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Freedom Fire: Black Girl Power: 15 Stories Celebrating Black Girlhood
A vibrant, heartwarming collection of 15 middle grade stories and poems that celebrates the joy, strength, and experience of Black girlhood, including stories from Ibi Zoboi, Sharon M. Draper, and Leah Johnson, as well as cover art from Caldecott winner Vashti Harrison.
Black girl power is…
Bringing your favorite stuffed animal to your first real sleepover. . .
Escaping an eerie dollhouse that’s got you trapped inside. . .
Making new friends one magical baked good at a time. . .
Finding the courage to dance to the beat of your own drum. . .
And more! From 15 legendary Black women authors comes a dazzling collection of stories and poems about the power we find in the everyday and the beauty of Black girlhood.
Contributors Amerie, Kalynn Bayron, Roseanne A. Brown, Elise Bryant, Dhonielle Clayton, Natasha Diaz, Sharon M. Draper, Sharon Flake, Leah Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Janae Marks, Tolá Okogwu, Karen Strong, Renée Watson, and Ibi Zoboi
Black girl power is…
Bringing your favorite stuffed animal to your first real sleepover. . .
Escaping an eerie dollhouse that’s got you trapped inside. . .
Making new friends one magical baked good at a time. . .
Finding the courage to dance to the beat of your own drum. . .
And more! From 15 legendary Black women authors comes a dazzling collection of stories and poems about the power we find in the everyday and the beauty of Black girlhood.
Contributors Amerie, Kalynn Bayron, Roseanne A. Brown, Elise Bryant, Dhonielle Clayton, Natasha Diaz, Sharon M. Draper, Sharon Flake, Leah Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Janae Marks, Tolá Okogwu, Karen Strong, Renée Watson, and Ibi Zoboi
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 12, 2024
7 people are currently reading
563 people want to read
About the author
Leah Johnson
9 books1,562 followersLeah Johnson (she/her) is an eternal midwesterner and author of award-winning books for children and young adults. Her bestselling debut YA novel, You Should See Me in a Crown, was a Stonewall Honor Book, the inaugural Reese's Book Club YA pick, and in 2021, named by TIME as one of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade novel, Ellie Engle Saves Herself, and the editor of the USA Today bestselling anthology, Black Girl Power. When she’s not writing, you can find her at Loudmouth Books, her Indianapolis-based independent bookstore that specializes in highlighting the work of marginalized authors and uplifting banned or challenged books.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 20, 2025
Normally, when I read a collection of short stories, I'm always disappointed by a few in the collection. This was not the case with this collection. Every single story touched on an aspect of life that many people could relate to, no matter if they're Black or not.
I walked away from each story, wanting to stay in the world that was created just a little bit longer.
I definitely plan to check out more from some of these authors, and I will revisit this book again in the future.
I walked away from each story, wanting to stay in the world that was created just a little bit longer.
I definitely plan to check out more from some of these authors, and I will revisit this book again in the future.
October 28, 2024
~ ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for my honest opinion ~
This is definitely one of those books I wish I had growing up. Just the confidence and power these characters either have or develop is what all young girls should be reading about.
I could have read a book on each of these stories, that’s rare with anthologies. Just empowering and beautiful.
This is definitely one of those books I wish I had growing up. Just the confidence and power these characters either have or develop is what all young girls should be reading about.
I could have read a book on each of these stories, that’s rare with anthologies. Just empowering and beautiful.
November 25, 2024
The last story was my favorite by Leah Johnson- but I always love Renee Watson and hers did NOT disappoint.
June 27, 2025
Such a beautiful, powerful anthology! I loved reading stories by favorite authors and discovering new ones too. A few even made me tear up. 😉
Definitely worth the read! 💜
CW: magic, bullying, medical details. A character has two moms and another is married to a woman. A girl wonders if she has a crush on another girl.
Definitely worth the read! 💜
CW: magic, bullying, medical details. A character has two moms and another is married to a woman. A girl wonders if she has a crush on another girl.
February 9, 2025
This book SPARKLED and brought joy to my day ✨
Fun fresh empowering stories: vampires and opera singing and the magic/dream/floating community and the ritual healing and the mookie & cookie twins - I adored every chapter!
Fun fresh empowering stories: vampires and opera singing and the magic/dream/floating community and the ritual healing and the mookie & cookie twins - I adored every chapter!
April 29, 2025
4.5 stars
July 25, 2025
A good book with inspiring stories.
Great authors - a pleasure to read.
Great authors - a pleasure to read.
August 17, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus\
This had such a good variety of stories that I am going to try to give very brief synopses of each one, along with the middle grade books that the authors have written. I love short story collections for introducing my students to new authors!
In Elise Bryant's New Rules, Maya is anxious about starting middle school, especially without her best friend, Coral, who seems to understand how everyone is supposed to act at this new educational level. After meeting the equally nervous Taylor, she realizes that everyone is a bit unsure of themselves. As I tell my middle school students frequently, "No one is looking at you! They're too worried about themselves."
Dhonielle Clayton (The Marvellers) spins a magical tale set in New Orleans, First Bite, about Bird, who is supposed to help her sisters trap humans in order to fill the blood bank. When she runs away from them, she meets a human, Cameron, and helps him get back to his grandmother without getting eaten.
Natasha Diaz's One of Those Days follows Zetta as she spends one last day in Harlem before her mother moves her away. Or is it a dream?
Tọlá Okogwu (Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun) writes about a girl who would like to sing opera, but it's not in her Ghanian immigrant parents' plans for her in An Aria for Abi. When Abi can't try out for the school opera production because she's promised her mother she won't miss track practice, her sister Jola covers for her, because she knows what it is like to give up something she loves to make her parents happy.
Sharon M. Draper's Last Chocolate Cookie is a devastatingly sad tale of Cookie, who has a great day with her twin brother, Mookie, racing bikes and being outside with friends, until is ends in tragedy. And yes, we should all wear out bike helmets EVERY TIME we get on a bike. (Blended, Stella by Starlight, many others.)
Roseanne A. Brown (Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting) takes us to Marcia Marmalade's School of Confectionery Magic in Créme de la Créme, where we meet Abby, who has gotten into trouble for blowing up a tower of macarons. The school is full of very rich students, but because Abby wanted to attend so badly, her mother took a job in the cafeteria to help with tuition. Classmate Celeste bullies other students, and when Abby's mother steps in, Celeste targets her.
Janae Marks' (From the Desk of Zoe Washington, A Soft Place to Land) Convention Girl follows Aria as she is helping her mother and sister Jade run their booth at the Natural Brand Expo. She's still hurting because her best friend Charlotte isn't talking to her since she won the science fair, but running into her idol, a STEM activist, gives her the boost she needs to believe in herself again.
Black Girl, Be by Renée Watson reminded me that she also worked on the poetry book Black Girl, You Are Atlas, along with prose titles like Some Places More Than Other. Her poems talks about all the different ways that Black girls can unapologeticallyl be a wide variety of their authentic selves.
Amerie's The House Downstairs is a rather creepy look at two girls who move into their aunt's Victorian house with their mother after their parents divorce and her father stays in Los Angeles with their halmeoni and harabeoji. Sunday and Rose start to travel into the house in their dreams, but when their mother gets stuck there, they have to help her, along with Zora and her family, escape.
Sharon Flake (Pinned) takes a look at Amore, who was elected president of her class even though she didn't really want the position in Fake President. After making the principal angry by promising her classmates a trip to an amusement park, Amore and her friend Happy manage to pull off a Seventh Grade Fun Day.
In The Witch in Apartment 2B by Karen Strong (Eden's Everdark, Just South of Home) introduces us to Cherry, who is being bullied by girls in her class. She seeks help from Miss Alice, a neighbor whom she believes to be a witch. Miss Alice gives her two ordinary tea bags to steep and drink, as well as the mantra "I am worthy and deserve to be protected from harm." Will this be enough to encourage her to speak up against the girls giving her a hard time? And is it really magic?
The subject of Black hair care is front and center in Kalyn Bayron's (The Vanquishers) Auntie Ro. While Janelle's father does a decent job of styling her hair, as she gets older, she wants different styles. Neighbor Ro works with her to teach her different ways to do her hair, encouraging her to stick up for herself and to find her own community of women.
Kekla Magoon (The Secret Library, The Season of Styx Malone) unpacks the fun and trauma of staying overnight with friends in The Sleepover. It's Cordie's first, and she's meeting new people. There are quizzes, discussions of crushes, pizza, and somewhat cruel fashion makeovers, but when it is discovered that she's brought a favorite stuffed animal with her, everyone admits that they have one too, even if they weren't brave enough to bring it.
Rice & Beans, Rhythm and Beats by Ibi Zoboi (My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich) introduces us to several girls at Clover Middle School. Beatrice is afraid to eat her Haitian food in the cafeteria until she meets Soraya, who is not going to let anyone stand in the way of her enjoying her Trinidadian fare. The two also become friends with Esther, from Ghana, and Nneka, who has a Nigerian background. The four argue about which culture's rice dish is best, and decide to try out for the school step team even though some of the girls on it seem mean.
Finally, in Leah Johnson's (Ellie Engle Saves Herself) Brave, we meet Billie, who is a scrappy ten year old hockey player who is having a lot of nose bleeds and excessive bruising. After her teacher alerts her parents, she is diagnosed with ITP, Immune thrombocytopenia, a condition that requires transfusions on globulin for a year, which means that she won't be able to play hockey. She throws a fit about this, and is ready to refuse treatment until Maggie, who is getting chemo for leukemia, convinces her otherwise.
The end of the book has nice biographies of all of the authors, along with their pictures, which will help readers who liked particular stories find other titles to pick up!
This had such a good variety of stories that I am going to try to give very brief synopses of each one, along with the middle grade books that the authors have written. I love short story collections for introducing my students to new authors!
In Elise Bryant's New Rules, Maya is anxious about starting middle school, especially without her best friend, Coral, who seems to understand how everyone is supposed to act at this new educational level. After meeting the equally nervous Taylor, she realizes that everyone is a bit unsure of themselves. As I tell my middle school students frequently, "No one is looking at you! They're too worried about themselves."
Dhonielle Clayton (The Marvellers) spins a magical tale set in New Orleans, First Bite, about Bird, who is supposed to help her sisters trap humans in order to fill the blood bank. When she runs away from them, she meets a human, Cameron, and helps him get back to his grandmother without getting eaten.
Natasha Diaz's One of Those Days follows Zetta as she spends one last day in Harlem before her mother moves her away. Or is it a dream?
Tọlá Okogwu (Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun) writes about a girl who would like to sing opera, but it's not in her Ghanian immigrant parents' plans for her in An Aria for Abi. When Abi can't try out for the school opera production because she's promised her mother she won't miss track practice, her sister Jola covers for her, because she knows what it is like to give up something she loves to make her parents happy.
Sharon M. Draper's Last Chocolate Cookie is a devastatingly sad tale of Cookie, who has a great day with her twin brother, Mookie, racing bikes and being outside with friends, until is ends in tragedy. And yes, we should all wear out bike helmets EVERY TIME we get on a bike. (Blended, Stella by Starlight, many others.)
Roseanne A. Brown (Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting) takes us to Marcia Marmalade's School of Confectionery Magic in Créme de la Créme, where we meet Abby, who has gotten into trouble for blowing up a tower of macarons. The school is full of very rich students, but because Abby wanted to attend so badly, her mother took a job in the cafeteria to help with tuition. Classmate Celeste bullies other students, and when Abby's mother steps in, Celeste targets her.
Janae Marks' (From the Desk of Zoe Washington, A Soft Place to Land) Convention Girl follows Aria as she is helping her mother and sister Jade run their booth at the Natural Brand Expo. She's still hurting because her best friend Charlotte isn't talking to her since she won the science fair, but running into her idol, a STEM activist, gives her the boost she needs to believe in herself again.
Black Girl, Be by Renée Watson reminded me that she also worked on the poetry book Black Girl, You Are Atlas, along with prose titles like Some Places More Than Other. Her poems talks about all the different ways that Black girls can unapologeticallyl be a wide variety of their authentic selves.
Amerie's The House Downstairs is a rather creepy look at two girls who move into their aunt's Victorian house with their mother after their parents divorce and her father stays in Los Angeles with their halmeoni and harabeoji. Sunday and Rose start to travel into the house in their dreams, but when their mother gets stuck there, they have to help her, along with Zora and her family, escape.
Sharon Flake (Pinned) takes a look at Amore, who was elected president of her class even though she didn't really want the position in Fake President. After making the principal angry by promising her classmates a trip to an amusement park, Amore and her friend Happy manage to pull off a Seventh Grade Fun Day.
In The Witch in Apartment 2B by Karen Strong (Eden's Everdark, Just South of Home) introduces us to Cherry, who is being bullied by girls in her class. She seeks help from Miss Alice, a neighbor whom she believes to be a witch. Miss Alice gives her two ordinary tea bags to steep and drink, as well as the mantra "I am worthy and deserve to be protected from harm." Will this be enough to encourage her to speak up against the girls giving her a hard time? And is it really magic?
The subject of Black hair care is front and center in Kalyn Bayron's (The Vanquishers) Auntie Ro. While Janelle's father does a decent job of styling her hair, as she gets older, she wants different styles. Neighbor Ro works with her to teach her different ways to do her hair, encouraging her to stick up for herself and to find her own community of women.
Kekla Magoon (The Secret Library, The Season of Styx Malone) unpacks the fun and trauma of staying overnight with friends in The Sleepover. It's Cordie's first, and she's meeting new people. There are quizzes, discussions of crushes, pizza, and somewhat cruel fashion makeovers, but when it is discovered that she's brought a favorite stuffed animal with her, everyone admits that they have one too, even if they weren't brave enough to bring it.
Rice & Beans, Rhythm and Beats by Ibi Zoboi (My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich) introduces us to several girls at Clover Middle School. Beatrice is afraid to eat her Haitian food in the cafeteria until she meets Soraya, who is not going to let anyone stand in the way of her enjoying her Trinidadian fare. The two also become friends with Esther, from Ghana, and Nneka, who has a Nigerian background. The four argue about which culture's rice dish is best, and decide to try out for the school step team even though some of the girls on it seem mean.
Finally, in Leah Johnson's (Ellie Engle Saves Herself) Brave, we meet Billie, who is a scrappy ten year old hockey player who is having a lot of nose bleeds and excessive bruising. After her teacher alerts her parents, she is diagnosed with ITP, Immune thrombocytopenia, a condition that requires transfusions on globulin for a year, which means that she won't be able to play hockey. She throws a fit about this, and is ready to refuse treatment until Maggie, who is getting chemo for leukemia, convinces her otherwise.
The end of the book has nice biographies of all of the authors, along with their pictures, which will help readers who liked particular stories find other titles to pick up!
March 17, 2025
This was the second anthology I’ve read but the first I’ve enjoyed. Although I’m reading this as an adult, it’s something I would proudly give to my younger cousin (middle school aged) because it speaks a lot on self confidence, kindness, authenticity and beauty.
January 18, 2025
It was not mentioned, but I believe this is like a companion or parallel anthology to Black Boy Joy. If that is true then I prefer the set-up of Black Boy Joy, because the short stories were more interconnected to each other or they were connected. These stories did not connect to each other. I thought Kwame Mbalia's introduction had potential, but it didn't really do anything. His introduction was more of a hype man for Leah Johnson's introduction, but my question would be why does Leah Johnson's introduction need an introduction? I will say Kwame Mbalia's introduction did give a definition of power, which "...is the ability to control the narrative" (Johnson, 2024). That was interesting, because I haven't really given thought on how to define power. As I am writing this, I think of power as an "oomph". It something that propels something else whether in a physical or metaphorical sense.
In terms of the short stories, I want to highlight some of the stories. I really enjoyed Tola Okogwu's An Aria for Abi! I would love of it, if this was a full-length novel, because I wanted more! This short story I can see as a chapter or two of a larger book. Amerie's The House Downstairs was SO creepy! It was creative and interesting, but it was frightening! Kalynn Bayron's Auntie Ro reminded me of a combination of Hair Love and Stella's Stellar Hair. Rice & Beans, Rhythm & Beats by Ibi Zoboi was sweet. Leah Johnson's Brave was bittersweet and I really wanted to know what happen to Maggie. I think I do based on her described body language, but I am not certain.
Verdict: I think this was an interesting collection. I will admit that I skipped one of the short stories (First Bite), because I did not want to read about vampires. Not every story had LGBTQ+ representation, but there were a few stories that did. My favorite story had to be An Aria for Abi!
In terms of the short stories, I want to highlight some of the stories. I really enjoyed Tola Okogwu's An Aria for Abi! I would love of it, if this was a full-length novel, because I wanted more! This short story I can see as a chapter or two of a larger book. Amerie's The House Downstairs was SO creepy! It was creative and interesting, but it was frightening! Kalynn Bayron's Auntie Ro reminded me of a combination of Hair Love and Stella's Stellar Hair. Rice & Beans, Rhythm & Beats by Ibi Zoboi was sweet. Leah Johnson's Brave was bittersweet and I really wanted to know what happen to Maggie. I think I do based on her described body language, but I am not certain.
Verdict: I think this was an interesting collection. I will admit that I skipped one of the short stories (First Bite), because I did not want to read about vampires. Not every story had LGBTQ+ representation, but there were a few stories that did. My favorite story had to be An Aria for Abi!
February 16, 2025
This book made me feel so seen and loved. The stories were powerful and adorable and some really hit hard. My favorites in the bunch were:
The Last Chocolate Cookie- Sharon M Draper
Crème de la Crème- Rosanne a Brown
Black girl, Be- Renée Watson
The Witch In Apartment 2B- Karen Strong
Auntie Ro- Kalynn Bayron (my favorite)
Brave- Leah Johnson
These stories ranged from learning to embrace yourself to standing up for what’s right. I loved the more contemporary stories. This was such a sweet anthology and I’d love to read more of these!
The Last Chocolate Cookie- Sharon M Draper
Crème de la Crème- Rosanne a Brown
Black girl, Be- Renée Watson
The Witch In Apartment 2B- Karen Strong
Auntie Ro- Kalynn Bayron (my favorite)
Brave- Leah Johnson
These stories ranged from learning to embrace yourself to standing up for what’s right. I loved the more contemporary stories. This was such a sweet anthology and I’d love to read more of these!
March 14, 2025
This is such a beautiful collection! A lot of times with anthologies there are some stories I don't like as much as others, but I really enjoyed each and every one of them.
I love Leah Johnson, so this was always going to be an auto-read for me, but the other featured authors also include some favorites- Renee Watson, Janae Marks, Ibi Zoboi- as well as some new faves, too! I think Auntie Ro was my absolute favorite- it reminded me a bit of Hair Love- but some of my other top faves were Rice & Beans, Rhythm & Beats; Brave; and The Last Chocolate Cookie.
I love Leah Johnson, so this was always going to be an auto-read for me, but the other featured authors also include some favorites- Renee Watson, Janae Marks, Ibi Zoboi- as well as some new faves, too! I think Auntie Ro was my absolute favorite- it reminded me a bit of Hair Love- but some of my other top faves were Rice & Beans, Rhythm & Beats; Brave; and The Last Chocolate Cookie.
April 6, 2025
This book is a collection of short stories, most of them contemporary although it does include a handful of fantastical or magical realist entries. I do not read many collections like this so I do not have a reference point. However, I really enjoyed the vast majority of the entires in this collection written by some incredibly talented authors, only a handful of whom I had not read from before but hope to rectify that soon. I loved how each author created these diverse, strong girls, powerful in their own unique ways. I highly recommend this collection.
November 9, 2024
A sweet collection of short stories featuring Black girl empowerment, there is a range of story categories based on the range of the authors contributing to it. It works together well and does what it sets out to do.
My favorites included the contemplative "Black Girl, Be" by Watson, the sad "The Last Chocolate Cookie" by Draper, and the celebration of Black hair and mentorship with Bayron's "Auntie Ro".
My favorites included the contemplative "Black Girl, Be" by Watson, the sad "The Last Chocolate Cookie" by Draper, and the celebration of Black hair and mentorship with Bayron's "Auntie Ro".
January 23, 2025
Black Girl Power edited by Leah Johnson is a fantastic collection of stories by Black women. We have needed this! I plan to use it in a short story class for teens this spring and potentially in a class for adults interested in writing for younger readers. Not only are there some strong stories in this collection, it's a wonderful way to show that one story can not (should not!) represent "the" experience of any group of people.
November 7, 2024
This collection of short stories by Black female authors offers a little bit of everything. I personally find it jarring to switch between genres when I read story collections, but young readers should find at least one story that resonates with them. This is a solid collection of short stories for upper elementary school readers. ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.
November 6, 2025
4.5 rounded up because it had queer representation.
I didn't realize this was middle grade when I picked it up (I got it because I knew Kalynn Bayron had a story in it) so I was delighted by how dang SWEET all of these stories are. I'm so glad this collection exists for little Black girls everywhere.
I didn't realize this was middle grade when I picked it up (I got it because I knew Kalynn Bayron had a story in it) so I was delighted by how dang SWEET all of these stories are. I'm so glad this collection exists for little Black girls everywhere.
December 14, 2024
Such a fun mix of stories. Reads very young middle grade. Far and away fav was Amerie’s The House Downstairs - very creepy!
March 19, 2025
Stories featuring black girls written by some of today’s most popular authors on a wide-range of topics from sleepovers to rice dishes to family and found family. Something for everyone!
May 25, 2025
Where was this collection when I was in elementary school? Way more relatable than Judy Blume.
June 18, 2025
Some good some bad
November 24, 2025
I am not, never have been and never will be, a Black girl. Hell, I haven't even identified as Female since 2020. That said, Black Girl Power was a wonderful anthology. I really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews