Black Stories Matter

Twelve-year-old Jerome doesn't get into trouble. He goes to school. He does his homework. He takes care of his little sister. Then Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, watching his family trying to cope with his death, Jerome begins to notice other ghost boys. Each boy has a story and they all have something in common. Bit by bit, Jerome begins to understand what really happened - not just to him, but to all of the ghost boys.

A fierce teen game developer battles a real-life troll intent on ruining the Black Panther-inspired video game she created and the safe community it represents for black gamers. By day, 17-year-old Kiera Johnson is a college student and one of the only black kids at Jefferson Academy. By night, she joins hundreds of thousands of black gamers who duel worldwide in the secret online role-playing card game Slay.

Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus lives with his younger brother, Isaiah, in a quiet neighbourhood in Chicago. But recently, the neighbours are on high alert - whenever they see someone they don't think looks safe, they take matters into their own hands, often calling the cops without reason. Alex starts taking on more shifts at the local ice cream shop and spending time with his girlfriend. But then he starts experiencing visions of the future whenever he touches objects or people around him. And when he picks up a family photo, he has a vision that his younger brother is going to die.

A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen - then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers - to show ourselves to the world in bold colour. 'I masquerade in makeup and feathers and I am applauded.'

Sixteen-year-old Becks is a roadman - loud, funny and knows her estate inside out. She's into girls but didn't come out because she was never in. She lives with her mum, stepdad and 18-year-old Silva, her stepdad's daughter. Becks and Silva are opposites but bond over Korean pop and drama. When Becks' mum and stepdad go on honeymoon to Japan, Becks and Silva are left alone. Except, Silva disappears. Becks ventures into the forbidden territory of Silva's room and finds the first of eight clues that help her discover her sister's secret life. 

Eighteen months ago, 17-year-old Rose and 13-year-old Rudder escaped a strict religious sect with their mum. They are still trying to make sense of the world outside - no more rules about clothes and books, films and music, no more technology bans. But also, no more friendship with the people they've known all their lives, no community and no certainty. When Rudder accidentally sets a devastating chain of events into action, Rose must decide whether to sacrifice everything and go back to the life she hates in order to save the people she loves.

Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few Black boys at his school, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbed the 'Black Brother', Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Dre. When an incident with a white student leads to Donte's arrest and suspension, he's sure the only way to get even is to beat the student at the school's most valued game: fencing.

After a fun Christmas Eve decorating the tree and singing along with his mum to Queen, 15-year-old Spey wakes up on Christmas morning to find the ex-prisoner father he has never met asleep on the sofa. Then he receives a mysterious package in the post: a torn envelope filled with half a collage he made with his old friend, Dee, on her sixth birthday. Dee bounced between schools and pupil referral units until a tragedy meant she ended up in care outside of London, drawn into the world of county lines gangs.