A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope

Gr 7 Up–A collection of short stories that features characters across the black diaspora and blends magical realism with issues affecting the black community. In “Gilded,” a girl gifted with healing and the ability to manipulate metal is forced to decide between buying her freedom from a corrupt slave owner and a boy who insists she use her magic to claim her freedom. A prickly hairdresser gets her hair done and her mind regulated by a master braider in “Tender-headed,” and in “Kiss the Sun,” soul-stealing fire spirits debate the benefits of being light or dark skinned. In other stories, a sorcerer’s apprentice partners with a dragon to stop the machinations of her corrupt mentor, a dethroned princess harnesses the power of a god she doesn’t believe in to reclaim her throne, and an actress deals with the perils of being a young black witch with a daytime television program. This book is a wonderful assortment of genre-bending narratives. The stories allow readers to view racism and gender conformity through the prism of science fiction and fantasy, and the collection infuses the genre with color and complexity.