Youth Literature Blog Assignment

NYT Bestseller list  The Midnight Library  by Matt Haig About the Author: "Matt Haig is a British author for children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children's book A Boy Called Christmas was a runaway hit in his own country and is translated in over 25 languages. It is being made into a film by Studio Canal and The Guardian called it an 'instant classic'. Neil Gaiman said of his writing: 'Haig has an empathy for the human condition, the light and the dark of it, and he uses the full palette to build his excellent stories'. His novels for adults include the award-winning The Radleys and The Humans." Book Summary: "Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have liv...

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 (...

 The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo  About the Author: "Elizabeth Acevedo is the author of The Poet X—which won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award—as well as With the Fire on High and Clap When You Land. She is a National Poetry Slam champion and holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland. Acevedo lives with her partner in Washington, DC. You can find out more about her at www.acevedowrites.com." Book Summary: "Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Am...

 Turtles All the Way Down  by John Green  About the author: John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan), and The Fault in Our Stars. His many accolades include the Printz Medal, a Printz Honor, and the Edgar Award. John has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. With his brother, Hank, John is one half of the Vlogbrothers (youtube.com/vlogbrothers) and co-created the online educational series CrashCourse (youtube.com/crashcourse). You can join the millions who follow him on Twitter @johngreen and Instagram @johngreenwritesbooks or visit him online at johngreenbooks.com. Book Summary: "Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Mos...