Must- read Books for Black History Month
Black History Month explores the global experiences of Black Africans. Sadly these experiences include injustices that have often been overlooked.
Below is a list of books that help give an understanding of these issues and celebrate the achievements of Black history.
FICTION
Blueblood by Malorie Blackman
A dark fairy tale from Britain’s most prolific Black children’s author and Poet Laureate
The Crossing by Manjeet Mann
A novel in verse about hope, grief and the tragedies of the refugee crisis
High Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson
A murder mystery set in a high-rise block where two sisters try and solve the crime
Children of the Benin Kingdom by Dinah Orji
An adventure set in the ancient Edo Kingdom of Benin in West Africa
Diver’s Daughter – a Tudor story by Patrice Lawrence
A journey with Eve and her mother, who was stolen from Africa as a child, across the slums of
Elizabethan London to the sea
When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten
A story of memory loss, new arrivals on the island and it all making sense!
Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah
Can a boy from Jamaica learn to enjoy his new life in 1950’s England?
NON-FICTION
You are a Champion: How to be the Best You Can Be by Marcus Rashford
The nation’s favourite footballer and activist shows how to achieve your dreams
Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies
A hive of information on the people and issues that have shaped Black history
Black and British by David Olusoga
An introduction to Black British history from the historian and broadcaster David Olusoga
Queen of Freedom: Defending Jamaica by Catherine Johnson
The story of Queen Nanny and the Maroons, the woman who masterminded slave resistance in 18 th
century Jamaica
This book is anti-racist by Tiffany Jewell
Learn about the history of racism and the fight against it
Happy Here foreword by Sharna Jackson
Exploring joy, home and family through poems and stories by Black British authors and illustrators
Walter Tull’s Scrapbook by Michaela Morgan
The story of Walter Tull, the first British professional football player and the first black officer in the
British Army
Some of these books are available to borrow from the library but if we do not have it we will try and
get it for you.
We also have a number of books of other Black British authors that you may enjoy
Mrs Peters
School Librarian
