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Hi!

Perhaps you’ve recently tried to access CrazyQuiltEdi only to get the message that the blog was no longer available. I know I was shocked when I tried to access my blog and had a hugely embarrassing messaging stating that I violated Terms of Service. I was forced to carefully read those terms (if you’re a blogger and haven’t recently you should. Many of those books tours are a violation!) It took about a day for WordPress to send me this message on Twitter.

In the meantime, I’m going to be more than a little bit overwhelmed in November. I’m presenting on diverse nonfiction in the Social Studies curriculum at Sycamore Educator’s Day this weekend; Brain Based Library Instruction at Brick and Click in Missouri next weekend and holding a diversity round table at the Indiana Library Federation annual conference in a few weeks. I’ll be be at ALAN at the end of the month and in DC for Thanksgiving.

Yes, this is my #57yearoftravel. Huh?? I was born in 1957 and to help with the math, I turn 57 this year. I’m claiming this as my #57yearoftravel. Since October, I’ve been to Sacramento, Indianapolis and Rogers, Arkansas. The Grand Canyon is my big wish (I missed it when I turned 50, opting rather for a typhoon in Taiwan) and I’d really like to throw in a trip to look at information seeking habits in India or teaching material collections in universities in South Africa or just go to Mozambique and explore children’s literature published there.

For now, for November, this blog may be a bit quiet and I’m sure you can see why. I’m still in business, just working hard elsewhere. I do intend to get up a list of November releases. Please let me know of any titles you’re aware of that I shouldn’t miss. Thanks!

In case you were wondering, I don’t make a penny blogging. I have a day job that all too often has nothing to do with diversity or young adult literature. Literacy, yes. Information literacy. When I first learned the term, it described the skills necessary to locate, share, evaluate, access and present information. What it means to be information literate is growing and changing over time as our interactions with electronic media has expanded. Metaliteracy is one example of this change.

This literacy is what school librarians teach and this is why we need them.

My day starts tomorrow with me teaching searching skills to high students and ends after my regular hours with instruction to grad students, again on searching skills. Teaching the same thing at these two very different cognitive levels. I would say I’ve figured out teaching research to high schoolers, but giving it to strangers in a one shot sessions with not enough time to deliver a fully developed lesson is more than a challenge. Grad students? They should be able to digest a rather lectured delivery. I’ll go for that 20 minute max of ultimate brain attention.

I had an interesting revelation regarding this literacy recently regarding cultural relevance. It basically involved a Middle Eastern student who was assigned to research information on a certain car by evaluating information on a U.S. government website, the manufacturer’s site and one other. A student from a country where leadership is never questioned and the of questioning of authority is just not done. How then, do you teach these students to evaluate the information they find in the media?

Our world is diverse indeed.

Celebrated this weekend in at the Madison public library, The South Asian Book Award winners.

Elizabeth Suneby
Razia’s Ray of Hope: One Girl’s Dream of an Education
(illustrations by Suana Verelst)
Kids Can Press, 2013

Jennifer Bradbury
A Moment Comes
Atheneum Book, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2013

2014 Honor Winner

Farhana Zia
The Garden of my Imaan
Peachtree, 2013

Librarian Amy Cheney has announce openings for In the Margins Book Award and Selection committee (ITM) for next year –  January 2015 – January 2016 for the 2016 list.  Click here to fill out an application of interest: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gan284mn-KQskRYN5syGSpFbCDJx2ObBiJj6arZ8Hwk/viewform?formkey=dDZqR1RIQ0FQOGJkVTRJcmZoVWVfN1E6MQ We will be conducting interviews in December. In the Margins serves those young adult readers who are certainly in the margins, those who are incarcerated. Her recent SLJ article reviews recent books that fit her young readers needs.

YALSA has submitted a grant proposal to help disconnected youth, those who are with jobs, skills or knowledge that allows them to develop skills to prepare for the workforce. YALSA needs you to support their application by sharing what your library does to help disconnected your.

Please don’t take the work of school librarians/school media specialists for grant. 40% of the elementary school is Los Angeles have no librarian. No information literacy instruction, no skilled professionals to build capacity for a lifelong love of reading. KC Boyd fearlessly fights on behalf of students in Chicago to have librarians/media specialists in their schools. Here in Vigo County, the schools that still have librarians pull them out to teach science.

What’s going on in the schools near you? Who is teaching and advocating for your children to be truly literate in the 21^st century?

In all that I’m going to tell you about KidLitCon, know that the highlight of my weekend was seeing my DIL, SweetPea’s mom, in LA. And I didn’t even think to get a pic.

Stephanie Kuehn (Complicit, St Martin’s Griffin, 2014)

Summoning the Phoenix: Poems and Prose About Chinese Musical Instruments author, Emily Jiang

Those KidLitCon ladies were wiped out at the end of things on Saturday. I applaud not only their hard work, but the fact that they stepped out there and planned a conference on the theme ‘diversity’. As necessary as diversity is, as much as the call for more diverse books has become in the world of children’s lit, using that term will still have you preaching only to the choir. The attendance numbers were small, I’m sure much smaller than previous years. No doubt, those who needed to be there were.

This issue of not enough brown faces in children’s literature has been around since Langston Hughes published the Brownies’ Book magazine in the 1920s. Damn near 100 years ago. And, we still think we can get publishing companies to produce more books for, about and with children of color, and queer children; those with exceptionalities those of varying income levels. You think it makes perfect economic sense, but please realize how empowering books are. They plant ideas.

KidLitCon reminded me of the power of networking. I’ve been hanging out here pretty much on my own for quite a long time. I miss the days of Reading in Color, The HappyNappyBookseller and Color Online. Maybe that’s why it has been so hard for me to get back into this. Maybe I need to change things up.

“Diversity” dilutes the need for representation for people of color, for queer teens and those with exceptionalities. We then devolve into diversities based upon size and

Nathalie, Laura Atkins and Zetta Elliott

location and handedness and on and on because it’s just too hard to focus on queer, brown, different people. Friends, we have to.

A mediocre cry for diversity will give us a mediocre response: a limited run of a few more books with no real changes inside publishing houses, with authors of certain backgrounds being boxed into writing certain kinds of books (such as Latinos being stuck writing reality fiction) and no books by authors of color

Teen Blogger @missfictional

that continually will win the National Book Award or the Newbery.

This movement began over 100 years ago. I’ve been doing this blog since 2006, so I have to bow to those who came before me and are still at it and yea, I even have to bow to those who came in after me who are really getting some things done. There’s room for all because there’s no single story that’s going to get this done. There is, however no room for status quo or mediocrity. We’re at a point in history where so many resources exist to change how books are financed, created and distributed. We’re at a place in time where our children can no longer afford to be left behind. No, not today; not in the information age. Not when it is critical to have the literacy, the power, to maneuver one’s world.

I didn’t get a chance to talk to a lot of people to find out what they’d gotten out of the conference. Will we as bloggers find new ways to collaborate for books and literacy causes? Will some look that much harder for books with characters of color? And, will we be more critical of those writing outside their own experience?

I’m rambling. I thought things would come together for me as I wrote, but they’re not. I think I’m thirsty.

I’ll stop here and add some photos. I hate that I didn’t get any of my co-presenters, they are such amazing and adorable ladies. Next time!

Nathalie Mvondo of Multiculturalism Rocks and Mitali Perkins (Tiger Boy, Charlesbridge 2014)

Jewell Parker Rhodes (Sugar; Little Brown Books, 2013) and Maya Gonzalez who creates more than will fit this space, so click this image to visit her site.

Libertad & Guinevere of Twinja Book Reviews with Tanita Davis (Happy Families, Knopf, 2012)

What better day for book trailers than a Saturday? Lowriders in Space (Chronicle Books)  is written by Cathy Camper and illustrated by Raul Gonzalez III. The book will be released in November Until then, here’s a sneak peak.

I’m so excited about presenting at this year’s KidLitCon!

1:30-3   Getting Beyond Diversity and Getting to the Story

Edith Campbell Crazy Quilt Edi
Hannah Gómez  sarah HANNAH gómez
Jewell Parker Rhodes

While gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, or ability add to who we are, they do not define who we are. And these differences do not define our stories. How do we teach, discuss, or describe diverse books without making diversity the issue? Should we? How do we respond to the perception that ʺdiverse booksʺ are only for ʺdiverse peopleʺ and deliver book reviews and essays that highlight what makes books universal for those disinclined to think diversity is for them while acknowledging readers who need and deserve to find themselves in literature? Presenters Edith Campbell, Hannah Gómez, and author Jewell Parker Rhodes will deliver an interactive session with talking points, booktalks, strategies and much honest discussion.

I garden! Isn’t kale gorgeous?

It’s an important opportunity to share my diversity message along with Hannah Gomez and Jewell Parker Rhodes. I am too outdone by these ladies!

It’s also an opportunity to meet folk in real life that I have known for years online, but never met in person, like Mitali Perkins, Natalie Mvondo, Charlotte Taylor and Laura Atkins. Will you be there? If so, please let me know!

I have several book reviews to write, some good, some not so much. I’m getting a lot of my reading done on the treadmill, elliptical and stationary bike these days. The better the book, the faster the time goes. Today’s read was Love Is The Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson. I went for an extra 10 minutes because of that book. It helps if the book is good, but some books, like some music are better for walking than others. The language in Bombay Blues by Tanuja Desai Hidier is so creative and expressive and the action so passive that it’s not a good read for the treadmill.

Fitness gurus generally say that treadmills and stationary bikes don’t provide the best exercise out there, but

Today!

I’m pretty sure they’re better than sitting on the sofa and reading.

It’s tough having reading and quilting as hobbies. They’re both time intensive and both require sitting and that’s not good for someone with a weight problem! Ebooks make reading easier to accomplish while working out, as I don’t have to find ways to hold pages down and books open. I suppose audiobooks would free me up

Two varieties of sweet potatoes; hundreds of those critters to harvest.

even more, but listening to a book is a completely different experience than reading.

My ereader of choice these days is my Nook reader. If at home, I’ll use my Surface. It has a very nice page display that will include images. However, turning pages can be tricky on it and, the Nook app doesn’t work requiring me to read through Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). I took the device to the gym once, accidentally left it and decided not to take it again.

I have read on my phone (the BlueFire App syncs to ADE) and would have no problem doing that again if I didn’t have another device available. It’s just too small for sustained reading. My Nook is a 1^st generation that was giving to by my son and daughter in law. No color, horrible formatting, no images… but there is just something about that old thing that makes me love reading on it. I’ll upgrade it one day, but I’m certain I’ll probably have a dedicated ereader for occasional reading such as when traveling, exercising or if no other format is available.

I do have so many posts that come to mind, but now they seem more appealing as journal articles rather than blog posts. I know that some people do post on their blogs about their article ideas and they generate in-depth conversations that probably enhance the article when it is written. There’s also the possibility, though of someone snagging your great idea! I have mentioned some things here that I consider writing about, but it rarely (never!) turns into a conversation. Perhaps I’ll try again in the future. For now, I think I’ll get back to Love Is The Drug!

This morning, I began a blog post, reflecting on Ferguson, Eric Garner and other shootings, but then I had to go to my shift at the community garden and my sister came to visit. Isn’t it nice to be able to just walk away from all that violence, racism, hatred and ugliness?

I went to see “The Giver” last night. (Talk about getting away from violence, racism, hatred and ugliness!!) I don’t know what was going on here in the Haute, but the area near the mall was filled with young white boys in their pick up trucks. The trucks were outfitted with loud mufflers, and many burning diesel. Traffic was crazy heavy! No one was paying attention to traffic lights and it took forever to get out of the madness. I can’t remember feeling so unsettled in a very, very long time.

My youngest son has taken to reading the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr.

My eldest called me recently filled with anger, confusion and disillusionment after watching the video of Eric Garner being killed when a police officer applied an illegal choke hold. I know my son has been stopped by cops for DWB. I know he lives in a city where 14 young men have been killed by police this year. Perhaps you have words I could have used to comfort him.

Oh! “Arms up”.

My daughter left Indy for a larger city where she could live with a little less fear as she chooses to live out loud, proud and gay. My daughter will never hide who she is, nor should she. Doesn’t matter if I’ve had nightmares about trying to protect her. She has to live her life.

My sister sampled the fish I roasted with yam leaves; an African dish. We did some window shopping, had some frozen yogurt and had a really nice afternoon.

No worries.

I’ve got reviews to post this week, all books written by author of color. That’s my fight, getting more books out there with characters of color so that all young readers can realize there are brown kids who matter.

The following books YA written by authors of color are released in July 2014. Know of others? Please, leave a comment!

Need covers? They’re on my Pinterest page.

Ah, the books of summer. My thoughts were pointed in this direction the other day when NPR aired their piece on road trips. They really had me when they closed with Christopher Paul Curtis’ Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963. I loved that they put this book in the middle of adult summer reading. I loved how that truly articulated diversity in a summer reading list.

SUMMER

Chameleon by Charles Smith; Candlewick

Shooting the breeze with his boys. Tightening his D on the court. Doing a color check — making sure nobody’s wearing blue or red, which some Crip or Piru carrying a cut-down golf club would see as disrespect. Then back to Auntie’s, hoping she isn’t passed out from whiskey at the end of the day. Now that Shawn is headed for high school, he wonders if he’d be better off at the school in Mama’s neighborhood, where he’d be free of Compton’s hassles. But then he wouldn’t be with his fellas — cracking jokes, covering each other’s backs — or the fine Marisol, who’s been making star appearances in his dreams. Dad says he needs to make his own decision, but what does Shawn want, freedom or friendship? With teasing, spot-on dialogue and an eye to the realities of inner-city life, CHAMELEON takes on the shifting moods of a teenager coming of age.

Marcelo in the Real World Francisco Stork; Scholastic

Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear–part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify–and he’s always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm’s mailroom in order to experience “the real world.”

Death, Dickinson and the Demented life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres-Sanchez; Running Press Kids

It is the summer after Frenchie Garcia’s senior year, and she can’t come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends don’t know that she had a secret crush on her classmate, and they especially don’t know that she was with Andy right before he committed suicide. The only person who does know is Frenchie’s imaginary pal Em (a.k.a. Emily Dickinson), who she hangs out with at the cemetery down the street.

When Frenchie’s guilt and confusion come to a head, she decides there is only one way to truly figure out why Andy chose to be with her during his last hours. While exploring the emotional depth of loss and transition to adulthood, Sanchez’s sharp humor and clever observations bring forth a richly developed voice.

ROAD TRIP!!!

Dumpling Days by Grace Lin; Little Brown Books for Young Readers

When Pacy, her two sisters, and their parents go to Taiwan to celebrate Grandma’s sixtieth birthday, the girls learn a great deal about their heritage.

How I Became a Ghost by Tim Tingle; Road Runner Press

Told in the words of Isaac, a Choctaw boy who does not survive the Trail of Tears, HOW I BECAME A GHOST is a tale of innocence and resilience in the face of tragedy. From the book’s opening line, “Maybe you have never read a book written by a ghost before,” the reader is put on notice that this is no normal book. Isaac leads a remarkable foursome of Choctaw comrades: a tough-minded teenage girl, a shape-shifting panther boy, a lovable five-year-old ghost who only wants her mom and dad to be happy, and Isaac s talking dog, Jumper. The first in a trilogy, HOW I BECAME A GHOST thinly disguises an important and oft-overlooked piece of history.

Mare’s War by Tanita Davis; Knopf Books for Young Readers

Octavia and Tali are dreading the road trip their parents are forcing them to take with their grandmother over the summer. After all, Mare isn’t your typical grandmother. She drives a red sports car, wears stiletto shoes, flippy wigs, and push-up bras, and insists that she’s too young to be called Grandma. But somewhere on the road, Octavia and Tali discover there’s more to Mare than what you see. She was once a willful teenager who escaped her less-than-perfect life in the deep South and lied about her age to join the African American battalion of the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. 

Told in alternating chapters, half of which follow Mare through her experiences as a WAC member and half of which follow Mare and her granddaughters on the road in the present day, this novel introduces a larger-than-life character who will stay with readers long after they finish reading.

The Living by Matt de la Pena; Delacorte Press

 Shy took the summer job to make some money. In a few months on a luxury cruise liner, he’ll rake in the tips and be able to help his mom and sister out with the bills. And how bad can it be? Bikinis, free food, maybe even a girl or two—every cruise has different passengers, after all.
   But everything changes when the Big One hits. Shy’s only weeks out at sea when an earthquake more massive than ever before recorded hits California, and his life is forever changed.
   The earthquake is only the first disaster. Suddenly it’s a fight to survive for those left living.

Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah ; Scholastic

Thirteen year old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother’s ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab’s life. The only problem is that Hayaat and her family live behind the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, and they’re on the wrong side of check points, curfews, and the travel permit system. Plus, Hayaat’s best friend Samy always manages to attract trouble. But luck is on the pair’s side as they undertake the journey to Jerusalem from the Palestinian Territories when Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel.

Sofi Mendoza’s guide to getting lost in Mexico Malin Alegria; Simon Pulse

Even though Sofi Mendoza was born in Mexico, she’s spent most of her life in California — the closest she gets to a south-of-the-border experience is eating at Taco Bell. But when Sofi and her friends sneak off for a weekend in Tijuana, she gets in real trouble. To Sofi’s shock, the border patrol says that her green card is counterfeit. Until her parents can sort out the paperwork and legal issues, Sofi is stuck in Mexico. 

In the meantime, Sofi’s parents arrange for her to stay with long-lost relatives in rural Baja. It’s bad enough that Sofi has to miss senior prom and even graduation, but her aunt, uncle, and cousins live on a ranch with no indoor plumbing! As the weeks pass, though, she finds herself adapting to her surroundings. Sofi starts helping out on the ranch, getting along with her bratty cousins, and she even meets a guy with more potential than anyone from school. Through the unexpected crash course in her heritage, Sofi comes to appreciate that she has a home on both sides of the border.

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake: Tor

Old Gods never die…Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health. Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. 

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning. Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out. Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath. The Goddess War is about to begin.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon; Greenwillow Books

Ai Ling can see into other people’s minds and reach into their spirits. But she doesn’t know why this power has awakened inside her. She only knows that it is growing. It leads her on an epic journey—one that brings her to the edge of the deepest evil.

Chen Yong has a quest of his own, but then his path crosses Ai Ling’s. And there’s a connection so strong that neither can ignore it.Now they must face terrifying demons determined to kill them, and battle through treacherous lands. It is their destiny. But can destiny keep them together?

There are so many more! What else written by an author of color smacks of summer, road trips or summer road trips?

An assistantship with The Center for Children’s Books (CCB) during her time at GSLIS at the University of Illinois  Urbana-Champagin provided Ayanna Coleman with the knowledge and skills she needs to navigate the publishing world, and this past December she used that knowledge to  launched her own literary agency, Quill Shift Literary Agency. Quill Shift Literary Agency handles all the traditional duties of a literary agency while embracing new technologies and spheres to empower readers to join in on the publishing process, providing further foundation for writers’ success. The agency’s hallmark services are editorial guidance, pre-publication and audience buzz creation and author care and advocacy.

Today, Ayanna describes what brought her to where she is today.

The Diversity in Kid Lit Dream

I am a dreamer. It’s actually quite strange how often my mind wanders blissfully into REM and produces fantastic scenarios for my unconscious self to battle. The thing is, dreams so often just live in your head. It’s what you do with the dreams, make them realities or dismiss them as frivolities, that matters.

I do not wish to keep my dreams of a world where there is full diversity in children’s literature inside my mind any longer. I want this dream to become a reality through a vision that creates evolutionary action in the book industry; an evolution that will consider diversity an essential dimension to broaden and shape young minds through the provision of equitable views and examples in their reading experiences. I believe the following would be appropriate starting points:

1) Greater diversity in the kid lit industry

2) Greater diversity of talent creation and being promotion by their publishers

3) More contemporary, “just happens to be stories” with diverse protagonists

4) Better collaboration and support between all parties involved in this journey to equity in children’s literature

Diversity in the Industry

Yes, everyone’s been talking about the lack of diversity in publishing and that does need to change, but I’d also love to see more diversity in youth and teen services librarians, more diversity in teachers promoting literature to our kids, and more diversity in booksellers hand-selling books to families. All of these people are just as important as the editors, marketing and publicity managers, sales force, designers, and agents who touch the books during production. Everyone has a part to play. Some books have become a phenomenon from the frenzy of librarians. If teachers put a book on the curriculum, that’s guaranteed sales for the next 5 years. By booksellers hand-selling, they are giving these books an extra push to become great.

If people in these positions don’t reflect the many cultures in our society, the likelihood of understanding the necessity to continually advocate for and promote different cultures decreases. People with shared and different life experiences from varied backgrounds must work in the industry of storytelling so that all stories have the opportunity to be understood and passed on.

Diversity of Creators

We’ve all seen the numbers, out of 3,200 children’s books surveyed by the CCBC in 2013, only 67 of them were written by African Americans. That’s abysmal. Look, I don’t care if you write outside your culture, but I want to see stories by and about people from all backgrounds.

Working in a library gives one a great perspective and, for the past 5 years while working in children’s libraries, I have had over 1,500 books per year travel across my desk. Out of those 1,500 books, perhaps 15 make me excited. That’s not to say that the other 1,485 aren’t phenomenal, but let’s be real. If you are a librarian, reviewer, bookseller, you’ll hear a lot of buzz about a lot of books that don’t necessarily deserve it. Why can’t some of that buzz be pushed towards books with authors who don’t all look like they’ve strolled out of on one of Junot Diaz’s MFA programs? I think Noah Berlatsky said it perfectly in his article, Diversity in Children’s Lit: Mediocrity Matters as Much as Masterpieces:

“Mediocre-to-decent books with white protagonists regularly get massive marketing pushes and dutifully race up the bestseller lists, where they become the thing to talk about just because everyone else is talking about them. And, of course, when those books with white protagonists flop, nobody says, well, no more books with white protagonists—they just find the next one and promote that. Why shouldn’t mediocre-to-decent books with diverse protagonists have the same opportunity?”

Why, indeed.

Just Happens To Be

I truly believe that children’s literature can change the world and imaginative, thought-provoking, boundary-pushing diverse represented picture books, middle grade, and young adult stories are the means in which we can help mold the minds of our future leaders. Kids need to see that they can be whoever they want, do anything they can dream up, and love anyone whom they meet. If there are more ducks in picture books than Asian boys, that’s a problem. It’s also a problem that certain ethnicities are pigeon-holed into the same old stories. Do editors and librarians actually think that African American teens are overjoyed when they see another slavery book hit the shelves? That’s not their reality, and it’s getting passed off as “fiction just for them”. What a shame when historical fiction for others looks like steampunk murder mysteries. All kids should have the opportunity to see themselves in fiction and one characteristic like ethnicity, or ability, or sexual orientation should not define the story a character stars in or the role in the story a character plays.

Collaboration

I launched Quill Shift Literary Agency in 2013 because, as a an avid reader who never saw herself in books—a middle class black girl living a “normal teenage life”—and still see few examples in today’s books, it was time to stop huffing and puffing at the books crossing my desk and step up to try and help make change. This is not the journey of one individual. I cannot make things change alone. I would be privileged to work with the many tireless individuals who have been speaking up about diversity in children’s literature for years. Collaboration only works, however, if people are willing to work with each other–old voices and new voices, loud voices and subtle voices, full inclusion for inclusion.

How do I make all these parts come together?

• I add to the industry by becoming one of the voices that seek, applaud, and promote like hell books created by and featuringpeople from different cultures—a young, hungry, Black agent who is, and will always be, a librarian.

• Once a project comes across my desk that I know will connect with kids (but I also know the industry will have a hard time swallowing) I will take it on, becoming a knowledgeable, motivated advocate for the author and their work.

• I will showcase manuscripts and expose them to those who matter–the end consumers–the parents, teachers, librarians, people in the industry, and teenagers to read sneak peek portions and give me their thoughts. If they want to see it published, they can make their voices heard through minimal donations, aka market muscle, to illustrate to the publishing industry that these stories do have marketable value. I call these people Shifters. All proceeds earned through this market-testing will be put back into the continued promotion and support of underrepresented diverse works.

Books that haven’t been published yet, that are going through the scrutiny and rejection now, are the ones that need the most support to change what’s on the bookshelves a year from now. Quill Shift Literary Agency is providing a platform to empower people to realize the dream of diversifying bookshelves in our libraries, schools, and homes.

To be honest, my vision doesn’t matter. It’s society’s collective vision that will make a difference.

Do I hope that my vision will become society’s vision? Of course! More importantly, I’m hoping that someday I’ll wake up, go to work, start cataloging books and see more of the diversity I pass on the streets during the New York rush hour represented on the covers and within the content of future Kid Lit. I’ll pinch myself and realize it’s not a dream. Then, just maybe, I’ll allow myself a second to think that I may have had a lil’ something to do with it.

Many, many wonderful sessions and signings at BEA this past weekend but the diversity sessions are what mattered most to me. The diveristy sessions were not all listed in the official program and all schedule within an extremely tight time frame (some at the exact same time!)  yet the #WeNeedDiversity session managed to fill the room. Other sessions included “Where are All the Kids of Color” and “Multicultural Publishers in Conversation”. My presence was in spirit and via Twitter. I leave it to  Lyn Miller Lachmann who was there to give a recap.

Both panelists reminded the audience that in our quest to get the major publishers to take on more diverse books, we cannot lose sight of the diverse books that are available today. Nearly half of those books, according to John, are published by small presses. And those small presses need our love. If it turns out that the major corporations don’t respond to the campaign, or if they support it until the “next big thing” comes along, the small presses need to be there, because publishers like Just Us Books and Cinco Puntos Press truly believe in diversity and are in it for the long haul.

Audio of #WeNeedDiverseBooks is here. I’ve not had an opportunity to listen yet, but I will. The panel included  Lamar Giles Mike Jung Matt de la PeñaGrace Lin Jacqueline Woodson Ellen C. Oh Aisha Saeed and Marieke Nijkamp.

Follow #WeNeedDiverseBooks on Twitter, Instagram or FB.

I feel like this Monday is a day for looking back and for looking forward: Sankofa.

“More than two decades ago Wade and Cheryl Hudson were parents on a desperate search for children’s books that reflected the diversity of Black history, heritage and experiences. Disappointed by the limited number and their unreliable availability, the couple embarked upon a mission: to produce the kind of positive, vibrant Black-interest books that they wanted for their own two children. “

25 years and hundreds of titles later, JustUs Books remains committed to providing quality books for Black children. From concept books to chapter books to YA and poetry, JustUs provides classic and contemporary works that are important additions to any library.

Cheryl Hudson recently reached out to me to share an important list of Key Ingredients in Selecting Multicultural Books for Children. It’s such an important list, that I’m sharing it here along with her list of What You Can Do to Get More Multicultural Children’s Books in Stores Classrooms and Libraries. If you’d like to be sent a pdf of either of these documents, just email me and let me know.

crazyquilts at hotmail dotcom

#WeNeedDiverseBooks because this month, there are FIVE Young Adult books released in the United States Written by authors of color.

In 2013 there were FIVE

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams Garcia; Amistad, 21 May
How I became a ghost by Tim Tingle; Road Runner Press; 28 May
Get over it by Nikki Carter; Dafina Press; 28 May
The savage blue (The vicious deep ) by Zoraida Córdova; Sourcebooks Fire, May
Death, Dickinson and the Demented life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres-Sanchez; Running Press Kids; 28 May

In 2012 there were SIX

Border Town#1: Crossing the line by Malin Alegria; Scholastic 1 May
Prom dates to die for by Kelly Parra; Buzz Books; 1 May
37 Things I Love (In No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon; Henry Holt, May 3
Happy families  by Tanita Davis; Knopf Books for Young Readers, 8 May
Download Drama  by Celeste O. Norfleet; Kimani Tru, May 20
Life’s journey-zuya: oral teachings from Rosebud by Albert White Hat Sr.(author) compiled by John Cunningham; University of Utah Press; 31 May

In 2011 there were EIGHT

Tell us we’re home  by Marino Budhos; Atheneum Books, May
We’ll always have summer by Jenny Han; Simon and Schuster, 3 May
How Tia Lola saved the summer by Julia Alvarez; Random House, May
Amigas: A formal affair by Veronica Chambers; Disney, May
New Miss India  by Bharati Mukherjee; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 17 May
If I could fly by Judith Oritz Cofer; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 24 May
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami; Athenium, 24 May
So, so hood (Drama High) by L. Divine; Dafina, 31  May

Prom Ever After: Haute Date\Save the Last Dance\Prom and Circumstance by Dona Sarkar, Caridad Ferrer; Deidre Berry (Kimani Tru)

title: Knockout Games

author: Greg Neri

date: Carolrhoda Labs; August 2014

main character: Erica “Fish” Asher

Note: There are minor spoilers in this review. I could not avoid them. ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

Greg Neri is unpredictable if nothing else. His writings have ranged from Surf Mules to Yummy to Ghetto Cowboy to Hello, I’m Johnny Cash. And now, Knockout Games.

If you’re an adult, if you’re over, let’s be generous and say 30, you need to get your hands on an advanced copy and begin reading this book from the back. Start with the conversation between Greg and Carrie Dietz, the school librarian who gave Neri the idea for Knockout Games.

It didn’t take me long to realize I didn’t like Erica Asher, aka Fish, the books main character. She’s weak, indecisive and has little to say. She’s a white girl with long red hair and is a new student in an urban school in St. Louis filled with Black and Latino students. Destiny is the only person in the school who bothers to become friends with Erica and she’s the one who gives her the moniker “Fish”.

“I been watching you ever since you came to Truman. All you do is sit there and look at people, filming them and what not. It’s like that camera’s your tank and you just watching everyone pass you by. And with that hair, you the same color as Nemo, Fish. Yeah, that’s what you are.”

Erika and her mother move to St. Louis from Kansas after her parents break up. Erica’s mom finds a job working nights in a lab and can’t afford much of an apartment for them to live in.

Fish’s friendship with Destiny and her access to a camera gives Fish access to Kalvin, ‘King K’, and the knockout games.

Fish makes decision that I thought were just plain stupid. But, I’m not a teenage girl growing up in a new city with just my mom in the 21^st century. My teen years are far behind me and I just ought to know better.

I’ve never really experienced this before while reading YA: realizing that a books just wasn’t written for me. Fish was true to her teenage self, figuring out the kind of person she wanted to be, what she valued and how to maintain relationships. Neri reveals her talents to us, but Fish has no idea what she’s capable of doing. This book was not written for those of us oldheads!

As an adult, I wanted clarity on Destiny and her relationship with Fish, but relationships are complicated, especially for teens. Remember those weeks you didn’t speak to your best friend and suddenly you were spending hours on the phone? There was no more of an explanation for the not talking as there was for the sudden forgiven and there certainly weren’t pages of dialog between the two of you about your ‘feelings’.

Fish’s ignorance, which I should politely call ‘naiveté” is magnified in her relationship with Kalvin. The smooth talking, game playing, King K. First person narrative gives us no room to figure him out, it just gave us Kalvin in Fish’s eyes. We meet him and are pulled in by his soft voice with a slight rasp and piercing green eyes just she is. We feel her falling for him.

His hand engulfed mine. It was all rough on the outside, he’d seen battles. But his inside palm was soft. He pulled me up and his height caught me by surprise. He seem about two feet taller than me.

Kalvin teaches the Tokers about classic movies, boxing and how to be a leader. Yet, he’s as elusive to them as he is to us, the readers. Just as he seems to be spilling his emotions, he yanks all of ours with a line that has us doubting anything he’s said. Yea, he probably saw Fish as soon as she hit town.

In the conversation at the end of the book Dietz tells Neri “I feel like a lot of YA authors write great books for adults but not necessarily for teens, but the books that you write are definitely for teens. You write in a way that’s real, the way they really talk. They recognize those worlds.”

They recognize the knockout game, an activity that I heard about a few months ago on the national news. This game has actually been played in Dietz’s school for years and it involves students picking random strangers, walking up to them and hitting them hard enough to knock them out.

Young people don’t often consider the consequences of their actions, but that’s what they get in Knockout Games. What kind of people do we become when we join gangs and participate in such violence? Don’t get me wrong, Neri’s no preacher. He gives this to teens in ways they don’t even know what’s been put on their mind. And, teachers wise enough to teach with these books will find a multitude of ways to reach their students.

Knockout Games is a tough read for us old heads as it shows the many ways we’re letting our young people down. It’s a tough read for teens as it reflects one of the ways they’ve chosen to fight for their survival. The tough reads show us who we are and leave room for us to figure out who we’re going to become.

I can’t help but wonder what Neri will write about next.

What better day for book trailers than a Saturday?

Meet author Leila Rasheed!

Rasheed’s most recent book, Diamonds and Deceit (At Somerton series) was released in January.

London is a whirl of balls and teas, alliances and rivalries. Rose has never felt more out of place. With the Season in full swing, she can’t help but still feel a servant dressed up in diamonds and silk. Then Rose meets Alexander Ross, a young Scottish duke. Rose has heard the rumors about Ross’s sordid past just like everyone else has. Yet he alone treats her as a friend. Rose knows better than to give her heart to an aristocrat with such a reputation, but it may be too late.

Ada should be happy. She is engaged to a handsome man who shares her political passions and has promised to support her education. So why does she feel hollow inside? Even if she hated Lord Fintan, she would have no choice but to go through with the marriage. Every day a new credit collector knocks on the door of their London flat, demanding payment for her cousin William’s expenditures. Her father’s heir seems determined to bring her family to ruin, and only a brilliant marriage can save Somerton Court and the Averleys’ reputation.

Meanwhile, at Somerton, Sebastian is out of his mind with worry for his former valet Oliver, who refuses to plead innocent to the murder charges against him–for a death caused by Sebastian himself. Sebastian will do whatever he can to help the boy he loves, but his indiscretion is dangerous fodder for a reporter with sharp eyes and dishonorable intentions.

The colorful cast of the At Somerton series returns in this enthralling sequel about class and fortune, trust and betrayal, love and revenge. (Amazon)

The gorgeous cover for this book was created by photgrapher Howard Huang. Part of his creative process has become creating Behind the Scenes videos. Take a look at Behind the Scenes: Diamonds and Deceit.

ALA seeks candidates for 2014 Google policy summer fellowship

For the seventh consecutive year, the American Library Association is pleased to participate in the Google Policy Fellows program for 2014. Here’s a link to the application: https://www.google.com/policyfellowship/faq.html

For the summer of 2014, the selected fellow will spend 10 weeks in residence at the ALA Washington Office to learn about national policy and complete a major project. Google provides the $7,500 stipend for the summer, but the work agenda is determined by the ALA and the selected fellow. The Google Washington office provides an educational program for all of the fellows, such as lunchtime talks and interactions with Google Washington staff.

The fellows work in diverse areas of information policy that may include digital copyright, e-book licenses and access, future of reading, international copyright policy, broadband deployment, telecommunications policy (including e-rate and network neutrality), digital divide, access to information, free expression, digital literacy, online privacy, the future of libraries generally, and many other topics.

Jamie Schleser, a doctoral student at American University, served as the ALA 2013 Google Policy Fellow. Schleser worked with OITP to apply her dissertation research regarding online-specific digital libraries to articulate visions and strategies for the future of libraries.

Further information about the program and host organizations is available at the Google Public Policy Fellowship website. Applications are due by Monday, April 14, 2014. ALA encourages all interested graduate students to apply and, of course, especially those in library and information science-related academic programs.

Content in this post originated in email from the ALA.

House of Purple Cedar

Author: Tim Tingle

Date:  February, 2014; Cinco Puntos

adult crossover

The House of Purple Cedar is set in Skullyville, Oklahoma at the turning of the 20^th century. The New Hope Academy for Girls just burned down and a new Indian Agent has just arrived in town. Rose and her brother, Jamey joined Amofo, their grandfather, for a trip into town, a rare treat that would replace their daily chores. This outing actually placed them in the right place at the wrong time. The town marshall appears, alcohol leads to events and Amofo is struck with a board.

House of Purple Cedar unfolds as a story of how those who are disempowered choose to react when they are abused. The process of deciding how to react was a slow, deliberate process for Amofo as it was for Choctaw elders and Rose keenly observes this process. The narrative voice changes and we come to understand power balances throughout the community. We realize that while an individual’s actions define their own relationship, the community as a whole plays a role in allowing things to happen.

There are houses of purple cedar in the story, however, I’m not sure why ‘purple cedar’. I’ve spent some time researching this wood and can’t find anything about it. The more I looked, the more curious I’ve become about its significance.

Tingle manages better than most to weave in and out of time and back and forth between narrative voices. Rose, a young girl throughout most of the story, is the only character who has a narrative voice thus making the book appealing to young readers. Rose lives with her parents and grandparents in a home outside the city. Skullyville is a small community where Choctaw and Nahullos (Whites) all know each other, worship separately, maintain prejudices and come together in unpredictable ways. While Choctaw identity is essential to the story, this isn’t a story about being Choctaw.

‘Hearing’ the community sing “Amazing Grace” will give you goose bumps. Tingle brings faith to life and makes it another character in this story. No doubt, Tingle is a storyteller! He brings together many characters, details and events in this story in a very gentle, purposeful way.

Thank you, Bobby Byrd  of Cinco Puntos, for providing me a review copy at ALA Midwinter!

Courage has been my word for 2013. I can’t remember the signs that told me this would be my word, but I do remember that I didn’t want it. It wasn’t glamorous enough. Probably in thinking I didn’t want the word, I realized I needed to embrace it.

People rarely, if ever, admit to their own courage. I think that’s because they don’t recognize it. I though I’d invite a few people who are much better with words than I am to write about various aspects of courage.

My first post is from author G. Neri. His most recent book is Ghetto Cowboy. Hello, I’m Johnny Cash comes out in September ’14 and his next YA novel, Knockout Games will emerge in August ’14.

This was Greg’s prompt:
In your research of Johnny Cash, where did you find he exemplified courage in his life? Was it as much in his day to day life as it was in the larger ways that helped him maintain his career? How were you able to relate his courage in your writing? On a completely different note, how did you find the courage to write a story that most would not expect you to write?

Courage. Now there’s a word. And when it comes to Johnny Cash, he had more than most. Though I don’t think he would see it that way and I certainly don’t think it took any courage on my part to write about him. It was one of the first things I ever really attempted to write, back in 2003. It just took 10 years to realize his truth and see it come to life. But his story was unforgettable and inspiring to me in deeply profound ways. Not only for his music (particularly, the last decade) but more for the way he wrote about his childhood growing up in cotton country. From the poverty of the Great Depression to the hope of the New Deal, to overcoming the tragic death of his closest brother and the solace he found in music—it was all incredibly intimate as if he was talking straight to me, revealing his innermost secrets.

Courage? He found courage in his family and how they gritted it out when many gave up. He found courage in his brother Jack , who was wise beyond his years and sacrificed (and died) for a few dollars so his siblings could eat. He found courage in a crippled boy who was shunned by most but could play guitar like no other. He found courage in God. He found courage in the songs he listened to and the lonesome tales that they weaved. Then he gathered that courage and spread it far and wide when he gave voice to millions who had no voice: the working poor, veterans, prisoners, native Americans, the disenchanted, the forgotten ones. He gave them courage by telling their stories and letting America know what was going on in the heartland. He did it with grace and humor and plenty of attitude, just in case you weren’t paying attention.

Johnny Cash lived the American Dream because he was American in every way: bigger than life, honest, funny, flawed, devout, a sinner, cavalier, a deep thinker, rich and poor. His life mirrored the complex history of the 20^th century and he actually lived many of its most vital moments. What he took away from those times and how he viewed the shifts in the American psyche forged a resilient mind that turned him into a true maverick. To this day, his example inspires the way I approach my own art: from the gut, always walking the line.

His story might seem unexpected in my oeuvre but it fits perfectly from my point of view. All my stories concern outsiders, people who are misunderstood, maligned, cast out, who have to fight back to make their own way through the jungles of life. That is Johnny Cash in a nutshell. That is Yummy and Cole and Marcus and Logan and Erica and all the characters I write about. Johnny’s life may be a million miles from my own but we all share a universal struggle to have our voices heard and our stories told as only we can. Johnny Cash had a voice for the ages and he spoke out and sang to the end. He gave me the courage of conviction.

G. Neri is the Coretta Scott King honor-winning author of Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty and the recipient of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award for his free verse novella, Chess Rumble. His novels include Surf Mules and the Horace Mann Upstander Award-winning Ghetto Cowboy. His work has been honored by the Museum of Tolerance and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Antioch University, the International Reading Association, the American Library Association, the Junior Library Guild and the National Council for Teachers of English. Neri has been a filmmaker, animator, teacher and digital media producer. He currently writes full-time and lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife and daughter.    source

I didn’t post my usual rambling post yesterday, so here it goes today!

I’m working from home this week, working to get an article completed and ready for submission. I’ve got to clear my mind and my ‘to do’ list so I can concentrate on what I need to get done.

I’ve been stalling.

My mind was struck by wanderlust forever ago and I think of writing in small European city where I can visit markets for fresh meats and cheeses and sip hot beverages at a bistro while working late. Or take a long afternoon walk in a tropical hillside to refresh my thoughts after hours of working. These four walls aren’t working for me right now!

I’ve found other, short projects that might get me started.

It doesn’t help that I’m writing about places in YA lit! Or, does it?!

Around this time of year, I work with Zetta Elliott to complete a list of YA fiction books written and published by African American authors. So, far I’ve identified all of 22 books. We do typically identify books that were missed throughout the year, however, that’s a frightfully small number.

Dr Jonda C. McNair release the current edition of Mirrors and Windows newsletter which features informational texts and a profile of author/illustrator Steve Jenkins.  I’ve placed the pdf in Google Drive to make it available, however if it is not accessible, email me at crazyquilts at hotmail dot com and I’ll be glad to forward a copy.

A completely separate publication that came out this week is Windows and Mirrors: Reading Diverse Children’s Literature by Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen in the online publication Gazillion Voices.

Despite the statistics, today’s diverse children have more options to see their experiences reflected in children’s literature. White children, too, have many more opportunities to learn about experiences other than their own. In this essay, I primarily (but not exclusively) discuss Asian American children’s literature to highlight principles for meaningful multicultural content, as well as point out some of the persisting problems, with the ultimate goal of encouraging you to pick good books for young people, especially during this coming holiday season. Given that 3,000-5,000 children’s books in many different genres for a range of reading levels are published each year, I hope to provide you with some principles and guidelines for critically evaluating children’s literature and thinking about our role in supporting and promoting diverse, high-quality stories for all young people.

I recently wrote about the impracticability of expecting students to express their desire for books with characters of their own ethnicity. This is anecdotal statement is something I hope to research further. Why are some young children able to indicate an interest in a book based upon the race of the character while others are not? How and when do children develop racial awareness? My interest deepened when I read an article shared by @WritersofColour on Twitter. The article written by @hiphopteacher posed a much more reflective analysis into why children of colour are less likely to write about their own ethnicity.

In her essay ‘Playing in the Dark’, Toni Morrison argues that “the readers of virtually all of American fiction have been positioned as white.” (Morrison 1992:xiv) We might ask if the same is true of children’s literature and how that might affect children’s relationship to story-writing.

All in all, giving the young people in your life a book (or books!) written by authors of color this holiday season sounds like a gift worth giving. It would be a great time to donate books by authors of color to your local school or public library, too. Young adult books perfect for giving can be found on my annual booklists and books for all ages of children can be found on the BirthdayPartyPledge.

Teachers and students will equally appreciate learning apps for those tablets Santa places under the tree this year. Consider these 10 (mostly free) apps for documenting learning.

 #NPRBlacksinTech continues on the Tell Me More blog through 20 December. The series is well worth following because there are continuous ‘day in the life’ posts giving readers insights into real life experiences of Blacks in technology. This is so valuable to young people who need to see real life role models! This linkwill take you to the postings on Twitter and you do not have to have an account to read them.

I have another recent post which lists young adult literature from South Africa. In looking at the list you may wonder why J. L. Powers was included as the only non African on the list. Reading her recent post will help you understand why.

… my classmates and friends were the children of recent immigrants or immigrants themselves–some documented and some undocumented. Migrant workers followed the power lines next to our house to go work in the chile fields of southern New Mexico. I witnessed firsthand the injustices of our economic system that encouraged migrant labor, did not pay migrants sufficient wages to support their families, and made it necessary for those who did bring their families to live in our country in poverty and without the protection of legal rights despite working back-breaking jobs every day. These were people I knew. These were people I went to school with, young men I had crushes on, girlfriends I shared secrets with.

I’ve been getting a lot of blogging done in the past week, however that trend isn’t going to continue. BFYA makes its final selections at ALA Midwinter in January and I have more books to read than I have days to read them. No, I will not be blogging much at all! I will take a break on 21 January for Cookies and Cocktails with my sister. Hopefully, the weather will be mild enough for me to drive over to spend the day cooking, eating, drinking and making merry!

You may remember that my word this year is ‘courage’.  I have a better understanding of this virtue and I’ve become more aware of times when my courage fails me. I’m more unwilling to let myself be a coward. I’m a bit more likely to speak up, lean in and move forward. Yet, I still struggle with picking up that phone. I don’t know what it is about the phone, but using it takes a special kind of courage for me!

I’ve found several people including writers and publishers who are going to write about courage in a series that will appear here beginning 21 December. It’s definitely something you won’t want to miss!

For now, I have some researching to do!

“From caring comes courage.”Lao Tzu

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day for us all to take a time to remember the non-profits. I’m a bit tired of the gimmicky ways to help me spend money. Cyber Monday is silly because we don’t need to go to work anymore to have internet access for online shopping. Opening stores on holidays defeats the purpose of the holiday. There may be fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the amount of money people have to spend is fixed as is the number of people we have to shop for. So much pressure to spend!!

Maybe someone will get creative and come up with Travel Thursday, a day for deep discounted travel. Perhaps I could then afford a midwinter vacation to Fiji to relax, to Jo’burg to explore or to Kaoshiung to visit old friends.

Do you take advantage of the “sales” on these days? Or use the reminder today to support a non-profit?

There does happen to be a lot of good stuff going on this week that won’t cost you a penny!

In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, YALSA is pleased to announce that from January 1, 2014, forward, all live webinars will be free to YALSA members!  To participate in the Jan. 16^th webinar, “What’s Next for Teen Services,” sign up at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TBTFQ56.  Thank you for all that you do for YALSA and have a great day!

NPR is running #NPRBlacksinTech from 2-20 December to call attention to the small number of Blacks who currently work in the technology field, A mere 5% of America’s scientists and engineers are Black, according to a 2010 study by the National Science Foundation.  Follow the discussion on Twitter, on NPR’s Tell Me More Blog or on Flipboard (I follow it here on my cell phone.) Last night, the conversation was about how to raise a coder.

I bet the @BlackGirlNerds are following this convo!! I recently discovered this group on Twitter and was introduced to so many new and interesting activities and events! I searched to see if there was a Latina and Asian girl nerd group. Though I did not see one, I did notice names that would imply not everyone following @BlackGirlNerds is Black. Nerds rock!

I will post a December list of new releases, please be warned that it is EXTREMELY short!! While I don’t post self published on the list (too many, too hard to find them all) I do have to mention that Zetta Elliott has gone back to self publishing and yesterday released “The Deep”. I’ve purchased my copy and I’ll review it here once I’m done with BFYA.

Speaking of BFYA, I’ve received a grant through the Indiana State University Center for Community Engagement that will provide funds for me to distribute over 700 books published from late 2012-2013 to needy high school libraries throughout the state of Indiana. If you are an IN high school librarian/media specialist, please apply! And, please spread the word!

Do you need great learning apps for your children or students? Check out these apps for recording learning.

Lawrence Public Schools is looking for America’s Outstanding Urban Educators.The Sontag Prize in Urban Education recognizes outstanding teaching in Mathematics, English Language Arts (ELA) and other disciplines. Educators chosen for the Sontag Prize will lead classes as part of the LPS Acceleration Academy, a program designed to provide targeted small group support for students. Not only is this an rare way to recognize outstanding educators, it’s also a good way for Lawrence Public Schools to attract quality educators.

A new feature on Google Scholar is Google Library.

You can save articles right from the search page, organize them by topic, and use the power of Google  Scholar’s full-text search & ranking to quickly find just the one you want – at any time and from anywhere. You decide what goes into your library and we’ll provide all the goodies that come with Scholar search results – up to date article links, citing articles, related articles, formatted citations, links to your university’s subscriptions, and more. And if you have a public Scholar profile, it’s easy to quickly set up your library with the articles you want – with a single click, you can import all the articles in your profile as well as all the articles they cite.

In the Margins committee will select and review the best books of the year for: multicultural youth (primarily African-American and Latino) from a street culture in restrictive custody  who may be reluctant readers.  Titles of interest will be unusual, possibly un-reviewed, have multicultural characters, dealing with difficult situations including (but not limited to) street life, marginalized populations, crime, justice, war, violence, abuse, addiction, etc.

Find more information about the committee here: http://www.youthlibraries.org/margins-committee

To nominate a title, nominate here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dERfNlAwOXMxSVJtbWw3amo2RXo0a2c6MQ

To apply to be on the committee next year, sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDZqR1RIQ0FQOGJkVTRJcmZoVWVfN1E6MQ

In the Margins Official Nominations, 2013

Asante, M.K. Buck. Spiegel & Grau. August 2013. 272p. HC $25.00. ISBN 9780812993417. A broken family and community are where he’s from;  poetry and music get him to where he wants to be.

Chris, Terry L. Zero Fade. Curbside Splender Publishing. September 2013. 294p. PB $12.00 ISBN 978-0988480438. How’s Kevin ever going to figure out his problems with girls, bullies, friends and the angst of seventh grade if his wise-assed mouth keeps getting him grounded?

Coley, Liz. Pretty Girl 13. Harper Collins. March 2013. 352p.HC $17.99. ISBN 9780062127372. She’s 16 but she can’t remember what happened the last 3 years.

Gagnon, Michelle. Don’t Turn Around. HarperCollins. August 2012. 320p. HC $17.99. ISBN 9780062102904. If you run, they will find you.

Goodman, Shawn. Kindness for Weakness. Delacorte. May 2013. 272p. HC $16.99. 9780385743242.

Greene, Robert and 50 Cent. 50th Law.  Smarter Comics. October 2012. 80p. PB $14.95. ISBN 9781610820066. Keys to power and words of wisdom.

Jacobs, John Horner. The Twelve-Fingered Boy.Carolrhoda Books.February 2013. 280p.  HC $17.95. ISBN 9780761390077. Jack’s hands aren’t the only things that hold secrets.

Johnson, Albert. H.N.I.C. Infamous Books. July 2013.128p. HC $11.95 ISBN 9781617752322. Will Black let Pappy get out alive?

Jones, Marilyn Denise. From Crack to College and Vice Versa. June 2013. 105p. ebook $9.99. ASIN: B00DH82HIA. The title says it all.

Kowalski, William. Just Gone. Raven Books. September 2013. 128p. $9.99 ISBN 9781459803275. The world contains strange truths.

Langan, Paul.  Promises to Keep. Townsend Press. January 2013. 151p. PB $5.95. ISBN 9781591943037.  Keeping his promise just might save his life.

Langan, Paul.  Survivor. Townsend Press. January 2013. 138p. PB $5.95. ISBN 9781591943044. Avoiding the past is not an option.

Lewis, John.  March Book 1 Top Shelf Productions.  August 2013. 128p. PB $14.99. ISBN 978-1603093002. ANNOTATION

Little, Ashley. The New Normal. Orca. March 2013. 232p. PB $12.95. ISBN 9781459800748. No hair, no sisters and stalked by a drug dealer. Where’s the upside to Tamar’s life?

McKay, Sharon E. War Brothers: The Graphic Novel. Illustrated by Lafance, Daniel.  Annick Press. 2013. PB $18.95. ISBN 9781554514885. Kidnapped and forced to kill for the Lord’s Resistance Army.

McVoy, Terra Elan. Criminal.  Simon Pulse. May, 2013. 288p. HC $16.99. ISBN 978144242622. Dee was everything to her. Until he killed a man for another girl.

Medina, Meg. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Candlewick. March 2013. 260p. PB $16.99. ISBN 9780763658595. It’s gonna happen.

Miller, Kirsten. How to Lead a Life of Crime. Razorbill. February 2013. 434p. HC $18.99. ISBN 9781595145185.  Can Flick stay alive long enough to find out what’s really happening at Mandel Academy?

Nussbaum, Susan. Good Kings, Bad Kings. Algonquin Books. May 2013. 304p. HC $23.95.  ISBN 9781616202637.  Most of them could make it on their own – if they could get out of lockdown.

Rivera, Jeff. No Matter What. CreateSpace. October 2013. 112p. PB $3.95. ISBN 9781493544141. Will Jennifer wait for Dio? Will Dio get it together?

Shantz-Hilkes, Chloe (ed.). Hooked: When Addiction Hits Home. Annick Pr. March 2013. 120p. HC $21.95. ISBN 9781554514755. PB $12.95. 9781554514748. Living with addiction can be just as painful as suffering from one.

Stella, Leslie. Permanent Record. Skyscape. March 2013. 282p. HC $17.99. ISBN 9781477816394.  New School. Will Badi revert to his destructive ways?

Van Diepen, Allison. Takedown. Simon Pulse. September 2013. 288p. HC $16.99. ISBN 9781442463110. How many losses before Darren can takedown Diamond Tony’s organization?

Young, Pamela Samuels. Anybody’s Daughter. Goldman House Publishing.  November 2013. 374p. PB $16.99. ISBN 9780989293501 When Brianna gets targeted and tricked into a sex trafficking ring, Uncle Dre using his connections as a former drug dealer fights against time to save her.

Youth Communications. Rage:True Stories by Teens About Anger. Free Spirit. July 2013.176p. PB $11.99. ISBN 9781575424149. How to manage your anger, create a life of control and a future with possibilities.

Wells, Polly (ed.). Freaking Out: Real-life Stories About Anxiety.Annick Press. June 2013. 136p. $12.95. ISBN 9781554515448. From phobias to PTSD, how can you get over Freaking Out?

Zambrano, Mario Alberto. Loteria. Harper. July 2013. 288p. $21.99. ISBN 9780062268549. The cards help Luz remember the hand she was dealt.

Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is? – Frank Scully

New Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Last year’s ALAN was in Vegas and I was able to stay over for Thanksgiving dinner with my son and DIL at Bob Flay’s Mesa Grill. This year it was in Boston. Although I didn’t stretch my visit into the holiday, I did have some pretty good dining experiences.

Saturday evening, I had dinner at the Parker House Restaurant with Kekla Magoon and Lisa J. of Anali’s First Amendment. While none of us really knew one another, we managed to stretch our evening into a four-hour event! Why not? Not only was it a splurge, but it was an over the top (for me!!) event! I was with Kekla and Lisa!! And, we were in the Parker House Restaurant! We knew this was where the Kennedys preferred to dine in Boston and that Malcolm X once worked here We also knew that both Parker House Rolls and Boston Creme Pie were invented here. But, the immensity of this didn’t hit home until Lisa asked if we could take photos. We meant of the food and we didn’t want to disturb others around us. It was suggested that we wait until the crowd thinned and of course to us, this meant waiting until our food (and the opportunity to photograph it) would be  gone. Yet, we complied.

Edi, Kekla and Lisa at Table 40

Prior to delivering the dessert, our waitress asked if we were ready for the photo by table 40 where Jack proposed to Jackie. Kennedy to Bouvier. So, yes!!! Realizing that’s what she interpreted our request for a photo to mean, we happily took photos there!

Lisa wrote a much nicer post about our evening, so do go read it. I’m sure you can relate to little evenings that become such special memories.

As incredible as that was, my visit to Boston got even bigger from there.

I went to NCTE. I went to the exhibit hall and got the first books signed that I’ll be adding to Little Bean’s library. Little Bean is my first grandchild, due in May. Little Bean is the most amazing kid with an über incredible library! Though not pictured, I also got a book signed by Judy Blume for Little Bean!

Patricia MacLachlin

Pat Mora

I went to ALAN.

ALAN… ALAN started on a downward slope for me. As impressive as the Omni Parker is, I was disappointed that NCTE listed it as a nearby hotel. Traveling as a single lady in a new-to-me town with windchills around -5, it was easy to slip into punk mode and get sucked into $10 cab rides. Not close! The conference room was ridiculously cramped and short on seats.

BUT!! This ALAN had complimentary coffee. There has to be a better way to refer to this beverage as is was a nectar of the goddesses! It took away any reason I had to complain. It let me stand in lines and meet new friends. It took my edge off. I’ve since visited the Au Bon Pain website and see that I can order the coffee online and I sure do plan to do that! It’s so very good!

I’ve waited days to decompress and write my ALAN reflections. When I began writing, I had no idea I’d write so much backstory! I’m going to stop here. Rumor is that people don’t like to read long passages online. I’ll finish posting about ALAN tomorrow.

Enjoy your evening!

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
~Meister Eckhart

Yesterday, my nutritionist mentioned that she could not believe we were already in mid November. Time can get away from us can’t it? I like what Zetta Elliott does every December. She creates an annual retrospective pulling information from her blog and FB posts which helps her see all she has accomplished during the previous year. Looking over what we post in blogs or journals, write about in emails or have taken photos of during the year is a much more powerful statement than the book that didn’t get finished (whether we were reading or writing it!), the project that never got started or the trip that got postponed yet again. Let’s look at what was there and see what was accomplished.

I had pretty much the same thoughts earlier this week when I read and commented on a blog post addressed to John Green and the lack of diversity in his books. I wrote a quick impulsive response, thought about it and wrote another one and still don’t think I said it quite right.

I don’t think John Green should have to include characters of color in his writings no more than I think Coe Booth or Malin Alegria should have to include Whites or Asians in theirs. Authors write best when they write what they know. If they know an all white or an all Latino world, then write that. I may wonder how a neighborhood that I know to be rich in diversity can be portrayed as being so very White, but I know people don’t all seek or have the same experience. I know there are Blacks and Latinos who live in monolithic worlds just are there are Whites who do so. The problem I have is that those white readers can easily find books that reflect how they perceive their world while black and Latino readers have a very hard time find books written by those who understand their world and can write about it. While it amazes me that people can continue to live lives that lack diversity with respect to the types of people they interact with, foods they eat or books they read, I have to accept that there are people who question why anyone would want any type of diversity in their lives. Sure, we could argue that books are the perfect arena to introduce people to different thoughts and ideas, there are readers who don’t want that. They read for other reasons than to explore the world around them.

Why do you read?

Publishers Weekly recently released it’s best of 2013. Looking at the list of children’s books, I am wow-ed by the wide variety of literature on the list. The list includes British fiction, GLBT teens, a character with dyslexia, a female action lead character in a graphic novel, 16th century Scandinavia and monsters in Victorian London. Books by or about people of color are the following.

Boxers and Saints by Gene Juen Yang; Lark Pien

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia

The Thing about Luck by Cynthia Kadohata

Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles America’s First Black Paratroopers by Tonya Lee Stone

These books stand as markers of what was published in 2013. Do you think they’re the best?

The time book mom and blogger, stepped up: Jenny at Babies, Books and Bows couldn’t believe

In simple rhyming text a young Muslim girl and her family guide the reader through the traditions and colors of Islam.

the fear and didn’t want to see the gorgeous picture book Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns (American Library Association Notable Children’s Bk 2013; Notable Children’s Trade Book/Social Studies 2013) removed from the Scholastic bookfair at her daughter’s school after a parent protest about the book. Jenny spoke up. In her letter to the bookfair rep, she stated

 [O]ne of the reasons we love the school is the diverse population. She goes to school with kids from different cultures, that speak different languages, and have different beliefs. We have raised our daughter to be kind and empathetic to her classmates, to learn from them, to listen to them with an open heart instead of shunning them away with fear. It is the fear that drives the request to have the book removed.

As a book fair volunteer, I watched as the children searched the shelves for books that were interesting, that were fun, and to which they could relate. Our school population has many Muslim students, and the students should not be taught that a book about their culture in a beautifully illustrated children’s book is akin to terrorism, as [was] inferred from [the] comments [cited] in the paper. Also, there were many books about other religions and cultures available at the book fair, including books about Christmas, Hanukkah, and Greek Mythology, just to name a few. So [the] comment that there was not any representation from other cultures or religions is baseless.

I think Judy Blume put it best when she said, “Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won’t have as much censorship because we won’t have as much fear.”

She then bought a copy of the book to giveaway on her blog.

The post in which she writes about Latina representation in YA and the responses are from authors who struggle to diversify their writing: she makes a valid point. YA fiction for any teen who is not White can be a challenge to find. Blacks and Latinos had been relegated to “urban” fiction which often focused on gangs and violence but not even that can’t even be found now. Cambodian American, Guatemalan American and Puerto Rican authors know how the language flows, power structures and celebratory practices. Sure, there have been authors who have written outside their culture and gotten it right, but it’s not because they read a book about how to do it. It’s because they’ve been immersed in other cultures. “Some of their best friends are Black”. Their list of favorite books is as diverse and the music they listen to and the food they eat. Otherwise, they’re pretty much just faking it. If you don’t know it, you probably shouldn’t write about it. If your world is all White, then write your book! If it’s good, authentic story it will sell!

I scratch my head when I think about all the authors of color I haven’t seen on the shelf in a mighty long time while at the same time white authors are trying to expand their repertoire. Coo Booth. Varian Johnson. Mitali Perkins. Neesha Meminger. Paula Yoo. Torrey Maldonado.

I’m about to get back to my book stack. Two months left. A book a day, my friends; a book a day! Before I get back,

The day my daughter was born: I have to wish my daughter the happiest of birthdays. I honestly don’t know how she got so old, but she’s celebrating her 29^th (for the first time). Kristen is the person who first made me realize how difficult it is for teens of color to find books about teens like themselves. Kris attending a high school with close to 2000 students and it’s a high school that has long been known for it’s diversity. I guess diversity was all in the student population, but not in the library. I was a social studies teacher then and could find her a few books I’d read, but being that teen struggle for independence, she didn’t want books I’d read. I remember finding Coldest Winder Ever for her. I think the most recent book I gave her was City of Glass, which she enjoyed enough to read the series. We read and discussed books while we lived in Taiwan, but our reading interests are not quite the same. That doesn’t matter. What matters is simply that she reads. And, that she is a beautiful young lady with a vibrant energy who is making a difference exposing human trafficking with her camera.

Saturday. 9 November. Wishing you all memories of today that are as good as mine.