I don’t about the rest of y’all, but I am so ready for 2017 to be over, not only because it’s been a hell year but also because 2018 has so many great kidlit releases in store for us. If you would like to greet the new year by being hit in the face by a bunch of awesome middle grade and young adult books, you’ve come to the right place. Below I’ve compiled a list of 28 MG/YA books by POC and anthologies including POC that are releasing in January and February. (Special thanks to Aimal at Bookshelves and Paperbacks for making me aware of King Geordi the Great. Her Ultimate Guide to Diverse YA Books Releasing 2018: January – June includes diverse books of all kinds and is an excellent reference.) Note: Links redirect to Goodreads. 🙂

• A Sky Full of Stars (Midnight Without a Moon #2) by Linda Williams Jackson (January 2nd) – MG, Historical Fiction, Black MC, own voices
• Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson (January 2nd) – MG, Historical Fiction, Black MC, own voices (fictionalized biography of Betty Shabazz, civil rights activist and wife of Malcolm X)
• Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai (January 2nd) – MG, Contemporary, Syrian refugee MC
• Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano (January 2nd) – MG, Fantasy, Mexican American MC, own voices

• Meet Cute edited by Jennifer L. Armetrout (January 2nd) – YA anthology – authors of color included: Dhonielle Clayton, Nina LaCour, Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi
• Someone to Love by Melissa De La Cruz (January 2nd) – YA, Contemporary, biracial Mexican American MC
• Chainbreaker (Timekeeper #2) by Tara Sim (January 2nd) – YA, Fantasy/Steampunk, Queer MC and biracial Indian MC, own voices
• Black Panther: The Young Prince by Ronald L. Smith (January 2nd) – MG, Superhero, Black MC, own voices

• King Geordi the Great by Gene Gant (January 9th) – YA, Contemporary, Gay Black MC, own voices
• Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed (January 16th) – YA, Contemporary, Muslim Indian MC, own voices
• Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez (January 16th) – MG, Contemporary, Mexican American MC, own voices
• Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann (January 23rd) – YA, Contemporary, Black MC, Biromantic Asexual MC, own voices

• A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi (January 23rd) – YA, Contemporary, Syrian refugee MC
• Markswoman (Asiana #1) by Rati Mehrotra (January 23rd) – YA(?), Asian-inspired Fantasy, Secondary world Asian MC
• I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan (January 25th) – YA, Contemporary, Muslim Pakistani MC, own voices
• The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary by NoNieqa Ramos (February 1st) – YA, Contemporary, MC of color (race/ethnicity unknown)

• Shadowsong (Wintersong #2) by S. Jae-Jones (February 6th) – YA, Fantasy, Bipolar MC (own voices)
• American Panda by Gloria Chao (February 6th) – YA, Contemporary, Taiwanese American MC, ownvoices
• Checked by Cynthia Kadohata (February 6th) – MG, Contemporary
• Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi (February 6th) – YA, Contemporary, Iranian American MC, own voices

• The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (February 6th) – YA, Fantasy, Black MC, own voices
• The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (February 13th) – YA, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novel
• Prettyboy Must Die by Kimberly Reid (February 13th) – YA, Contemporary/Thriller, Black MC, own voices
• Blood of a Thousand Stars (Empress of a Thousand Skies #2) by Rhoda Belleza (February 20th) – YA, Science Fiction/Fantasy

• Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda (February 20th) – YA, Science Fiction/Horror, Latina MC, own voices
• A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena (February 27th) – YA, Contemporary, Indian MC, own voices
• The Serpent’s Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1) by Sayantani DasGupta (February 27th) – MG, Fantasy, Bengali MC, own voices
• All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages edited by Saundra Mitchell (February 27th) – YA anthology, authors of color included: Malinda Lo, Anna-Marie McLemore, Nilah Magruder, Alex Sanchez, Sara Farizan, Tehlor Kay Mejia
• Hope Nation: YA Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration edited by Rose Brock (February 27th) – YA nonfiction anthology – authors of color included: Atia Abawi, Renée Ahdieh, Howard Bryant, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, I.W. Gregorio, Marie Lu, Jason Reynolds, Aisha Saeed, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Nicola Yoon

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