“The Only Black Girls in Town” by Brandy Colbert

Two middle schoolers immerse themselves in a historical mystery in "The Only Black Girls In Town"

One thing we've noticed in the years since we've started this newsletter is just how dynamic the books for middle grade readers (those who are usually between the ages of 8 and 12 years old) have been lately.

As you all know, we continue to rave about Kelly Yang's Front Desk (which skillfully illustrated first generation immigrant life) and "Black Brother, Black Brother" remains one of the best illustrations of the school-to-prison pipeline that we've seen lately.