Mariama J. Lockington Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Poetry Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Mariama J. Lockington is a published American author, educator, and adoptee.

The author has been in the practice of telling her own stories ever since she was young in second grade, making her own unique books. That was back when she wore short overalls and flower leggings to school on a daily basis.

Her book For Black Girls Like Me debuted in 2019. It was received very well, earning itself several five star reviews and was featured as a Best Kids’ Book of 2019 by the Today Show.

She would follow this book up with another book aimed for middle school readers, In the Key of Us. The book was featured in the New York Times and won a Stonewall Honor Award. Lockington also penned Forever is Now, a novel for young adults. It won the 2024 Schneider Family Teen Book Award.

Her writing and her poetry in particular has been featured in different journals and magazines. These include the Buzzfeed News Reader, Prelude Magazine, and Bodega Magazine. She also wrote The Lucky Daughter, a 2016 poetry chapbook.

Mariama is an alum of the bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She is also an Alum of Voices of Our Nation Arts and a Literary Death Match Champion.

The author attended Lesley University, graduating with her Masters degree in Education. She also attended San Francisco State University and graduated with her Masters in Fine Arts in the subject of poetry.

Mariama is married to her wife. She resides with her in Kentucky where they share their home with their dog Henry and a ton of plants.

For Black Girls Like Me is the first book to come out from author Mariama J. Lockington. If you are a younger reader or just want to check out the debut book from this author, get a copy and see where this story takes you!

The main character in this story is a young girl named Makeda June Kirkland. The girl is eleven years old and even though she knows who she is, sometimes she just feels like one big mystery, like a question mark just sitting there.

She is young, black, and adopted. She is different from her family in that her older sister and her parents are white. Even though she really cares about her family, Makeda cannot help but that she is frequently excluded from things.

Then her family decides that it’s time to move from their home in Maryland to go live in New Mexico. Just like that she is forced to leave behind everything that she knows to go live a new life. That includes her closest friend, Lena, who is also black and adopted. Everything is changing just like that, and Makeda doesn’t know if she is going to be happy at this new place.

Once they arrive in New Mexico, Makeda sees for herself that it’s all really different. Now her sister doesn’t want to spend time with her anymore because she thinks she’s too cool when they’re both home. She does not seem to be able to track down one friend who can be real to her.

Makeda starts to wonder what it would be like to be able to have a family that she can grow up with that looks like her. It’s not something that she specifically is hurt about, but it is something that she thinks about and wonders whether it would be more comforting, in a way.

Makeda still does have a piece of her old life in her friendship with Lena. They are able to send each other secret messages and sing and dream together. Through her relationship with her friend, she might be able to find her own safe place in the world. Will it be enough? Will she talk to her family about how she is feeling and be pleasantly surprised by how they respond? Read this book from Mariama J. Lockington to find out!

In the Key of Us is the second book from author Mariama J. Lockington. If you liked the first book from this author, be sure to check this one out about a coming of age story that is all about losses that we go through and friendships that are able to restore us once more.

Main character Andi is just 13 years old, and she feels like she is lost in life once she has lost her mother. Her mother was an artist, the type of person that was able to bring her daughter to life and help her experience things more fully.

When Andi gets into a music camp, she finds that it’s really tough to play her instrument like she used to. She was good on the trumpet before, but her entire world has flipped since then. Now she’s struggling and trying to fit in wherever she can.

Then there’s Zora, a camper who is returning once more. She’s totally tired out from trying to live up to the standards of her parents, who wants to see her become really good at flute. Even though she would love to make them proud, Zora also knows deep down inside that she wants to be a dancer.

Zora and Andi are the only black girls at the Harmony Music Camp, surrounded by other campers who are mostly white. This draws them together and in the cabins and at various activities like kayaking the two begin to bond with each other.

They get to the bottom of their losses, share what they are insecure about, and confide about what they would want for themselves in the future. As they are trying to discover who they are, they might realize that they have found some strength and some solace in each other.

This unexpected connection between the two of them might just be the thing that the other needs in order to heal. This is a story about music camp and how what happens in one summer can end up changing your life! Pick up a copy of In the Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington to follow along on the adventure.