Five stories and one novella that pack a punch! How does she make her stories feel like science fiction, present day reality and historical fiction all at once? I am looking forward to more from this original writer! –Nancy, Island Books, Mercer Island, WA This was one of Island Books’ top fiction books from …
Tupac Shakur’s poetry collection, The Rose that Grew from Concrete, and the safety of a diary were my entries into becoming a writer. For the entirety of middle school and the first half of high school, I was the kid who came into class late while cracking jokes or quips and sat in the back …
A work of triumphant wonder, representation and truth telling to transform the 1619 Project’s essence into picture book for children. A family tree assignment sparks questions of “who are you, trace your roots, draw a flag that represents your ancestral land…” and for some and reminders the erasure of records. Grandmother gathers the family around …
… speaking of fantastic reads, Afterparties, Anthony Veasna So’s posthumous debut, arrives this week. Afterparties is a collection of loosely connected stories about Cambodian-Americans. They are all crafting new identities (or trying to find identities) in America, but the ghosts of the ancestors and the haunting memories of their homeland are never far away. So’s stories are both …
A sweeping coming of age story dominated by strong women and the men in their lives. As the favored grandchild of a wealthy Ugandan clan in the 1970s-1980s, Kirabo is obsessed with the mother she’s never known. Kirabo is surrounded by the intense, often overwhelming love of her aunt and grandmothers who will stop at …
From Oregon Live July 10, 2021 Portland-raised author Renée Watson is the inspiration for a campaign that Portland bookstore Green Bean Books is running on behalf of Vernon Elementary School this summer. The campaign’s goal: To sell 275 copies of Watson’s delightful chapter book Ways to Make Sunshine, which follows a Black girl growing up …
From Secret Garden Books in Seattle, WA: The smiling-under-their-masks pair you see to the left are longtime Garden customers Lua and her mother Noelia. The table before them is covered with books they chose from among our selection of bilingual Spanish/English books for children. These books are now ready to be shipped off to the …
I read it all in one go! This book had my heart racing from start to finish. It features alternating perspectives between resourceful and genuine young women. A timely narrative on race and protest, both in broader society and between/within individuals –AND a guaranteed read to raise your blood pressure! –Ellen, Queen Anne Book Company, …
This is the second graphic novel in the Trot & Cap’n Bill Adventures. Sea Siren Princess Clia comes from her undersea world to search for her kidnapped friend. Trot, Grandpa, and Cap’n Bill the talking cat come to her aid. Well-done illustrations really capture the story. (Ages 9-12) –Melissa DeMotte, The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene, …
“Just because February is coming to an end doesn’t mean you should stop reading and learning about Black History! We’ve got books to inspire, educate, and challenge.” –Green Bean Books, Portland, OR Children’s specialty bookstore Green Bean Books shared a list of children’s books about Black history for year ’round love in the February issue …
