Today I am sharing an amazing new young adult book. Although it is fiction, it is perfect for showing strong women, gay rights as well as civil rights (and the racism that once plagued the South). The book is We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds.
Showing posts with label young adult. Show all posts
Showing posts with label young adult. Show all posts
We Deserve Monuments -- New YA Novel
Dark Testament -- Powerful Blackout Poems in Response to George Floyd's Murder -- Black History Month
I am sure you remember the George Floyd murder. It was May 2020. We were in the middle of the worldwide pandemic and yet we watched as a white police officer had his knee on George Floyd's neck for nine minutes. We hear George Floyd utter he cannot breathe. The country broke out into chaos full of horror, anger and more. There were peaceful marches as well as riots. The event brought racism into the forefront of the United States news and mind. It forced white people to think about how Black people are treated and to realize how many innocent Black people (often men) are murdered because of the color of their skin.
We Survived the Holocaust: The Bluma and Felix Goldberg Story -- New Graphic Novel Review with Craft Ideas
It is hard to believe there are people who do not believe the Holocaust actually happened. But there are. If we do not study history, we will repeat it and the Holocaust is not a part of history I care to ever have repeated. With this in mind, I am sharing today's book. It is We Survived the Holocaust: The Bluma and Felix Goldberg Story by Frank W. Baker with Tim E. Ogline and Esther Goldberg Greenberg, Karl Goldberg, and Henry Goldberg. It is a graphic novel, and it shares the stories of survival of Bluma and Felix Goldberg. They lived through the concentration camps and so much more of World War II. At the end I will share some crafts to go with this book.
The Sunbearer Trials -- Latinx Novel Review
Today I am sharing the second new book for Hispanic Heritage Month. It is a Latinx mythology book that will have Percy Jackson and other Rick Riordan fans seeing a new culture. The book is the first in a duology. It is The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas. Not only does it take place in Latin America but it also has quite a bit of talk and characters who are transgender. The book is recommended for ages 13-18.
Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex -- Review & Giveaway
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Carole P. Roman and will receive a small stipend for my review. All opinions are my own.
Looking for a fun book for middle school and high school kids? Do they love super heroes and adventure? Check out today's book, Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman. Now I will admit I love Carole P. Roman's books for younger children in the past and shared several of them here before. Carole has also been an author sponsor of Multicultural Children's Book Day in the past as many of her books, including this one, are multicultural.
Northwind -- a Middle School/YA novel taking a look at life in the Northern Ocean
Today I am going to share a new middle school/young adult novel that takes a look at a different life than I am used to. It has been sitting on my shelf for awhile. When my life changed in April, I got behind reading my middle grades and young adult (as well as adult) books. This book is perfect for an Earth Day theme as well as just an adventure lover or explorer. It is Northwind by Gary Paulsen. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.
The Name She Gave Me -- YA Novel about Adoption, Family & More!
Today I get to share another novel from Betty Culley. This one is a young adult novel written in verse. It delves into the topic of adoption, family, belonging and so much more. The book is The Name She Gave Me.
Cold -- Engaging Young Adult Mystery with LGBTQ+ Characters
I am working my way through several young adult, middle grade and adult books. Today I get to share a riveting young adult mystery. It is perfect for the upcoming Pride Month (June) as it has many characters in the LGBTQ+ category. The book is Cold by Mariko Tamaki. It is recommended for ages 12+.
The Red Palace -- YA Historical Fiction Perfect for Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
As May marches on, we continue to look at Asian and Pacific Island heritage products. Today I am sharing a historical fiction young adult novel that takes place in Korea in 1758. It is The Red Palace by June Hur.
New Fantasy/Futuristic Books for Middle Grades & Young Adults
Do you have a reader who loves fantasy and science fiction? Today I get to share two new books with you that fall in these genres. One is a middle grades novel and the other is a young adult graphic novel. Both novels are multicultural with diverse characters. We will start with Area-51 Interns: Alien Summer by James S. Murray and Carsen Smith. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass -- a new young adult novel that is intriguing and mysterious
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Have you ever read a book that was so hard to get into because it forced you to question things and struggled at first to understand? Today I am sharing a young adult book that did just that for me. It was hard to read at first. It was hard to get into it. It was hard to comprehend--not understand but to truly comprehend what was happening. It is in a world where everyone has a magical power and people are being entirely erased from existence one by one. However, once I got far enough in, I was hooked and had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to solve the mystery. The book is The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass by Anna Priemaza.
Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter are three words that seem to stir up a lot of emotions and controversy. After the murder of George Floyd, #blacklivesmatter went viral and so did the conspiracy theories. My conservative husband told me that I didn't know the truth behind Black Lives Matter and that the organization had some bad plans and people. Others responded with "blue (police) lives matter" or "all lives matter." A few weeks ago I shared the meme below on the Crafty Moms Share Facebook page. I was shocked when I got a comment from a white woman sharing a gif of black people saying "This is bullsh*t."
The Complete Guide to Drawing for Beginners -- Crafty Sundays Review
Do you have a budding artist in the family or perhaps are you one? In our house Hazel is our budding artist and one of her favorite forms of art is drawing. Over the summer she went to a weeklong art camp at her school. Her art teacher is truly amazing and he ran it. I wanted to review this book for her or actually I wanted her to review the book. She did try some of the projects for me to write the review. The book is The Complete Guide to Drawing for Beginners by Yoshiko Ogura.
Powerful Latinx Novels for Hispanic Heritage Month
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.
Hispanic Heritage Month ends Friday and I wanted to share two new Latinx books with you to help celebrate. One is a graphic memoir. The author was in middle school living in New York City when 9/11 occurred. The other is a young adult novel that deals with ethnicity as well as rape and more. We will start with Big Apple Diaries by Alyssa Bermudez. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
Blade of Secrets -- New Intriguing Fantasy YA Novel
Today I get to share with you a really fun page-turner. It is a new young adult fantasy novel that pulls you in and keeps you going on the adventure as well as a love story. It also shares the life of a teenager with high social anxiety. The book is the first in the Bladesmith Series. It is Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller. The suggested age is 13 to 18 but I am sure 18+ will also enjoy it.
Firekeeper's Daughter -- Powerful YA Novel with Native American Ties
It is hard to find a contemporary story with strong Native American people in it. It is even harder to find a good one written by a Native American. Today I am sharing a powerful young adult novel that is just that. This book is definitely for young adults and older. There is sex, rape, drugs, violence, and swearing in it. However I found the story to be fascinating and learned some things about Native American life today that I did not know. The book is Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley.
YA Novel Series Being Turned into Netflix Series -- Review of First Book
I was challenged to read today's book with Hazel and share our experience. It is the first book in a trilogy that is being turned into a series on Netflix. The book is Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Now I am going to add that the Netflix series involves this series as well as some other parallel series by Leigh Bardugo.
Ace of Spades -- new YA novel that everyone should read
Do you remember a year ago when many white people were claiming to stand with their Black friends as well as searching for information about what it is like to be Black in America? George Floyd has just been murdered by a police officer. We are a year later and the police officer has been found guilty. Racial riots were happening everywhere a year ago. People took "Black Lives Matter" for anti-police. The truth is people who are standing with the Black people aren't saying they are necessarily against the police. They are saying they are against the police who abuse their power and discriminate based on race. I know as a white person I have good friends who are different races and respect all races and I have friends who are police officers and have a huge respect for police officers. I also know when I have been pulled over for speeding a few times, I never once thought "Am I going to die here?" because of my skin color. That fear is what needs to go away and there is definitely a need for education all around. Today I am going to share a new young adult novel that deals with race, homosexuality (including bisexual), class, and so much more. This is a novel that I feel everyone should read. And it is also an amazing novel. The novel is Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
A book full of advice and encouragement for grades 7-12 to bring more creativity to their lives
Hazel loves to write. She is in the middle of writing multiple books though I never get to read them. She also loves creating artwork. In fact she is signed up for an Art Masters Program this summer at her school. I'm so excited she is willing to try it. She usually says no to any summer program, but her art teacher talked her into it. I think one of the hardest things for her is putting her work out there for others to see. Her class does daily writing prompts and she comes home sharing what others have written for them but when I ask if she shares her writing she always says no. I want to encourage her to share her creativity with others including myself. Her work is beautiful and everyone who has read her writing is impressed with it. Today I am sharing a book written for someone like Hazel. It is Courageous Creativity: Advice and Encouragement for the Creative Life by Sara Zarr.
You Don't Have to Be Everything -- review of new poetry book for young adult girls about growing up
April is a month full of things I care about. We just had Easter weekend. April 2nd is World Autism Day. Earth Day is fast approaching, and it is National Poetry Month. I shared the first book last week that is a great one to share on Earth Day and will be sharing more this month. Today I want to focus on a new poetry book. It is You Don't Have to Be Everything edited by Diana Whitney. It was released March 30th.
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