2021 Notable Books for a Global Society

March 9, 2021March 6, 2021 | Tasha

The latest list of Notable Books for a Global Society has been announced. Selected by the International Literacy Association, these 25 books are chosen for “enhancing student understanding of people and cultures throughout the world.” Books range from K-12. Here is the 2021 List:

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles, illustrated by Bryan Collier

The Arabic Quilt by Aya Khalil, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph

The Cat Man of Aleppo by Karim Shamsi-Basha and Irene Latham, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectations by Aisholpan Nurgiav with Liz Welch

Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon by Simran Jeet Singh, illustrated by Baljinder Kaur

Finish the Fight: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote by Veronica Chambers and the staff of The New York Times

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora

The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins and Her New Deal for America by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Alexandra Bye

The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by John Parra

Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano/Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello by Monica Brown, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri

She Was the First!: The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm by Katheryn Russell-Brown, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

The Teachers March!: How Selma’s Teachers Changed History by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, illustrated by Charly Palmer

This Is My America by Kim Johnson

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Olivia Gatwood, illustrated by Theodore Taylor III

Seeking an Aurora by Elizabeth Pulford

March 9, 2021January 29, 2021 | Tasha

Seeking an Aurora by Elizabeth Pulford, illustrated by Anne Bannock (9781733121279)

A child is awoken by their father in the middle of the night. They head outside into the winter darkness, past the dogs and the cows. The father explains that they are going to see an Aurora, but the child doesn’t know what that means. Are stars in the Aurora? Is the moon? They head up the hill, their breath steaming in the icy air. They sit on the stony ground and look up, marveling together at the colors that streak the sky as the aurora borealis appears. They are silent until their walk back to the house, when the father shares what he knows about the aurora.

Originally published in New Zealand, this picture book is quiet and focused on a specific natural phenomenon. The book is told in very simple language, making it accessible for small children. The gender of the main character is never revealed, since the book is told from their point of view. The anticipation of discovering what the aurora is isn’t lessened by knowing about it ahead of time. The amazement and delight are infectious.

Bannock’s art is full of color even in the nighttime home. Warm reds, bright yellows, deep purples all fill the pages. The colors become more muted as they head outside, the night sky black above them and the stars vivid against it. The icy winter night is shown with a sickle of a moon, bare tree branches, and a layer of snow. The colors of the aurora are captured beautifully in a grand and stirring way that lifts the heart.

Quiet, personal and incredibly moving, this is a glimpse of a natural wonder. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Blue Dot.

Spring 2021 Kids Indie Next List

March 8, 2021March 4, 2021 | Tasha

The spring Kids Indie Next list has been released. The titles are chosen by independent book sellers across the country. Here are the selected books for this season:

TOP TEN (lists only 9 titles)

As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper

Big Feelings by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal

Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor

Red, White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca

Starfish by Lisa Fipps

AGES 4-8

Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy’s Secret Hero by Megan Hoyt, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

Bear Can’t Wait by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

Carpenter’s Helper by Sybil Rosen, illustrated by Camille Garoche

The Duck Who Didn’t Like Water by Steve Small

The Little Library by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson

More Than Fluff by Madeline Valentine

My First Day by Phung Nguyen Quang, illustrated by Huynh Kim Lien

Regina Is Not a Little Dinosaur by Andrea Zuill

The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen

Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Loren Long

Something’s Wrong! by Jory John, illustrated by Erin Kraan

Sunny-Side Up by Jacky Davis, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock

Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin

Wolfboy by Andy Harkness

AGES 9-12

Across the Pond by Joy McCullough

Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz

Ancestor Approved edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken, Leigh Dragoon, illustrated by Kit Seaton

Charlie Thorne and the Lost City by Stuart Gibbs

The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan

Golden Gate (City of Spies #2) by James Ponti

Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

Houdini and Me by Dan Gutman

The House That Wasn’t There by Elana K. Arnold

The Memory Thief by Jodi Lynn Anderson

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (As Told to His Brother) by David Levithan

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

Thornlight by Claire Legrand

Unsolved Case Files: Escape at 10,000 Feet by Tom Sullivan

TEEN

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

Game Changer by Neal Schusterman

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Love in English by Maria E. Andreu

Love Is a Revolution by Renee Watson

Namesake by Adrienne Young

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein

Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi

Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz

March 8, 2021February 1, 2021 | Tasha

Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Julia Iredale (9781536201222)

The Newbery-Medal winner brings us into the world of ancient Greece with her new novel. Rhaskos is a slave working in a Greek household where he spends his days picking up horse manure. He doesn’t mind the hard work, but he’d much rather be drawing the horses around him. He works in secret, steadily building his craft, inspired by a painting his master owns. Melisto is a girl hated by her mother, abused by her, but someone who has grown up used to wealth and luxury. She is precious, particularly for the connections she will make when she marries. She is selected to serve the goddess Artemis for a year, living wild and free for the first time in her life. By the time our two protagonists meet, one of them has died, though their destinies are entwined with one another.

Schlitz has created a masterpiece of a novel where she blends verse and prose, moving freely between the two. It is a complex novel with elements of Greek society explained, wars imminent and friendships being forged. Schlitz adds the voices of the god Hermes to the mix, also including the philosophical musings of Socrates who appears as himself in the novel. The book is marvelous, each of the elements working to support the whole and weaving together into a tantalizing tale that is surprising and fascinating.

Schlitz’s writing is exceptional. She explores ancient Greece along its dusty paths and roadways, showing readers how it felt to be these characters in these times. She speaks as Hermes and Socrates in voices that are unique to them and feel perfectly suited. The question of the value of a life runs throughout the book along with looking closely at suffering and pain. These deep questions and philosophies are ideally suited to the world Schlitz has created. They are enhanced by the illustrations that show various Greek artifacts and explain what they were used for.

Deep, dramatic and classical, this book is the best of historical fiction for children.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Candlewick Press.

2021 YA Book Prize Shortlist

March 5, 2021March 3, 2021 | Tasha

The 10 titles shortlisted for the YA Book Prize in the UK have been announced. This year they are also giving their third ever YA Book Prize Special Achievement Award to Marjorie Blackman, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first novel in Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses series. Here are the 2021 shortlisted titles:

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly (And The Stars Were Burning Brightly, #1)

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando

Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle (out in the U.S.)

Eight Pieces of Silva by Patrice Lawrence

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson (out in the U.S.)

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff (released in April 2021 in U.S.)

Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury (out in U.S.)

Loveless by Alice Oseman (released in November 2021 in U.S.)

Melt My Heart by Bethany Rutter

A Snowfall of Silver by Laura Wood

Wranglestone by Darren Charlton

News to Wake Your Brain Cells – March 5

March 5, 2021March 4, 2021 | Tasha

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Add these new children’s books by Black authors to your kids’ shelves – SheKnows

Kid Lit community launches auction to help combat anti-Asian racism – SLJ

Little Simon launches children’s book graphic novel series – Forbes

Opinion: Why schools should rethink Dr. Seuss – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Prolific children’s author Jane Yolen readies 400th book – Mass Live

LIBRARIES

Brooklyn librarian becomes unlikely star with her bilingual story time – NPR

Libraries are an essential service. Give librarians the vaccine now – Newsweek

‘We can hardly keep them stocked’: why books by Black authors are flying off the shelves – CBC

YA LIT

Author Patrick Ness on shifting from book to screen for his story ‘Chaos Walking’ – Black Girl Nerds

Disney’s cancelled LGBTQ-themed ‘Nimona’ movie would’ve starred Chloe Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed – But there’s still hope – Collider

I stopped reading because I couldn’t see myself in books. So I wrote one instead, Gary Lonesborough – The Guardian

In ‘Girlhood,’ teens across the globe write about their everyday lives – NPR

March 2021’s 12 best YA books, including Leigh Bardugo’s latest – Pop Sugar

Netflix series in the works for debut novel ‘Firekeeper’s Daughter’ – WXYZ

2021 Audie Awards Finalists

March 4, 2021March 1, 2021 | Tasha

The Audio Publishers Association has announced the finalists for the 2021 Audie Awards. Given in 25 categories, several of the categories are focused on audiobooks for youth. Here are the finalists in those categories:

MIDDLE GRADE

Genesis Begins Again, written and narrated by Alicia D. Williams

The Good Hawk, by Joseph Elliott, narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Gary Furlong

King and the Dragonflies, by Kacen Callender, narrated by Ron Butler

Say Her Name, by Zetta Elliott, narrated by Channie Waites

Shuri: A Black Panther Novel, Book 1, by Nic Stone, narrated by Anika Noni Rose

We Dream of Space, by Erin Entrada Kelly, narrated by Ramon de Ocampo

YOUNG ADULT

Clap When You Land, by Elizabeth Acevedo, narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo and Melania-Luisa
Marte

Everything Sad Is Untrue (A True Story), written and narrated by Daniel Nayeri

Poisoned, by Jennifer Donnelly, narrated by Rosie Jones

A Song Below Water, by Bethany C. Morrow, narrated by Jennifer Haralson and Andrea Laing

This Is My America, by Kim Johnson, narrated by Bahni Turpin

YOUNG LISTENERS

Going Down Home with Daddy, by Kelly Starling Lyons, narrated by Daxton Edwards

The Overground Railroad, by Lesa Cline-Ransome, narrated by Shayna Small and Dion Graham

Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou by Bethany Hegedus, narrated by
Cherise Boothe

Say Something, written and narrated by Peter H. Reynolds

The Sesame Street Podcast with Foley and Friends, by Sesame Workshop, narrated by Lindsey
Briggs, Tyler Bunch, Ryan Dillon, and a full cast

Stuck, by Chris Grabenstein, narrated by Mark Sanderlin, Elizabeth Hess, Oliver Wyman, Farah
Bala, Rita Wolf, Caroline Grogan, Cynthia Darlow, Mateo D’Amato, J.J. Myers, Neil Hellegers,
Genesis Oliver, and Chris Grabenstein

NOMINATED IN OTHER CATEGORIES

Clap When You Land, by Elizabeth Acevedo, narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo and Melania-Luisa
Marte – Nominated for Multi-Voiced Performance

El Laberinto del Fauno, by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke, narrated by Luis Ávila – Nominated for Spanish Language

Evelyn Del Rey se muda [Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away], by Meg Medina, narrated by Jane
Santos – Nominated for Spanish Language

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt – Nominated for Fantasy

We Wait for the Sun by Katie McCabe

March 4, 2021January 18, 2021 | Tasha

We Wait for the Sun by Katie McCabe, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa (9781250229021)

This picture book is based on one of Dovey Johnson Roundtree’s favorite stories of her childhood and her grandmother, Rachel Bryant Graham. Born over 100 years ago, Roundtree grew up to be a renowned civil rights attorney. She and her grandmother headed into the night in midsummer. They move through the darkness to the woods to gather blackberries. As they walk through the night, other women join them, silent in the dark. The darkness gets thicker as they move into the woods, and Dovey’s grandmother encourages her to hold onto her apron strings and let her eyes adjust. They reach the blackberry clearing and everyone gets to work but not before Dovey gets the first and best berry to eat. They pick berries, the women chatting, until the sky turns pink and at her grandmother’s command the sun rises over the horizon.

McCabe takes a powerful moment in Roundtree’s life and turns it into a picture book that invites children to explore the woods at night and not be afraid. There is a sense of adventure throughout the book illuminated with the wonder of being out in a summer night. The profound silence of the night and its darkness make for a book full of mystery with text that asks to be read in a hushed tone to share the moment with one another all the way through sunrise.

Figueroa’s illustrations are rich and beautiful. She takes the darkness and tinges it with blue, teal and purple to show paths, faces and the women walking together. She also sweeps the path with fireflies and glimmers, adding to the wonder of the book.

A story that serves as an allegory for resilience, going through the darkness and knowing the sun will rise. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Roaring Brook Press.