CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

To print a CCBC booklist, click on a list below and then use your browser’s “Print” command.

< Back to booklist

Bright Red Fruit

by Safia Elhillo

CCBC Review:

In Samira Abdullahi’s tight-knit Sudanese American Muslim community, her unfounded reputation as a “bad girl” leads to a stifling life of rules imposed by her mother. She longs for the freedom to express herself and dreams of being a poet in New York City. When she’s grounded for the summer—except for her weekly poetry workshop—Samira takes refuge in an online poetry forum, where she begins communicating with a popular poet named Horus. Finally, here is a person with whom she can have real conversations. Flattered by his admiration of both her writing and physical appearance, she soaks up Horus’s attention and even writes him a love poem. Farrah, the instructor of Samira’s workshop, warns Samira that not only does Horus have a reputation for being untrustworthy, he’s also an adult. But Samira cannot—or won’t—give him up, even as he becomes more demanding of her time and attention both online and in person. It’s only when Horus steals Samira’s poem, attempting to pass it off as his own, that Samira dares to stand up to him and reaches out for support. Samira’s naivete and sense of isolation lend themselves to a believable and all-too-common form of manipulation and abuse, but this beautifully written verse novel ends in triumph as Samira repairs her relationship with her mother and stands in solidarity with other survivors. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range: Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Denial Expectations Mothers Muslim People Novels in Verse Sexual Assault and Rape Sudanese People Writers and Writing
Diversity subjects: Arab Black/African Muslim
On CCBC Booklist: Privacy Between the Pages: Selected Books for Older Children and Teens

Publishers: Random House, Make Me A World
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780593381205
CCBC Location: Fiction, Elhillo

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.

Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.