Title: Why We FlyAuthors: Kimberly Jones and Gilly SegalDate: Sourceboooks; 2021Main characters: Eleanor “Leni” Greenberg and Chanel Rose IronsYA reality fiction We’ve come to look at many YA novels as ‘coming of age’ books. Eleanor (Jewish) and Chanel (African American) may come of age in this sophomore novel, however I find it much more appropriate… Read More review: Why We Fly

Despite what you may be hearing in the media: “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free”. (Maya Angelou) In my work, that means that representation in youth literature has to be continually examined, preferably through the lens of critical multicultural analysis because our stories express how we conceptualize… Read More From Outrage to Books to Action

Is anyone else going to ALAN/NCTE? I’ll be there this year, my first conference since! I’ll get my bivalent booster this week, doing what I can to prepare myself. I’m looking forward to immersing myself in the thoughts, movements, and trends relating to young adult literature. I’ll be attending just in time to prepare for… Read More it’s Already Thursday!

Title: When the World Turned Upside DownAuthor: K. IburaDate: Scholastic; 2022Main characters: Shayla, Liam, Ai and Ben Through the lives of Shayla, Liam, Ai, and Ben young readers may begin to make sense of what happened during The Pandemic. These four friends, who live in the same apartment building, are suddenly sent home from school… Read More book review: When the World Turned Upside Down

October is a wide mix of fiction and non-fiction; a year’s worth of reading in a single month! It welcomes back Barbara Binns, Sonia Manzano, Shaun Tan, and Lori Marie Carlson-Hijuelos. Rin Chupeco brings in more horror while Suzanne Park gets us ready for Christmas. Melissa de la Cruz Studio/Disney’s initial release happens this month… Read More October Releases