Liara Tamani

A tour-de-force collection of stories about the black experience, by award-winning, bestselling, and emerging African American YA authors. Black is...two sisters navigating their relationship at summer camp in Portland, Oregon, as written by Renée Watson.Black is…Jason Reynolds writing about three guys walking back from the community pool talking about nothing and everything.Black is…Nic Stone’s bougie debutante dating a boy her momma would never approve of.Black is…two girls kissing in Justina Ireland’s story set in Maryland.Black is urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more—because there are countless ways to be black enough. Edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, this is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it’s like to be young and black in America.

Sixteen-year-old Ebony Jones is devastated when her family moves from Houston to her grandmother's house in the country. There's absolutely nothing for Ebony in Alula Lake, Texas. So she thinks.Award-winning author Liara Tamani's What She Missed is a rich and emotional novel that celebrates change, nature, friendship, growing up, and love, for readers of Sarah Dessen's The Rest of the Story and Elizabeth Acevedo's Clap When You Land. When Ebony and her parents move from Houston, Texas, to her grandmother's house in a small lake town, Ebony is sure her life is doomed. And to make matters worse, the ghost of Ebony's beloved grandmother--a strong swimmer who tragically drowned in the lake--is everywhere. Alula Lake does offer one perk: reconnecting Ebony with her childhood friend, Jalen.But as Ebony settles into life, she finds herself drifting away from Jalen and gravitating to his older sister, Lena. Lena is chaotic, disorderly, and rebellious, yet she offers a reprieve for the anger and sadness Ebony feels about losing so much.An ode to nature, art, friendship, history, family, and love, this lyrical coming-of-age story explores one girl's summer of self-discovery as she reimagines the world and her place in it. What She Missed is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Nina LaCour, and Nicola Yoon.

"Tamani masterfully bounces and slams two hearts up and down a shrouded court of first love and revelations."--Rita Williams-Garcia, National Book Award Finalist and New York Times-bestselling author"A superb, complex romance full of heart, humor, and unforgettable characters."--Kirkus (starred review)A glance was all it took. That kind of connection, the immediate and raw understanding of another person, just doesn't come along very often. And as rising stars on their Texas high schools' respective basketball teams, destined for bright futures in college and beyond, it seems like a match made in heaven. But Carli and Rex have secrets. As do their families. Liara Tamani, the author of the acclaimed Calling My Name, follows two teenagers as they discover how first love, heartbreak, betrayal, and family can shape you--for better or for worse. A novel full of pain, joy, healing, and hope for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jenny Han."A beautifully poignant love letter: to a first love, to basketball, and to that enigmatic bunch we think we know best, only to discover we don't know at all--family. Tamani's latest is a bright shining star."--David Arnold, New York Times-bestselling author of Mosquitoland

"Tamani masterfully bounces and slams two hearts up and down a shrouded court of first love and revelations."--Rita Williams-Garcia, National Book Award Finalist and New York Times-bestselling author"A superb, complex romance full of heart, humor, and unforgettable characters."--Kirkus (starred review)A glance was all it took. That kind of connection, the immediate and raw understanding of another person, just doesn't come along very often. And as rising stars on their Texas high schools' respective basketball teams, destined for bright futures in college and beyond, it seems like a match made in heaven. But Carli and Rex have secrets. As do their families. Liara Tamani, the author of the acclaimed Calling My Name, follows two teenagers as they discover how first love, heartbreak, betrayal, and family can shape you--for better or for worse. A novel full of pain, joy, healing, and hope for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jenny Han."A beautifully poignant love letter: to a first love, to basketball, and to that enigmatic bunch we think we know best, only to discover we don't know at all--family. Tamani's latest is a bright shining star."--David Arnold, New York Times-bestselling author of Mosquitoland

"Calling My Name is a treasure."--Nic Stone, New York Times-bestselling author of Dear MartinCalling My Name is a striking, luminous, and literary exploration of family, spirituality, and self--ideal for readers of Jacqueline Woodson, Jandy Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Sandra Cisneros.This unforgettable novel tells a universal coming-of-age story about Taja Brown, a young African American girl growing up in Houston, Texas, and deftly and beautifully explores the universal struggles of growing up, battling family expectations, discovering a sense of self, and finding a unique voice and purpose.Told in fifty-three short, episodic, moving, and iridescent chapters, Calling My Name follows Taja on her journey from middle school to high school. Literary and noteworthy, this is a beauty of a novel that captures the multifaceted struggle of finding where you belong and why you matter.

"Calling My Name is a treasure."--Nic Stone, New York Times-bestselling author of Dear MartinCalling My Name is a striking, luminous, and literary exploration of family, spirituality, and self--ideal for readers of Jacqueline Woodson, Jandy Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Sandra Cisneros.This unforgettable novel tells a universal coming-of-age story about Taja Brown, a young African American girl growing up in Houston, Texas, and deftly and beautifully explores the universal struggles of growing up, battling family expectations, discovering a sense of self, and finding a unique voice and purpose.Told in fifty-three short, episodic, moving, and iridescent chapters, Calling My Name follows Taja on her journey from middle school to high school. Literary and noteworthy, this is a beauty of a novel that captures the multifaceted struggle of finding where you belong and why you matter.