Welcome to the second installment of Brampton Library’s Black History Month blog post series. This week I'm sharing two of my absolute favourite genres: fantasy and science fiction.

If you love entertaining reads, I highly recommend these titles. The storylines are captivating, a great get-away and they force you to tap into your imagination.

A few years ago, it was difficult to find fantasy or science fiction books that featured people of colour as main characters. More recently, there have been books that fill this gap. Part of these books are: Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliot, Jupiter Storm by Marti Dumas, Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Vol. 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. I have divided these books into kid-friendly and young adult categories. Continue reading below for a short description of each book.

KID FRIENDLY

1. Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott

This is an adventure-filled fantasy storybook with twists and an  . Adults will also find it enjoyable. Recommended for children ages 8-12.

2. Jupiter Storm by Marti Dumas

Jackie is a young, intelligent girl who is interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). She observes and nurtures a chrysalis that she found. The chrysalis surprisingly and unexpectedly hatches into a dragon, which she names Jupiter. Jackie’s parents are strict, so she hides her discovery from them as she decides whether to keep the dragon or to let it go. Recommended for children ages 8-10.

YOUNG ADULTS

3. Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Vol. 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

After the death of his sister Shuri, who was acting as Queen in his absence, T'Challa returns home, where he finds his people worried about the position of the country. The Black Panther is to battle a villain who refers to herself as a liberator for the people of Wakanda. Her goal is to dismantle the Wakandan monarchy to elevate the voice of the people. This book highlights themes of radical feminism, afro-futurism, and politics (monarchy vs. democracy). The story starts off quickly,the first few pages of the book throw you right into the current events and issues plaguing Wakanda. Recommended for ages 12 and over.

4. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

At the beginning of this book, we find out that Dana, the main character, has an amputated arm, which quickly captivates us. Hospital staff speculate that it was her husband who did it. She begins to tell them the story of her time travel back into the 1800’s during slavery. In this adventure, Dana gets to meet her great-grandmother Alice and her great-grandfather, slave-owner, Rufus. The story becomes increasingly interesting as we see Dana play a large role in her great-grandmother’s and great-grandfather’s life. Towards the end, we also learn how she loses her arm during her time-travel ventures. Recommended for ages 16 and over.

These books are bound to capture your attention. They are hard to put down! If any of these books interest you, place holds online to pick them up in your favourite branch. There are now eight Brampton Library branches open, so picking up a hold close to home is easier than ever - and you can return your books to any of our branches across the city!