In honor of Teen Read Week, I’ll try and post a review of some of the Cybils noms I’m reading. Cybils YA noms have topped out at a little over 180 submissions. *swoons* Two weeks into it and being a first round judge is all that it’s cracked up to be. All YA, all the [ Read the full article… ]
Category: Book Reviews
Leverage(ing) Teen Boy Readers
When I sold So Not The Drama in 2006, among YA’s hot topics were not enough books featuring African American teens outside of the historical fiction or inner city blues realm and never enough “boy” books. I’m glad to say that based on this year’s Cybil nominations things are (have?) taking a turn. Leverage, by [ Read the full article… ]
Cybils YA Brown Books
I may have to hurt my library system because they don’t seem to have (m)any of the Cybils books by brown authors. I will not rant about it. I will not rant about it. I will not… Some of these books are new and I understand that procuring them isn’t as easy as me walking [ Read the full article… ]
MG Book Review: Dork Diaries
Diaries are both mysterious and popular. There is a fascination with reading another person’s diary. There have been many television show episodes dedicated to a spouse, a sibling, a parent, or a friend reading someone’s diary and finding out a big secret. Diaries are not only popular on the television screen. Throughout literature, diaries have [ Read the full article… ]
Middle Grade Book Review: Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything in It
Author Sundee T. Frazier’s debut novel Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything In It is the tale of a bi-racial boy in search of answers. Brendan is a 10 year old scientist who has questions about everything in his universe. Thanks to his science teacher Mr. Harrison, Brendan has learned the scientific method and seeks to [ Read the full article… ]
YA Book Review: Sunrise Over Fallujah
Last weekend I participated in Mother Reader’s 48 Hour Reading Challenge. Participants get 48 hours to read and review books of at least a fifth grade reading level. This was right up my alley and I was able to read so many great books by familiar and unfamiliar authors. African American author Walter Dean Myers’ [ Read the full article… ]
Charles R. Smith Jr. combines his passions — basketball, photography and writing
I need to preface this highlight by saying that…well, I think the book might be out of print. My apologies. Regardless, I’m highlighting this book and it’s author anyway. For me it was an introduction to a talented author, one whom I plan to follow. In the future, I promise I’ll do my homework to [ Read the full article… ]
Three moves is all it takes to change the outcome of the game
This past weekend, I read G. Neri‘s Chess Rumble, illustrated by Joshua Watson. Got my copy at the newspaper where I work. Couple times a year, they hold a huge book sale with proceeds going to charity. The books are sent from publishers hoping for media exposure. I made it to the sale three hours [ Read the full article… ]