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BLK Bestsellers List — May 2024

America’s Bestselling Books by Black Writers and Illustrators

Young Adult — May 2024
#1
Months on List: 2
by Tomi Adeyemi
Square Fish (February 27, 2024), Trade Paperback
In the West African-inspired fantasy, <em>Children of Blood and Bone,</em> a young woman seeks to restore magic and strike against a ruthless monarchy, battling both outside dangers and her inner turmoil, creating a world of magic, conflict, and self-discovery.
#2
Months on List: 4
by Tracy Deonn
Margaret K. Mcelderry Books (February 1, 2022), Trade Paperback
When 16-year-old Bree Matthews discovers her latent magical abilities and a hidden connection to her mother's mysterious death, she infiltrates a secret society of <em>Legendborn</em> students, descendants of King Arthur's knights, to uncover the truth and decide whether to join their impending magical war or use her powers to destroy them.
#3
Months on List: 4
by Angie Thomas
Balzer & Bray/harperteen (May 3, 2022), Trade Paperback
In a stark societal divide, 16-year-old Starr must navigate the backlash of her best friend's police shooting, juggling her community's unrest, her family's endangerment, and the burning question of what truly happened that fateful night.
#3
Months on List: 1
by Nikki Grimes
Dial Books (August 8, 2017), Trade Paperback
In a high school poetry club, eighteen students bravely reveal their deeply hidden secrets and innermost thoughts, unmasking the struggles that lie beneath the public facade of teenage life.
#3
Months on List: 4
by Nic Stone
Ember (September 4, 2018), Trade Paperback
In this emotionally gripping debut, honor student Justyce McAllister confronts American race relations, surviving a police brutality incident only to face public scrutiny, and turns to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s teachings for answers in a society where his merits are overshadowed by prejudice.
#6
Months on List: 1
by Bethany Baptiste
Sourcebooks Fire (April 30, 2024), Hardcover
In a divided world where love potions are outlawed and dangerous, a young brewer must confront her inner magic and the cost of vengeance after her mother’s murder draws her into a web of political corruption and dark power.
#7
Months on List: 4
by Angie Thomas
Balzer & Bray/harperteen (February 28, 2017), Hardcover
A 16-year-old girl, navigating between her impoverished neighborhood and upscale school, becomes the sole witness to her unarmed friend's fatal shooting by a police officer, facing a dangerous dilemma of revealing the truth amidst social and legal pressure.
#7
Months on List: 4
by Walter Dean Myers
Amistad Books For Young Readers (March 5, 2019), Trade Paperback
A young inmate, dubbed a 'Monster' by the prosecution, decides to narrate his chilling experience in Manhattan Detention Center through a self-made film, seeking redemption and understanding.
#7
Months on List: 4
by Melba Pattillo Beals
Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (July 24, 2007), Mass Market Paperback
A firsthand account of a teenager&rsquo;s bravery in integrating Little Rock’s Central High School, revealing the harsh realities of racism and the power of resilience in the Civil Rights Movement.
#10
Months on List: 4
by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Square Fish (June 27, 2023), Trade Paperback
In the high-stakes thriller <em>Ace of Spades,</em> two ambitious students at an elite academy must outwit an anonymous tormentor who threatens to destroy their futures by unveiling dangerous secrets through a relentless game.
#11
Months on List: 3
by Kacen Callender
Tor Teen (February 6, 2024), Hardcover
<em>Infinity Alchemist</em> is a captivating tale about a defiant young alchemist and a brilliant apprentice embarking on a dangerous quest for a legendary book that yields extraordinary power, while navigating their growing feelings for each other and confronting influential adversaries, including the protagonist's estranged father.
#12
Months on List: 4
by Jason Reynolds And Ibram X. Kendi
Little Brown Books For Young Readers (March 10, 2020), Hardcover
An illuminating journey into the roots of racism in America, this transformative book exposes its insidious forms and offers practical solutions to dismantle it, promising a hopeful vision for an antiracist future.
#13
Months on List: 4
by Jason Reynolds
Marvel Press (October 2, 2018), Trade Paperback
When his spidey-sense starts glitching and his scholarship is threatened, Miles Morales must confront his family’s criminal past, navigate troubling school controversies, and uncover a dangerous plot that imperils his friends, neighborhood and his own future, forcing him to decide if he's truly cut out to be a superhero.
#14
Months on List: 1
by Sharon M. Draper
Atheneum (July 23, 2013), Trade Paperback
In the aftermath of a tragic car accident that claims his best friend's life, guilt-ridden Andy must navigate grief and self-blame while learning to heal in the first book of Sharon M. Draper's Hazelwood High trilogy.
#15
Months on List: 2
by Desiree S. Evans And Saraciea J. Fennell
Flatiron Books (April 2, 2024), Hardcover
In this chilling YA anthology, fifteen unique horror stories by acclaimed Black authors introduce us to strong-willed Black girls who fearlessly confront both human and supernatural monsters, proving that the Black girl always survives.
#16
Months on List: 3
by Liselle Sambury
Margaret K. Mcelderry Books (February 27, 2024), Hardcover
In the wake of her mother's death and a classmate's gruesome murder, a wealthy heiress grapples with her family's disturbing secrets as she frantically searches for the real killer to clear her estranged brother's name, wrestling with loyalty, love, and the legacy left behind.
#17
Months on List: 4
by Angie Thomas
Balzer & Bray/harperteen (May 3, 2022), Trade Paperback
In the gritty underworld of Garden Heights, seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter must juggle gang life, fatherhood, and a quest for a better future, testing his loyalties and redefining what it means to be a man after witnessing a brutal murder.
#18
Months on List: 1
by Jason Reynolds
Atheneum (August 16, 2016), Trade Paperback
A grieving seventeen-year-old boy, Matt, navigates life's challenges while working at a local funeral home, until he meets Lovey, a resilient girl with her own troubled past, who helps him learn how to rise up when life keeps pushing him down.
#19
Months on List: 3
by Angie Thomas
Balzer & Bray/harperteen (December 1, 2020), Trade Paperback
In <em>On the Come Up,</em> a determined teenager named Bri strives to become a successful rapper while navigating societal stereotypes and personal struggles, in an unflinching tale of overcoming odds to achieve her dreams amid racial and economic barriers.
#20
Months on List: 2
by Sharon M. Draper
Atheneum (January 1, 2008), Trade Paperback
In the harrowing historical fiction, a young African girl is brutally uprooted from her village by slave traders, and must rely on hope and newfound friendship as she navigates the brutal realities of slavery and plots a daring escape to the Spanish colony in Florida.

Sales Data Source: Circana BookScan. Represents U.S. print sales from thousands of retailers.

Methodology: Books are categorized and filtered for Black Authors by the African American Literature Book Club. This list is a sneak peek into the Black Book Accelerator initiative.