Youth Literature Blog Assignment

Outstanding Books for the College Bound Woman World  by Aminder Dhaliwal  About the Author: "Aminder Dhaliwal is a native of Brampton, Ontario and received a Bachelors of Animation from Sheridan College. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she is the Director at Disney TV Animation. Previously, she worked as a Storyboard Director at Cartoon Network and Storyboard Director on the Nickelodeon show Sanjay and Craig. She has serialized Woman World biweekly on instagram since March 2017 and has garnered more than 120,000 followers. Woman World was nominated for an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Online Comic." Book Summary: " With her startling humor, it’s no surprise that Aminder Dhaliwal’s web comic Woman World has a devoted audience of more than 150,000 readers, updated biweekly with each installment earning an average of 25,000 likes. Now, readers everywhere will delight in the print edition as Dhaliwal seamlessly incorporates feminist philosophical concerns into a series of...

  The 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards: Great Graphic Novels for Teens "New Kid" by Jerry Craft Book Summary: "Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?" -Amazon.com NEW KID WITH JERRY CRAFT About the Author: Jerry Craft is the winner of the Newbery Medal for his graphic novel New Kid. He has worked on numerous picture books, graphic novels, and middle grade novels. Jerry is the creator of Mama’s Boyz, a...

A Light in the Darkness: Janusz Korczak, His Orphans, and the Holocaust  by Albert Marrin  ***Title will be released on September 21, 2021*** About the Author: Albert Marrin is a beloved author of numerous works of nonfiction for young readers. His books include Flesh & Blood So Cheap, which was a National Book Award Finalist, and Uprooted, a Siebert Honor Book. Book Summary: "A heart-wrenching look at the history of the Warsaw Ghetto, told by comparing the philosophies of Doctor Janusz Korczak, a pediatrician-turned-orphanage-director who championed children’s rights, and Adolf Hitler, a racist fanatic whose policies led to the murder and manipulation of children. This masterfully woven story is meticulously documented and asks tough, resonant questions about good and evil." Reviews: YALSA Excellence In Nonfiction Award Winner  “Painful yet profound.” –Booklist, Starred Review “It’s a harrowing book, complete with harrowing photographs, that’s insightful about connec...

 We Are Not Free  by Traci Chee About the Author: "Traci Chee is the NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author of YA fantasy THE READER. An all-around word geek, she loves book arts and art books, poetry and paper crafts, though she also dabbles at piano playing, egg painting, and hosting potluck game nights for family and friends. She studied literature and creative writing at UC Santa Cruz and earned a master of arts degree from San Francisco State University. Traci grew up in a small town with more cows than people, and now feels most at home in the mountains, scaling switchbacks and happening upon hidden highland lakes. She lives in California with her fast-fast dog." Book Summary: * NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * PRINTZ HONOR BOOK * WALTER HONOR BOOK * From New York Times best-selling and acclaimed author Traci Chee comes We Are Not Free, the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei, second-generation Japanese American citizens, whose lives are irrevocably change...

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter  by Erika L. Sánchez About the Author: "Erika L. Sánchez is a poet, a feminist, and a cheerleader for young women everywhere. She was the sex and love advice columnist for Cosmopolitan for Latinas for three years, and her writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Salon, and the Paris Review. Since she was a twelve-year-old nerd in giant bifocals and embroidered vests, Erika has dreamed of writing complex, empowering stories about girls of color—what she wanted to read as a young adult. She lives in Chicago, not far from the setting of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. Erika is fluent in Spanish, Spanglish, and cat. You can find out more about her at erikalsanchez.com or by following @ErikaLSanchez on Twitter." Book Summary: "Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.  But Julia is not your...

 The Black Flamingo  by Dean Atta. Balzer  About the Author: Dean Atta’s poems deal with themes of race, gender, and identity. He regularly performs across the UK and internationally and his work has been shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize and appeared on MTV and BET. The Black Flamingo is his debut YA novel. You can find him online at www.deanatta.com. Book Summary: "A Greek Jamaican gay teen living with a single working mother in London, Michael is an outsider in his own life. But when he goes to university, Michael discovers the Drag Society. Reborn as “The Black Flamingo,” he has the chance to showcase all the unique aspects of his identity." Reviews: “A triumphant and emotional story about standing up for and embracing oneself that readers of any orientation and ethnicity will relate to.” -- School Library Journal (starred review) “Courage and fierceness abound in this lyrical coming-of-age story…Gripping, unflinching, and unforgettable.” -- Kirkus Reviews (...