The winners of the 2019 Harvey Awards were announced at New York Comic Con this weekend. Several of the major awards went to books for teens as well as books with LGBTQIA+ subject matter. Here are the winners:
BOOK OF THE YEAR
Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
DIGITAL BOOK OF THE YEAR
Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu
BEST CHILDREN’S OR YOUNG ADULT BOOK
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
BEST MANGA
My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi
Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes (9781629798813)
Grimes writes a searing verse memoir of her years growing up with a mother suffering from alcoholism and schizophrenia. Removed from her mother at a young age and separated from her older sister, Grimes found a loving foster family where she discovered the power of writing her feelings and experiences out on paper. She visited her mother occasionally during that time and they were eventually reunited when her mother got sober and remarried. But it wasn’t that simple or easy. Grimes was trapped in a home filled with a cycle of addiction, mental illness and sexual abuse from her stepfather. Told with a strong sense of hope and resilience, this book is a brave look back into a traumatic childhood.
Grimes has created a book that carries readers back into her previous experiences, showing how she survived, how writing helped, and how she found hope and strength in people other than her mother. Grimes has recreated some of her childhood and teen journals which were destroyed. In these small glimpses told in the voice of her youth she shows her confusion and strength vividly.
Throughout the book, Grimes mentions that she doesn’t have clear memories of much of her youth due to the trauma that was inflicted upon her. Her willingness to explore such painful subjects even though her memories are incomplete or entirely gone is a concrete example of her resilient spirit and hope.
A powerful and poetic look at trauma and the building of a new life. Appropriate for ages 16-adult.
Reviewed from ARC provided by WordSong.
Jump! by Tatsuhide Matsuoka (9781776572311)
Leap into this great board book for toddlers! On one page, the animal is sitting waiting to jump, then with the turn of the page the animal launches into the air. Each jump is accompanied with a merry and silly noise that is some version of “boing!” Sometimes there are additional syllables to create even more fun. The format turns the book lengthwise so that the animals can jump even higher. The illustrations are simple and joyous.
A delight of a board book sure to get everyone jumping. Appropriate for ages 1-3.
Reviewed from copy provided by Gecko Press.
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
9 children’s books about food and culture that are good enough to eat – Romper
2019 CBC Diversity Award Winners Announced – Publisher’s Weekly
David Baddiel: children’s fiction needs more wheelchair whizzkids – The Guardian
The Fallen Worlds of Philip Pullman – The New Yorker
Give kids good books and they’ll love reading forever – HuffPost
Kokila to publish ‘The Seed of Compassion,’ the first children’s book by The Dalai Lama – Forbes
Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad turns bullying experiences into new children’s book – WBUR
Pembrokeshire writer, Eloise Williams, is first Children’s Laureate Wales – Western Telegraph
Second Story Press Tackles Texts in Two Tongues – Publisher’s Weekly
Wonder author R.J. Palacio on making her graphic novel debut – Hollywood Reporter
Yes, I still read my 12-year-old children’s books – Yahoo! Lifestyle
LIBRARIES
Chicago to become largest U.S. public library system to go fine-free for overdue materials that get returned – Chicago Tribune
Why public libraries matter more than ever in the information age – Mercer Island Reporter
Why young learners don’t always go to libraries for books, and why that’s OK with librarians – WESA
READING
3 things parents should do to raise lifelong readers (besides bedtime stories) – Inc.
E-book or physical book? The answer may surprise you – CNBC
One-in-five Americans now listen to audiobooks – Pew Research Center Fact-Tank
Who doesn’t read books in America? – Pew Research Center Fact-Tank
YA LIT
5 Fall 2019 Bisexual Girl and Lesbian YA to Add to Your Queer TBR – Book Riot
The Best Young Adult Fantasy Novel of All Time – Forbes
Fall 2019 YA Books: 90+ October-December New Releases – Book Riot
Lev Grossman is adapting his short story “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” into a movie – Tor.com
Rainbow Rowell’s ‘Wayward Son’ seeks peace on the road – NPR
I Wonder by K. A. Holt, illustrated by Kenard Pak (9781524714222)
From waking up to finally going to bed, the day is filled with questions. There are questions about whether the sun is really a kite. Do tires get tired? What are boy ladybugs called? Where are the unicorns? Could your belly button hold a galaxy? How do shadows work? Are toys lonely or sad? Do trees dream? One after another the questions are asked and left unanswered for the reader to think about and ponder. The book ends with children being reminded that they wonder because they are wonderful.
Holt’s text is a series of marvelous questions that really get readers thinking about wild possibilities in the world. If you are sharing this book aloud, expect conversations about the questions, some of which could lead to great discussions about fascinating topics. It is also a great book to read and quietly think deep thoughts on your own too. Pak’s illustrations are filled with a diverse cast of characters. The images are ethereal. They are also beautifully structured with curves of road, bubbles in water, and the night sky all featured in the course of the book.
A book to marvel at and wonder with. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Random House.
Priya Dreams of Marigolds & Masala by Meenal Patel (9781643439556)
Priya lives with her family in the United States. Her’s is the only house in her neighborhood where an Indian family lives. Priya loves to help her grandmother make rotli for dinner when she gets home. As they make the flatbread, her Babi Ba tells her about India’s spice markets, the architecture, the noises of the traffic, and the monsoon rains. Their house has marigolds strung over the door just like those in India. Priya longs to see India for herself. When winter comes, Babi Ba doesn’t hang marigolds outside any more. Priya has an idea and soon her entire class is helping her make paper marigolds as she tells them about India.
Patel, who is Indian-American, tells a story that focuses on a family’s continued connection to their heritage while living in the United States. Priya is proud of her Indian heritage, loving to hear stories about India and its sounds and sights. Still, there is a sense of distance between her own heritage and the society around her, one that can be bridged by sharing stories. The art in the book is rich will the colors of spices. Deep greens and warm pinks add to the color palette too.
A celebration of Indian heritage and the strength of family. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from library copy.
Mr. Scruff by Simon James (9781536209358)
Explore the bond of dogs and their owners in this funny picture book. All of the dogs’ names rhyme with their owners. There is Polly and Molly. Eric belongs to Derek. But Mr. Scruff, well he has no one. He’s in a cage waiting to be adopted. Mick has Rick. There is Lawrence and Florence. When Jim comes to pick a dog, he likes Mr. Scruff and Mr. Scruff likes him too! But Mr. Scruff is big and Jim is small. Mr. Scruff is old and Jim is young. None of that matters though to a boy and his new dog. But wait, who is this entering the dog adoption center? It’s Mr. Gruff! What will happen now?
James keeps this picture book oh so simple. He fills it with a collection of dogs and their owners. And yes, everyone’s names rhyme which makes it a galloping read. There are wonderful moments of hesitation built into the text, where the lack of rhyme gives room to pause and wonder a bit. Masterful and playful. The watercolor illustrations have loose lines and are filled with dogs of all breeds. There is a sense of loneliness in the adoption center, but not neglect at all.
This one rhymes its way into your heart. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from copy provided by Candlewick Press.
Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly (9780062747297)
Lalani lives on the island of Sanlagita during a long drought where all of the plants are dying and water is growing scarcer by the day. The residents of her island pray every day for mercy from the large mountain they live near. There are tales of another mountain across the sea that is on an abundant island where all of your needs are met. So the island sends out ships of their strongest men trying to journey to this other island and mountain. Nothing returns from these journeys but broken pieces of the ships. Lalani is a regular girl inspired by the tale of another island girl who died trying to make her own journey. As Lalani finds herself caught up with a magical exile, she wishes for rain and the unending rain that results brings disaster with it. Shunned by others on the island, Lalani makes the choice to take her own journey across the sea.
Inspired by Filipino folklore, this is an amazing novel by a Newbery-award winning author. The barren and limited world that Lalani lives in is filled with anger, bullying and still love and friendship. The entire society feels tense and on edge, one step from coming to blows. It makes what Lalani finds on her journey all the more incredible. Kelly has created a world of magical and unusual creatures that spring to life. Several of them are given special treatment where the reader is asked to imagine themselves being that creature which is a marvelous invitation to change perspective.
As always, Kelly’s writing is so skillful that one doesn’t even realize it. Her books read so easily and well, this time carrying readers into a fantastical world filled with creatures from dreams and nightmares. Lalani is a great protagonist. She is brave, audacious with just the right amount of regular person mixed in too.
A glorious fantasy from a master storyteller. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
Reviewed from library copy.
The first trailer for the upcoming TV series based on the best selling series by Anthony Horowitz:
Waking Brain Cells 