By Sarah Murphy Traylor Today we're pleased to welcome R. Eric Thomas to the WNDB blog to discuss Kings of B'More, out today, May 31, 2022! With junior year starting in the fall, Harrison feels like he’s on the precipice of, well, everything. Standardized testing, college, and the terrifying … [Read more...] about Q&A With R. Eric Thomas, Kings of B’More
Black characters
Cover Reveal for There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia
Today we're excited to reveal the cover for There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia! The cover was illustrated by Shane Ramos under the art direction of Zareen Johnson. The book will be released on March 7, 2023 by Disney-Hyperion. Read on for a Q&A with the author and an exclusive … [Read more...] about Cover Reveal for There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia
Q&A With Valerie Bolling, Together We Ride
By Michele Kirichanskaya Today we're pleased to welcome Valerie Bolling to the WNDB blog to discuss picture book Together We Ride, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita and out today, April 26, 2022! Hair Love meets bike rides in this loving portrait of a father-daughter relationship. Learning to … [Read more...] about Q&A With Valerie Bolling, Together We Ride
Q&A With Akwaeke Emezi, Bitter
By Isabel Taswell Today we're pleased to welcome Akwaeke Emezi to the WNDB blog to discuss YA novel Bitter, out now! After a childhood in foster care, Bitter is thrilled to have been chosen to attend Eucalyptus, a special school where she can focus on her painting surrounded by other creative … [Read more...] about Q&A With Akwaeke Emezi, Bitter
Laila Sabreen Wrote Her Debut Novel for Herself
You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen was released on February 8, 2022. By Karis Rogerson You Truly Assumed is a YA debut about three Black Muslim teens who work to share love and stop misinformation in the wake of a terrorist attack. Author Laila Sabreen, who grew up near Washington, D.C. … [Read more...] about Laila Sabreen Wrote Her Debut Novel for Herself
Q&A With Tina Wells, Honest June
By Steve Dunk Today we're pleased to welcome Tina Wells to the WNDB blog to discuss her middle grade novel Honest June, illustrated by Brittney Bond—out now! Middle school is hard—but it’s way harder when a fairy godmother puts you under a truth-telling spell! June has always been a … [Read more...] about Q&A With Tina Wells, Honest June
Q&A With Nikki Shannon Smith, Lena and the Burning of Greenwood: a Tulsa Race Massacre Survival Story
By Miriam Moore-Keish Today we're pleased to welcome Nikki Shannon Smith to the WNDB blog to discuss Lena and the Burning of Greenwood: A Tulsa Race Massacre Survival Story, illustrated by Markia Jenai, out January 1, 2022. In the early 1920s, the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the … [Read more...] about Q&A With Nikki Shannon Smith, Lena and the Burning of Greenwood: a Tulsa Race Massacre Survival Story
Q&A with Doyin Richards, Watch Me
By JoAnn Yao Today we're pleased to welcome Doyin Richards to the blog to discuss his new picture book Watch Me: A Story of Immigration and Inspiration, out now! A picture book about immigration, WATCH ME is based on the author's father's own story. Joe came to America from Africa when he … [Read more...] about Q&A with Doyin Richards, Watch Me
I Wrote a Dark-Skinned Black Girl Like Me Into a Musical Theater Story
By Dana L. Davis “Omigosh, Mom. You have to hear this new song,” I gushed on a cool day in November. It was 1996, and I was a senior in high school. I had just discovered music from a show that was headed to Broadway. I should mention it was my favorite time of year. The lush green trees that … [Read more...] about I Wrote a Dark-Skinned Black Girl Like Me Into a Musical Theater Story