Great Books for Urban Youth

Discover the best books for urban youth! Our curated list features engaging, relatable reads that inspire, educate, and empower young readers in city life.

Item Not Found
ID: 1591940699
(Type: books)
The Coldest Winter Ever Cover
Book

The Coldest Winter Ever

by Sister Souljah

Winter Santiaga, the daughter of one of Brooklyn's most powerful drug czars, uses her own weapons--including sex and an aggressive attitude--to stay on top, after her father's empire is threatened by a drug war. Reader's Guide included. Reprint.
Item Not Found
ID: 0758225326
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0446195189
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0671028448
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 074347435X
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 075661063X
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 078946991X
(Type: books)
Bang! Cover
Book

Bang!

by Sharon Flake

Mann is only thirteen, yet he has already had to deal with more than most go through in a lifetime. His family is still reeling from the tragic shooting death of his little brother, Jason, each person coping with grief in his or her own way. Mann's mother has stopped eating and is obsessed with preserving Jason's memory, while his father is certain that presenting a hard edge is the only way to keep his remaining son from becoming a statistic. Mann used to paint and ride horseback, but now he's doing everything he can to escape his emotions: getting involved in fights at school, joyriding at midnight, and much worse. His father, at his wit's end, does the only thing he thinks will teach his son how to be a man he abandons him and his friend Kee Lee in the woods, leaving them to navigate their way home, alone.
Item Not Found
ID: 0439172144
(Type: books)
Who Am I Without Him? Cover
Book

Who Am I Without Him?

by Sharon Flake

In the game of love, young men and women weigh what they need from the opposite sex against what they need to find in themselves. This popular short story collection, including two never-before published entries, gives teens a chance to witness the outcomes of 12 unique trysts. As relationships go either right or wrong, with surprising, often funny, always on-point results, mindful readers will appreciate the warning signs and perhaps save themselves from the same fate as these fictional protagonists.
Item Not Found
ID: 0439838800
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0802141447
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0756638216
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0756613868
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0756623537
(Type: books)
A Child Called It Cover
Book

A Child Called It

by David J. Pelzer

An inspirational story; one child's courage to survive.
The lost boy Cover
Book

The lost boy

 

No summary available.
Item Not Found
ID: 0836218833
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0307352668
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0141301201
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0803728042
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0142404187
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0789467585
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 0789478862
(Type: books)
The Color Purple Cover
Book

The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

Set in the period between the world wars, this novel tells of two sisters, their trials, and their survival.
Item Not Found
ID: 0590431978
(Type: books)
The Princess Bride Cover
Book

The Princess Bride

by William Goldman

"A Del Rey book." The most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince in the world.
Maniac Magee Cover
Book

Maniac Magee

 

No summary available.
Item Not Found
ID: 1569314950
(Type: books)
Item Not Found
ID: 1401212735
(Type: books)
Holes Cover
Book

Holes

by Louis Sachar

A New York Times BestsellerAdapted into the movie HolesInterest Level: Middle/High School Reading Grade Level: 3rd & 4th Lexile Level: 660L Theme: Belonging/Sense of SelfAn Accelerated Reader(r) title