Books like Jamaica and Brianna by Juanita Havill

A young girl discovers a plush dog in the park and brings it home, learning about kindness, imagination, and the surprises that come with new friends.

Two fifteen‑year‑old girls—a slave and an indentured servant—escape a South Carolina plantation, journeying toward Fort Moses in Florida, a Spanish refuge for escaped slaves.

A book featuring a young boy who shares imaginative stories and is creative and mischievous.

Addy's journey to freedom teaches her about friendship and resilience in the aftermath of the American Civil War.

Addy, a young girl of African American heritage, discovers friendship and the power of a birthday in 1865 Philadelphia, facing racial prejudice.

When Addy and Harriet clash over fundraising for freed‑slave families, a tragedy forces them to reconcile and unite their efforts, illustrating the power of friendship and civic responsibility.

Jamaica Kincaid's brother Devon Drew died of AIDS on January 19, 1996, at the age of thirty-three. The youngest of four children, highly intelligent, well read, and a charming, handsome, and seductive personality, he had also been involved in a murder at the age of fourteen, adopted the manner of a Rastafarian, and been a heavy user of drugs. A dreamer who aroused both love and anger, he died painfully and alone in his mother's house. Jamaica Kincaid's incantatory, poetic, and shockingly frank recounting of her brother's story is also the story of her family on the island of Antigua, a constellation revolving around the powerful, sometimes threatening figure of the writer's mother. The unblinking investigation of a life that ended too early speaks volumes about the difficult truths at the heart of all families.

Set in 1938 Jamaica, sixteen‑year‑old Gloria Campbell escapes a violent betrayal to start a new life in Kingston, where love, political awakening, and the lure of a racketeer shape her journey of self‑realization.

A collection of eleven short stories that traces the Jamaican diaspora—from island communities to New York City and Midwest university towns—revealing culture, identity, and the ties that bind people across continents.

In fifth grade, Doris discovers a special friendship while navigating life in the Bronx.

A rhyming collection of poems that follows Zuri as she overcomes her anxieties about a new school year with the encouraging support of her free‑spirited best friend, Danitra.