10 books to buy for the young reader in your life

Cover to Betty before X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson. Image via Farrar. Strauss and Giroux, publishers.

Betty Before X

Betty Before X is a middle grade novel written about Betty Shabazz, wife of Malcolm X and mother to co-author Ilyasah Shabazz. With Renée Watson’s help, Ilyasah tells the story of who her mother was before Malcolm came into her life. While it won’t be out until January of 2018, it would still make a great, if slightly delayed, present.
Here’s Goodreads‘ summary:

"In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty’s house doesn’t quite feel like home. She believes her mother loves her, but she can’t shake the feeling that her mother doesn’t want her. Church helps those worries fade, if only for a little while. The singing, the preaching, the speeches from guest activists like Paul Robeson and Thurgood Marshall stir African Americans in her community to stand up for their rights. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League, an organization that supports black-owned businesses. Soon, the American civil rights icon we now know as Dr. Betty Shabazz is born. Collaborating with novelist Renée Watson, Ilyasah Shabazz illuminates four poignant years in her mother’s childhood, painting a beautiful and inspiring portrait of a girl overcoming the challenges of self-acceptance and belonging that will resonate with young readers today."

You can pick up a copy for the young reader in your life on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.