Black by Popular Demand
Skating, drumming, and saving the day with STEM!
It’s a good week to read books by Black authors…which means it’s a normal week. Don’t let your wallet get in the way of your TBR! Head over to Jay’s House Books and live your best life.
Happy Reading!
Under The Neon Lights
Sixteen-year-old Jaelyn Coleman lives for Saturdays at WestSide Roll, the iconic neighborhood roller rink. On these magical nights, Jae can lose herself in the music of DJ Sunny, the smell of nachos from the concession, and the crowd of some of her favorite people—old heads, dance crews, and other regulars like herself. Here, Jae and other Black teens can fully be themselves.
One Saturday, as Jae skates away her worries, she crashes into the cutest boy she’s ever seen. Trey’s dimples, rich brown skin, and warm smile make it impossible for her to be mad at him though. Best of all, he can’t stop finding excuses to be around her. A nice change for once, in contrast with her best friend’s cold distance of late or her estranged father creeping back into her life.
Just as Jae thinks her summer might change for the better, devastating news hits: Westside Roll is shutting down. The gentrification rapidly taking over her predominantly Black Indianapolis neighborhood, filling it with luxury apartments and fancy boutiques, has come for her safe-haven. And this is just one trouble Jae can’t skate away from.
Debut author Arriel Vinson’s lyrical and contemplative story of young Black love and coming of age in Indianapolis ushers in an exciting new voice in YA literature.
(Young Adult Verse)
Supa Nova
Venture into Nova's secret underground lab-- and witness a gum monster come to life! A full-color, action-packed graphic novel about a young Black girl with a love for science and enough determination and confidence to fix the world.
Nova is horrified when she learns about the world's plastic problem and the trash islands floating in the ocean. Good thing she has a super-secret lab in her basement. No problem is too big for SUPA NOVA or for SCIENCE! But things go spectacularly awry when she creates a plastic-eating monster who won't stop eating and GROWING! Will Supa Nova be able to save the day--and the planet?
(Children’s Graphic Novel)
Kente for Jojo
A joyful picture book of a big brother weaving a Kente cloth for the new baby in his family, with lyrical text and textured artwork that sings.
Kente is more than a cloth, it is a symbol of love. And the big brother in this story loves new baby Jojo so very much! Together, the family travels to pick out a special Kente for Jojo--it must be perfect. With some inspiration from a passing rainbow and a little help from a skilled weaver, they do just that!
Come along as author Bernard Mensah shares the legend of how Kente came to be, and discover the many beautiful patterns of traditional Kente through Elizabeth Zunon's warm and textured art!
(Picture Book)
Soundtrack
Jason Reynolds
#1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds transports us back to the early 2000s in Soundtrack, an audiobook original about New York City teens whose talent and love of music lift them to unexpected heights.
Stuy wanted to play the drums just like his mom, a founding member of the punk band The Bed-Stuy Magic Dusters. With his mother as his teacher, Stuy starts busking in the subway with his friends Dunks, Alexis, Keith, and Frankie under the name Soundtrack. To everyone’s surprise, including their own, they become an underground sensation, and their success changes the course of their lives.
Read by a full cast and with an original score by Grammy-winning composer Justin Ellington, award-winning author Jason Reynolds shows us a found family coming of age in a wonderfully complex city.
(Audiobook)
