Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times best-selling author of thirty-five books, including his Newbery Medal–winning novel, The Crossover. Some of his other works include Booked, which was long-listed for the National Book Award, The Playbook, and The Undefeated, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and won the Caldecott [ Read the full article… ]
Category: MG Bookshelf
Torrey Maldonado on: The Talk
In The Talk, out today, thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators engage young people in frank discussions about racism, identity and self-esteem. Featuring stories and images filled with love, acceptance, truth, peace, and an assurance that there can be hope for a better tomorrow, The Talk is an inspiring anthology and must-have resource published in [ Read the full article… ]
The Voice Method of Book Talking
The “Where Are The Books for 8th Graders?” panel at NCTE was packed. Who knew that educators were so hungry for books catered to their middle school readers? We did. Authors knew. One of the suggestions was a new way to Book Talk, specifically with 8th graders in mind. But, of course, this can be [ Read the full article… ]
Throwback Thursday: Alice Randall and Caroline Williams
We first featured Alice Randall and Caroline Williams in 2013, after the publication of the joint debut middle grade novel, The Diary of B.B. Bright, Possible Princess, with illustrations by Shadra Strickland. Kirkus offered high praise: “Sweet, sassy and mystical, this novel deftly melds an old-fashioned story of princess preparation with the modern twist of [ Read the full article… ]
Making Our Own Market: DuEwa Frazier
We are honoured to welcome DuEwa Frazier to the Brown Bookshelf today. Poet, founder of Lit Noire Publishing, author of DEANNE IN THE MIDDLE, and much, much more — DuEwa is a true wonder woman. Grab your notebook and a glass of iced tea, lemonade, or just some cool, clear water…and prepare to be inspired. [ Read the full article… ]
Celebrating the Multifaceted, Multicultural, and Multicolored World of YA Fiction
Diversity in YA Fiction (DIYA) is a website and book tour founded by two young adult authors, Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon, to celebrate diverse stories in YA. From the site: “DIYA is a positive, friendly gathering of readers and writers who want to see diversity in their fiction. We come from all walks of [ Read the full article… ]
Blog Tour: Dork Diaries
On June 2, 2009, author Rachel Renee Russell released her debut middle grade book Dork Diaries. Never fear, being a dork is cool these days and Nikki Maxwell, the dorky protagonist, embraces her dork status. To welcome Nikki and Rachel to The Brown Bookshelf family, I sat down with the two of them recently to [ 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… ]