It’s time for Multicultural Kid Blogs’ Read Around the World Series, an amazing collection of kid lit recommendations from multicultural families around the world. I’m excited to recommend the first young adult novel of this year’s series: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
If you want to see all the books recommendations, ranging from picture books to young adult, check out the series homepage! http://multiculturalkidblogs.com/read-around-world-summer-reading-series-2017/
I recently asked my husband what his favorite books were as a kid and without hesitation he said “O Gênio do Crime.” He couldn’t remember the author’s name, but he remembered in detail an ingenious system the kid detectives invented to tail a very tricky criminal. My husband remembered this book instantly after forty years, and it wasn’t about ancient Rome.
I had to read it.
Writing a story that stays with a child for the rest of their lives, that’s the dream for children’s authors. João Carlos Marinho solidified his place among Brazil’s greatest children’s writers with the 1969 publication of O Gênio do Crime. It became an instant bestseller and is currently #49 on Amazon Brazil’s fiction list.
Before I go on, I regret to say that I can’t find an English or Spanish translation. A fluent Spanish speaker would have no problem reading the Portuguese text, but as far I can discover, there’s no way for a non-Portuguese speaker to read the 49th most popular book in Brazil. Which is a shame.
The kids of São Paulo are on the verge of an uprising when the company manufacturing soccer trading cards stops awarding prizes for collecting because of counterfeit cards being mass produced in the city. (It’s possibly the most Brazilian crime ever.) The police have yet to find this “gênio do crime” (genius of crime), but Edmundo, Pituca, and Bolachão are determined to succeed where the police have failed and ensure the kids of Sao Paulo can continue collecting cards and prizes.
It’s a thrilling adventure for three friends that takes them on chases and stake outs and even undercover as they try to discover the location of the illegal factory. The method the kids invent to follow one of street sellers, which my husband remember forty years later, is brilliant and how fun is it to read about kids outsmarting the grown-up criminals.
But I don’t know if I want my daughter to read it for one simple reason, epic fat shaming.
I know ever book is a product of the time and place it was written. I know that a group of ten-year old boys communicate and express friendship differently than a group of ten year old girls. I still cringed repeatedly throughout the book.
Bolachão is overweight, and his friends never let him forget it. The tease him relentlessly even after Bolachão asks them to stop. He’s repeatedly referred to by the omniscient narrator as “o gordo”, which I’d translate as fatty. The character is defined primarily by his size and then by his intelligence, because Bolachão is the genius of the group and the one who solves the mystery. But the reader doesn’t know how smart he’s until about six chapters into the book. Whereas his weight is made clear from the first sentence.
I talked to my husband about it. As I did not grow up a boy in Brazil, I was curious how close the the friend’s banter was to reality. Very close is what he told. Pretty mild actually. There’s a saying in Rio, “The only people never booed in Maracanã (the soccer stadium) are the Pope and Frank Sintra.” Meaning those “super friendly” Brazilians the world hears about can be harsh. According to my husband, boys and men tease mercilessly. It doesn’t matter who you are, as nobody is perfect, your friends will find that not perfect thing about you and never let you forget it, but you’re expected to give it back to them. If you don’t tease or get teased, then you aren’t among personal friends.
Ok. I get that. However, Bolachão is harassed to a much greater extent the either of the other boys. Even the adults refer to him as “Fatty”. It’s pretty clear that for the characters being overweight is a far more serious offense the any other flaw. And haven’t we learned more about the psychology of kids and come to understand behavior that was commonplace even twenty years ago is in fact really damaging and standards for behavior should be changed?
Does that mean we never read books written in different eras or cultures because they might offend us? Do I deny a father-daughter bonding moment by forbidding my husband to share one of his favorite childhood books with her? When everyone else her age has read it because it’s the 49th most popular in Brazil, do I tell her no?
So the simple review I wanted to write about a famous Brazilian kid’s book has turned into a complex analysis of how to judge a book written in a different time and culture when it is very problematic by my personal standards.
The one thing I’m sure about is that I would NOT give this book to a child struggling with body image. Nope. Not under any circumstances. The fat shaming in this book is intense, and while it’s a fun story, I wouldn’t consider it required reading.
As for our home, and this could change because I’m still in the midst of an active internal debate, I’ll apply the same policy for reading Huck Finn. When she’s old enough, I’ll read it with her and we’ll talk about it. I think it’s important for kids to know how people acted in the past and compare it to today, but this requires an adult to lead the discussion.
What do you think? Have you read O Gênio do Crime? How do you feel about popular older books that are problematic by today’s standards? Like I said, it’s something I’m thinking about and would love to hear other opinions.
It happened. I finally got the brutal agent response I will talk about twenty years from now at book signings. I’m a real writer now. Yay!
I wasn’t expecting an total take down of my novel considering I wasn’t querying. I took an online workshop on historical fiction that included a critique by the agent instructor of a log line, synopsis, and first 2 pages. I’d recently finished the first draft and was eager to get feedback on what needed to be improve. Here’s what I got back.
“Unusual can be good, but in this case, Portugal may feel too foreign to American readers…I don’t know how interested American readers are going to be in this particular era and place. There is no precedent for it. That doesn’t mean you can’t start a new trend, but first it would have to be so spectacular that readers wouldn’t be able to put it down. Unfortunately, that is not the case here.”
Once I recovered from not having my first pages recognized for their genius and obvious money-making potential, I reread the email more critically.
My first thought was “Portugal, a Christian country in Europe full of white people, may feel too foreign for Americans?” I’m still trying to figure out what about US demographics gives the agent this impression. If Portugal is too foreign what countries will Americans read about? Great Britain, obviously. France, yes. Germany? What about Russia? They’re white, but their culture is pretty dissimilar to the US.
I’m assuming the agent was thinking of white Americans. But maybe that’s unfair. The agent could have been thinking about Korean Americans. Portugal is different from Korea in so many ways from language to internet speed. Korean Americans probably have no interest in reading a story set there. I know I personally only read books set in places my DNA came from. Thank God Hogwarts is in England!
Going off that thought, maybe the large percentage of Americans who have DNA from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, North or South America would be interested in reading a story set in one of those places. This would actually be a great thing for my story.
Which leads to my second thought after rereading the email. See if you can spot the source of my confusion.
Log Line:
Three young women form an improbable friendship in order to rescue the boy, find a murderer, and thwart a coup against the Portuguese monarchy. Madness & Diamonds is a girl-power Three Musketeers set in colonial Rio de Janeiro.
My book is not set in Portugal.
Here’s the first line of my synopsis.
Victoria, a servant of The Mad Queen Maria of Portugal, evacuates Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro with the royal family and 10,000 members of the court in advance of Napoleon’s invasion.
The synopsis goes on to mention Rio another nine times. The most generous interpretation of events is that the agent was pressed for time or exhausted or probably both, skimmed my material in a rush and latched on to the first nationality mentioned, Portuguese. Or the agent typed Portugal but was thinking Brazil? I also considered the agent may not know where Rio de Janeiro is. (At Christmas I had to tell a homeschooling mom what continent Brazil is on, so thinking Rio is in Portugal is totally possible.)
Whatever the reason for the confusion, it’s just as well for me because if Portugal is too foreign, I can’t imagine what feedback I’d have gotten on a story set in Brazil.
In fairness, the agent cited one problem with my pages and synopsis: clarity. I absolutely agree based on her feedback that certain aspects of the story need to be made more obvious. I also know that complaining about a bad critique can make me seem petty to unprofessional. All writers get bad critiques. Get over it. And I would have except for one fact.
This agent is a Gatekeeper with a capitol G, and it was abundantly clear from the critique, this agent would never take a risk on a manuscript that was “too foreign.”
Foreign too whom? White, Christian Americans.
I joked about who the agent was envisioning when saying Portugal is too foreign for Americans, but it’s obvious what specific demographic she defines as American. What infuriates me is that the “Americans” this agent is considering will not even represent the vast majority of the population in a few years.
The Census Bureas predicts that by 2020, the majority of kids in the United States will be members of a minority race or ethnic group. Every single person working in children’s publishing in any capacity should know this fact because while the demographics of American children have changed, children’s publishing is still overwhelmingly white. Last year only 28% of children’s books were by and/or about people of color. That percentage is actually big jump from only two years earlier. However there’s still going to have to be a massive increase in stories about POC in the next few years, if children’s fiction in the U.S. is going to reflect the diverse reality of the country’s kids.
But how is children’s publishing going to change if the Gatekeepers think Portugal is too foreign for Americans?
Literature is also a proven way to develop empathy for people different from ourselves. Only 11% of children’s books published in the last 23 years had multicultural content. In today’s globalized world, it is essential children grow up aware of the variety of people that exist in the world. Not to mention the foreign-born population in the U.S. is predicted to reach a record high in 2025, roughly 15% of all people living in the U.S. will have been born in another country. (That statistic doesn’t even include people like my daughter, who is an American born abroad.) Empathy and a global perspective are critical tools for success in today’s world.
I’m going to end with a thank you to the agent who sent this critique. I had read the data and accounts from authors of color and those trying to publish books with diverse characters and settings. I was aware of the challenges these writers and books face but I wasn’t clear on the exact form they take. Now I know, and I’m more determined than ever to finish revising my story set in Brazil. I’m going to get it published. Then I’m going to sell it to Americans. Finally, I’ll send a copy along with the book’s sales numbers to that agent.
Although even then, I won’t have any idea how Americans feel about Portugal.
When I first began shopping for children’s books in Brazil, I had a hard time finding books by Brazilians. It was crazy. I was in Saraiva, one of the major chain bookstores in Brazil, and I noticed the books I’d picked were all translations from American authors. So I began hunting for books by Brazilians. I picked up one book after another. Published in France. Published in the UK. Published in Italy. I picked up one with a Macaw on the front. Macaws are from the Amazon. It had to be Brazilian. Nope. Published in Columbia.
There are of course many amazing Brazilian authors writing for children, but despite amazing native authors and children’s lit community, I had to research and order books by Brazilians. My local chain bookstore in Vitoria was no help, which is just wrong.
So I’d like to introduce five of my favorite Brazilian children’s book authors. I’ve included links for English translations when available. Based on what Spanish speaking friends have told me, a native Spanish speaker should have no trouble reading the Portuguese, but I’d love to get more Brazilian kid lit translated into English. I’ll add it to the list of life goals.
Machado was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1941 and has written over 100 books for children. In 2000, Machado won the international Hans Cristian Andersen Award, which designated her one of the greatest children’s authors in the world. She began writing in 1969 and wrote specifically for children because during the military dictatorship in Brazil, children’s literature along with poetry and song, “were amongst the few literary forms with which, through the poetic and symbolic use of language, you could make the ideas of a joie de vivre, individual freedom and respect for human rights known.” 
Some of her most famous books include A Menina Bonita do Laço de Fita, about a white bunny who desperately wants to become a beautiful black like the little girl next door and the advice she gives him, and Bisa Bia, Bisa Bel, about a girl’s internal dialogue with her great-grandfather and her own great-granddaughter. A Menina Bonita do Laço de Fita is available in English on Amazon.
Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1901, Meirelles published her first work at the age of 18, and she was every bit the genius you’d assume based on that fact. She’s known in Brazil primarily as a poet, but she was also a professor, journalist, painter, playwright, and fiction author. There aren’t many types of writing she didn’t publish in. She could do it all. Meirelles was one of the first women in Brazil to be recognized as a great literary voice. Some of her most famous works for children are “O Cavalinho Branco”, “Sonhos de Menina”, and “O Menino Azul”. 
The musicality of her lines is so strong, that “O Menino Azul” still sounded lovely when I read it aloud. (And as all adult learners of a second language know, nothing is harder to read aloud in a foreign language than poetry.) I haven’t been able to find any of her children’s works translated into English, but you can find many of her most famous poems translated in this anthology of Brazilian poets.
Furnari is an Italian-Brazilian author-illustrator. I’ve been able to forgive her for hoarding so much talent (author-illustrators seem so unfairly awesome) because her characters are so delightfully quirky. Born in Rome in 1948, she moved to São Paulo at the age of two and has lived there ever since. She came to children’s books in the early 1980’s through art and initially worked exclusively an illustrator before creating her own characters and stories. 
One of her most famous characters is A Bruxinha Zuzu or Zuzu the Little Witch, who never quite seems to master the power of her magic wand. Many of Funari’s books are textless, including our favorite A Bruxinha Zuzu e o Gato Miú, and can be enjoyed regardless of what languages you read. One of her most famous and award winning stories, Felpo Filva, is available in English as Fuzz McFlops in both the US and UK.
Born in the state of Minas Gerais in 1945, Junqueira published her first book at the age of 37 and has gone on to write more than 100 children’s books. She worked as a professor and editor before becoming an author. My daughter and I discovered Junqueira through a book swap at school. My daughter, always the animal lover, picked up a book with a cute cat on the front porch. I was the first story in verse that was more poetry than story and I honestly wasn’t sure how well she’d like it. A Poesia na Varanda was a hit and inspired me to buy Where the Sidewalk Ends during our Christmas trip to the US. I haven’t found any English translations but many of her world are available outside Brazil in Portuguese through Kindle.
Stigger is not really known as a children’s author. She’s a journalist, art critic, and writer primarily for adults known for challenging rules of genre and format in her work. Born in the state of Porto Alegre in 1973, Stigger began working as an essayist for radio and television. She then pursued a PhD in Art theory and Criticism and pursued research and various post-doctoral work before publishing her first collection of stories for adults in 2004. So not a career kid lit writer. 
However, one of her most recent books, Onde a Onça Bebe Água, Where the Jaguar Drinks Water, is one of the best books I’ve read for teaching empathy and seeing the world through a another’s eyes. In the story, Jaci is forced to consider the world from the perspective of the Jaguar he’s ends up dining with. Unfortunately, there isn’t an English translation of it or any of her books that I can find but several of her adults works do have Spanish versions available on Amazon.
To celebrate International Women’s Day this week, I watched a lot of videos with infuriating facts. As a writer, book lover, and mother of a daughter, this one caught my attention. It made me get up and go straight to my daughter’s bookshelves.
One thing I can do right now to combat the publishing industry’s gender bias in kid’s lit is help spread the word about amazing picture books with female protagonists and encourage you to buy them. (Because sales matter!) And don’t buy them just for girls, please!
It’s important to read books with female protagonists to boys because reading about people different from ourselves teaches empathy. Shannon Hale, prolific author in every age group (her Princess in Black books appear on my list) wrote an amazing post about the dangers of not giving books with female protagonists to boys. Reading diversely also develops a realistic idea about the world which is filled with different kinds of people. I didn’t think twice about reading Peter’s Snowy Day to my daughter, despite the fact she is not a boy, black, or ever going to see snow outside her door. It’s a delightful human story and that’s what matters.
The books on my list are funny, exciting, and thought provoking stories that both girls and boys will enjoy. They’re set in countries all over the world and feature characters of different colors, languages, and cultures. The only commonality is that all the main characters are human female. (Sorry, Olivia. Female animal protagonists didn’t count for this list. You’re still totally awesome though!)
20 Fabulous Picture Books with Diverse Female Protagonists (In no order other than how I came to them on my daughter’s shelf)
Journey by Aaron Becker This stunning and wordless book, follows the adventure of a girl as she journeys to a fantastical land with the help of a magic crayon. There are enchanting forests, flying carpets, and bad guys on air ships!
Normal Norman by Tara Lazar illustrated by Stephen Britton This book is laugh out loud adorable as the narrator tries to define the word “normal” using a totally average orangutan. Things start to go wrong starting with Norman’s refusal to eat a banana and his preerence for pizza.
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff illustrated by Felicia Bond If you loved what happens when you give a mouse a cookie, check out what one little girl has to deal with when she caves to a pig’s demands.
Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales This is one of the most gorgeous books my daughter owns. The text (what very little there is) in both English and Spanish goes through the themes in Khalo’s work, such as live, imagine, create. The illustrations are bright and vibrant and straight out of a dream.
Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch illustrated by Michael Martchenko I’m not at all opposed to Princesses if they’re one among many different types of characters and take matters in their own hands like Princess Elizabeth. She has no intention of letting that dragon get away with burning down her castle and stealing her fiance.
The Rough Face Girl by Rafe Martin illustrated by David Shannon In addition to the beautiful illustrations, the heroine wins the day because of her character. She’s not pretty. She doesn’t have fancy clothes, but she sees the beauty and power in nature and understands what’s truly valuable. Yes, the book is about a young woman looking for a husband, but the message about character over appearance and clothes is an important one for all kids.
My Two Grannies by Floella Benjamin illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain In addition to featuring females both young and old, black and white, the book also deal with two different cultures mixing! Multicultural, multiracial, and female protagonists! There is no reason not to have this book on your kid’s shelf.
Pretty Salma by Niki Daly A Little Red Riding Hood tale set in Ghana. What I love about this version is that Salma redeems herself after getting tricked by coming up with the idea for how to scare away Mr. Dog and save Granny.
My Pet Dragon by Christoph Niemann Lin has lost her pet dragon! She has to go on an adventure to find him and along the way the illustrator cleverly introduces some Chinese characters. Of your kid isn’t going to be fluent in Mandarin at the end, but thank to this book my daughter is ware that not all languages use an phonetic alphabet like English.
Menina Bonita do Laço de Fita by Ana Maria Machado illustrated by Claudius A Brazilian story about a beautiful little girl who so captivates a neighboring bunny that he wants desperately to become black like her. She gives him all sorts of funny tricks to turn black. None of them work. Don’t worry if you can’t read Portuguese. There’s an English version on Amazon.
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires illustrated by Mark Pett Yes, this book is about a girl who loves to build things (awesome!), but that’s not the reason I bought it. My daughter gets frustrated easily and goes from fine to throwing things in a heartbeat. Just like the girl in the story. If you know a kid who has trouble coping with frustration when things don’t work exactly right, this book is a MUST read.
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Gary Rubenstein Similarly to The Most Magnificent Thing, this book is great for kids who stress about being perfectionists and have a hard time dealing when things don’t work exactly the way they wanted. Spolier alert: A mistake is eventually made and lessons are learned.
As Mil e Umas Historias de Manuela by Marcelo Weberson illustrated by Maluf Santiago Ok, I don’t think there’s an English version of this, but Portuguese and Spanish speakers (because really they’re almost the same language) will love this story of a girl who devours books. Literally. She consumes so many books, she literally becomes a book and the only cure is to write her own story using all the words she has inside of her.
Wave by Suzy Lee This is a gorgeous, wordless story about a curious girl, a sunny day, and a playful wave. Lee is a fantastic illustrator from South Korea and her primarily ink drawings are stunning. If your child loves the beach, she will adore this book.
Biscuit series by Alyssa Capucilli illustrated by Pat Schories This is a series of simple stories about a girl and her dog, Biscuit, because it’s not only boys who love their dogs. My daughter adores animals. We bought her first Biscuit story to go with a veterinarian costume. Now that she is starting to read, Biscuit books are great first readers.
Rosie Revere Engineer & Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty illustrated by David Roberts Diverse representation in children’s literature is so important and Beaty has written two amazing books that feature girls in STEM fields. They’re rhyming books and a joy to read aloud, and the illustrations are so much fun.
I Am Jane Goodall by Brad Meltzer illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos At the end of the video above, the girls asks if the bookseller has any books about a girl going to Mars. Studies have shown that by 5 years old kids already think certain jobs are “for boys”. This book is part of the Ordinary People Change World series. It’s a delightful collection about real people from history in all different professions. Books feature Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sacagawea and Lucille Ball for your budding activists, teachers, pilots, politicians, or comedians.
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe I remember my teacher reading this book to my class in elementary school. It’s a Cinderella story but in this version both sisters are equally physically beautiful. It’s Nyasha’s generosity and respect for all creatures and nature that sets her apart from her selfish sister.
I Wonder by Annaka Harris illustrated by John Rowe I love this book about a mother and daughter on a walk wondering about…everything really. The book has a beautiful message. It’s ok to say, “I don’t know,” and the beauty of not knowing allows all to wonder about the mysteries of the universe.
The Princess in Black by Shannon & Dean Hale illustrated by LeUyen Phan This is an illustrated early chapter book and was one of the first chapter books my daughter stayed interested several nights in a row. I love Princess Magnolia, and I think her adventures fighting monsters would appeal to girls and boys. I love the message. You can enjoy a frilly dress at the tea party and also love wearing a mask and boots and fighting monsters. A kid doesn’t have to chose between sparkly tiaras and being a hero.
So those are a few of my favorite pictures books with female protagonists. When you get into chapter books…wow! There’s Matilda, El Deafo, Little Women, Island of the Blue Dolphin, Anne of Green Gable, Smile, and anything by Judy Blume. But that’s another list for another post.
Obviously there are so many more great picture books not on the list. If I’ve left off one of your favorites, please add it in the comments!! I’m always on the lookout for new additions to our library! Our copy of Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls is on the way!
One of the best parts of being a writer is getting to read constantly and when someone raises an eyebrow at the four new novels that appeared in your joint Kindle library on the heels of three novels from the previous week getting to say “It’s for professional development.”
I’ve never done an annual review of favorite books, but while flipping through my Kindle library, I was struck by how many I want to reread (but will probably never find the time because there’s always a new book to read and I feel I should read every book at least once before I go back and start rereading).
I read some fantastic books last year. Some were beautiful. Some were powerful. Some were laugh out loud funny. And some were just lots of fun. Really the only thing all these books have in common is that they kept me up past my and everyone else’s bedtime, and left me alone in the silent living room with raw eyes at 2 in the morning.
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Badass friends, pilots, and spies during WWII. This is one of the best historical fiction books I’ve ever read. It’s impossible to explain all the ways this book is so amazing without spoiling the whole thing, but a few are the friendship between Queenie and Maddie, the storytelling device (from the first page you know you’re reading a hand written confession to Nazi captors), and the fascinating and (based on the author’s notes about her research) accurate details about WWII. Actually, this book gets points for teaching me something entirely new about WWII, the women pilots of the RAF.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Equal parts brutal and gorgeous, this book tells the story of a fifteen year old Lithuanian girl ripped from her home by Stalin’s Soviet Union. It’s a harsh read. The scenes of desperation, torture, and brutality whether from the Soviet soldiers or the Siberian winter are heart stopping. The gorgeous prose in which Lina’s story is told only highlights the inhuman cruelty around her. I knew almost nothing about Stalin’s atrocities in Eastern Europe, which made this book so much more powerful. Lina’s story is based on the true stories of millions who’s lives were destroyed and then forgotten. It’s a necessary and powerful book.
And I Darken by Kiersten White
Vlad the Impaler reimagined as a vengeful, bloodthirsty princess. Do I need to say more? I can. The book reimagines the history of the Ottoman Empire not long before it takes Constantinople. I loved the original setting. I don’t think I’ve ever read an Ottoman Empire story and definitely not from the Ottoman side, which is where most of the story takes place as Lada is taken hostage the Ottoman court in exchange for her father’s support of the empire. The best historical fiction makes you want to learn more about the time and place of the story, and this book did exactly that. Vlad the Impaler’s name is both literal and extremely accurate.
Simon v. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
I didn’t only read historical fiction last year. Simon is contemporary YA, and it is AMAZING! I’m not just saying this because it’s set in my and Albertalli’s hometown of Atlanta, and I totally understand Simon’s enthusiasm for the Varsity. Simon is one of the most authentic teen characters I’ve read. The blend of humor, anxiety, anger, and joy perfectly reflects the trials of high school. Simon’s life is thrown into turmoil when one of his emails is seen by another student who threatens to force Simon out of the closet if he doesn’t help the blackmailer hook up with one of Simon’s friends. If that wasn’t enough, there’s best friend jealousy and rehearsals for Oliver to worry about. (There’s no way Albertalli wasn’t in high school theater herself. It’s too true.)
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
I do not recommend this book for anyone currently writing their own novel because you’ll finish this book and think “Why the hell even bother? There’s no way I can do this.” The prose is lyrical. The characters are beautifully drawn. It’s a simple and sweet retelling of a very old tale, the star-crossed lovers, Miah is black and Ellie is Jewish. I think high school is the only period in life where love, or better connection, at first sight is possible, and Woodson elegantly brings Miah and Ellie’s spark to life.
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
Laugh out loud historical fiction, reimagining, fantasy…don’t get too caught in the defining the genre. Apparently Lady Jane Grey was queen of England for nine days between Henry VIII’s son Edward and daughter Mary. Historians estimate she was between 16 and 17 when executed on Mary’s orders technically for high treason but really for having the awful luck of being young, female, and related to royalty during a power vacuum. The real story of Lady Jane was just too tragic for the authors who decided she needed to escape, save the throne of English, and have the ability to turn into an animal. It’s also hilarious.
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
This breathtaking YA fantasy plunges readers into Indian mythology, as Mayavati attempts to forge her own destiny. Born a princess but shunned for a pretty terrible horoscope promising death and destruction, Maya battles prejudice, demons, and even the stars themselves to thwart her fate. For me, the story was a fascinating introduction to apsaras, pishachas, yakshinis, and so many other beings from Indian mythology. It’s pretty obvious at this point that I particularly love fiction which entertains and teaches me something new about the real world.
Ms. Marvel Vol. 5 by G. Willow Wilson
Ms. Marvel is the super hero the United States needs right now. American, Muslim, female, fangirl, with boundless youthful optimism to boot, Kamala Khan is one of the greatest teen characters in fiction right now. Wilson’s characters are the best representation of American Millenials that I have read. Period. Ms. Marvel is a giant punch in the face to all the Millenial haters. Even if you’re not a reader of comics, if you enjoy great characters and fun, you will love Ms. Marvel.
March Vol. I-III by John Lewis
Speaking of comics, you’d think by now everyone would know that comics and graphic novel formats aren’t just for stories about super powers, but amazingly there are still those left in the dark. March is a memoir about Congressman John Lewis’ time as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement during the 60s. Lewis was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which led the sit-in protests across the South. Lewis helped organize the March on Washington, but it was his stories from the front lines that took my breath. Lewis and his fellow SNCC volunteers were beaten at sit-ins only to return another only to be arrested just to go back out again. Lewis was locked inside a restaurant by an owner who left a fumigator running. He was one of the freedom riders and only missed being on a burned bus because he was beaten an arrested at an earlier stop. And to tell about the Birmingham Church bombing that left four girls dead and 21 children injured or Bloody Sunday, when hundreds of peaceful marchers were beaten by police while kneeling to pray, a picture is worth much more than 1,000 words.
1808: Flight of the Emperor by Laurentino Gomes
This book is the foundation of my current work in progress. I was imagining a pirate story in colonial Brazil and then I read about Dom João, the Prince Regent of Portugal who fled from Napoleon to Brazil and took a 10,000 member court with him. This is non-fiction, but all the major players are characters. The Court’s evacuation was so frantic, they left the entire royal library in crates on the docks in Lisbon. The Prince Regent is straight up comic relief from his cowering in the bedchambers during thunderstorms to his fear of crustaceans. And Rio de Janeiro is rampant with corruption, murder, and diamond smuggling. If you’re like me and never studied anything about Portugal in school other than Magellan was born there, I highly recommend this book and unbelievable story.
Today for MKB’s Read Around the World Series, I’m recommending a beautiful tale of friendship set during the Oregon Trail! It’s a beautiful book and a must read for any history or adventure lovers!
I’m posting another recommendation for MKB’s Read Around the World Series! Today it’s an amazing young adult fantasy set in India!
This is one of my daughter’s (and my) favorite books! The stories in told in a gorgeous panel (comic book) format, and the author/illustrator has given the animals hilarious asides. It’s delightful!
ANA MARIA MACHADO
CECILIA MEIRELES
EVA FURNARI
SONIA JUNQUEIRA
VERONICA STIGGER