Middle Grade

Gone Wolf

Award-winning author Amber McBride lays bare the fears of being young and Black in America, in this middle-grade novel that has been compared to the work of Jordan Peele and praised as “brilliantly inventive storytelling” by Publishers Weekly.

In the future, a Black girl known only as Inmate Eleven is kept confined — to be used as a biological match for the president’s son, should he fall ill. She is called a Blue — the color of sadness. She lives in a small-small room with her dog, who is going wolf more often – he’s pacing and imagining he’s free. Inmate Eleven wants to go wolf too—she wants to know why she feels so Blue and what is beyond her small-small room.

In the present, Imogen lives outside of Washington DC. The pandemic has distanced her from everyone but her mother and her therapist. Imogen has intense phobias and nightmares of confinement. Her two older brothers used to help her, but now she’s on her own, until a college student helps her see the difference between being Blue and sad, and Black and empowered.

In this symphony of a novel, award-winning author Amber McBride lays bare the fears of being young and Black in America, and empowers readers to remember their voices and stories are important, especially when they feel the need to go wolf.

Awards, Honors & Lists

• Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner
• Barnes & Noble Best New Books of the Year
• Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
• Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
• 2024 Best Fiction for Young Adults selection (YALSA)
• 2024 Bank Street Best Book of the Year
• Library of Congress Youth “Great Reads from Great Places” Pick
• Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Finalist 

“An especially timely read at a moment when Black history is being systematically erased in certain parts of our country.”—New York Times

“McBride has created a powerful parable that holds up a mirror to the horrors of slavery and the ways people become complicit — but can choose to resist — dehumanizing systems.” —Star Tribune

★ “Gone Wolf examines the ways in which both the COVID-19 pandemic and slavery’s ongoing legacy impact Black youth while also celebrating storytelling’s ability to heal and bring us together. There is nothing quite like it.” — BookPage, starred review

★ “Profound…the author employs brilliantly inventive storytelling as a tool through which the protagonists process their grief and find their people.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “McBride examines the beauty in Black resilience and the importance of building community. This novel is an integral addition to the children’s literary canon.” — Booklist, starred review

★ “A strong voice in the sci-fi genre, McBride presents a fascinating discussion of the inextricable bond between Black (Americans) and the blues.” — The Horn Book Magazine, starred review

★ “McBride’s multidimensional genius shines through, artfully exposing the reality that Black Americans have lived lifetimes of dystopias. She scrupulously guides the complicated storyline and hard histories with context, definitions, and word choices. Raw, incisive, and authentic.”
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★  “An impressive genre-bending puzzle…What seems to be dystopic terror is the reality of the Black experience; author and narrator embody the lifesaving validation of storytelling”
— School Library Journal, starred review

“McBride has created a fully realized work of science fiction that ends too soon, a novel that falls between the dystopian worldbuilding of The City of Ember and the impressively frightening mind of Jordan Peele.” — Shelf Awareness

“…will feel entirely relatable to kids who have just endured enough hardship to perhaps feel like they are in their own dystopia.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB)

Onyx & Beyond

Praised as “a story of perseverance and love” in a starred review by Kirkus, here is a story about keeping dreams alive.

Onyx lives with his mother, who is showing signs of early-onset dementia. He doesn’t want to bring attention to his home — if Child Protective Services finds out, they’ll put him into foster care.

As he’s trying to keep his life together, the Civil Rights Movement is accelerating. Is there anywhere that’s safe for a young Black boy? Maybe, if only Onyx can fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut and exploring space, where none of these challenges will follow him. In the meantime, Onyx can dream. And try to get his mom the help she needs.

Based on her own father’s story of growing up in the 1960s and facing the same challenge with his own mother, award winner Amber McBride delivers another affecting depiction of being young and Black in America.

Awards, Honors & Lists

• A Notable Verse Novel, National Council of Teachers of English

“Beautifully written, poignant, and inspiring” — Common Sense Media

★ “As readers follow Onyx in his endeavors to help his mother, they’re also given a glimpse into being a young Black boy who, for all his troubles in life, has just as many joyful moments with his family and friends. A story of perseverance and love.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “A beautifully told novel in verse about family and community.”  — School Library Journal, starred review

★”McBride delivers a welcome message about the might of hope and importance of community in this emotional yet encouraging story.” — Shelf Awareness, starred review

“Surreal descriptions of the protagonist’s inner thoughts…interspersed throughout add gentle magic to this perceptive interpretation of a child growing up with a caregiver navigating illness.” — Publishers Weekly

“[A] tender story…Onyx proves a resourceful, compassionate character whose village shows up for him and his mother and relieves him of the burdens that he has carried alone for too long.” — The Horn Book Magazine

“Fans of historical fiction will appreciate the thoughtfully used setting and tough topics, but the relationships and familial ties are where the story is strongest—showing that asking for help is never the wrong thing to do when you have a strong support system.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB)

“This novel in verse will pull at the heartstrings of young middle-grade readers.” — Booklist