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29 days ago, I challenged myself to read only books written by or about people of color. This challenge was partly inspired by Black History Month, and partly due to a realization that since leaving my classroom in Baltimore, I had pretty much stopped looking for books that reflected the faces of "my" students.
I can almost guarantee that I would not have read most of these books without taking on this challenge, and boy-oh-boy would I have been missing out! In an effort to summarize this month of reading, here are a few awards and a few "similar interest groups" for quick reference.
Favorite YA Read of the Month: Tie between
Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis and
Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena
(these two couldn't be more different, but I'll remember them both for a long, long time)Favorite MG Read of the Month:
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani
(love, love, love this book)Favorite New-to-Me Author: Ashley Hope Perez - I thoroughly enjoyed
What Can't Wait and am eagerly awaiting
The Knife and the Butterfly. I can't help but feel a TFA bond with Ms. Perez and I'm so thankful that teachers like her exist!
Favorite Blast from the Past:
American Girl - Cecile's New Orleans seriesFavorite Illustrations:
Heart and Soul - The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
(Abigail Halpin is pretty fabulous too, but Kadir Nelson's paintings were just breathtaking)
Favorite Book that Brad Pitt Should Turn into a Movie: Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams
Novels in Verse:
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Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes
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The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle
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Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
The American Girl 1853 series: Cecile and Marie Grace by Denise Lewis Patrick and Sarah Masters Buckey, American Girl, 2011
Recap:Cecile Rey is one of the "gens de couleur libres" or "free people of color" living in New Orleans in 1853. Together, she and her friend, Marie Grace, experience all that the diverse, busy city has to offer: Mardi Gras parades and costume balls, outdoor French markets, helping to fight a yellow fever epidemic, volunteering at a local orphanage, and performing at a city-wide benefit for the orphaned children.
Review:Happy Mardi Gras, book lovers! In honor of the holiday, today I'm featuring a series set in New Orleans, and the first two books take place during Mardi Gras!
I was first inspired to cover this American Girl series after seeing a feature on author Denise Lewis Patrick on The Brown Bookshelf. I'd never given a thought to the authors behind my beloved American Girl books, and reading the story of how Patrick was asked to author the Cecile series piqued my interest. The Cecile series is unique from that of the other American Girls because she shares her books with a girl named Marie Grace. I read "Meet Marie Grace" and then all of the Cecile books in the series, and it's very clear that the two authors plotted the stories out together. Between the two "Meet ____" books, some lines were actually word-for-word the same. I'm really not sure why they chose to have two main characters this time. If any of you know, please fill me in!
Cecile's story is notable because, unlike so many black characters in historial fiction - including
10 Comments on American Girl: Cecile's New Orleans Series, last added: 2/21/2012
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Bravo, Katie! I've loved reading your reviews and added a lot of books to my TBR pile.
I love a good theme!
Hi, new follower here. :) All of these books sound fantastic! I'm especially drawn to "The Whole Story of Half a Girl" (I love MG.) Thanks for the recommendations!
I loved The Knife and The Butterfly. It was very powerful!
Thanks for the recap/list! :)
I've heard such amazing things! My library ordered it, but it hasn't come in yet.
No problem! I'd been planning on doing this post bc I thought it would be fun to see most of the reviews in one place :)
Thank you! I do too :) I'm already trying to think of a theme fo a future month... Would you ever want to do one together?
Hi and welcome! Thanks for the comment :) I hope you get to read The Whole Story of Half a Girl!