Susan’s Unofficial List of Great YA By or About Women of Color

I saw this on the MotherReader blog a little while ago and have been meaning to re-post it with my own answers. She got it from Archimedes Forgets. The list comes from Color Online. X means read, # means on the TBR list, and ! means loved.

Susan’s Unofficial List of Great YA By or About Women of Color:

1. When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune, by Lori A. Williams
   
2. Every Time A Rainbow Dies, by Rita Williams-Garcia
   
3. No Laughter Here, by Rita Williams-Garcia
4. Jumped, by Rita Williams-Garcia
   
5. If You Come Softly, by Jacqueline Woodson (X)
   
6. The House You Pass On The Way, by Jacqueline Woodson
   
7. Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith (#)
   
8. From The Notebooks of Melanin Sun, by Jacqueline Woodson
   
9. Sold, by Patricia McCormick (X)
   
10. A Step From Heaven, by An Na (X)
    
11. The Parable of The Sower, by Octavia E. Butler
    
12. Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    
13. Persepolis, by Majane Satrapi (!)
    
14. The Rock and The River, by Kekla Magoon
    
15. Secret Keeper, by Mitali Perkins
    
16. Mare’s War, by Tanita S. Davis
    
17. A Wish After Midnight, by Zetta Elliott
    
18. Down To The Bone, by Mayra Lazara Dole
    
19. Don’t Get It Twisted, by Paula Chase
20. Jason & Kyra, by Dana Davidson
    
21. Forged by Fire, by Sharon Draper
22. Kendra, by Coe Booth (#)
    
23. Shine, Coconut Moon, by Neesha Meminger
    
24. Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
25. Born Confused, by Tanuja Desai Hidier
    
26. Skunk Girl, by Sheba Karim
    
27. The Meaning of Conseulo, by Judith Ortiz Cofer
    
28. In The Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez
    
29. Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler
    
30. First Part Last, by Angela Johnson (X)
    
31. Pemba’s Song, by Marilyn Nelson (X)
    
32. Wanting Mor, by Rukhsana Khan
    
33. M + O 4EVR, by Tonya Hegamin
    
34. Lucy The Giant, by Sherri L. Smith
    
35. The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros (X)
36. Throwaway Piece, by Jo Ann Hernandez
37. White Bread Competition, by Jo Ann Hernandez
    
38. Across A Hundred Mountains, by Reyna Grande
    
39. Silver Phoenix, by Cindy Pon (#)
    
40. The Skin I’m In, by Sharon G. Flake (X)

Yikes, I've read only 8 out of 40, really? What's worse is that I haven't even heard of half of these books! Time for me to go take a closer look at the Coretta Scott King and Pura Belpre awards.

Though, I do have three books on my current to-read list that I think would fit on this unofficial list - and I'm quite excited about them!

Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez

Apolonia "Lina" Flores is a sock enthusiast, a volleyball player, a science lover, and a girl who's just looking for answers. Even though her house is crammed full of books (her dad's a bibliophile), she's having trouble figuring out some very big questions, like why her dad seems to care about books more than her, why her best friend's divorced mom is obsessed with making cascarones (hollowed eggshells filled with colorful confetti), and, most of all, why her mom died last year. Like colors in a cascarone, Lina's life is a rainbow of people, interests, and unexpected changes.

The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes

Paris has just moved in with the Lincoln family, and isn't thrilled to be in yet another foster home. She has a tough time trusting people, and she misses her brother, who's been sent to a boys' home. Over time, the Lincolns grow on Paris. But no matter how hard she tries to fit in, she can't ignore the feeling that she never will, especially in a town that's mostly white while she is half black. It isn't long before Paris has a big decision to make about where she truly belongs.

After Tupac and D Foster by Angela Johnson

The day D Foster enters Neeka and her best friend's lives, the world opens up for them. D comes from a world vastly different from their safe Queens neighborhood, and through her, the girls see another side of life that includes loss, foster families and an amount of freedom that makes the girls envious. Although all of them are crazy about Tupac Shakur's rap music, D is the one who truly understands the place where he's coming from, and through knowing D, Tupac's lyrics become more personal for all of them.