🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Derrick Barnes
Derrick Barnes is a published author. When Derrick was younger, he was not familiar with any African-American authors that male and did not meet an author until college. When he was younger, he wanted to either be a football player or a rapper or celebrity. He wanted to be anything that could get him a lot of money and help him move his mother into a nicer home His mother raised Derrick and his older brother Anthony as a single mother in Kansas City, Missouri. He says that the first time that he tried to write a story of his own was when he was in elementary school, the story being centered around some stray dogs that were making their way across the country. Their goal was to track down an item, perhaps a magical bone.
All Book Series by Derrick Barnes
The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2025
Just For You! Low-down Bad-day Blues
Series opener · book 1 of 8 · published 2004
Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2022 Co-authored · Dawud Anyabwile,Tommie Smith
The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth
Single-title series · published 2020
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Derrick Barnes?
Derrick Barnes is a published author. When Derrick was younger, he was not familiar with any African-American authors that male and did not meet an author until college. When he was younger, he wanted to either be a football player or a rapper or celebrity.
Which Derrick Barnes series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Ruby and the Booker Boys series, the earliest of Derrick Barnes's multi-book series: it opens with Brand New School, Brave New Ruby (2008) and runs to 4 books across 2008–2009, ending with Ruby Flips For Attention (2009).
How many books has Derrick Barnes written?
Derrick Barnes has 20 books catalogued in this guide, published between 2004 and 2025. 4 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being the Ruby and the Booker Boys series with 4 books — and 16 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Derrick Barnes's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Derrick Barnes's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Ruby and the Booker Boys (2008–2009, 4 books).
How are Derrick Barnes's books organised into series?
This guide splits Derrick Barnes's 20 books into 1 named series and 16 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Ruby and the Booker Boys (4 books, 2008–2009).