Are you looking for children’s book series that feature black main characters? You’ve come to the right place, because I have a list for you!
When I wrote and shared my post on books for black children written by black authors on Instagram, I received a message asking about children’s book series recommendations. Believe it or not, there are many children’s book series that feature black characters.
I remember my first book series as being Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and I devoured them because they were all I had. My eldest daughter grew up reading Junie B. Jones, Ramona, and The Babysitter’s Club, while my son Kyle read Goosebumps, and Mikael, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Madison, on the other hand, began her series at school with the Magic TreeHouse.
Now don’t get me wrong, these are all great books, but the one thing they didn’t feature was characters that looked like my kids. There was no representation at all. So I made it my mission to find a book series that featured black main characters. So when I was asked about recommendations, I had quite a few because I had already started Madison’s collection.
So what are my recommendations for children’s book series featuring black main characters? Here are 10! Each description is taken from book 1 to give you an idea of the series.
BRIANNA JUSTICE aka PRESIDENT SERIES by Sherri Winston
(3 book series)
Age Level: 8-12
Start counting your votes . . . and your friends.
When Brianna Justice’s hero, the famous celebrity chef Miss Delicious, speaks at her school and traces her own success back to being president of her fifth-grade class, Brianna determines she must do the same. She just knows that becoming president of her class is the first step toward her own cupcake-baking empire!
But when new student Jasmine Moon announces she is also running for president, Brianna learns that she may have more competition than she expected. Will Brianna be able to stick to her plan of working with her friends to win the election fairly? Or will she jump at the opportunity to steal votes from Jasmine by revealing an embarrassing secret?
This hilarious, heartfelt novel will appeal to any reader with big dreams and the determination to achieve them.
MIA MAYHEM SERIES by Kara West (Madison’s favorite series.)
(9 book series)
Age Level: 5-9
Meet Mia Macarooney, an ordinary eight-year-old who finds out she has an extraordinary super-secret in this first chapter book in the brand-new Mia Mayhem series!
Mia Macarooney is a regular eight-year-old girl who finds out that she’s A SUPERHERO! Her life literally goes from totally ordinary to totally super when she’s invited to attend the afterschool Program for In-Training Superheroes, a.k.a. THE PITS! And the thing is, in a weird, meant-to-be sort of way, all of this news somehow feels super right. Because all her life, Mia thought she was just super klutz…but it turns out, she’s just SUPER! So now, it’s up to Mia to balance her regular everyday life and maintain her secret identity as she learns how to be the world’s newest superhero!
MAGNIFICENT MYA TIBBS SERIES by Crystal Allen
(2 book series)
Age Level: 8-12
Nine-year-old Mya Tibbs is boot-scootin’ excited for the best week of the whole school year—SPIRIT WEEK! She and her megapopular best friend, Naomi Jackson, even made a pinky promise to be Spirit Week partners so they can win the big prize: special VIP tickets to the Fall Festival!
But when the partner picking goes horribly wrong, Mya gets paired with Mean Connie Tate—the biggest bully in school. And she can’t get out of it.
Good gravy.
Now Naomi is friend-ending mad at Mya for breaking a promise—even though Mya couldn’t help it—and everyone at school is calling Mya names. Can Mya work with Mean Connie to win the VIP tickets and get her best friend back?
JADA JONES SERIES by Kelly Starling Lyons
(4 book series)
Age Level: 6-8
When Jada Jones’s best friend moves away, school feels like the last place she wants to be. She’d much rather wander outside looking for cool rocks to add to her collection, since finding rocks is much easier than finding friends. So when Jada’s teacher announces a class project on rocks and minerals, Jada finally feels like she’s in her element. The only problem: one of her teammates doesn’t seem to like any of Jada’s ideas. She doesn’t seem to like Jada all that much, either. Can Jada figure out a way to make a winning science project and a new friend?
KEENA FORD SERIES by Melissa Thomson
(3 book series)
Age Level: 6-8
Keena Ford doesn’t mean to be a troublemaker, but sometimes things get out of hand. Lucky for her, it’s the beginning of the second grade, and Keena’s got a clean slate. So when her new second-grade teacher, Ms. Campbell, mistakenly thinks it’s her birthday and brings in a huge chocolate cake, Keena realizes that she’s gotten herself into a sticky situation. She knows she has to tell the truth, but it’s not easy to turn down her very own birthday cake and a chance to wear a sparkly crown. How will Keena get out of this mess?
DYAMONDE DANIEL SERIES by Nikki Grimes
(4 book series)
Age Level: 7-9
Dyamonde Daniel may be new in town, but that doesn’t stop her from making a place for herself in a jiffy. With her can-do attitude and awesome brainpower, she takes the whole neighborhood by storm. The only thing puzzling her is the other new kid in her class. He’s grouchy – but Dyamonde’s determined to get to the bottom of his attitude and make a friend.
Jada Jones
SUGAR PLUM BALLERINAS SERIES by Whoopi Goldberg
(6 book series)
Age Level: 6-10
Alexandrea Petrakova Johnson does not want to be a beautiful ballerina, and she does not want to leave her friends in Apple Creek. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop her ballet-crazy mother from moving them to Harlem or enrolling Al at the Nutcracker School of Ballet. Life is hard when you’re the new ballerina on the block, and it’s even harder when you’re chosen to be the Sugar Plum Fairy in the school recital!
JADEN TOUSSAINT, THE GREATEST SERIES by Marti Dumas
(5 book series)
Age Level: 5-10
Giant Afro. Even Bigger Brain.
Jaden Toussaint, 5-year-old scientist, and all-around cool dude, is on a mission to convince the grown-ups that he needs more SCREEN TIME. His only weapons are science, ninja dancing, and his super-powered brain power. Can Jaden Toussaint get the grown-ups to change their minds?
TRACK SERIES by Jason Reynolds
(4 book series)
Age Level: 10+
Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other but also to themselves.
CLUBHOUSE MYSTERIES SERIES by Sharon M. Draper
(6 book series)
Age Level: 8-12
Four boys who call themselves the Black Dinosaurs, find themselves involved in exciting mysteries around their town.
Ziggy and his friends Rico, Rashawn, and Jerome call themselves The Black Dinosaurs and share exciting adventures. In The Buried Bones Mystery, the boys build a clubhouse in Ziggy’s backyard, where they uncover a box of bones while digging to bury their secret treasures. But when the boys try to hide their treasures, they’re swept up in a mystery more intriguing—and scary—than anything they could have imagined. Who could have buried a box of bones behind their clubhouse?
*BONUS*
TWO NAOMIS SERIES by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich & Audrey Vernick
(2 book series)
Age Level: 8-12
Other than their first names, Naomi Marie and Naomi Edith are sure they have nothing in common, and they wouldn’t mind keeping it that way.
Naomi Marie starts clubs at the library and adores being a big sister. Naomi Edith loves quiet Saturdays and hanging with her best friend in her backyard. And while Naomi Marie’s father lives a few blocks away, Naomi Edith wonders how she’s supposed to get through each day a whole country apart from her mother.
When Naomi Marie’s mom and Naomi Edith’s dad get serious about dating, each girl tries to cling to the life she knows and loves. Then their parents push them into attending a class together, where they might just have to find a way to work with each other—and maybe even join forces to find new ways to define family.
We hope that our list of book series featuring black main characters would get your kids to enjoy reading. There’s nothing better than being represented in books, especially in a book that continues the stories, such as these chapter books do. These are perfect for the beginner reader, and those that can’t get enough of books. So check out my Amazon Storefront and get your kids’ book series collection started today.
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