Mirron Willis
The year is 1985. Benji Cooper is one of the only black students at an elite prep school in Manhattan. He spends his falls and winters going to roller-disco bar mitzvahs, playing too much Dungeons and Dragons, and trying to catch glimpses of nudity on late-night cable TV. After a tragic mishap on his first day of high school—when...
Mosley presents distinct characters as they struggle to move through the world in each of these stories—heroes who are awkward, nerdy,...
In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted Pluto out of planethood. Far from the sun, tiny, and eccentric in orbit, it's a wonder Pluto has any fans. Yet during the mounting debate over Pluto's status, Americans rallied behind this extraterrestrial underdog. The year of Pluto's discovery, Disney created an irresistible pup by the same name, and, as one NASA scientist put it, Pluto was "discovered by an American for America." Pluto
...6) Magic Street
In a peaceful, prosperous African American neighborhood in Los Angeles lives Mack Street, a mystery child. Abandoned by his birth mother and raised by a blunt-speaking single woman, Mack passes from family to family, a boy surrounded by people yet deeply alone.
Mack realizes how different he is from others the day he sees, in a thin slice of space, a narrow house. Passing through the magic house that no one else can see, Mack is plunged into
...Contributions by Kiese Laymon, Imani Perry, Laverne Cox, Jason Reynolds, Austin Channing...
Six people, six secrets, six different backgrounds. They would never have met if not for their connection to the Metropolis Storage Warehouse in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When someone falls down an elevator shaft at...
Football hero Jerry Rice grew up in Crawford, Mississippi, the son of a brick mason. He developed his hands by catching the bricks that his brothers threw at him. From these humble beginnings, Rice blazed a path to greatness, becoming the greatest wide receiver in the NFL and winning three super bowl rings for the San Francisco 49ers.
In spite of Rice's legendary gridiron skills, or even his ability to transform himself into an instant ballroom-dance
...10) Alvin journeyman
Alvin is a Maker, the first to be born in a century. Now a grown man and a journeyman smith, Alvin has returned to his family in the town of Vigor Church. He will share in their isolation, work as a blacksmith, and try to teach anyone who wishes to learn the knack of being a Maker. For Alvin has had a vision of the Crystal City he will build, and he knows that he cannot build it alone. But he has left behind in Hatrack River enemies as well as
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