Varian Johnson
Author
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month (WPLD)
Middle Grade Books
Reading Olympics: Fall 2025
Black History Month (WPLD)
Middle Grade Books
Reading Olympics: Fall 2025
Description
"Ten-year-old Anthony Joplin has made it to double digits! Which means he's finally old enough to play in the spades tournament every Joplin Man before him seems to have won. So while Ant's friends are stressing about fifth grade homework and girls, Ant only has one thing on his mind: how he'll measure up to his father's expectations at the card table. Then Ant's best friend gets grounded, and he's forced to find another spades partner. And Shirley,...
Author
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Wrap Yourself in a Good Book
Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month 2024
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Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month 2024
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Description
Twelve-year-old Candice Miller is spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, in the old house that belonged to her grandmother, who died after being dismissed as city manager for having the city tennis courts dug up looking for buried treasure--but when she finds the letter that sent her grandmother on the treasure hunt, she finds herself caught up in the mystery and, with the help of her new friend and fellow book-worm, Brandon, she sets out...
4) Twins
Author
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month (WPLD)
GHPLD 4th Grade Reads
Sixth Grade Realistic Fiction
Black History Month (WPLD)
GHPLD 4th Grade Reads
Sixth Grade Realistic Fiction
Description
Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran -- a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister! Maureen and Francine are...
5) The return
Author
Language
English
Description
Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan race to stop an ancient enemy with the power to strip spirit animals from their partners, while one young hero faces the loss of a spirit companion.
Author
Language
English
Appears on these lists
2023 Summer Book Picks with Miss Rachel
2024 Caudill List Read-a-Likes (SCPL-YS)
7th Grade Booklist
Elections & Politics for Kids
2024 Caudill List Read-a-Likes (SCPL-YS)
7th Grade Booklist
Elections & Politics for Kids
Description
Jackson Greene has a reputation as a prankster at Maplewood Middle School, but after the last disaster he is trying to go straight--but when it looks like Keith Sinclair may steal the election for school president from Jackson's former best friend Gabriela, he assembles a team to make sure Keith does not succeed.
Author
Series
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
Because of his reputation for practical jokes Jackson Greene is the automatic suspect for anything that goes wrong at school--but when he and his friends are framed for a crime they did not commit, Gang Greene sets out to expose the students responsible, who are trying to blackmail Jackson into helping them cheat on an important test.
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Coretta Scott King Honor author Varian Johnson teams up with rising cartoonist Shannon Wright for a delightful middle-grade graphic novel!Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and arepartners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran — a girl who wants to jointhe chorus, run for class president, and dress...
Author
Language
English
Description
Coretta Scott King Honor author Varian Johnson teams up with rising cartoonist Shannon Wright for a delightful middle-grade graphic novel! Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran -- a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable...
13) Twins
Author
Series
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Description
Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran--a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister! Maureen and Francine are growing...
14) Saving Maddie
Author
Language
English
Description
"Joshua Wynn is definitely what you would call a good guy. He's a preacher's son who chooses abstinence and religious retreats over crazy nights and wild parties...One Sunday, Joshua's mind drifts from his father's sermon to a beautiful girl in the fifth row. She's gorgeous, wearing a dress cut down to there, and she looks like the little girl he crushed on as a kid. It turns out that Maddie Smith is back in town, but instead of throwing her a welcome-back...
15) Time for change
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Gabriela is offered a dance opportunity she cannot pass up during her already busy sixth grade year, but she finds herself wishing she could work on her poetry instead and wonders if her dreams have changed.
Author
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Banned Books Week (WPLD)
Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month
More Lists...
Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month
More Lists...
Description
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree about an unforgettable family on a road-trip during one of the most important times in the civil rights movement. When the Watson family--ten-year-old Kenny, Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and brother Byron--sets out on a trip south to visit Grandma in Birmingham, Alabama, they don't realize that they're heading toward one of the darkest moments in America's history. The...
Language
English
Appears on these lists
A Tapestry of Voices (SCPL-YA)
Abraham Lincoln Book Award 2021
Black History Month - Teens
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Abraham Lincoln Book Award 2021
Black History Month - Teens
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Description
Black is ... sisters navigating their relationship at summer camp in Portland, Oregon, as written by Renée Watson. Black is ... three friends walking back from the community pool talking about nothing and everything, in a story by Jason Reynolds. Black is ... Nic Stone's high-class beauty dating a boy her momma would never approve of. Black is ... two girls kissing in Justina Ireland's story set in Maryland. Black is urban and rural, wealthy and...
20) Black boy joy
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Black Authors: Chapter Books & Graphic Novels (SCPL-YS)
Black History Month (kids)
Celebrating Black Creators
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Black History Month (kids)
Celebrating Black Creators
More Lists...
Description
From seventeen acclaimed Black male and non-binary authors comes a vibrant collection of stories, comics, and poems about the power of joy and the wonders of Black boyhood.








