100 books for boys/teens

Here are 100 books for boys/teens of color and all who desire enlightenment. Be sure to check the grade/reading level for each text to make sure it’s appropriate for the young man, in your life!:

1. Spin a Soft Black Song by Nikki Giovanni
2. Black Boy by Richard Wright
3. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
4. Monster by Walter Dean Myers
5. When I Was The Greatest by Jason Reynolds
6. Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
7. After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
9. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
10. Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Quick Tip: Hey parents! Have your child read this book alongside a documentary on basketball. The National Common Core expects students to be able to, “Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story (or stories) or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).” Try Lebron James’ “More Than A Game” or the classic “Hoop Dreams.” Use the documentary/book in a discussion of comparing/contrasting. Have your child write a response to the film/book and feel free to give them a prompt that’ll call on their comprehension and their interest.

11. The Color of Water by James McBride
12. The Autobiography of Malcolm X
13. Anansi Stories
14. The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
15. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
16. All-American Boys by Brandon Kiely and Jason Reynolds
17. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
18. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama
19. Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers
20. Hoops by Walter Dean Myers
21. Buck by MK Asante
22. The Chocolate War by Robert Comier
23. The Best of Simple by Langston Hughes
24. Makes Me Wanna Holler by Nathan McCall
25. The Pact by Sampson Davis
26. The Bond by Sampson Davis
27. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
28.  X by Ilyasah Shabazz

Quick Tip: X can be used as a “connector text.” Get your child hype about Malcolm X’s story, through this adventure and then introduce them to the autobiography.

29. The Boy In The Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
30. The Watsons go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
31. Yolanda’s Genius, by Carol Fenner
32. Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Rising
33. The First Part Last, by Angela Johnson
34. March: Graphic Novels by John Lewis
35. Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story
36. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
37. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
38. Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes
39. Marvel’s New Black Panther Run by Ta-Nehisi Coates
40. 145th Street By Walter Dean Myers
41. Mexican White Boy By Matt De La Pena
42. Ball Don’t Lie By Matt De La Pena
43. Game By Walter Dean Myers
44. Bang By Sharon G. Flake
45. You Don’t Even Know Me by Sharon G. Flake
46. Tyrell By Coe Booth
47. Bronxwood By Coe Booth
48. Hip-Hop High School By Alan Larence Sitomer
49. Tears of a Tiger By Sharon M. Draper
50. Forged By Fire By Sharon M. Draper
51. Diary of Tears by Julius Lester
52. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
53. Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
54. Sounder by William H. Armstrong
55. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
56. Drown by Junot Diaz
57. The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates
58. The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat
59. When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill
60. Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker
61. Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys by Victor M. Rios
62. Letters to A Young Brother by Hill Harper
63. Barber Game Time Books by Tiki and Ronde Barber
64. Kid Caramel series by Dwayne Ferguson
65. The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill
66. STAT: Standing Tall and Talented series by Amare Stoudemire
67. Miami Jackson series by Patricia McKissack
68. Julian series by Ann Cameron
69. Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan
70. Be Boy Buzz by bell hooks
71. Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
72. Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai
73. 12 Years A Slave: Illustrated Edition
74. I Never Had It Made: an Autobiography of Jackie Robinson
75. Pull by Kevin Waltman
76. Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth
77. Dopesick by Walter Dean Myers
78. Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
79. All The Right Stuff by Walter Dean Myers
80. Darius & Twig by Walter Dean Myers
81. How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
82. Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal
83. Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri
84. Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri
85. Boys Without Names by Kashmira Steth
86. Chess Rumble by G. Neri
87. Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith
88. He Said, She Said by Kwame Alexander
89. Turning 15 On the Road to Freedom by Elspeth Lealock
90. A Wreath for Emmit Till by Marilyn Johnson
91. Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe
92. The Battle of Jericho by Sharon M. Draper
93. We Beat The Street by Sampson Davis
94. Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali by Neal Adams/Dennis O’Neil
95. Spiderman: Miles Morales
96. Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou & Jean-Michel Basquiat
97. It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop by MK Asante
98. 97. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop by Jeff Chang
99. As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds
100. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
101. Jaden Toussaint, The Greatest by Marti Dumas