This blog recently celebrated its 9th anniversary. In nine years I've learned a lot about children's literature that I didn't know going in. I've also met, virtually and in person, a great number of very smart folks who review and share books with kids of all ages from all kinds of backgrounds.
I mention this background because I don't jump lightly into conversations that are uncomfortable and that point out shortcomings in books that have received praise elsewhere. Case in point, the recent Mighty Girl book list Celebrating Native American & Aboriginal Mighty Girls for Native American Heritage Month. While there are very positive books on this list, books that show a range of Native American identities and experiences, there are also books that perpetuate ugly stereotypes and misconceptions.
I don't consider myself an expert in this area, but I listen and try to learn. I spend time in my methods course reviewing books with students to help them understand that as both windows and mirrors to lived experience, books must accurately reflect social identities. We read An Updated Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books by Louise Derman-Sparks and How to Tell the Difference: A Guide to Evaluating Children's Books for Anti-Indian Bias by Beverly Slapin, Doris Seale and Rosemary Gonzales. I send them to read blogs such as American Indians in Children's Literature, a blog written by Debbie Reese that reviews and critiques children's and young adult books about native peoples, De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children, a group blog that reviews and critique children's and young adult books about Raza peoples throughout the Diaspora, The Brown Bookshelf, a blog designed to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers, and others.
I have written a fair number of thematic booklists since the birth of this blog, though they all fall along the lines of science, math, and poetry. I am always excited to find lists written by others, hoping they will help me and my students find the best books for use in the classroom. I was excited to see the latest post from A Mighty Girl show up in my feed, but was disappointed when I looked critically at the list.
In order to move conversations forward about diversity in children's literature, we must be willing to listen to the voices from underrepresented groups when they tell us we're getting it wrong. We must be willing to set aside "classics" and old favorites when the information they present is inaccurate. Nowhere is this more problematic than when faced with a book sporting a Newbery, Caldecott, or Printz sticker.
I so wanted to leave this feedback for the author of the list, Katherine Handcock, at the Mighty Girl site, but couldn't find a mechanism to do that. I appreciate all that A Mighty Girl does to empower girls and affirm their place in this world. However, this list contains titles that contain stereotypes and inaccuracies that could actually be harmful and less than empowering. I hope everyone who visits will read this list with a critical eye. Stop by American Indians in Children's Literature and check out some of the reviews Debbie Reese has posted or linked to for books on the list she does NOT recommend, such as Julie of the Wolves, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Mama Do You Love Me?. While you are there, check out Debbie's list of Best Books.
I hope the folks at A Mighty Girl will reconsider this list and think about replacing some of these titles with books that will truly empower Native American & Aboriginal mighty girls.
*****
For more on this, read Debbie Reese's letter to Katherine Handcock.
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By: Tricia,
on 11/16/2015
Blog: The Miss Rumphius Effect (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: multicultural lit, diversity, Add a tag
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 3/19/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Life is Good, PoC, multicultural lit, en espanol, Add a tag
Guess what... Today is my first guest post ever! You can find me over at The OWL as a part of the March of Middle Grade. Hope you come say hi!
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/29/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: poetry, New Orleans, India, American Girl, PoC, tough questions, multicultural lit, en espanol, en francais, Add a tag
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 series
Favorite 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:
- Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes
- The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle
- Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/27/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: tough questions, multicultural lit, PoC, Add a tag
Lately I've noticed lots of complaining about the plethora of covers featuring girls in fancy-schmancy dresses. And yes, those covers do get old after a while. (Except the dress on the cover of The Selection - that dress is so Carrie Bradshaw, I will never get tired of it!) But are the girls in pretty dresses really the problem?
This month I was really reminded of something that I used to be much more cognizant of: all of the faces, on almost all of the covers, are... well... white.
When I took on my February personal challenge to read only books written by or about people of color, I had a pretty short reading list. I knew I wanted to read Mare's War and The Mighty Miss Malone, but after that... ? Building up my reading list for this month took a little research. I scoured blogs like Reading in Color, Fledgling, and The Brown Bookshelf for suggestions. While I did find some absolute treasures, it really is shocking how few books are published each year by/about people of color. And that deficit is pretty darn obvious if you just scan the covers in the YA section at your local bookstore.
I think there are several reasons for the lack of "color" on YA covers. First, there just aren't a ton of books being published featuring non-white main characters. Second, sometimes the books that are published "hide" the ethnicity of their main characters. Take Marie Lu's Legend. This book is outstanding - one of my favorites so far this year. But looking at the cover, you would never know that June's dominant ethnicity is Native American. I wonder how (or if?) a cover reflecting that face would have affected the public's perception of Legend?
So what's your take, book lovers? Do you really notice race or ethnicity when you're scanning book covers? Does that factor really even matter when choosing a new book? And why do you think so many of our YA covers are so pale?
By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/26/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: family, friendship, India, faith, PoC, multicultural lit, Add a tag
Recap:
Sonia is half Indian and half Jewish, but that has never really seemed to matter. At Community, all of the kids in her class are unique, and their teacher - Jack - makes a point of teaching them about all different cultures. But Sonia won't be going to Community any more. Her dad has lost his job, and she will be starting 6th grade at the public middle school.
At her new school, everything is different. Her skin is too dark for some kids, and too light for others. She dresses all wrong, brings the wrong food for lunch, and can't even make the cheerleading team - even though she's definitely better than some of the girls on the squad. On top of all of that, her father is becoming seriously depressed since he still hasn't found a new job. But when Sonia starts hanging out with Kate, it seems like everything is going to change for the better.
Review:
The Whole Story of Half a Girl is 100% wonderful. I mean seriously, completely wonderful. This is Veera Hiranandani's first novel, and she needs to write another pretty much immediately.
This is the second middle grade novel featuring an Indian main character that I've read this week, and I hope that Indian culture is slowly becoming more of a trend in MG/YA lit. That being said, I would have loved to have gotten more details about what makes Indian culture unique and different. Sonia has to tell a kid at her new school that her father doesn't wear a turbin, or a feathered headdress for that matter, but other than a brief mention of a family trip to Bombay and a beautiful Indian dress, she really doesn't elaborate on that part of her background. Sonia is also half Jewish, although her mom makes a point of saying that Judaism is a religion, not an ethnicity, so she can't actually be "half" Jewish. As Sonia's mother isn't particularly religious, Sonia herself has received little exposure to Jewish customs, so readers hoping for a mini-lesson on Judaism may be disappointed.
Now I know I'm starting to sound a little negative, but remember what I said: 100% wonderful. Every character is written so realistically, it wouldn't be surprising if Sonia's story turned out to be nonfiction. This could be partially due to the fact that the main character is partly based on Hiranandani's own experiences growing up half Indian, half Jewish
By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/25/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: friendship, illustrated, Bollywood, MG, BOB, PoC, multicultural lit, Add a tag
Recap:
Eleven-year-old Dini and her best friend Maddie are in love. They are in love with Dolly Singh, the most beautiful and talented actress/singer/dancer in all of Bollywood. But they have been picking up on signs - signs that only a true fan would notice! - that Dolly is in some kind of trouble. When Dini's family suddenly moves to India, she knows this is her chance to find Dolly and fix everything. The only problem is, she'll be leaving Maddie behind...
Review:
Doesn't this book just look adorable? I love the fact that the protagonist is Indian-American and that much of the story takes place in India. That is certainly a country we don't get to see much of in MG or YA literature. And the introduction to Bollywood, complete with song lyrics and descriptions of big dance numbers, was a welcome break from more typical tween obsessions.
Dini and Maddie's friendship was very sweet, and I can envision two little girls giggling over this book together in real life. In fact, it could be a perfect "going away" present for a friend who has to move - proof in print that distance doesn't end friendships!
And I need to mention that the illustrations throughout are just as charming as the cover. I think Abigail Halpin just might be my new favorite artist. Check out this interview with both Halpin and author Uma Krishnaswami for more images and details on the creation of The Grand Plan to Fix Everything.
But... something about this story just didn't sit right with me. The third person narration was a small factor in that I never truly connected with Dini. It was also a little too convenient that Dolly just so happened to be living in the same remote, rural village that Dini had moved to. *Don't worry: That's not really a spoiler. Dini figures it out the day that she moves.* In fact, all the way through the book, the narrator makes it seem like Dini is having such a hard time "fixing everything" for Dolly, when really everything just kept (very unrealistically) falling into place.
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/24/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: illustrated, nonfiction, autobiography, BOB, PoC, multicultural lit, Add a tag
Recap:
Allen Say uses photographs, cartoons, paintings, and of course, words to illustrate an autobiographical look at his early years as an artist.
Review:
When was the last time you met a twelve-year-old who lived on his own in an apartment in a huge city? Probably never, right? Well that was real life for Allen Say.
Say had always known that he loved to draw, even when it was to the detriment of his school work and strongly discouraged by his own father. But when his grandmother told him that he could live alone in his own apartment if he got into a prestigious middle school, he suddenly got a lot more interested in studying. Once he was living on his own, Say tracked down the famous Japanese cartoonist - Noro Shinpei - and asked him to be his sensei, or mentor. Shinpei agreed, and forever changed the course of Say's life.
It was fascinating to read about an life that was so completely foreign from my own experiences. Independent from his parents, he spent the vast majority of his time with Shinpei, other teachers, or other art students. He was committed - heart and soul - to developing his craft, willing to spend whole months on a single sheet of paper, learning to draw with charcoal.
Not surprising when you consider the fact that Say is an artist, the illustrations are critical in reading and understanding his story. In fact, Drawing From Memory reads almost more like a scrapbook than anything else, with a collage of photographs, archived cartoons, and "drawings from memory" filling in the gaps left by the words.
I picked up Drawing From Memory only because it was a contender in this year's Battle of the Books. While I was presently surprised by how engaging it was, I have to admit I'll be surprised if it makes it out of Round 1 of the BoB. It just seems a little too simple.Then again, I've yet to read its opponent - The Grand Plan to Fix Everything - so who knows? *Update! I recently finished TGPtFE and wasn't a huge fan... In fact, I think Drawing from Memory now has my vote for this round!
2 Comments on Drawing From Memory, last added: 2/25/2012
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By: Tricia,
on 11/16/2015
Blog: The Miss Rumphius Effect (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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0 Comments on On Making and Using Book Lists - Considering A Recent Mighty Girl Book List as of 11/16/2015 5:42:00 PM
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 3/19/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Life is Good, PoC, multicultural lit, en espanol, Add a tag
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11 Comments on Book Love Road Trips!, last added: 3/21/2012
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/29/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: poetry, New Orleans, India, American Girl, PoC, tough questions, multicultural lit, en espanol, en francais, Add a tag
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 series
Favorite Book that Brad Pitt Should Turn into a Movie: Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams
Novels in Verse:
- Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes
- The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle
- Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/27/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: tough questions, multicultural lit, PoC, Add a tag
This month I was really reminded of something that I used to be much more cognizant of: all of the faces, on almost all of the covers, are... well... white.
When I took on my February personal challenge to read only books written by or about people of color, I had a pretty short reading list. I knew I wanted to read Mare's War and The Mighty Miss Malone, but after that... ? Building up my reading list for this month took a little research. I scoured blogs like Reading in Color, Fledgling, and The Brown Bookshelf for suggestions. While I did find some absolute treasures, it really is shocking how few books are published each year by/about people of color. And that deficit is pretty darn obvious if you just scan the covers in the YA section at your local bookstore.
So what's your take, book lovers? Do you really notice race or ethnicity when you're scanning book covers? Does that factor really even matter when choosing a new book? And why do you think so many of our YA covers are so pale?
12 Comments on C'Mon Now, Are Girls in Pretty Dresses Really the Problem?, last added: 2/29/2012
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/26/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: family, friendship, India, faith, PoC, multicultural lit, Add a tag
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2012, 224 pp, ISBN: 0385741286
Sonia is half Indian and half Jewish, but that has never really seemed to matter. At Community, all of the kids in her class are unique, and their teacher - Jack - makes a point of teaching them about all different cultures. But Sonia won't be going to Community any more. Her dad has lost his job, and she will be starting 6th grade at the public middle school.
At her new school, everything is different. Her skin is too dark for some kids, and too light for others. She dresses all wrong, brings the wrong food for lunch, and can't even make the cheerleading team - even though she's definitely better than some of the girls on the squad. On top of all of that, her father is becoming seriously depressed since he still hasn't found a new job. But when Sonia starts hanging out with Kate, it seems like everything is going to change for the better.
Review:
The Whole Story of Half a Girl is 100% wonderful. I mean seriously, completely wonderful. This is Veera Hiranandani's first novel, and she needs to write another pretty much immediately.
This is the second middle grade novel featuring an Indian main character that I've read this week, and I hope that Indian culture is slowly becoming more of a trend in MG/YA lit. That being said, I would have loved to have gotten more details about what makes Indian culture unique and different. Sonia has to tell a kid at her new school that her father doesn't wear a turbin, or a feathered headdress for that matter, but other than a brief mention of a family trip to Bombay and a beautiful Indian dress, she really doesn't elaborate on that part of her background. Sonia is also half Jewish, although her mom makes a point of saying that Judaism is a religion, not an ethnicity, so she can't actually be "half" Jewish. As Sonia's mother isn't particularly religious, Sonia herself has received little exposure to Jewish customs, so readers hoping for a mini-lesson on Judaism may be disappointed.
Now I know I'm starting to sound a little negative, but remember what I said: 100% wonderful. Every character is written so realistically, it wouldn't be surprising if Sonia's story turned out to be nonfiction. This could be partially due to the fact that the main character is partly based on Hiranandani's own experiences growing up half Indian, half Jewish
9 Comments on The Whole Story of Half a Girl, last added: 2/29/2012
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/25/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: friendship, illustrated, Bollywood, MG, BOB, PoC, multicultural lit, Add a tag
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Una Krishnaswami, Illustrated by Abigail Halpin, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011, 272 pp, ISBN: 1416995897
Eleven-year-old Dini and her best friend Maddie are in love. They are in love with Dolly Singh, the most beautiful and talented actress/singer/dancer in all of Bollywood. But they have been picking up on signs - signs that only a true fan would notice! - that Dolly is in some kind of trouble. When Dini's family suddenly moves to India, she knows this is her chance to find Dolly and fix everything. The only problem is, she'll be leaving Maddie behind...
Review:
Doesn't this book just look adorable? I love the fact that the protagonist is Indian-American and that much of the story takes place in India. That is certainly a country we don't get to see much of in MG or YA literature. And the introduction to Bollywood, complete with song lyrics and descriptions of big dance numbers, was a welcome break from more typical tween obsessions.
And I need to mention that the illustrations throughout are just as charming as the cover. I think Abigail Halpin just might be my new favorite artist. Check out this interview with both Halpin and author Uma Krishnaswami for more images and details on the creation of The Grand Plan to Fix Everything.
But... something about this story just didn't sit right with me. The third person narration was a small factor in that I never truly connected with Dini. It was also a little too convenient that Dolly just so happened to be living in the same remote, rural village that Dini had moved to. *Don't worry: That's not really a spoiler. Dini figures it out the day that she moves.* In fact, all the way through the book, the narrator makes it seem like Dini is having such a hard time "fixing everything" for Dolly, when really everything just kept (very unrealistically) falling into place.
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/24/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: illustrated, nonfiction, autobiography, BOB, PoC, multicultural lit, Add a tag
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say, Scholastic Press, 2011, 72 pp, ISBN: 0545176867
Allen Say uses photographs, cartoons, paintings, and of course, words to illustrate an autobiographical look at his early years as an artist.
Review:
When was the last time you met a twelve-year-old who lived on his own in an apartment in a huge city? Probably never, right? Well that was real life for Allen Say.
Say had always known that he loved to draw, even when it was to the detriment of his school work and strongly discouraged by his own father. But when his grandmother told him that he could live alone in his own apartment if he got into a prestigious middle school, he suddenly got a lot more interested in studying. Once he was living on his own, Say tracked down the famous Japanese cartoonist - Noro Shinpei - and asked him to be his sensei, or mentor. Shinpei agreed, and forever changed the course of Say's life.
It was fascinating to read about an life that was so completely foreign from my own experiences. Independent from his parents, he spent the vast majority of his time with Shinpei, other teachers, or other art students. He was committed - heart and soul - to developing his craft, willing to spend whole months on a single sheet of paper, learning to draw with charcoal.
Not surprising when you consider the fact that Say is an artist, the illustrations are critical in reading and understanding his story. In fact, Drawing From Memory reads almost more like a scrapbook than anything else, with a collage of photographs, archived cartoons, and "drawings from memory" filling in the gaps left by the words.
I picked up Drawing From Memory only because it was a contender in this year's Battle of the Books. While I was presently surprised by how engaging it was, I have to admit I'll be surprised if it makes it out of Round 1 of the BoB. It just seems a little too simple.
2 Comments on Drawing From Memory, last added: 2/25/2012
By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/21/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Pura Belpre Honor, Cuba, poetry, historical fiction, slavery, women's history, PoC, fearless female, multicultural lit, Add a tag
The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle, Henry Holt and Co, 2010, 160 pp, ISBN: 0805090827
Fredricka Bremer - Swedish suffragette, novelist, and humanitarian - traveled to Cuba in the hope of discovering a modern-day Eden. Instead, she found an island of contrasts: sparkling, tropical waters carrying boats full of children in chains; lush, vibrant landscapes that Cuban women were not free to explore, or even learn about.
Together with Cecelia, the slave girl who was her interpreter, and Elena, her wealthy host's daughter, Fredrika tells the tale of the Cuba that she experienced - both the ugly and the beautiful.
Review:
Novel in verse: yay! Multiple narrators: double yay! These are two of my favorite writing techniques, and I believe that they elevated this extremely short story into something more like art.
The Firefly Letters is a sleek little novel - I think it only took me about a half hour to read cover to cover - but the themes that it tackles are huge: slavery, gender roles, education, and classism. Whew. Real life suffragette Fredricka Bremer traveled to Cuba in 1851. Author Margarita Engle was able to use Bremer's letters, sketches, and diary entries from that time period in order to write The Firefly Letters. Bremer was shocked and dismayed to find that slaves, some as young as eight-years-old, populated much of the island. On top of that, she protested against the limited rights and educational opportunities that were afforded to free Cuban women and girls. In The Firefly Letters, the other two narrators - Cecelia and Elena, are both confused and delighted by Bremer's "radical" ideas concerning freedom and women's rights.
For me, Elena never became a very "real" character. Instead, she seemed more like a generic representative of all girls born into privilege on the island. And maybe that was because she was a product of Engle's imagination, while Cecelia was actually based on a real person - a young slave girl who Bremer described in her diary. Cecelia was clearly extremely intelligent; she could speak multiple languages and because of her skill as a translator, she was one of the most valuable slaves on the plantation. I imagine that her interactions with Bremer had a life-changing effect, and I hope that her baby was able to grow up as a free person.
For all of the weight behind this novel's history, it is truly a simply told story. It could easily be used in a classroom as part of a study o
4 Comments on The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba, last added: 2/22/2012
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/21/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: historical fiction, New Orleans, American Girl, PoC, fearless female, multicultural lit, series review, en francais, Add a tag
The American Girl 1853 series: Cecile and Marie Grace by Denise Lewis Patrick and Sarah Masters Buckey, American Girl, 2011
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!
On the surface, the Cecile/Marie Grace series follows the same "formula" as every other in the AG line. We "Meet" the girls, they go through some "troubles" but eventually save the day, and everyone ends up stronger and wiser. A little didactic, yes... but these characters are brave, self-confident role models for little girls today. I really like the fact that each book includes a chapter of nonfiction in the back, explaining how the events in the story are a reflection of real events from the past.
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
By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/17/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: family, romance, teen pregnancy, PoC, multicultural lit, en espanol, TFA, Add a tag
What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez, Carolrhoda Books, 2011, 234 pp, ISBN: 0761361553
Marisa is the good daughter: cooking for her father and brother, babysitting whenever her sister asks, giving half of her paycheck to the family each month.
But Marisa dreams of going to the University of Texas to study engineering, and ber calculus teacher thinks that Marisa is actually smart enough to make it happen.
But her father has all but forbidden her to go to college.
Her mother doesn't want her to leave home.
Her sister needs her to be a full-time babysitter for her niece.
So college can wait. Family can't, right?
Review:
What Can't Wait really struck a chord with me. I saw so much of myself in Marisa's calculus teacher. Ms. Ford was constantly pushing Marisa, telling her not to make excuses, emphasizing that college was her "ticket out." But as the reader of Marisa's story, I knew that she was barely keeping it together - that she was bound by duty and loyalty to her family, and most especially to her niece. I actually found myself getting angry at Ms. Ford for not cutting her some slack. Why couldn't she try to understand what Marisa was going through? At the same time, I kept flashing back to conversations that I had with my own students. Pushing, pushing, and pushing them to do their best, to be the best - even when I had no idea what they were up against outside of the confines of our school. But then at the same time, wasn't Ms. Ford ultimately right? No matter how valid an excuse is, it's still an excuse. At some point, everyone has to decide for themselves "what can't wait," and then follow through and live with that decision.
Ashley Hope Perez has written a novel that is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes uplifting, and always 100% realistic. She has given her readers a candid look at what it might mean to be a part of a Mexican family. She has infused the Spanish language into nearly every paragraph, making her readers feel like they are truly listening in to Marisa's world. She has forced me to reexamine my own though
4 Comments on What Can't Wait, last added: 2/18/2012
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By: Katie DeKoster,
on 2/16/2012
Blog: Book Love (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Boy Books, PoC, multicultural lit, en espanol, sports, Add a tag
Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2008, 256 pp, ISBN: 0385733100
Danny is half Mexican, half white, and completely lost. His dad left him, and now he doesn't feel at home with his mom at his fancy private school in San Diego, or with his dad's family in National City. He used to feel at home on the pitching mound, but lately even that part of his life has been spinning out of control.
Now Danny is in National City for the summer, staying with his dad's brothers and his prima Sofia. He figures that if he can just make himself more Mexican, if he can just learn to speak some Spanish, if he can just get his pitching back under control, then maybe he'll finally make his dad proud. And then maybe his dad will come home.
Review:
I have found my new favorite author. So many authors can spin a great story, but it's rare to find a writer whose voice hums like a heartbeat through every page. Matt de la Pena is one of those writers.
I feel like Danny and Sofia and Uno are actual people - alive and walking around southern California. I can vividly picture Uno laughing under his breath, wearing his Steelers jersey. I can see Danny's faded Vanns toeing the dirt on a pitcher's mound. I can hear Sofia busting on them both while she types out a text to one of her girlfriends. Seriously - Matt de la Pena wrote each character so clearly that I wouldn't be surprised if Mexican Whiteboy turned out to be nonfiction.
Through Danny, a wildly talented but also deeply depressed teenage boy, de la Pena describes what it can be like to come from a mixed background, and never truly feel like you belong. Danny's longing was so intense in some passages that my heart literally ached for him.
But Mexican Whiteboy isn't a sad story. It is a brightly painted picture of what life is like for a group of teenagers one summer: the sad and the joyful, the painful and the laugh out loud hilarious. De la Pena writes about young love, but romance really isn't the heart of this story. It's about finding one's family, coming to terms with one's heritage, and developing true friendships. And it is one phenomenal read.
4 Comments on Mexican Whiteboy, last added: 2/17/2012
2 Comments on Review: The Bamboo Dance, last added: 10/27/2011
I look forward to learning about more titles from other countries…
Headed over there right now! :)
Hi Katie, I just followed you over here from The O.W.L. :)
Awesome! SO on my way :)
Welcome Linda! I hope you find something you like on Book Love :)
Yay! Thanks :)
It's a great post!! I'm glad to see increasing focus on books featuring people of color.
Thanks, Juju :)
Thank you, Sarah!! Lately I've started following several blogs that focus on more books with characters of color, and it has really opened my eyes. I think I had been a little blind to just how whitewashed YA lit really is.
On my way (and congratulations, that's so cool!)
Ha - thanks :) Really, she put out a request for guest posters for March, and I just asked if I could do one! It was fun planning something for a different blog :)
Hey, I just got a novel in verse called The Good Braider from NetGalley (do you use that? You should!) It's about a Sudanese girl and it sounds like it would be a good one for your Feb 2013 POC Challenge...if you are the type to stockpile reviews (I am totally participating next year)!