Celebrate the release of That Girl Won't Die with Jumata Emill!

EVENT DEETS

When: Tuesday, January 19 @ 7PM CST

Where: Kindred Stories (2310 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004)

How: 

• RSVP ONLY to reserve your seat.

• RSVP WITH BOOK to reserve your seat and purchase a copy That Girl Won't Die, supporting both the author and our store programming. The book will be available for pickup at the event.

Please Note: Copies of That Girl Won't Die purchased from other retailers are not permitted in the bookstore and are not eligible for the signing or photo line. To participate in the signing and photo opportunity, you must purchase a copy from Kindred Stories. If you already purchased your book from Kindred Stories, you may select the RSVP Only ticket option and bring your Kindred Stories copy to the event.

If you purchase a ticket and are unable to attend the event, your ticket is non-refundable. If your ticket includes a book, an email will be sent to all attendees before and after the event with instructions on how to receive your book. Books must be claimed within 14 days following the event. If your book is not retrieved it will be returned to the publisher and will not be available for pick up in the future.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A new student arrives at Prentiss Everton Academy, a renowned boarding school attended by America's Black elite, bearing a striking resemblance to its previous Queen Bee—who mysteriously died the year before—in this juicy thriller filled with lies, wealth and murder for fans of Gossip Girl.

THIS CASE ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE...AND NEITHER IS SHE.

Kennedy Churchwell has decided that her senior year at Prentiss Everton Academy is going to be her best. After the accidental death of her classmate and ex–best friend Whitney Templeton last semester, she’s taken her rightful place at the top of her school’s social pyramid. Whitney was the Academy’s queen bee, but now she’s gone. And she’s never coming back.

But when new student Tessa Edmond shows up on move-in day bearing a striking resemblance to Whitney, all Kennedy’s best-laid plans go out the window.

Did Whitney have a secret twin? All of campus is talking, but no one knows the truth.

Tessa is keeping a secret: She isn't who she says she is. 

Neither is Kennedy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jumata Emill is a journalist who has covered crime and local politics in Mississippi and parts of Louisiana. He earned his BA in mass communications from Southern University and A&M College. When he’s not writing about murderous teens, he’s watching and obsessively tweeting about every franchise of the Real Housewives. Jumata lives in Houston, TX, and is the author of four novels: The Black Queen, Wander in the Dark, I Don't Wish You Well, and That Girl Won't Die.

ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER

N.E. Davenport is the author of Our Vicious Oaths, the Blood Gift duology, and the YA novels Out of Body and Love Spells Trouble (as Nia Davenport). When she isn’t writing, she enjoys vacationing with her family, skiing, and being a huge foodie.

*Use discount code SALE at checkout for 30% *

This beloved poem by Langston Hughes, illustrated by the award-winning Sean Qualls, is an irresistible celebration of the love between mother and baby, now available in board book format.

“My little dark baby, / My little earth-thing, / My little love-one, / What shall I sing / For your lullaby?" With gracefully chosen words as smooth as a song, the poet Langston Hughes celebrates the love between an African American mother and her baby. Award-winning illustrator Sean Qualls’s painted and collaged artwork captures universally powerful maternal moments with tenderness and whimsy. Like little love-ones, this beautiful book is a treasure. Now in board book format.

A little Black boy finds the courage to go after his dreams in this empowering and inspirational picture book by actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Sandman) with actor Larry Fields.

With vivid, dimensional illustrations by Paul Davey, this encouraging and hopeful picture book celebrates the joy of being a little Black boy and their bright futures.

Fascinated by marine wildlife, a little Black boy dreams of one day swimming in the ocean alongside all the creatures that make it their home. It will take courage to move from the safety of the swimming pool to the vastness of the ocean, but as he begins his journey of discovery, he soon finds there’s nothing he can’t do. He realizes if he cares about the animals in the ocean, he must also care about their home and sets out to preserve the beaches he loves by picking up trash. This little boy is determined not only to reach his dream of becoming a marine biologist, but to make a difference in the world and to share his passion of environmental conservation with everyone.

Little Black Boy, Oh the things you will do.
Has anyone mentioned the world’s open to you?

*Paperback Release Date -02/02/27*

A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this gripping debut novel.

In the wake of her grandmother's passing, Sydney Singleton finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks more like Sydney than her own sister or mother. She soon discovers the mystery girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. For the last several decades, not a soul has talked about Carol or what really happened to her. But now, with her grandmother gone and Sydney looking to start a family of her own, she is determined to unravel the truth behind her long-lost aunt’s disappearance, and the sinister silence that surrounds her.

Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Sydney: Years earlier, while she worked the crime beat as a journalist, her obsession with the case of another missing girl led to a psychotic break. And now, in the suffocating grip of fertility treatments and a marriage that's beginning to crumble, Sydney’s relentless pursuit for answers might just lead her down the same path of self-destruction. As she delves deeper into Carol's fate, her own troubled past reemerges, clawing its way to the surface with a vengeance. The web of secrets and lies entangling her family leaves Sydney questioning everything—her fixation on the missing girls, her future as a mom, and her trust in those she knows and loves.

Delving into family, community, secrets, and motherhood, We Don’t Talk About Carol is a gripping and deeply emotional story about overcoming the rot at the roots of our family trees—and what we’ll do for those we love.

*Ships in 7-10 Business Days*

An empowering debut picture book from iconic voting rights advocate and #1 New York Times bestselling author, Stacey Abrams, about a little girl who discovers the power of words after competing in a spelling bee—inspired by Stacey’s own childhood.

Stacey is a little girl who loves words more than anything. She loves reading them, sounding them out, and finding comfort in them when things are hard. 

But when her teacher chooses her to compete in the local spelling bee, she isn’t as excited as she thought she’d be. What if she messes up? Or worse, if she can’t bring herself to speak up, like sometimes happens when facing bullies at school? 

Stacey will learn that win or lose . . her words are powerful, and sometimes perseverance is the most important word of all. 

Tell your littlest unicorn just how unique, divine, and magical they are with this book of affirmations! And celebrate their inner unicorn with the first board book in the Afro Unicorn line. There is no one quite like you! You are a very special unicorn. You are an Afro Unicorn! This empowering board book is the latest installment from the Afro Unicorn line of books, which features stories about Black and Brown unicorns embracing their outer beauty and inner abilities. When Afro Unicorn creator April Showers realized that her favorite emoji—the unicorn!—was only available in white, she was inspired to create a more inclusive brand for children of color to celebrate how magical, unique, and divine they truly are. Don’t miss the other books in the Afro Unicorn series— A Magical Day We Are Afro Unicorns Divine Makes a Splash You are a Unicorn

This inspiring photographic board book celebrating Juneteenth is from the ALA Stonewall Award–winning team Little Feminist team

Freedom feels like hugs and kisses, unity, strength and pride.
Freedom feels like a million steps forward―together with every stride.

From award-winning indie publisher Little Feminist Press comes an engaging board book celebrating Juneteenth and its powerful history. Bursting with beautiful, community-sourced photographs, this board book features powerful images of Black joy, allyship from all demographics, and the many ways people can celebrate this important American holiday.

Showcasing real families and communities, young readers will see festivities and merriment in action as kids, their adoring adult caretakers, and their neighbors share stories, prepare meals, listen, hug, dance, show kindness, demonstrate bravery, and step in to help their families and communities.

The book also includes family discussion questions and a note for grown-ups on how to use this book with young children.

A colorful collection of pocket-sized affirmations, doodles, and heartfelt reminders to help you navigate the daily ups and downs of life on this floating rock.

Liz Karcewski, the illustrator behind the beloved Instagram account @lizpop_art, has become a bright spot on the internet for hundreds of thousands of folks by sharing her colorful doodles and comforting messages. In Little Doodles for Big Feelings, she brings together fan-favorite drawings alongside never-before-seen art, paired with uplifting reminders of how loved and important we all are. Liz and her whimsical characters offer gentle wisdom about self-love, connection, and finding joy in everyday moments. Pocket-sized and full of heart, this book is the perfect pick-me-up for anyone who needs a little extra positivity.

100 illustrations

Celebrate the final installment of Attica Locke's Highway 59 Series, Guide Me Home! 

EVENT DEETS

When: Wednesday, September 11, 2024 @ 7 PM

Where: Holy Family HTX (3719 Navigation Blvd, HTX, 77004) 

How: RSVP ONLY to reserve your seat or RSVP WITH BOOK to support Attica Locke and the bookstore! 

ABOUT THE BOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Attica Locke is a NY Times best-selling author of six novels, including Guide Me Home.  She is also a winner of an Edgar Award and the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and she has been short listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and nominated for an LA Times Book Prize and an NAACP Image award for her work as a novelist. Locke is also a screenwriter and TV producer, with credits that include Empire, When They See Us and the Emmy-nominated Little Fires Everywhere, for which she won an NAACP Image award for television writing. She co-created and executive produced an adaptation of her sister Tembi Locke’s memoir From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home for Netflix. A native of Houston, Texas, Attica lives in Los Angeles, California

ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER

Critically acclaimed author Tonya Bolden teams up with award‑winning illustrator Eric Velasquez to create Beautiful Moon: A Child’s Prayer, a richly painted and emotionally complex picture book that celebrates prayer and kindness while recognizing the diversity of the world around us.

A young boy wakes. He has forgotten to say his prayers. Outside his window, a beautiful harvest moon illuminates the city around him and its many inhabitants. As the moon slowly makes its way across the heavens, the boy offers a simple prayer for the homeless, the hungry, and others.

“The book offers young readers plenty to look at, along with a simple message about the way prayer unites everyone, as the multicultural subjects in Velasquez’s gorgeous illustrations make clear.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“The diverse people sharing the night, the realistic dilemmas of the people in need, and the handsome presentation should serve well as bedtime reading for families practicing daily prayer.” —School Library Journal