THE AFRO YA
“Between the Lines” Is a Triumphant Follow Up to Bronx Masquerade
Latonya Pennington reviews BETWEEN THE LINES, a triumphant novel in verse follow-up to Nikki Grimes’s beloved BRONX MASQUERADE
“Forever Is Now” Is a Strong, Delicate, and Lyrical Reclamation
Latonya Pennington reviews FOREVER IS NOW, a complex and masterful YA novel-in-verse with a strong cast of supporting characters
“A Phoenix First Must Burn” Has Fiery Passion and Imagination
Latonya Pennington reviews A PHOENIX FIRST MUST BURN, a fascinating, fiery anthology of sci-fi fantasy short stories by Black authors
My 2024 Black YA TBR
Latonya Pennington talks about the books they’re most looking forward to reading in 2024.
The 2023 Black YA Holiday Gift Guide
Latonya Pennington recommends the best books to buy for Black readers this holiday season.
“A Crown So Cursed” Is a Thrilling Conclusion to the Nightmareverse Trilogy
Latonya Pennington reviews A CROWN SO CURSED, the thrilling conclusion to L. L. McKinney’s NIGHTMAREVERSE trilogy
“Miles Morales: Suspended” Takes a Powerful Stand against Book Censorship
Latonya Pennington reviews MILES MORALES: SUSPENDED, which blends narrative, images, and verse to create a compelling superhero story about censorship
Essential Summer Vacation Reads by Black Authors
Latonya Pennington gives us a list of excellent summer YA reads by Black authors
“If It Makes You Happy” Is a Down-to-Earth Coming-of-Age Summer Vacation
Latonya Pennington reviews We Are All So Good at Smiling, a YA novel in verse that blends mental health and magic
“Cool, Awkward, Black” Showcases Passion, Joy, and Resilience for Every “Blerd”
Latonya Pennington reviews We Are All So Good at Smiling, a YA novel in verse that blends mental health and magic
National Poetry Month Spotlight: An Introduction to Novels in Verse
For National Poetry Month, Latonya Pennington offers an introduction to novels in verse & recommends several poetic middle grade and YA novels featuring Black protagonists.
“We Are All So Good at Smiling” Shows That Depression Doesn’t Have To Kill Your Magic
Latonya Pennington reviews We Are All So Good at Smiling, a YA novel in verse that blends mental health and magic
Most Anticipated 2023 Reads
Latonya Pennington talks about the books she’s most looking forward to reading in 2023.
Best Books to Give Black Readers This Holiday Season, 2022
Latonya Pennington recommends the best books to buy for Black readers this holiday season.
“Girl Vs the World” Shows a Black Autistic Girl Surviving and Thriving
Latonya Pennington reviews Girl Vs the World, a YA novel that shows a Black autistic girl surviving and thriving
“The Sound of Stars” Shows the Power of Art in Dark Times
Latonya Pennington reviews The Sound of Stars, a postapocalyptic YA novel that emphasizes the power of art in dark times
“Mental Health High” Is a Complicated Read with a Messy Protagonist
Latonya Pennington reviews Mental Health High, a YA novel in verse that blends urban fantasy with a complex depiction of the protagonist’s mental health issues
“Right Where I Left You” Is Geeky Queer Bliss
Latonya Pennington reviews Right Where I Left You, a YA novel about complex relationships and queer identity with a Black adolescent protagonist
Favorite YA Comfort Reads
Latonya Pennington recommends five YA comfort reads featuring Black protagonists
National Poetry Month Spotlight: Poetic YA Featuring Black Protagonists
For National Poetry Month, Latonya Pennington recommends five poetic YA novels featuring Black protagonists.
“StarLion” Is a Dynamic Superhero Story with Heart
Latonya Pennington reviews StarLion, a dynamic superhero story featuring a Black protagonist and a diverse team of adolescent superheroes
“SLAY” Is a Creative and Geeky Read for Young Black Readers
Latonya Pennington reviews Brittney Morris’s SLAY
Most Anticipated 2022 Reads
Latonya Pennington looks forward to five exciting YA titles featuring Black protagonists for 2022
Best Books to Give Black Readers This Holiday Season, 2021
Latonya Pennington recommends the best books to buy for Black readers this holiday season.
“Things We Couldn’t Say” Is a Powerful Book about Embracing Love and Letting Go
Latonya Pennington reviews Jay Coles’s THINGS WE COULDN’T SAY, whose authentic first-person narrator, Gio, explores the complexities of navigating trauma, life, and love as a Black, bisexual high school student.
“Tristan Strong Keeps Punching” Burns Bright and High
Latonya Pennington reviews the final book in the Tristan Strong trilogy, where the world of Alke collides with the real world, and protagonist Tristan learns how to integrate Black grief, Black joy, and his own anger.
“Getting By” Is a Thoughtful Story about Attraction and Personal Growth
Latonya Pennington reviews “Getting By” by Jaire Sims, a thoughtful Own Voices coming-of-age novel about attraction and personal growth from the perspective of an autistic gay teenage Black male protagonist.
“Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now” Is a Dark Story of Family, Trauma, and Resilience
Latonya Pennington reviews Dana L. Davis’s “Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now.”
“Cinderella Is Dead” Offers an Engrossing Twist on the Classic Fairytale
Latonya Pennington reviews Kalynn Bayron’s “Cinderella Is Dead,” a Black, lesbian, feminist take on the classic fairytale.
Pride Spotlight: Black Queer YA
For Pride Month, Latonya Pennington celebrates six YA novels by Black authors featuring LGBTQIA+ protagonists.
“Every Body Looking” Dances with Verse and Self-Expression
Latonya Pennington reviews Candice Iloh’s verse novel “Every Body Looking,” about the coming-of-age journey of a Nigerian American girl dealing with CTEs and searching for authentic self-expression.
National Poetry Month Spotlight: Novels in Verse
For National Poetry Month, Latonya Pennington recommends five YA verse novels by Black authors.
“Black Girl Unlimited” Shows the Magic of Surviving and Thriving
In 2013, D.C. native Cashawn Thompson coined the phrase “Black girl magic” to celebrate the resilience and accomplishments of Black girls and women. Since then, the phrase has become a movement to acknowledge Black women from various fields and backgrounds. With her...
Nikki Grimes’s “Legacy” Is a Triumphant Collection That Bridges the Past and Present
Whenever I learned about the Harlem Renaissance poets in grade school, I always heard the same names: Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar. While I would grow to enjoy their works, part of me wished that I could have learned about more poets besides them. Now,...
Most Anticipated 2021 Reads
A new year means reading new books. While I don’t have a reading goal per se, I do have a long To Be Read list to get through. For every book that I already own, there are also yet-to-be-released books I want to read — not to mention books I won’t know I want to read...
Best Books to Give Black Readers This Holiday Season, 2020
Many of us have had our ability to read diminished by this stressful year, myself included. One thing that kept me reviewing books for this column was the hope that my review could either make the author happy or make a potential reader happy. Despite everything going...
“Tristan Strong Destroys the World” Is a Magical Tale of Intergenerational Trauma
Kwame Mbalia’s Tristan Strong Destroys the World begins one month after the events of the first book. Tristan Strong and the mythical world of Alke are traumatized—but their battles are far from over. When folk hero John Henry is attacked by a mysterious enemy and...
Six Middle Grade and YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Titles for Black SFF Month
October is Black Speculative Fiction Month, a month dedicated to celebrating Black creators in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. This includes novels, comic books, film, television, and more. For novels alone, there are a lot of options depending on your age and what your...
“The Summer of Everything” Is a Fun and Heartfelt Teen Summer Rom-Com
Summer tends to be the most fun time for teen coming-of-age stories because some of the best ones take place outside of school. The movie High School Musical 2 and Claire Kann’s book Let’s Talk about Love immediately come to mind. Now, Julian Winters’s The Summer of...
“The Beauty That Remains” Is a Raw and Liberating Meditation on Grief and Music
Grief that results from the loss of a loved one is something we all experience at some point. Experiencing death as a teenager or young adult is especially painful, however, because these are formative years when having your loved ones around is crucial. In Ashley...
“The Black Flamingo” Is an Electrifying, Poetic Declaration of Identity
As a Black Asian nonbinary queer femme from the United States, I find it fascinating to learn about what life is like for queer trans people of color around the world. Some countries have more queer freedom than others, but somehow international QTPOC always find a...
“A Song Below Water” Is a Compelling Story of Sisterhood, Magic, and Police Brutality
When I first learned about Bethany C. Morrow’s A Song Below Water and how it featured Black mermaids, I couldn’t help but think of mythology, especially the Yoruba orisha Yemaya and the water spirit Mami Wata. Depending on who you ask, some people interpret them as...
“Felix Ever After” Shows That the Love You Deserve Is Inside and Out
Having a sense of self-worth is important for any LGBTQ+ person, but especially for queer trans people of color. Our race often means that we are ignored among the LGBTQ+ community, while our gender identity and sexual orientation get scorned or overlooked among...
“Black Enough” Showcases Blackness Joyfully and Honestly
The myriad experiences that Black people have are enough to make a tapestry. Due to racism, respectability politics, and other factors, only certain experiences get acknowledged. In the young adult fiction anthology Black Enough, sixteen Black young adult authors...
“How To Be Remy Cameron” Explores Identity with Complexity and Care
When other people define you based on labels, it can be hard for you to define yourself. This is the conflict at the center of Julian Winters’s second novel, How To Be Remy Cameron. After being assigned an essay about who he is, seventeen-year-old Remy Cameron must...
“Magnifique Noir Book 2” Exemplifies the Magic of Self-Care
Created by Briana Lawrence, the illustrated novel series Magnifique Noir tells the story of Black queer young women as they come of age as young adults and as members of the magical girl team Magnifique Noir. Book 2 of the series picks up a few weeks after the ending...
Books to Give Black Readers This Holiday Season
This year, I’ve read so many great young adult and middle grade books by Black authors. From sci-fi fantasy academic studies to queer contemporary romance, it has been a banner year for the Afro YA blog. These books have not only entertained and informed me but also...
“Who Put This Song On?” Is a Heartfelt Exploration of Identity and Mental Health
Due to my intensely personal experience with depression, I was really interested in Morgan Parker’s semiautobiographical debut young adult book, Who Put This Song On? Set in 2008 in a conservative Southern California town, the book follows the story of Morgan Parker,...
“A Dream So Dark” Is a Dark, Thrilling Return To Wonderland
It has been ages since I have been emotionally invested in a book series. Last year, I reviewed L.L. McKinney’s A Blade So Black and was utterly delighted. When the sequel, A Dream So Dark, was announced, I couldn’t wait to return to the Nightmare Verse series. Alice...
Tristan Strong Will Sweep You Away with Epic Adventure and African Folklore
African mythology and folklore aren’t exactly common knowledge. When you think of gods and goddesses, it’s usually Greek and Norse gods like Zeus and Thor that come to mind. Now characters such as High John the Conqueror and Anansi, along with their stories, are being...
“Opposite of Always” Teaches How to Value Love through Time Travel
Most romance stories usually follow the same formula. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl have some misunderstandings but somehow manage to declare their love for each other and live happily ever after. In Justin A. Reynolds’s Opposite of Always,...
“The Black Veins” Is an Epic Adventure Filled with Magic and Family
One mysterious night, Blythe Fulton, an Elemental Guardian, is magically compelled against her will. After reaching out to the magical government known as the Black Veins, Blythe’s family is kidnapped and taken to the Trident Republic. In order to save them, Blythe...
The Weight of the Stars Is a Gorgeous Novel about New Possibilities
After an accident brings them together, Ryann Bird finds herself keeping track of space messages for her classmate Alexandria. Although they have a frosty start, the two eventually bond over their status as misfits and an appreciation of outer space. As Ryann begins...
“Piecing Me Together” Is a Gorgeous Collage of Self-Discovery
As a Black non-binary queer person, my life and my identity are made up of a variety of experiences and influences. While I’m more aware of who I am now, there was a time when I just wasn’t sure about it. In Renée Watson’s beautifully written book Piecing Me Together,...
“The Poet X” Is a Testament to Self-Expression
As a teenager and budding poet, the very first verse novel I can recall reading is Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes. Told from the point of view of many diverse high school students in a slam poetry style, it wasn’t hard for me to enjoy. However, the brief glimpses...
“Miles Morales: Spider-Man” Is a Down to Earth Read
Spider-Man is both a title and a character that has morphed and evolved over time. Although it began as the story of Peter Parker, Spider-Man has since become a mantle taken up by people such as Korean American Cindy Moon and Afro-Latino Miles Morales. At the time of...
“Darius and Twig” Is an Honest, Contemplative Story about Living Your Dream
In Harlem, New York, Black writer Darius and Dominican runner Twig are best friends trying to become successful. Yet bullies, family problems, and other people’s expectations try to shape and define them. Both of them will have to discover the courage to take the...
“This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story” Is the Rom-Com We Need
I’ve always had a soft spot for romantic comedies. Romance isn’t taken too seriously and there is almost always an interesting cast of characters along for the ride. When it comes to romantic comedies involving LGBTQ+ characters, there are all too few in the world. As...
“The Dark Fantastic” Fills an Imagination Gap in Youth Media
As someone who came of age with the Harry Potter series, it is astounding I barely noticed how few Black characters were in the books. After all, the focus of the books was on the main characters Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Although Hermione...
“The Belles” Is a Dark, Thoughtful Examination of Beauty Industries
Beauty is often so glamorized that we see women as objects one moment and goddesses the next. The glamorizing of beauty also leads to people spending thousands of dollars on make-up, plastic surgery, implants, and more. The cost of beauty also takes a physical,...
The Exene Chronicles Is a Beautiful, Brutal Glimpse into 80s Punk Culture
When I initially read the synopsis of Camille A. Collins’s book, The Exene Chronicles, part of me expected a novel written as a series of letters and poems. Part of me expected an angsty, maybe slightly melodramatic book about a young Black female punk rock fan...
“A Blade So Black” Is a Fantastic Take on “Alice in Wonderland”
Alice in Wonderland always struck me as a really dreamy metaphor for coming of age. The versions of Alice in Wonderland I know best are from the video game Kingdom Hearts and the 2010 live-action Disney film. Both media have their protagonists growing as heroes and as...
How Fantasy Ignited My Reality
I fell in love with fantasy when I started reading the Harry Potter series as a kid. A fourth-grade classmate brought Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fireto school for our teacher to read aloud. She only read one or two chapters, but it interested me enough that I got...
Shadowshaper, Art, and Reclamation
As a poet and lover of music, fiction, and other creative media, I’ve always considered art to be magical. There is something fantastic about how a poem or a song goes from the creator to another person and makes them connect to things. In Daniel José Older’s urban...
The Many Different Loves of “Let’s Talk About Love”
When people think of love, romantic love comes to mind. It is often tied with sexual attraction and the act of sex, seemingly inseparable. As a result, asexual people who experience romantic attraction but not sexual attraction have a hard time explaining their...
The Unforgettable Nerdiness of Felicia Abelard
From the moment I started reading young adult literature, I enjoyed many things about the genre. I liked how there were subgenres like fantasy, contemporary, and verse novels (i.e., books written in poems that tell a story). I liked reading about teenagers who save...
Nicola Yoon’s “Everything, Everything” Is Everything
As a teen, I had a soft spot for contemporary YA romance. I especially enjoyed the romance in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. I liked these books because the female characters showed me that even if you had personal issues, you could...
Why Afro YA Matters
When I was a teen, the most relatable young adult book I ever read was The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. The Outsiders validated my experiences with being out of place among my peers and made me feel that my own story could be valuable someday. However, it also made me...
The Afro YA promotes black young adult authors and YA books with black characters, especially those that influence Pennington, an aspiring YA author who believes that black YA readers need diverse books, creators, and stories so that they don’t have to search for their experiences like she did.
Latonya Pennington is a poet and freelance pop culture critic. Their freelance work can also be found at PRIDE, Wear Your Voice magazine, and Black Sci-fi. As a poet, they have been published in Fiyah Lit magazine, Scribes of Nyota, and Argot magazine among others.
