Our favourite books about Black History for older children (9-12)

Son of the Circus: A Victorian Story

Author: E L Norry Illustrator: Alette Straathof (cover art)
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 10+

Twelve-year-old Ted discovers he has roots in the circus and must join his father’s company for the first time to discover his own talent! Great for history buffs and those looking for historical fiction featuring people of colour.

Freedom (1783)

Author: Catherine Johnson
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

This is a brilliant adventure story that manages to give young readers a really important insight into slavery without being so upsetting that it’s impossible to read: a very fine balance, masterfully achieved.

Man Man and the Tree of Memories

Author: Yaba Badoe Illustrator: Joelle Avelino
Publisher: Zephyr
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+

Man-man is excited for Carnival, and mistakenly summons the Queen of Revels during the parade. Can she help his mother get better? Vibrant colour illustrations bring this unusual story of family history and different Black cultures to life.

Bright Stars of Black British History

Author: JT Williams Illustrator: Angela Vives
Publisher: Thames and Hudson
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

Engagingly told life stories of fourteen Black British people and their contributions to the world.

Queer Heroes

Author: Arabelle Sicardi Illustrator: Sarah Tanat-Jones
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Interest age: 6-11
Reading age: 7+

This wonderful celebration of a wide range of LGBTQ+ heroes - both famous and less well-known - is a beautiful book and highlights the lives of some truly inspirational people.

Coming to England

Author: Floella Benjamin Illustrator: Michael Frith
Publisher: Macmillan
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

This moving and insightful memoir from much-loved writer and presenter Floella Benjamin documents her childhood, from her birth in Trinidad in 1949 to her move to Britain in 1960 as part of the Windrush generation.

Black and British: A Short, Essential History

Author: David Olusoga
Publisher: Macmillan
Interest age: 9-14
Reading age: 9+

David Olusoga’s latest edition of Black and British has been revised and rewritten especially for secondary school children, and explains and illustrates the much-overlooked history of Black peoples in Britain and beyond.

Brilliant Black British History

Author: Atinuke Illustrator: Kingsley Nebechi
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 7+

Encompassing British human history from the very first homo sapiens migrants (who were Black!), up to the present day, this beautiful book is informative, eye-opening and a must-have in a school library.

The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Drama and Danger

Author: J T Williams Illustrator: Simone Douglas
Publisher: Farshore
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+

Can Lizzie and Belle solve an attempted murder in eighteenth-century London? A cracking mystery inspired by real Black historical figures.

Queen of Freedom

Author: Catherine Johnson
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Interest age: 9-12
Reading age: 9+

Set in Jamaica in the 1720s, this is the incredible true story of Queen Nanny, leader of the Maroons, a community of escaped slaves who have settled high up in the Blue Mountains.

Diver’s Daughter: A Tudor Story

Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Scholastic
Interest age: 9-12
Reading age: 9+

This is a thrilling tale, with the expertly described Tudor world brought to hideous, harsh life with the same verve as Patrice Lawrence’s award winning teen books Indigo Donut and Orangeboy.

Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present

Author: Jamia Wilson Illustrator: Andrea Pippins
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Interest age: 8-11
Reading age: 8+

This beautiful and eye-catching hardback celebrates a selection of black icons from history and the present day to inspire all children to discover what they can achieve.

Pirates!

Author: Celia Rees
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Interest age: 10+
Reading age: 11+

Pirates! traces the adventures of Nancy Kington and Minerva Sharpe as they sail the high seas, often fighting for their lives, in the hope of gaining glory and riches.

Journey Back to Freedom: The Olaudah Equiano Story

Author: Catherine Johnson
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+

Olaudah is just 11 years old when he is kidnapped from his lovely family in Essaka, Africa in 1745, sold into brutal slavery and renamed Gustavus. This is the story of how he grew up, serving several masters at sea, becoming an experienced sailor and living all over the world including England’s multicultural capital London, where he eventually returned as a…