 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. National Book Award-finalist Ibi Zoboi makes her middle-grade debut with a moving story of a girl finding her place in a world that's changing at warp speed.... Flygirl stop Principles By Sherri L. Smith Narrated by Bahni Turpin 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. All Ida Mae Jones wants to do is fly. Her daddy was a pilot, and years after his death she feels closest to him when she's in the air. But as a young black woman in 1940s Louisiana, she knows the sky is off limits to her, until America enters World War II.... Harbor Me stop Principles By Jacqueline Woodson Narrated by N'Jameh Camara, Jacqueline Woodson, Toshi Widoff-Woodson, Jose Carrera, Dean Flanagan, Angel Romero, Mikelle Wright-Matos 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. Jacqueline Woodson's first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories.... Black Brother, Black Brother stop Principles By Jewell Parker Rhodes Narrated by Barrie Buckner 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. Sometimes, 12-year-old Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either.... The Rock and the River stop Principles By Kekla Magoon Narrated by Dion Graham 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. For 13-year-old Sam it's not easy being the son of known civil-rights activist Roland Childs.... The Stars Beneath Our Feet stop Principles By David Barclay Moore Narrated by Nile Bullock, David Barclay Moore 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. A boy tries to steer a safe path through the projects in Harlem in the wake of his brother’s death in this outstanding debut novel that celebrates community and creativity.... Genesis Begins Again stop Principles By Alicia D. Williams Narrated by Alicia D. Williams 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. There are 96 things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like number 95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant - even her own family.... Swing stop Principles By Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess Narrated by Kwame Alexander 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. When America is not so beautiful, or right, or just, it can be hard to know what to do. Best friends Walt and Noah decide to use their voices to grow more good in the world, but first they've got to find cool.... From the Desk of Zoe Washington stop Principles By Janae Marks Narrated by Bahni Turpin 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her 12th birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime? A crime he says he never committed.... The Only Black Girls in Town stop Principles By Brandy Colbert Narrated by Jeanette Illidge 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. Beach-loving surfer Alberta has been the only black girl in town for years. Alberta's best friend, Laramie, is the closest thing she has to a sister, but there are some things even Laramie can't understand.... Blended stop Principles By Sharon M. Draper Narrated by Sharon M. Draper 00:00 05:00 Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week.... Tags Kids YA/Teens Recommended The Best Black Audiobook Narrators to Listen To Right Now Escape From Our Echo Chambers Starts With Listening Greatness Claire Adam's Debut Novel 'Golden Child' Shows That No Person Is An Island, Even When Living On One 7 Ways You Can Enjoy The Baby-Sitters Club Up Next An Antiracism Listening List The fight for racial justice is up to all of us. If you’re not sure where to start, these listening recommendations can help.
