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2020 YA Reads By Authors of Color

10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon - The follow-up to When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something about Sweetie, Pinky and Samir pretend to date—with disastrous and hilarious results.

145th Street: Short Stories by Walter Dean Myers - A salty, wrenchingly honest collection of stories set on one block of 145th Street.

A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong -  A coming-of age-story about a struggling girls’ basketball team of a fictional neighborhood in the LA area. 

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow - About the strength of black sisterhood set in Portland, OR, best friends Tavi and Effie discover their true supernatural identity when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical siren voice during a police stop.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown - Inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess, Karina, and a desperate refugee, Malik, find themselves on a collision course to murder each other, despite their growing attraction.

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson - Journalist and LGBTQ+ activist George shows readers how they can fight for themselves or be allies in the struggle for equity and equality.

A Breath Too Late by Rocky Callen - After 17-year-old Ellie dies by suicide, she looks back on the events of her life that led up to the moment, directly addressing the characters in her world—including her mother and the boy she loved—both animate and inanimate, interweaving past and present. 

All The Days Past, All the Days To Come by Mildred B. Taylor - The saga of the Logan family–made famous in the Newbery Medal-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry–concludes in a long-awaited and deeply fulfilling story.

All The Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani - After locking eyes on a Texas high school basketball court, black teens Carli and Rex discover how first love, heartbreak, betrayal, and family can shape you—for better or for worse. 

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha - A Korean-born, non-English-speaking girl, abruptly transplanted from Seoul to Alabama,  struggles with extreme culture shock and isolation, until she discovers her passion for comic arts.

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando - A story of suicide, mental health, bullying, grief and growing up around social media, after 15-year-old Nathan discovers the horrifying truth about his brother’s suicide. 

Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee - A  modern reimagining of Anna Karenina, set between Manhattan & Greenwich, CT, where a Korean American “It Girl” is caught between her picture-perfect, family-approved boyfriend and the guy who just might be her one true love, along her high-flying cast of friends. 

The Archer at Dawn (The Tiger at Midnight #2) by Swati Teerdhala - Set in an Indian & Hindu-inspired world, long-held secrets will force Kunal and Esha to reconsider their loyalties—to their country and to each other.

b, Book and Me by Sagwa Kim - A poignant coming of age story about two Korean high school girls, who equally despair over and desire adulthood. 

Banned Book Club by Hyun Sook Kim, Hyun Ju Ko & Ryan Estrada - Set against the backdrop of political oppression, bookish college student Hyun Sook finds her political views slowly challenged after she joins the Banned Book Club and befriends a group of student activists.

Before The Dawn (RWBY #2) by E.C. Myers - Unsure of whom they can trust, Teams CFVY and SSSN must contend with new teammates and uneasy rivalries, all while The Crown continues to plot their next move. 

The Betrothed by Keira Cass - Lady Hollis Brite realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be, after she crosses paths with a commoner who challenges her future. 

Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown - Echo Brown is a wizard from the East Side, who transfers to the rich school on the West Side, and an insightful teacher becomes a pivotal mentor. But a black veil of depression soon threatens to undo everything she’s worked for.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta - A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen - then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist. 

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed - A coming-of-age debut exploring race, class, and violence through the eyes of wealthy black teen Ashley, whose family gets caught in the vortex of the 1992 Rodney King Riots.

Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz - 17-year-old Lana Torres, who after rescuing a prized dragon, is awarded a spot on her native Puerto Rico’s Blazewrath World Cup team. But the return of the Sire, an ancient dragon, soon threatens to compromise this year’s tournament.

The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri L. Smith -  Set in Japan during eight days in 1945, two teens, former student Hana and violin virtuoso-turned-kamikaze-pilot Taro, find their lives intertwined in the midst of war.  

Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab - When swimmer Susannah Ramos finds her sports dreams put in jeopardy, she struggles to keep her career afloat, before two important people enter her life: a new coach with a revolutionary training strategy, and a charming fellow swimmer named Harry Matthews. 

Broken Wish: The Mirror by Julie C. Dao - As 16-year-old Elva taps into her powers for the first time, she discovers a magical mirror and its owner—none other than the Witch of the North Woods herself. As Elva learns more about her burgeoning magic, the lines between hero and villain start to blur. 

Brown Girl Ghosted by Mintie Das - When the queen bee of the school ends up dead following a leaked sex tape, Violet Choudry’s spirit world friends decide it’s the perfect time for Violet to accept the legacy of spiritual fighters from whom she’s descended. Her mission? Find the killer. Or else she’s next.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - Latinx trans teen Yadriel, hoping to release his cousin’s spirit and prove himself as a brujo, accidentally summons the wrong ghost and resident bad boy Julian Diaz, falling in love with him.

Check Please!: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu - Bitty and Jack must navigate their new, secret, long-distance relationship, and decide how to reveal their relationship to friends and teammates. And on top of that, Bitty’s time at Samwell is quickly coming to an end. 

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron - 16-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia flees, hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo -  Separated by distance and Papi’s secrets, sisters Caminos and Yahaira Rios, are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant -  In 1828, Paris, talented cat burglar  Eponine Thénardier goes head-to-head with the nobility as well as the leaders of Paris’s criminal underground, during her quest to save her sister Cosette’s life, which will take her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII, following the dangerous days after a failed French Revolution. 

Aelin: Captain Marvel- Leader, super powerful, kicks ass on a daily basis

Dorian: Iron Man- Billionaire playboy, protective of others, smarter than you’d expect

Chaol: Captain America- Does what he thinks is right, that bod 👀, has been there since the beginning 

Kaltain: Gamora- Way more hardcore than you EVER guessed, moral compass is shifty but overall her heart is in the right place, heartbreaking stories

Elide: Scarlet Witch- Bitch has got some MAD POWER but you’d never know, doesn’t let her guard down easily, underestimated

Manon: Black Widow- Could kill you in the blink of an eye, keeps her (big) heart hidden, ICONIC

Rowan: Thor- Hot as fuck, a living legend, gets a haircut and OH BOY WAS IT WORTH IT

Sartaq: Black Panther- His country is his priority, calm demeanor but can destroy you if needed, motivated by his heart

Lorcan: The Hulk- fighting between two sides of himself, can wreak havoc like no other, soft at his core

Nox: Spiderman- young, way too pure for the world, can hold his own if he needs to

Maeve: Hela- queen of darkness and destruction, really just a horrible person, but hey she looks damn good 

Aedion: Vision- lowkey soft, damn good fighter, not entirely himself all the time

Lysandra: Loki- shape shifting, unsure about their loyalties at one point, slytherin king and queen (with beautiful hair ngl)

Asterin: Okoye- a warrior through and through, loyal to her cause to the end, second in command to their respective leaders

Erawan: Thanos- Will do anything to achieve their goal, think they’re in the right, THE VILLAIN TO END ALL OTHERS

Yrene: Valkyrie- Not here for your bullshit, will not bend to the will of others, suffered immense trauma in her past

Nesryn: Hawkeye- Arrows, duh??, strong despite obstacles in their way, trustworthy

The King of Adarlan: Ultron- Still a bad dude but nothing compared to what’s to come, not entirely in control, satisfying ending

Fenrys: The Winter Soldier- Fighting for himself, beautiful man, very strong in battle

Gavriel: Starlord- His heart is his downfall, complicated family situation, loyal to people he trusts

Me: okay… what’s the plot..?

Like I thought I was just acquaintances with this person because they never told me details about themselves and we just talked movies and writing . But then they made time to have coffee with me and they showed up out of breath because they ran. Like. RAN to be on time for coffee with me?

And I was like “i don’t mind waiting” cause I never want to run

But they said they wanted every minute they could get because I’m so busy usually

Which is when it clicked that I didn’t get how much they considered me a friend because I just straight away didn’t see MY signs of affection in them and went “cool! Casual buds it is.” But now that I’m seeing their signs of affection, I feel a little silly for dismissing them like that even though I felt like we could be best bros.

TOUCH got a bro that likes to give high fives? Back slaps? Are they a hugger? Do they not blink an eye at cuddles?

QUALITY TIME this bro will (as op stated) sprint to spend every minute possible with you. Every second that you guys are together is a declaration of affection.

WORDS does your bro tell you how amazing and great and fantastic and wonderful you are all the time? Guess what…?

GIFTS do they buy you coffee? Snacks, energy drinks, spot you at the restaurant? Did that one key chain removed you of them? Ding ding!

ACTS are they always doing things for you? Ie: Nah bro, I got this, I can do that, need me to get anything for you, I can help with…?

Newsflash. No man needs a bitch telling him to eat rabbit food and nagging him constantly.

My dude, you got this backward; welcome to the modern era, we have careers, money, we buy our own houses and cars, and we have easy access to a selection of vibrators our ancestresses could only dream of.  Companionship is great and everything, but as many of us discovered, it comes in many forms.