We're currently five books into the six book Clubhouse Mystery series written by Sharon Draper and my son is obsessed. I wasn't sure how he'd take to these books - especially given their age (they're about 15 years old) - but he's taken with how "real life" they are. The series follows four Black boys with distinct personalities and families as they form a club and go on various adventures - from attending a space camp together to finding a young fawn and raising him until he's old enough to go to a local wildlife center. His favorite character is currently Ziggy, a charismatic and outgoing boy who is always putting together wacky outfits and eating odd food combinations, who he finds absolutely hilarious. I think his obsession with the realism is that so many of the books we read have some form of magic or preposterous situation, while my son can actually envision himself in the situations in these books.
Some of the books touch on slavery, in particular Lost in the Tunnel of Time (in which they boys stumble upon an old tunnel from the Underground Railroad). And I did find myself changing some of the words in Shadows of Caesar's Creek, in which the children learn about the Shawnee tribe, as some of the language was outdated. However, these books have been invaluable and I'm positive that my son will revisit them several times over the next few years.
BUY HERE (or, even better, request at your local library)
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