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Contemporary Authors to Feature this Black History Month (and all the time)

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It’s February, the perfect time to feature work by contemporary Black authors in your book talks, poetry clip showings, First Chapter Fridays, book displays, and bulletin boards. It’s also a good time to look ahead to next year and consider whether you want to order some of these books for book clubs and whole class texts in the 2025-2026 school year.

Of course, I know you know every month is the perfect time to feature these books in all kinds of ways. But today let’s talk about five authors you might want to highlight especially right now, and why. As always, you know your classroom best, so be sure to preview books before teaching them to be sure they’re the right fit for your students’ age and your community.

Jason Reynolds

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Jason Reynolds belongs in every school. I love his mission, as he writes it on his website, to “not write boring books.” And he sure does it well. If you’re new to Jason Reynolds and you teach middle school, start by reading Ghost. If you teach 9th and 10th, start with Long Way Down. If you teach older high school students, check out Stamped and All-American Boys.

Angie Thomas

Next up, Angie Thomas. I’ve liked all of her books so far, with The Hate U Give and On the Come Up tying for top position in mind. Her characters are deeply relatable, whether or not you’ve ever been in situations like the ones they’re going through. I also really enjoyed Nic Blake and the Remarkables for the middle school crowd, and I think it would be a great add to any choice library display.

Nicola Yoon

Next up, Nicola Yoon’s highly unique fiction. Everything, Everything gripped me from the start, and I would have thought it would always be my favorite of hers. But then came The Sun is Also a Star, and I liked it even more, with the time pressure of one day together for a young couple from very different worlds to fall in love – an echo of Romeo and Juliet with a happier ending. Instructions for Dancing has a fun little twist of magical realism mixed in with its YA feel, which I haven’t encountered much before, so I like that one too.

Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander just keeps on creating! I can’t keep up! For now, I can happily recommend The Crossover as a fantastic option for a whole class middle school text or a First Chapter Friday or a featured book in a display. I also love love love his children’s book, “How to Read a Book,” which I keep in my office and smile every time I see.

Amanda Gorman

Finally, there’s Amanda Gorman, who just keeps rocking it. Lately she’s come out with her poem, “Smoldering Dawn,” about the fires in L.A. and her collaboration with the team at Wicked, “Do Us Good.” But of course, before that, she hit it out of the park with “The Hill we Climb” and “New Day’s Lyric.” It’s easy to fit work by Amanda Gorman into your curriculum, to complement novel units, fit into poetry units, or even with stand-alone poetry workshop days.

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