After reading Something Like Hope, it took several days before I could stop thinking about the characters and get my head around the journey I’d taken through each chapter. This is an amazing story and I am thrilled that Shawn Goodman agreed to chat about his young adult novel, Something Like Hope. 1. What is [ Read the full article… ]
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Twenty Years Strong
On Saturday, February 4, Philadelphia’s African American Children’s Book Fair turns 20. It’s a milestone that means a lot to founder Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati. “Twenty years of putting on this book fair has reinforced my belief that children will read if you put good books in front of them,” she said. “They will read if they [ Read the full article… ]
Party for Five
One may be the loneliest number, but five is a party. We’re proud to announce our twenty-four authors and four illustrators spotlights marking our fifth annual 28 Days Later initiative, a month-long celebration of veteran and emerging children’s authors of color. There was a time when we considered doing something BIG to mark the fifth [ Read the full article… ]
Celebrating Us: Children’s Books about Weddings
My picture book, Ellen’s Broom (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) debuted yesterday. Yay! It’s a Reconstruction-era story, illustrated by Daniel Minter and published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, that celebrates family, love and freedom. Right now, I’m on a 9-day blog tour. At each stop, there is something special like a review, interview or guest post. You can [ Read the full article… ]
Our Own Worst Enemy
Question: If enough folk turn their backs on Black History Month because they’re sick of it being the “only” time anyone pays attention to anything African-American related, will it actually make people pay more attention to us the other 11 months of the year? Answer: NO Fact: The contributions African Americans continue to make to [ Read the full article… ]
Brown Book Review: My Own Worst Frenemy
I’d ask where books like My Own Worst Frenemy were when I was a young reader, but I already know the answer – they didn’t exist. It’s why I started writing YA, in the first place. Reviewing books like Reid’s first in the Langdon Prep series is bittersweet for me. On one hand I feel [ Read the full article… ]
Fans Live Here
Witnessing the pure unadulterated love from fans for the authors and their work makes managing The Brown Bookshelf so much fun. Sometimes the joy of reading can be lost in the hand wringing about the industry. Seeing fans come out for authors and books they love keeps things in perspective. Well, over the years, we’ve [ Read the full article… ]