Review – You Can Do Anything, Tyrone! by Sir Lenny Henry
Sir Lenny Henry’s “You Can Do Anything, Tyrone!” inspires kids with fun, imagination, and Grandad’s wise advice on self-belief and determination.
Tagged: Black Fiction
Review – Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
Punching the Air powerfully explores racial injustice and the resilience of the human spirit, as co-authored by the inspiring Yusef Salaam
Review – Bernard and the Cloth Monkey by Judith Bryan
Bernard and the Cloth Monkey is a quietly harrowing look at a slice of West Indian culture in London’s 1990’s. The story of a fractured family is deftly revealed in present day conversations and as each daughter reminisce on their past
Review – In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lola Akinmade Åkerström
Three Black women are linked in unexpected ways to the same influential white man in Stockholm as they build their new lives in the most open society run by the most private people. Important themes, let down by unrealistic characters
Review – The Upper World by Femi Fadugba
This is a book with the focus on children. Yes they are technically teenagers, but who are held accountable as adults. Children who are fulfilling adult obligations within their homes and on the streets. Even at school there is only a cursory attempt to treat them as minors. Femi Fadugba takes these issues and more, and crafts a a book that crosses genres, it is fantasy, it is science fiction, yet it is poignantly contemporary.
Review – Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
What is it like to be a black teen now? These difficult and topical themes were portrayed in a real, accurate and age appropriate way in Black Brother, Black Brother. A must read.
Review – My Name Is Leon by Kit de Waal
This version of the eighties isn’t rose tinted nostalgia. My Name is Leon is about a biracial child in care, how he gets there and how he comes to terms with the realities of his life. Tough in places, well observed and a terrific read.
Review – The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
The Vanishing Half is a labyrinth of themes on racism, sexism, gender, motherhood, and so much more. It’s a compelling story about black twins who can pass for white, and it delves deep into the complexities of identity
Review – High-Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson
Teen sister detectives solve a murder mystery on their high rise London housing estate. Good plot, great characters, fantastic representation and excellent narration. Recommended.
Review – Binti by by Nnedi Okorafor
Call it Science Fiction or Fantasy, either way you will revel in this Africanfuturism novella. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor will take you on a journey to the future where tradition and technology blend and war looms. This short read is intense and covers so much in terms of family, acceptance, dreams, independence and communication. Enjoy.
