We recently hosted our final meeting with this year’s Readings Teen Advisory Board. We took this opportunity to ask them for some final recommendations – from the best books they’ve been reading lately, to what they’d recommend to our customers looking for antiracist books for teens. Here are their picks.

What’s the best book you’ve read lately?

The Power of Suffering by David Roland
Unpregnant by Jenni Hendriks & Ted Caplan
China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
Loaded by by Christos Tsiolkas
Stone Girl by Eleni Hale
The Diviners series by Libba Bray
By The Book by Amanda Sellet

We’ve had a number of customers asking for antiracist books for teens. What books would you recommend to them?

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed
Stolen by Jane Harrison
Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Garimara Pilkington
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
Being Plumville by Savannah J Frierson
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Which new authors did you discover through being on the Readings Teen Advisory Board?

Wai Chim
Sarah Epstein
Alison Evans
Will Kostakis
Eleni Hale
Nina Kenwood
Bill Bennett
Sara Wolf
Tamora Pierce

A final big thank you to these wonderful teens who joined us these past 12 months: Ananyaa, Siena, Broedy, Amy, Carolyn, Riley, Thea, Sasha, Claire and Chenuli. We loved spending time with you and hearing your thoughts.

We will be looking for a new intake of teenagers (aged 14–19) to join our advisory board, in late 2020. Please check back with us in November if you would like to apply for the 2021 round – or know someone who might.