In Blackout, six of YA's biggest superstars join forces to create a memorable collection of interlinked love stories that all unfold on one unforgettable New York City night.

Talented authors Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon have been crafting memorable novels and gaining deservedly passionate readerships for years. That makes this joint undertaking nothing less than a landmark publishing event for YA literature enthusiasts.

Jackson's story, "The Long Walk," serves as a framing narrative of sorts for the book, as it's split into five "acts" that alternate with the other contributors' stories. It's late afternoon on a sweltering summer day, and just as Tam realizes that she and her ex-boyfriend Kareem have mistakenly been offered the same internship at the historic Apollo Theater, the city is plunged into a widespread blackout. Tam and Kareem embark on an epic journey on foot from Harlem back home to Brooklyn, where the summer's most happening block party will kick off that evening.

Along the way, Kareem and Tam's story intersects with five other tales of love. In Stone's "Mask Off," two boys stuck on the same subway car feel torn about the last time their paths crossed, when both were in disguise. In Clayton's story, a girl in the iconic New York Public Library struggles to find the perfect book to express her romantic feelings. And in Thomas' "No Sleep 'til Brooklyn," set on a double-decker tour bus, a girl on a class trip from Mississippi gets valuable advice from a bus driver about charting her own course—which is exactly what he does, too, when he steers the bus to Brooklyn and to that same block party.

Not all of Blackout's stories are typical happily-ever-afters, but they're more interesting that way. Several leave just enough ambiguity to encourage healthy debate among readers. Spotting various characters' connections to one another will also keep readers engaged and entertained.

YA readers have been calling on traditional publishers to acquire and support more positive representations of Black teens. Readers in search of joyful stories of young Black love will adore Blackout.

Young Black love glows throughout this collaboration by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon, which follows six couples through a summer blackout in New York City. In a primary story arc, Tammi Wright is about to start her first day as the summer office assistant at the Apollo Theater's Harlem headquarters when she runs into ex-boyfriend Kareem Murphy, who, due to an admin- istrative error, is there for the same job. Just as they are about to find out who will receive the single opening, a blackout sweeps the city, causing chaos aboveground and under. As the two reluctantly walk together back to Bed-Stuy, where Kareem is set to DJ a party after dark, they navigate their history and their love for each other. Featured between each stage of their journey are connections—some gentle, some combative, all thrilling—that feature characters falling in or professing their love across the city's landmarks. As each teen makes their way home, this joyful collaboration brings a necessary elation to stories of Black love, queer love, and alternative forms of affection, all of which are all tenderly highlighted in these narratives. Ages 13–up. Agents: (for Clayton) Molly Ker Hawn, the Bent Agency; (for Jackson) Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary; (for Stone) Mollie Glick, CAA; (for Thomas) the Bent Agency; (for Woodfolk) Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker; (for Yoon) Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (June)

Gr 9 Up—A New York City blackout sets the stage for romance and self-realization in this compilation of intertwining stories by well-known Black YA authors: Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. Various friends and couples are on their way to a block party in Brooklyn when a blackout hits the city. Tammi is struggling as she and her ex-boyfriend Kareem arrive at an internship that they have each accepted, but there is only one spot. As they walk from Harlem to the party in Brooklyn, tales of their family and friends are interspersed as new relationships begin and others come to an end. Each story is told by a different writer, with Tammi and Kareem's story as the thread that binds them together. Hetero and queer couples are represented without "coming out" being the overall theme; the collection is ultimately about love and the journey to find it. Each of the authors is strong on their own, but together they are incredible. All characters are BIPOC. VERDICT A celebration of love in all its forms. A must-have for all young adult collections.—Ashley Leffel, Griffin M.S., Frisco, TX