Lists
Witches, Wonder, & Magic: Fall Fantasy Books for Kids & Teens by Black Authors
Fill your child’s fall with fantasy books that are bursting with magic, thrilling quests, dark academia vibes, and so much more!
The leaves are starting to change. The air is getting crisper. That can only mean one thing … it’s time to hunker down with fall reads! If your child or teen is enamored with fantasy books filled with magic, thrilling quests, or dark academia vibes we have the perfect list for you. Each book in this list — written by a Black author — not only delivers with page-turning twists and turns but also portrays the multitude of the Black experience with rich and deeply layered characters that your child won’t soon forget.
Little Spellcasters & Storybook Wonder:
Hocus-Pocus! Maxie Wiz has magic homework! She must collect all the charms in her magic spell for it to work. Will she be able to follow the steps and rev up her magic wand? A rollicking, rhyming, enchanted adventure featuring a young wizard in training in this easy Step 1 Reader.
A tall tale inspired by the life and works of American writer, folklorist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Filled to the brim with references to Zora Neale Hurston’s classic characters and details from her own life, Small-Girl Zora and the Shower of Stories is a joyful tribute to an icon of American literature and the everlasting power of storytelling.
In this Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award-winning tale, Mirandy is determined to capture the best partner for the junior cakewalk jubilee. And who is the best partner? The wind, of course! Patricia C. McKissack’s thoroughly engaging tale dances with spirit and rollicking good humor. Complemented by Jerry Pinkney’s rich, eye-catching watercolors of the rural South, here’s one of those rare, rewarding picture books that is sure to be read and enjoyed again and again.
Virginia Hamilton’s Coretta Scott King Honor book is the breathtaking fantasy tale of slaves who possessed ancient magic that enabled them to fly away to freedom. And it is a moving tale of those who did not have the opportunity to “fly” away, who remained slaves with only their imaginations to set them free as they told and retold this tale.
Middle-grade magic, monsters, and folklore:
When Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma, he finds out she’s not his grandmother — but she is a witch! She needs help delivering baby dragons to a magical world where they’ll be safe. There are two rules when it comes to the dragons: Don’t let them out of the bag, and don’t feed them anything sweet. Before he knows it, Jax has broken both rules! Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound? Or will they be lost in Brooklyn forever?
In that special half-hour of twilight — the dark-thirty — there are stories to be told. Mesmerizing and breathtakingly original, these tales are inspired by African American history and range from the time of slavery to the civil rights era. With her extraordinary gift for suspense, Patricia C. McKissack has created a heart-stopping collection of lasting value, a book not quickly forgotten.
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. Nnamdi has vowed to avenge his father, but he wonders what a 12-year-old boy can do … Nnedi Okorafor’s acclaimed first novel for middle grade readers introduces a boy who can access super powers with the help of the magical Ikenga.
Welcome to the summer of the apocalypse. One 12-year-old boy leads the charge against the forces of evil as he tries to stop the Four Horsemen from taking over the world in the start to a wildly funny and addictive fantasy series about accepting yourself and finding your inner hero.
Teen Spellwork & Shadows:
From the National Book Award finalist and author of Pet comes a novel set in a magical West African world, about a teen girl who must save her missing twin while learning to navigate her own terrifying new powers. Emezi masterfully weaves a tale of family, identity, and the power of the past, in a world where the extraordinary is ordinary.
A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical. Enroll in the debut of a fresh fantasy series unlike anything you’ve seen before!
For fans of Lovecraft Country and Candyman comes a witchy story full of Black girl magic! One girl’s dark ability to summon the dead offers her a chance at a new life, while revealing to her an even darker future.
In this blockbuster fantasy series, perfect for fans of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Iron Widow, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they journey into a magical jungle to hunt down a vicious monster. But as the hunt begins, it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted …
Sixteen stories by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic — coming together in one stunning narrative of hope. Witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels: The heroes of A Phoenix First Must Burn shine brightly. You will never forget them.
Debut author Tochi Onyebuchi delivers an unforgettable series opener that powerfully explores the true meaning of justice and guilt. Packed with dark magic and thrilling action, Beasts Made of Night is a gritty Nigerian-influenced fantasy perfect for fans of Paolo Bacigalupi and Nnedi Okorafor.
