Category Archives: Print

Heroine Complex and Heroine Worship

Posted on August 19, 2018 by

Who says a book starring a person of color has to be dark and realistic?  Or that it takes darkness and realism to make a serious statement?  I finally tracked down these books that I’d been wanting to read since … Continue reading →

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Aru Shah and Kiranmala

Posted on August 17, 2018 by

I’m always on the lookout for more books for Percy Jackson fans, especially from non-Western European cultures.  Happily, Rick Riordan has started his own imprint to do just this thing – but Scholastic also recently published a book with a … Continue reading →

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Bad Luck Kids: Trials of Morrigan Crow and Book of Boy

Posted on July 14, 2018 by

Here are two stories of children in very different worlds, but both considered to be bad luck. The first was all over the blogs I read in the middle of Cybils season last year.  It’s just as delightful a few … Continue reading →

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Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Posted on July 6, 2018 by

“What to Read after Black Panther” part 3. It’s not quite Afrofuturism because it’s decidedly mythic past without even the alternate technology of Everfair, and it came out after I made my display. It still belongs here. Continue reading →

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Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Posted on July 1, 2018 by

#Afrofuturism from my “What to Read after Black Panther” list part two: a full-length adult novel from Nnedi Okorafor, whose books for younger readers I had aggressively sought out while putting off this intense book.  Not for the faint of … Continue reading →

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Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green

Posted on June 13, 2018 by

Last time, I reviewed this year’s Schneider Family Teen award winner, You’re Welcome, Universe.  Here’s the middle grade winner. Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green. Pajama Press, 2017 Macy is in sixth grade and struggling.  She’s horrified … Continue reading →

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You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner

Posted on June 11, 2018 by

Once again, a book winning an award – in this case the Schneider Family Award – pushed me from meaning to read it someday to actually doing so. You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner. Random House Teens, 2017. Julia believes … Continue reading →

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3 Great Middle Grade Realistic Picks

Posted on June 8, 2018 by

If you’re looking for some contemporary realistic fiction, here are three solid titles for a range of tastes from full-on adventure to more introspective. To Catch a Cheat by Varian Johnson. Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 2016. The officially-ended Greene Gang … Continue reading →

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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Posted on June 1, 2018 by

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Harper Teen, 2018. “My parents probably wanted a girl who would sit in the pews wearing pretty florals and a soft smile. They got combat boots and a mouth silent until it’s sharp as … Continue reading →

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Saints and Misfits by S. K. Ali

Posted on May 25, 2018 by

Saints and Misfits by S. K. Ali. Salaam Reads, 2017. Meet Janna, a teen girl trying to figure out her increasingly complicated life.  She’s  committed to wearing hijab as part of her mostly artsy, layered outfits (swim suits are a … Continue reading →

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