20 YA Books By Black Authors We're Excited To Read In The Latter Half Of 2020

So many titles to add to my TBR list!

1. Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Bloomsbury YA, kalynnbayron.com

Release date: July 7

What it's about: Two hundred years after Cinderella finds her prince, teen girls are required to appear at an Annual Ball. There, the men of the kingdom select wives based on the girls' display of finery. Sophia loves Erin, and she would rather flee than go forward with this tradition. When she finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum, she meets the last known descendant of Cinderella. Together, they decide they must bring down the patriarchy.

Get it from Bookshop for $17.46, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

2. The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert

Little, Brown, Jessie Weinberg / Via brandycolbert.com

Release date: July 7

What it's about: Marva Sheridan is ready to make a difference in the world and is excited to finally exercise her right to vote. Duke Crenshaw is over it, ready to get his vote out of the way so he can go back to focusing on his band. But when Marva sees Duke turned away from his polling place, she's determined to help him make his vote count. Together they embark on this mission as strangers, teaming up to beat a rigged system, and slowly begin to form an unexpected connection.

Get it from Bookshop for $17.46, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

3. This Is My America by Kim Johnson

Random House Children's Books, goodreads.com

Release date: July 28

What it's about: Tracy Beaumont's father is an innocent black man on death row with only 267 days left to seek justice. She writes letters to Innocence X asking the organization to help her father, but things change when the police come to Tracy's door one night inquiring about her brother Jamal, accused of killing a white girl. As she investigates the truth, she begins uncovering the skeletons of her town's racist history that still haunt the present.

Get it from Bookshop for $16.54, from Barnes and Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

4. Facing the Sun by Janice Lynn Mather

Simon & Schuster, janicelynnmather.com

Release date: Aug. 4

What it's about: In this coming-of-age story set in the Caribbean, four friends — Eve, Faith, KeeKee, and Nia — face an unexpected change after a hotel developer purchases their community's beloved beach.

Get it from Bookshop for $17.47, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

5. Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Amulet Books, jordanifueko.com

Release date: Aug. 18

What it's about: In this epic YA fantasy, Tarisai, raised in isolation by a mother known as The Lady, is sent to the capital of Aritsar to compete with others to be chosen as the Crown Prince's Council of 11. Tarisai craves acceptance and belonging that this position offers, but The Lady has other plans for her: Kill the Crown Prince.

Get it from Bookshop for $17.46, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

6. Now That I've Found You by Kristina Forest

Roaring Brook Press, us.macmillan.com

Release date: Aug. 25

What it's about: Evie Jones is Hollywood's next big star at just 18 years old — until she's blacklisted by a close friend. To save her career, Evie plans to make a public appearance with America's most beloved actress: her grandma Gigi, aka the Evelyn Conaway. But a huge problem arises: Days before the appearance, Gigi disappears. Evie enlists the help of a cute musician named Milo Williams, and together they venture across New York City in search of Gigi, meeting adventure and romance along the way.

Get it from Bookshop for $16.54, from Barnes and Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

7. Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

Balzer + Bray, Richard Louissant / ibizoboi.net / Via epicreads.com

Release date: Sept. 1

What it's about: Yusef Salaam of the "Exonerated Five" and bestselling author Ibi Zoboi teamed up to write a compelling verse novel about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. Amal Shahid, an artist and poet, has his world turned upside down when he is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and sent to prison, finding refuge only in his art. Will he be able to fight for his truth?

Get it from Bookshop for $18.38, from Barnes and Noble for $19.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

8. The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, goodreads.com

Release date: Sept. 1

What it's about: In '92 Los Angeles, Ashley Bennett and her friends are living their best life, spending more time on the beaches of Los Angeles than in the classroom. But the rose-tinted sunglasses come off when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man — Rodney King — nearly to death. Soon, Ashley goes from being "one of the girls" to being "one of the black kids." With her sister joining in on the riots, her "nuclear black family" facade beginning to crumble, and her best friends aiding in a false rumor that could ruin a fellow black student's life, Ashley is forced to ask, Who's with us and who's with them?

Get it from Bookshop for $17.47, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

9. Reaper of Souls by Rena Barron

Aaron Gang Photography

Release date: Sept. 7

What it's about: We really don't know much about the Kingdom of Souls sequel, but we're excited nonetheless. The first book in Rena Barron's series follows Arrah, daughter of a family of powerful witch doctors, who has failed to call forth her ancestral powers. There is a possible option: Trade years of her life for scraps of magic. But her Kingdom's children are disappearing, and a long-imprisoned Demon King is stirring. If he rises, the world could collapse — unless Arrah makes a sacrifice to stop him.

Get it from Amazon for $18.99, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

10. Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

Balzer + Bray, benphilippe.com

Release date: Sept. 8

What it's about: Henri "Halti" Haltiwanger is a star debater and popular student at his notable academy in New York City, with the dream of attending Columbia University. He's also charming as hell. When classmate Corinne Troy blackmails him into helping her change her image at school, their mutual hustle transforms into something neither of them expects.

Get it from Bookshop for $17.46, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

11. The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters

Interlude Press / julianwinters.com

Release date: Sept. 8

What it's about: Wes Hudson only cares about two things: slacking off and crushing on his BFF, Nico. BUT this is not the summer for either of those things. Wes is heading off to college and has to make some decisions: How does he tell Nico how he feels? How does he save his bookstore job when a coffee chain threatens to buy it? How in the world is he going to decide what to major in? The time has come for Wes to make some choices and jump headfirst into adulthood.

Get it from Bookshop for $16.54, from Barnes and Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

12. Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

Katherine Tegen Books, harpercollins.com

Release date: Sept. 15

What it's about: All Enchanted Jones has ever wanted was to be an R&B singer, and when legend Korey Fields discovers her at an audition, Enchanted is under the impression that her dreams are finally coming true. But when she wakes up covered in blood and no memory of how it got there, questions and accusations begin to fill her orbit — the pressing one being, Did she murder Korey Fields?

Get it from Bookshop for $16.54, from Barnes and Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

13. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Simon Pulse, Tracy Deonn / tracydeonn.com

Release date: Sept. 15

What it's about: After the death of her mother, Bree Matthews escapes to UNC Chapel Hill for a residence program. However, during her first night on campus, she witnesses an attack on a human by an energy-feeding demon. A secret society of students, the Legendborn, are responsible for hunting these demons, but when she realizes that a Legendborn was present the night her mother died, Bree — along with a self-exiled Legendborner, Nick — infiltrate the group to learn the truth about her mother's death.

Get it from Bookshop for $17.46, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

14. Smash It! by Francina Simone

Inkyard Press, frolic.media

Release date: Sept. 22

What it's about: Liv is sick and tired of being "wack AF." So, what better time than now to make a "Fuck it!" list to help her get out of her comfort zone and start living her life? Sure, said list got her to audition for the school musical and make some new friends, but NOW she has feelings for three different guys! Apparently, a lot can happen when your answer to every question is, "Fuck it. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Get it from Bookshop for $17.46, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

15. Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds

Katherine Tegen Books, goodreads.com

Release date: Sept. 22

What it's about: Q doesn't know that he died...and that he's about to die again. He doesn't know that his former best friend, Jamal, tried to save him, or that the reason Jamal is his former BFF is that Jamal blames Q for the death of his parents. But Jamal wants a second chance with Q, and this is it! However, the technology allows Q to come back only for a few weeks before dying permanently. How is Jamal supposed to fix things with Q when he can't tell him the truth?

Get it from Bookshop for $16.54, from Barnes and Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

16. Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh

Penguin Random House, becomher.com

Release date: Sept. 22

What it's about: This book follows the life of Ada, a first-generation Nigerian, from her mother's descent into drug addiction to her first year at a historically black college.

Get it from Bookshop for $16.54, from Barnes and Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

17. Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

Crown, goodreads.com

Release date: Sept. 29

What it's about: In this highly anticipated sequel to Dear Martin, this novel follows the life of Vernell LaQuan Banks and how drastically different it is from Justyce's, even though they grew up down the street from each other. While Jus is studying at Yale, Quan is behind bars at a youth detention center. This novel explores the injustices of the American juvenile "justice" system.

Get it from Bookshop for $17.46, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

18. By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery

Page Street Kids, candicemontgomery.com

Release date: Oct. 8

What it's about: Torrey is excited to start college — especially since he's the first member of his family to do so. But when the bank threatens to foreclose on the bee farm his Uncle Miles left him, he fights to hold on to the property while also trying to keep his focus on the future.

Get it from Bookshop for $16.55, from Barnes and Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

19. Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron

Simon & Schuster, allevents.in

Release date: Oct. 13

What it's about: Living in the Jim Crow South, Evalene Deschamps has much to worry about: raising her younger sisters, helping her overworked mother, and juggling her longtime crush after he finally makes a move. But when Evalene discovers her magical powers — the Jubilation, which has been passed down since slavery — she has to embrace her lineage and fight the evils that threaten her world.

Get it from Bookshop for $17.46, from Barnes and Noble for $18.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.

20. Rebel Sisters by Tochi Onyebuchi

Razorbill, tochionyebuchi.com

Release date: Oct. 20

What it's about: In the sequel to War Girls, Ify is now a high-ranking medical official in the Space Colonies. Meanwhile, back in the village that she left for good, Uzo is trying to preserve memories that would otherwise be lost due to the fallout of the war. But when a virus breaks out that's killing the children of the Space Colonies, Ify has to return to the home she left behind and team up with Uzo to find the cause of the disease.

Get it from Bookshop for $16.54, from Barnes and Noble for $17.99, or from a local bookstore through Indiebound here.