Ages 9-12.
City girl Simi is sent to stay with her long-lost grandmother in a remote Nigerian village. There's no TV, internet or phone. Not a single human-made sound can be heard at night, just the noise of birds and animals rustling in the dark forest outside. Her witchlike grandmother dispenses advice and herbal medicine to the village, but she's tight lipped about their family history. Something must have happened, but what? Determined to find out, Simi disobeys her grandmother and goes exploring.

A story about hope.

Lexile measure 570; Ages 4-8; PrK-Gr.3.
It has been said that a proverb is a short sentence based on long experience. Whether you're young or old, proverbs can open your mind to new ways of seeing the world.

Melo's Kingdom is African storytelling at its best. Anthropomorphic characters share age-old wisdom supported by Scripture in a fun, colorful, and interactive reading experience. Follow Melo and her friends, Kiboko, Aza, Zenzo, Ganga, Bulu, and Tambo, as she learns how to become a good leader under the tutelage of Queen Nzinga.

Lexile measure HL680; Ages 12-17; Gr.7-9.
A biracial girl living in post-apartheid South Africa is determined to unveil the mystery of her white mother's hidden past.

The animals don't understand why they never see Bushbaby, so they assume he is shy. One by one, they try to coax him out of his hole in the tree, but Bushbaby never appears. As night falls, the animals head off to sleep. All, that is, except Owl, who has been silently observing the day's events. As Owl prepares for the night, he calls to Bushbaby, who bounds out of his hole, awake and alert.

A delightful folk tale from the Northern Karoo, and the very first children's book to feature a story for children, in the N u language. There are only five N u speakers in the world. This tale about Ostrich and Tortoise is written in N u, Afrikaans and English.

Ages 7-9; Gr.2-4.
Three delightful tales from a renowned Nigerian storyteller introduce a chapter-book heroine who is every bit as mighty as she is small. Tola lives in an apartment in the busy city of Lagos, Nigeria, with her sister, Moji, who is very clever; her brother, Dapo, who is very fast; and Grandmommy, who is very bossy.

Ages 13 and up; Gr.9 and up.
A leopard dances under the moon. A wolf prowls. A red-beaked bird flies free. Three girls born on the same day in wolf light are bound together to protect the world. They can dazzle or destroy. They have wind-song and fire-fury at their fingertips, but their enemies are everywhere.

Ages 4-8.
Join Idia of the Benin Kingdom as
she molds herself from the young and curious daughter of a village warrior to becoming the Queen of the ancient African Kingdom of Benin.

Ages 10 and up; Gr.4-6.
Nnedi Okorafor's first novel for middle grade readers introduces a boy who can access super powers with the help of the magical Ikenga. Nnamdi's father was a good chief of police, perhaps the best Kalaria had ever had. He was determined to root out the criminals that had invaded the town. But then he was murdered, and most people believed the Chief of Chiefs, most powerful of the criminals, was responsible. Nnamdi has vowed to avenge his father, but he wonders what a twelve-year-old boy can do. Until a mysterious nighttime meeting, the gift of a magical object that enables super powers, and a charge to use those powers for good changes his life forever.

Lexile measure 30; Ages 8-12; National Book award finalist, 2020.
This remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya.

Gr.9 and up.
Two sisters are torn apart by war and must fight their way back to each other in a futuristic, Black Panther-inspired Nigeria. The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky.

Gr.2-5; Africana award, 2020.
On June 16, 1976, Hector Pieterson, an ordinary boy, lost his life after getting caught up in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. Black South African students were marching against a new law requiring that they be taught half of their subjects in Afrikaans, the language of the White government.

Ages 8-12; Gr.4-7.
From debut author Tina Athaide comes a soaring tale of empathy, hope, and resilience, as two best friends living under Ugandan President Amin's divisive rule must examine where--and who--they call home.