Reading Widely: March 2018

Here are three youth titles to help you read widely in March - a picture book, a middle grade book, and a young adult book.

Islandborn by Junot Díaz, illustrated by Leo Espinosa.  When Lola's teacher asks her class to draw pictures of where they immigrated from, Lola is sad because she can't remember The Island--she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of family and friends, she learns her family's story and gets closer to knowing who she really is.

Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender. Caroline Murphy is a hurricane child--she was born during a hurricane. This is unlucky, and the other kids in her school on St. Thomas bully her. She already has enough to deal with: a spirit only she can see is following her and her mother left one day and never came back. But when new student Kalinda arrives, Caroline may finally have a friend and a crush. Will she have the bravery to face her feelings, the spirit, and the reasons her mother abandoned her?

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. This #1 New York Times bestselling book is the start of a new series! Set in a world where magic has disappeared, seventeen year old Zélie has a chance to bring magic back to Orïsha. She sets off on a journey with her brother and a fugitive princess on a journey to get her people's magic back, but they must outwit a prince who is determined to get rid of magic once and for all!

Reading Widely: Picture Books

Start the new year with some diverse picture books for the little ones in your life or your library!

Last Stop on Market Street
Written by Matt de la Pena
Illustrated by Christian Robinson

CJ and his grandmother ride the bus across town every Sunday. This account of their ride through their bustling neighborhood and the differences between CJ and his neighbors provides a wonderful perspective on city life.

One Family
Written by George Shannon
Illustrated by Blanca Gomez

A playful and interactive text about all the different ways a family can be constructed.

Thunder Boy Jr.
Written by Sherman Alexie
Illustrated by Yuyi Morales

Thunder Boy Jr is named after his dad, but he wants a name of his very own. With the help of his dad, they pick out a name that celebrates him and who he is.

Green is a Chile Pepper
Written by Roseanne Greenfield Thong
Illustrated by John Parra


A book of children discovering all the bright colors in their Hispanic neighborhood.

Mixed Me
Written by Taye Diggs
Illustrated by Shane W. Evans

Mike is biracial, and he has to answer a lot of questions about being mixed. And he does, knowing he's the perfect blend of the two parents who love him.

Golden Domes and Silver Lanters
Written by Hena Khan
Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini

A beautifully illustrated book of colors that draws inspiration from Muslim culture.

Trombone Shorty
Written by Troy Andrews
Illustrated by Bryan Collier

A lively picture book autobiography of Troy Andrews, a trombone prodigy, also highlights the feel and energy of New Orleans.

Reading Widely: Memoirs

As the holiday season approaches, many people like to dig into a good solid work of nonfiction. Here are some excellent memoirs from a wide variety of authors for your holiday reading pleasure!

Men We Reaped by Mississippi Native Jesmyn Ward is a reflection on how, in five years, she lost five black men in her life to death. This is her exploration of why this happened. A reflection on community, race, and economic struggle, Men We Reaped was nominated for multiple awards for nonfiction writing. Anyone that's already a fan of Ward's fiction will like this one.

Michaela DePrince was born in war-torn West Africa, and is now one of ballet's rising stars. A memoir written with a young adult audience in mind, this story tells the story of her journey from war orphan to star of the ballet world. This one, though aimed at young adults, will be enjoyed by anyone that's a fan of DePrince herself or ballet in general.

Originally published in French, Abirached's memoir is a work of graphic nonfiction recounting her time as a child during the Lebanese Civil War. She recalls ordinary events and regular days living in a war zone. The stark colors and lines of the comic underscore the serious subject matter but also insert a little levity. Comic fans will like this one, and so will people interested in the Middle East or war stories.

Azadeh Moaveni had always felt a pull between her two cultures--daughter of Iranian exiles and typical California girl. Her two cultures had always clashed, and after college, she moved to Iran as a journalist. Her exploration of the two sides of herself also coincides with the reformist movement in Iran, and she also takes the reader into modern underground Tehran, in a time desperate for change. Anyone interested in the Middle East or identity narratives will enjoy this one.

Gus Lee's first work of nonfiction takes the reader through his family history in China, taking the reader through four generations, through family affairs and major historical events. It's  a story of a unification of two Chinese families, of a Chinese family coming to America, and also of the journey to America itself. If you have any interest in Asian history, this family history will absolutely fascinate you.

Written by multiple award winning author Walter Dean Myers, this memoir (aimed at younger audiences) tells the story of his coming of age in 1940s and 1950s Harlem, New York. Myers was hugely prolific in his career and kids and adults alike that enjoyed his work will enjoy the story of his early years.

Reading Widely: Comics, Part 2

In August, I took on a bunch of comics for Reading Widely, but I wasn't finished! Here are even more to tickle your fancy.

Goldie is a 16-year-old girl detective in this historical sleuth series. She and her dad work at a hotel, and she's constantly trying to help the hotel's in-house detective with his cases. But when something weird seems to be going on with one of the hotel guests, can Goldie and her friends figure it out? Great for middle grade and young adult readers.

Written by Hope Larson, illustrated by Brittany Williams, Colors by Sarah Stern

(Four issues contained in one trade paperback)

In this new run about much-loved Marvel superhero Black Panther, the reader gets a look at what it's like to be T'Challah, the ruler of the country of Wakanda, and also to have the burden of being Black Panther.

Political upheaval and royal family drama make this one a great read for action and adventure fans. Author Ta-Nehesi Coates makes this one an enormous draw for readers of his work. Geared towards adults.

Written by Ta-Nahesi Coates, illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze

(Four issues contained in one trade paperback.)

A lovely middle-grade story about two princesses, one who's been locked in a tower, and one who does the rescuing. The MLC staff loved this one SO MUCH--read our review here.


Written and Illustrated by Katie O'Neill


(Original graphic novel based on a webcomic)

Great Warrior is a very powerful (albeit physically small) being who protects her village fiercely from all outside forces. But when things get dicey and it seems that her friends are going to find out her big secret, will she be able to handle it?

This great all-ages comic has tons of amazing secondary characters, and the colors are gorgeous.

Written and illustrated by Madeline Flores with Trillian Gunn


(Trade paperback compiling webcomics)




Do you have more comic recommendations for us? We'll read them! Let us know in the comments.

Reading Widely: Comics, Part 1

Here at MLC, we love comics. We're constantly adding them to our collection, and we also trade our personal ones among the staff. We're huge comics fans. If you like comics as much as we do, here are a few comics/graphic novels that will help you read widely.

(Please see our collection development webinars on our continuing education page if you're curious about the ins and outs of comics, including the difference in issues, trade paperbacks, and graphic novels.)

Power Up is an all-ages comic about four very different beings that kind of accidentally get powers that will help them lead the universe.

Except those four beings are a mom with a minivan, a construction worker, a young woman whose employment status is constantly in flux...and a goldfish.

Sci-fi, humor, and slice of life mix to make this one great! Also interesting is Leth and Cumming's playing with gender roles and expression.

Written by Kate Leth, Illustrated by Matt Cummings

(Six issues contained in one trade paperback)

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a Marvel series about genius and preteen Lunella Lafayette who is spending her life trying to convince the adults in her life that they need to be more concerned about the fact that she has latent Inhuman genes that could be activated at any time. During her science adventures, she meets up with Devil Dinosaur, and the two of them become fast pals.

Lunella is a brilliant addition to the Marvel canon, and seeing a black preteen genius on a comics page is novel and wonderful. Suitable for middle grade and young adult readers.

Written by Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare, Pencils by Natasha Bustos

(Ongoing series, one trade paperback as of August 2016)

Zodiac Starforce is a great magical girl comic focusing on teen girls but fun for all ages! The Zodiac Starforce hasn't been needed to fight dark creatures in two years and they've been laying low and doing the high school thing.

But when an alien force infects their team leader, Emma, they have to jump back into the game and save the world from evil! They run into trouble but collect some new friends along the way.

A racially diverse cast of characters and on-page queer representation make this a book for everyone. Aimed at young adult readers.

Written by Kevin Panetta, Illustrated by Paulina Ganucheau

(Four issues, one trade paperback)

With a tagline like "yet another troll-fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish Girl," how can you resist?!

Mirka lives what she thinks is a pretty normal life with her Orthodox friends and family. But when a mysterious witch promises her the thing of her dreams: a dragon-slaying sword. The only catch is that she has to defeat the troll that's got it! Written for middle grade readers, this graphic novel will delight everyone.

Written and Illustrated by Barry Deutsch, Colors by Jake Richmond


(Graphic Novel, three books in the series as of August 2016)

Ms. Marvel is Kamala Khan, Marvel's first Muslim superhero! Kamala, who is Pakistani-American, finds herself with new powers and the entire delightful series is about her work to try and balance school, saving Jersey City from sinister villains, family and mosque commitments, and hanging out with her new superhero buddies.

Young Adult, but with major adult crossover appeal.

Written by G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Adrian Alphona

(ongoing series, four trade paperbacks as of August 2016)











I'll be back next month with EVEN MORE comics recommendations!

Reading Widely: Religion in YA

Welcome to our new Reading Widely series here on the MLC blog!

I’m Ally, a Library Consultant here at the Library Commission, and I'll be writing this series. It'll focus on topics, characters, and perspectives that maybe don’t get as much attention but that patrons need to see in their libraries.

Recently, I did a presentation with librarian Karen Jensen of Teen Librarian Toolbox about a year-long project we coordinated focusing on Faith and Spirituality in Young Adult Literature. You can read the recap of the program here. Our entire project hub can be found here.

Libraries work to fill the needs of religiously diverse communities, so here are a few YA titles about religious communities that may be underrepresented in library collections.

Hinduism

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier

Dimple Lala doesn't know what to think. She’s 17 years old and she’s spent her whole life side-eyeing her strict parents’ rules and traditions. She’s super startled when her parents arrange for her to meet a “suitable boy.” It doesn’t go well. Until she meets him in another context. And then it’s maybe his unsuitability that makes him suitable?

Catholicism

The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab

Source: Goodreads

Caro’s much older sister left home when she was eight, and she hasn’t seen Hannah in years. But suddenly she’s back, and Caro’s life is completely changed. Why did Hannah even go away and why is she back now? Distressed by the changes and secrets in her life, Caro resorts to lying to friends and her new boyfriend and the consequences confuse her even further. This book also features Caro’s very healthy and important relationship with her priest, and her spiritual and familial growth.

Islam

Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham

Source: Goodreads

Scarlett is a sarcastic, kick-butt, Veronica-Mars style private detective. She’s also 17 and Muslim. Her newest case gets her caught up in magic, ancient curses, genies, and the mysteries of why people in her town are acting so weird.

Representation is important, especially in books for children and teenagers. It’s important for people to see themselves in the media they consume, and it’s important for other readers to learn empathy by seeing people different from them.

Happy reading!