Book review: YA fantasy books with strong girls

Welcome to Part 3 of my book review series featuring speculative literature books with strong girl protagonists. In previous installments, I listed books for younger middle grade readers (ages 8-10) and middle grade readers (10-12). This post emphasizes readers 12-16, moving into the young adult category.

(By the way, my age recommendations are based on my judgement of thematic appropriateness, rather than on reader comprehension. Younger readers may be able to read older books, but parents and teachers might want to check out the books first.)

On to the books!

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

This book has been raking in awards, nominations, and glowing reviews for good reason. Set in a school for unique students who don't fit anywhere else, this book explores what happens after children are cast out of Fairyland.

Of course, there are as many different fairylands as there are doorways (rabbit hole, anyone?). Seventeen-year-old Nancy was recently cast out of an Underworld, where she learned the power of extreme stillness as she served the Lord of the Dead. Now the noise and chaos of 21st century life is overwhelming. Sent to Miss West's special school, Nancy and the other students (and teachers) learn to relate to one another based on their alternate reality (and its degree of Logic, Nonsense, or Absurdity) with the hope of reconciling to the "real" world--or finding their doorway back.

When a gruesome murder shatters the school's calm, Nancy--the newest student--and her fellow Underworld friends are under suspicion. They must work together, using their various paranormal skills, to solve the mystery, clear their names, and save the school from further violence.

I loved this book's tone, from the perspective of a quiet, moody, intense teenage girl who's weird even among the weirdest kids. Her friends (and nemeses) are equally memorable characters from diverse backgrounds (although most of them are white). Of particular note is a clever, magnetic transgender student who befriends Nancy and becomes a love interest. Although I would have preferred more ambiguity in the final pages, I definitely recommend this book for anyone drawn to the spooky and strange.

Very excited to see that a sequel is due in June 2017!

Book review: Sisters of the Revolution

Sometimes I forget how fulfilling it can be to read explicitly feminist writing.

So I have been enjoying the heck out of Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer.

Speculative fiction is a catch-all phrase for science fiction, fantasy, and other harder-to-classify writing with a fabulist "what-if" slant. What if employees were encouraged to conform to corporate culture through biological additions, as in Eileen Gunn's "Stable Strategies for Middle Management"? What if there was "The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet" as in Vandana Singh's story?

This book encompasses an excellent selection of stories from the 1960s to now by a diverse group of writers, both well-known--Angela Carter, Octavia Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, James Tiptree, Jr. (really Alice Bradley Sheldon)--and up-and-coming--Nnedi Okorafor, Rachel Swirsky.

Although this collection is definitely for adults, I was excited to see a couple of my favorite kidlit authors, Catherynne Valente and Kelly Barnhill, represented. I was also thrilled to discover writers like Nalo Hopkinson and Hiromi Goto.

Some of the stories are familiar, like "The Screwfly Solution" and "The Evening and the Morning and the Night," but these are woven artfully among others arranged so that stories "speak" to one another across time and space. I loved the combination of styles: a journalist's "report" ("The Forbidden Words of Margaret A." by L. Timmel Duchamp) horror, surrealism, sci-fi (Elisabeth Vonarburg's great reimagining of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), sword-and-sorcery, fairy tales, and more.

The strains of feminism are diverse too, with varying degrees of satire, uplifting hear-me-roar grrl power, and horror-filled dystopian warnings. These stories represent women of different cultures, ages, sexual orientations--even species. Each selection is delightful reading and a thoughtful commentary on women's roles in society. These are stick-to-you stories. I know that Susan Palwick's "Gestella," about a werewolf in love, will haunt me.

Highly recommend this book, and I can't wait to dig further into the oeuvre of many of these writers.

Special shout-out to publisher PM Press, an amazing, socially conscious publishing organization out of Oakland. Looking forward to exploring their collection further, too!

On meeting Angie Thomas

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give, at our local SCBWI LA/MS JambaLAya conference.

As you can see, I was fangirling a little bit, and I hadn't even read her book yet! I still regret not making intelligent conversation at the signing or later, at dinner. Sigh.

Angie and our regional SCBWI coordinator Cheryl Mathis held an inspiring conversation about Angie's incredible road to publication (and subsequent best-selling status and film-in-production).

Though her story sounds like a fairy tale, I was struck by her discussion of the book she'd written before The Hate U Give--which had been rejected 60 (did I write that down correctly?) times. After banging her head against that wall, her mom said, "Why don't you work on that other one?" meaning what became The Hate U Give. Way to go, Mom!

Obviously, Angie was not a neophyte: she'd earned a BFA in writing, submitted drafts of her queries to Query Shark for feedback, and researched her "dream agent," "stalked" him through Twitter, and contacted him through his agency's Q & A with her idea. As a writer, hearing that her success came after hard work, struggle, and disappointment made it seem even more impressive (and, potentially, achievable for the rest of us!).  

In her talk, Angie addressed the trolling she experienced after starting a diversity hashtag. Speaking to a young black writer who had expressed her admiration for Angie, she said, "What helped me was knowing girls like you would have my book in a few months." Angie's humor, strength, and grace in the face of overwhelming success as well as mean-spirited criticism will stay with me a long time.

To her readers, as well as other writers, Angie Thomas offers "light in the darkness." Many thanks for her visit, and blessings for her continued success.

Book Review: The Hate U Give

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Book review: March

Happy African-American History Month!

To celebrate, check out the #1 New York Times and Washington Post Bestseller March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, winner of:

• National Book Award for Young People's Literature
• Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award, which recognizes an African American author of a book for kids
• Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young-adult literature 
• Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
• YALSA Award for excellence in young-adult nonfiction
• Robert F. Kennedy Book Award
• Eisner Award
• One of YALSA's Outstanding Books for the College Bound
• One of Reader's Digest's Graphic Novels Every Grown-Up Should Read

Is this the same Rep. John Lewis our president recently derided as "all talk...no action or results"? Yes, it is.

As this graphic novel trilogy artistically demonstrates, John Lewis's legacy of action and results began with the Civil Rights Movement, when he was a college student. All three volumes flash between Lewis's participation in President Obama's Inauguration Day in 2009 and Lewis's recollections of his experiences as a young black man in America in the early 1960s, making the first black president's inauguration all the more profound.

• In Book 1, Lewis describes his childhood in rural Alabama during Jim Crow, his desire to grow up to be a preacher, and how meeting Martin Luther King Jr. influenced his participation in the Nashville Student Movement's lunch counter sit-ins.

• Book 2 begins in Nashville, 1960, as nonviolent sit-ins are met with both success and increasingly violent response. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) works with other Civil Rights leaders and groups to organize Freedom Rides, actively demonstrating for integration. The book ends with the 1963 March on Washington.

• Book 3 begins with the horrific bombing of a church in Birmingham in September 1963. Civil Rights leaders, activists, and supporters are mobilized, but the accompanying rise in violence divides even as it galvanizes. Stakes continue to rise as people suffer and die. The book culminates in the historic Selma to Montgomery marches. It ends, after a long, difficult road, with the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Powell's black-and-white illustrations capture emotion and action cinematically, bringing scenes and individuals to vivid life. Lewis and Aydin write matter-of-factly, sticking close to events as they happened from Lewis's inside perspective. Yet the inherent drama--whether a SNCC meeting or a violent conflict with police--keeps pages turning, even if you think you know Civil Rights history. 

The book's tone echoes the tenets of nonviolent civil disobedience. The calm, factual rendering of each situation contrasts sharply with the irrational absurdity of the violence and rhetoric against the demonstrators. Who are the "bad guys" here, those steadfastly protesting unjust laws and accepting prison stays, or those hysterically screaming, hosing, beating, and killing people to defend the status quo?

Insane as the words and deeds of people like sheriff Jim Clark, governor George Wallace, and even President Lyndon Johnson ("You've gotta get 'em by the balls and you gotta squeeze!") seem--officials covering the murders of activists' bodies, beating activists in jail, assaulting unarmed marchers--readers will draw parallels to current events.

March serves as a reminder of what the "good old days" were actually like for millions of Americans. 

It also offers inspiration for those working for further reform and change to ensure that all Americans are truly equal and free.

I highly recommend this collection for readers age 13 and up. The language and violence--while accurate and effective--may be too challenging for children younger than 8th grade to truly understand, and the heroic acts may be too complex for young kids to appreciate. 

That said, I hope that families, classrooms, and book clubs will read and talk about March (and John Lewis) as we honor heroes of our recent past--with the intention of encouraging heroes for the near future.

The books of Marti Dumas

I recently had the pleasure of meeting author Marti Dumas in an SCBWI monthly meetup. She passed around a few of her books, and I was so besotted, I asked if I could borrow them to write up reviews--and she said yes!

My kids and I particularly enjoyed the series Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest (ooo, and I just saw that she's published a fourth in the series!).

The engaging layout grabbed me right away. Lots of great black-and-white illustrations, big easy-to-read fonts, and clever textual flourishes like numbered lists and "Pause" and "Unpause" buttons when the narrator needs to offer a little bit of extra information convey a fun, playful tone that attracts young readers.

The stories are fun, too. Jaden Toussaint is a 5-year-old who "speaks kindness, oozes confidence" and "specializes in: Knowing Stuff. And also, ninja dancing."

In fact, when Jaden reaches a point in each story where he's stuck, he knows he needs to "kick his brain into top gear" through hilarious 2-page spreads of him ninja dancing. When he's done, he gets "that swirly, whirly, zinging feeling" of a great idea, which he puts into action to solve the story's problem. His school pals and loving family are usually involved, but Jaden is the hero readers will root for.

The problems Jaden faces are relatable, funny, but also convey a message: in "The Quest for Screen Time" Jaden learns about constructive ways to agitate for change; "The Ladek Invasion" teaches compassionate solutions to a buggy problem; and "Muffin Wars" deals with how to overcome jealousy and deal with challenging people.

Big topics for little kids, but presented age-appropriately and with humor. My kids and I loved them.

We also had the pleasure of reading Jala and the Wolves, an earlier book. Jala is another engaging character, and when she meets the wolves, readers are vividly brought along on her journey. To me, the "framing" chapters that begin and end this book are a little long, and some of the borrowed tropes (a magic mirror, waking to reality) didn't hold the creativity of the wolf chapters. Nonetheless, my 6-year-old was captivated, and we both hope that Jala might have more adventures with her wolf family (that we get to read!).

All four books are published by New Orleans-based Plum Street Press, which has the wonderful mission of publishing books that feature "children of color just being kids." Marti Dumas's delightful characters are proud kids of color having exciting adventures in both fantasy and realistic settings. I look forward to more of Marti Dumas's work!

Kidlit review: The Little Linebacker

As part of Multicultural Children's Book Day I received the uplifting softcover picture book The Little Linebacker: A Story of Determination by Stephen Tulloch and Maria Dismondy, illustrated by Heather Heyworth.

Sure to appeal to young football (or other sport) fans, The Little Linebacker is the story of young Stephen Tulloch, who grows up to be a real-life linebacker for the Titans and the Lions.

Every few pages in The Little Linebacker represents a challenge in Stephen's lifelong goal to become a pro football player. As a young child, he's impatient with Little League practices; as he gets older, he struggles with his math grades; as a teen, he is chosen last for the team. (Challenges are gentle and relatable to most children; this book does not tackle larger societal issues.)

Each setback is met with realistic disappointment on Stephen's face until he finds sources of inspiration: his mom, a mentor, a friend, even an inspirational poster ("You can. You will. End of story.").

In each case, Stephen sets his mind to his goal and works to do better, whether it's channeling his energy into studying math or supporting his teammates in whatever capacity he can. These solutions are also easy for kids to understand and apply to themselves.

By the end, Stephen's success is achieved through his willingness to work hard, keep trying, and to work collaboratively, goals that are emphasized in the reading tips at the beginning of the book as well as "Tully's Tips for Kids" at the end of the book.

With text featuring longer sentences and multisyllabic words, this picture book is designed to be read aloud or by moderately comfortable self-readers. The illustrations are bright, cheery, and cartoony, with easy-to-recognize character expressions against familiar backdrops (kitchen, playground, classroom). The multicultural cast reflects the book's themes of cooperation and mutual support.

The Little Linebacker is part of several educational programs by the authors: The Stephen Tulloch Foundation, Operation 55, and Maria Dismondy's books, blog, and public speaking programs.

For families and teachers seeking uplifting, sports-themed stories that emphasize determination and teamwork, The Little Linebacker lines up!

Click here for more multicultural children's books as well as a FREE Classroom Kindness Kit! #ReadYourWorld

My Multicultural Children's Book Day book is coming!

Excited! Got an email saying my MCBD 2017 book will be matched sometime this week!

I signed up to review a book and share my impressions on Multicultural Children's Book Day, January 27. On that day blogs and social media will be buzzing with information about new books that celebrate multiculturalism.

Why is that important?

Here's info from the founders:

Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday, the MCBD Team are on a mission to change all of that. This event has also proven to be an excellent way to compile a list of diverse children’s book titles and reviews for parents, grandparents, educators and librarians to use all year long.

Check out a list of sponsors already signed up: 

Our very first Platinum Sponsor, Scholastic, has signed on and we are beyond thrilled to have their support. Other Medallion Level Sponsors include heavy-hitters like Author Carole P. Roman, Audrey Press, KidLitTV, Capstone Young Readers, Author Gayle Swift, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee& Low Books, The Pack-n-Go Girls, Live Oak Media, Author Charlotte Riggle and Chronicle Books.

Can't wait to find out what my book will be!

The books of Crystal Allen

If you like character-driven, middle-grade fiction about realistic kids of color doing real things--with a lot of humor and learning-from-mistakes--check out Crystal Allen's wonderful books.

When I attended the SCBWI Houston conference, I had the pleasure of meeting Crystal and having her review my manuscript. Her advice has been incredibly helpful, and I'm hoping it's the beginning of a writerly friendship. I've been studying (and enjoying!) her books to pick up tips about creating great characters.

Crystal's first book, How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy, features wise-cracking, prank-pulling, 13-year-old bowling prodigy Lamar--a kid whose big talk hides his insecurities. Lamar's voice and sense of humor keep readers rooting for him: "Since Saturday, I've fried Sergio like catfish, mashed him like potatoes, and creamed his corn in ten straight games of bowling."

Everybody loves Lamar's basketball-star brother Xavier, to the point that Lamar feels invisible. Because of his asthma, Lamar can't play most sports and worries about attracting attention, from both his dad and cute Makeda. Lamar gets mixed up with troublemaker Billy Jenkins, despite his own conscience and best friend Sergio's warnings. When Xavier pushes Lamar too far, he and Billy aim for the biggest prank of all--not realizing until too late the extent of the consequences.

I love how Lamar navigates the tricky choices he makes, eliciting compassion even while the reader shouts, "No, Lamar, don't do it!" The realistic aftermath allows Lamar to work toward redemption in believable, heartwarming ways.

Crystal's second book, The Laura Line, introduces Laura Eboni Dyson, another powerhouse character full of personality and endearing flaws. She's a 13-year-old wannabe plus-sized model and powerful baseball pitcher, dreaming of the day girls can play baseball--not softball--in her Texas hometown.

Laura's crisis centers around the "slave shack" on her grandmother's property: a building that housed her ancestors when the land was a plantation. Laura refuses to step foot in the shack, despite her family's gentle insistence that it is a "monument to the strong women of her family." When Laura's teacher announces a field trip for the whole class to visit the shack, Laura decides she must get the trip canceled--but the harder she tries, the more fascinated her classmates become. Laura must come to terms with the shack, and when she finally takes a peek for herself, she's astounded by what she finds.

Like Lamar, Laura slowly learns from her mistakes; she sees herself as part of a continuum of strong women only after she threatens the shack's existence. Again, Crystal raises the stakes believably and allows the characters to both escalate their problems and find satisfying resolution afterwards.

I'm still in the middle of Crystal's latest series, The Magnificent Mya Tibbs, about a younger girl navigating the tricky waters of third grade friendships. I love Mya's cowgirl-boot-wearing character and can't wait to find out how she handles being Spirit Week partners with the biggest bully in school. (Not to mention Mya's newest adventure, The Wall of Fame Game).

Funny, thoughtful, stubborn, and brave, Lamar, Laura, and Mya are unique and inspiring kids who will remind you of people you know--and people you would like to know.

Post-election review: Boxers and Saints

Today, when our country feels so divided, I’m gonna recommend a good book. Actually, two: a pair of YA graphic novels that tell the same story from two opposing perspectives.

Gene Luen Yang’s Boxers and Saints, a 2013 National Book Award Finalist, can be read in either order; I read Boxers first. Set in Northern Shan-tung Province, China, in 1894, Little Bao loves spring in his village because the festivals feature operas that convey stories of gods and heroes through costumes and music.

But when foreign missionaries and soldiers begin bullying and robbing Chinese peasants, Little Bao’s brothers begin to train in kung fu with Red Lantern Chu—and so does Little Bao, in secret. Over time, Little Bao gains the ability to harness the powers of Chinese gods as he assembles a people’s army to free China from “foreign devils”: the real-life Boxer Rebellion.

Battle scenes are gorgeously rendered, vivid and violent, with gods and humans engaged simultaneously. Yet Yang also demonstrates Bao’s growing unease as he recognizes the humanity of the people he’s killing. Bao must make increasingly awful decisions: what should he, as the army leader, do about Chinese peasants who have converted to the foreign religion? Is the “glory of China” worth killing innocents for?

In the other volume, Saints, a young girl grows up unappreciated and unwanted—her family doesn’t even bother giving her a name, calling her Four-Girl because she is the fourth daughter. Her vibrant personality makes her sympathetic and lovable—even when she decides that she might as well be evil.

When she’s 8 years old, Four-Girl is taken to a Christian healer because she keeps making a face like a horrible mask. Dr. and Mrs. Wan treat Four-Girl well, telling her stories about Christianity. Four-Girl begins to have visions of Joan of Arc, who encourages Four-Girl to believe in something bigger than herself.

Finally finding a place where she belongs, Four-Girl chooses a name—Vibiana—when she converts to Christianity and leaves her family. Anyone who has created their own family or found a new home will relate to Vibiana’s newfound peace, as well as her struggles to simultaneously embrace and leave her past.

But the Boxer Rebellion is underway, with young men (and women) throughout the countryside murdering Westerners and Chinese Christians alike. It’s fascinating to see the same characters—heroes in Boxers—as villains to Vibiana and her friends. Vibiana has friends and family on both sides of the conflict. Although she admires Joan of Arc’s sacrifices, Vibiana is unsure: can she give her life for a cause? And if she does, which does she choose, her country or her faith?

By portraying both sides of a historical conflict, Yang shows that there are no “good guys/bad guys”; it’s all perspective. He humanizes people trapped on both sides, demonstrating that the lines between them are blurred.

I found this pair of books engaging, diverting, and hopeful as our country attempts to resolve its differences. They reminded me that we may be more alike than we think, if we can see each other as individuals with hopes and dreams for our futures.

What a great opportunity! For Multicultural Children's Book Day on January 27, 2017, the nonprofit is offering free books to reviewers! What a fun way to encourage diversity in children's literature.

I signed up and can't wait for my book. Watch my blog on January 27 for my review!