Teen Librarian Toolbox: Romance Books

I'm over on Teen Librarian Toolbox talking about all the great YA romance books I've read this year.

Come take a look. 

Guest Post: Middle School Memories

 

I would never want to go back to middle school - it was so hard in terms of friendships and finding yourself. And for me, I'm so glad it was over way before social media. No one needs to see those awkward pictures.

Enjoy this guest post from the Class of 2K21 Books!

Kidlit Authors Share Our Favorite Middle School Memories By Louisa Onomé

 Middle school can be a difficult time for many reasons. You may have been the new kid and had to learn how to adapt to a different setting. You could’ve been exploring new interests and trying to find out where you fit in with old friends. Or, you might have experienced something so life-changing that it still affects you to this day.

 However, I think we can all agree that middle school gets a bad rep sometimes! It isn’t always difficult; sometimes, middle school can also be such a transformative time filled with friendship, fun, and the best memories. That’s why the 2021 kidlit debut class, featuring authors Graci Kim, Megan E. Freeman, and Andrea Wang, wanted to share exactly what their favorite part of middle school was.

 Graci Kim, author of The Last Fallen Star

“I distinctly remember a boy in intermediate school (what we call middle school in New Zealand!) who bullied me. He used to ride around on his bike, circling me like a hawk after school, calling me Ching Chong Chinaman, and telling me to go back to my own country. I remember being so upset by his actions that I’d want to skip school and spend the day watching tellie under the covers. Then one day, my dad told me a story about a boy who had to save his village from an evil villain. He had tried every weapon known to humankind to vanquish this monster, but in the end, the greatest weapon had been love. My appa was adamant that real life was no different, and that there was no stronger force than kindness to destroy evil. Not long after that, it was my birthday and I wanted to throw a party. Every instinct told me not to invite the bully--he should know how it feels to be left out! But thinking of my appa’s story, I decided to be like the boy in his story. Even as my heart trembled in fear, I personally handed my bully an invite with a smile on my face. And what do you know--he came! Against all odds, we became friends. And when a different boy teased me about my lunch one day, guess who rode over on his bike and defended me? You guessed it :) Guess my appa was right, after all. Kindness conquers all.”

 Megan E. Freeman, author of Alone

“When I was a middle school teacher, my principal told me she thought 7th grade was a time when many children test the limits of their own moral compasses, experimenting with what it feels like to be unkind or cruel. I have a distinct memory of myself at that age writing a horrible thing in my friend’s yearbook at the end of the school year and then watching her read it from across the room. I distinctly remember her looking up at me after she read what I’d written and how it felt to watch my words find purchase in her awareness. I felt guilty for years. Many, many years later when we were both adults, I asked my friend if she remembered and if she’d forgiven me, and she didn’t even remember the incident. But it seared itself in my psyche as an example of what I was capable of, and I didn’t like it at all. (Okay so that’s not a favorite memory, but it’s a distinct one!)”

 Andrea Wang, author of The Many Meanings of Meilan

“I remember sitting on the floor of a classroom during some free time, chatting with my friends, when one of them told us that there was a fairy living in her earring. She had gold hoop earrings that were small but wide, and she insisted that the fairy lived in the curve of her right earring. We were eleven, and by this point I had given up on the existence of magic and magical creatures and was shocked that my friend truly believed in fairies. But I treasure this memory because my friend made me wonder about the world again, and to see the possibility of magic everywhere. That change in my perception of the world has definitely influenced my writing. In The Many Meanings of Meilan, Meilan believes a tree spirit lives in the giant tree in her neighbor’s backyard, and she sees signs and other spirits in her new town. Her magical thinking is how she copes with the losses and injustices in her life.”

 Check out the Class of 2k21’s kidlit projects here for more middle grade titles that deal with the nostalgia and realness of middle school.

I love hearing about authors when they were in school! This is the last of the 2K21 Guest Posts, we hope you enjoyed this series!

Guest Post: Childhood Loves

 

For the next few months, I'll be hosting a series of guest posts from the Class of 2K21 Books!  Enjoy!

Childhood Loves: Books Kidlit Authors Loved as Tweens by Louisa Onomé

 The books we read in our formative years shape us in indescribable ways. That appears to be the case and more when it comes to those of us who then move on to have writing careers of our own.

 Two debut middle grade authors, Payal Doshi and Shakirah Bourne, have been up and down memory lane and are here to share their favorite books from tweenhood. Whether it was a harrowing fantasy or a reflection of a strong, loving family, these books transported us to places that we won’t soon forget. They let us live out alternate versions of our lives, showed us new horizons, and gave us the opportunity to use our voices. And, in the end, is that what reading is all about?

 Here are the books that shaped us, the books we looked to when writing our 2021 debuts.

 Payal Doshi, author of Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

“As a tween, I devoured Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter, and fantasy books like The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. What I loved about the characters in these books were that they were smart kids, mildly precocious even, but incredibly relatable. I wanted to be just like them! They lived in England, Canada and magical worlds—very different from India, where I grew up—but I was immersed in their adventures while empathizing with their struggles in making friends, dealing with bullying, loss, and complex family dynamics, even though I hadn’t faced some of those challenges myself. What stayed with me about these stories and has seeped into my writing is creating characters with flaws and insecurities but giving them the agency to eventually understand and work through them. I realized kids have the capability to comprehend difficult subjects and learn about empathy and sympathy. I also wanted to tackle these subjects in a fun and entertaining manner because those were the stories I truly adored as a kid myself!”

 

 Shakirah Bourne, author of Josephine Against the Sea

“I devoured everything Enid Blyton, especially The Naughtiest Girl in School, the Famous Five and Secret Seven series, and mysteries like Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. I also read every R.L. Stine and Animorph book I could get my hands on. As a tween I loved being outdoors, and I was always off on my own adventures, like exploring abandoned houses and trying to find treasure–reading those books put me in a lot less danger. Now in my own writing, I enjoy having some element of mystery in my stories, and I tend to write characters who are mischievous, curious and brave. It was also important for me to show these characters with flaws, and their own insecurities and fears, not only for them to be realistic, but also so young readers can observe how they change and grow. Because I didn't see my own culture and environment reflected in those books I am determined to highlight aspects of my own culture in my stories. My goal is to make everyone wonder about the taste of tamarind balls and sugar cakes, just like I did with crumpets!”

 What stories resonated the most with you? Are these the stories you still gravitate to now? Are these the stories you recommend to young readers? The Class of 2k21 is taking what we loved from our tween years and sharing it with a new generation through our 2021 kidlit debuts. From fantasy to horror to contemporary, there’s something for everyone.

I always love hearing about books authors loved as kids. We have more guest posts coming up. Stay tuned for next month's edition.

Guest Post: Show Your Work

 

For the next few months, I'll be hosting a series of guest posts from the Class of 2K21 Books!  Enjoy!

Show Your Work!: Researching with MG author, Andrea Wang

By Louisa Onomé

 
If there’s one thing we remember from being in middle school and working on a lengthy paper, it’s the constant reminder from teachers and librarians to “show our work”. As a kid, I heard that phrase so many times that I began to self-regulate. Every time I found a new source or a new piece of information, it was like a reflex: I immediately had to show where it was from and what made it special enough to include in my paper.

 I’m sure my elementary school librarians would be happy to know that writing a book is no different!

 Debut middle grade author of The Many Meanings of Meilan, Andrea Wang, would agree that research is a never-ending process. “Actually,” she tells us. “I haven’t stopped [researching] yet, even though the book is finished.”

 For her debut, Andrea Wang had to do a lot of research to ensure the Chinese and Chinese-American representation was as authentic as she could make it. She’s no beginner when it comes to attention to detail.

 “I started by researching Chinese names, since that’s at the heart of the story -- I wanted to find a name that meant something to me personally and had multiple homophones in Chinese, but could also be seen by non-Asians as unfamiliar enough to warrant changing to a more Americanized version.”

 In The Many Meanings of Meilan, Meilan Hua’s world is turned upside down when her Nainai passes and she and her family set out for a new home in a new town. It was important to Wang that certain cultural concepts were examined with legitimacy and care.

 “I also knew I wanted to talk about filial piety and how it affects Chinese American kids, so I found old books from my father’s stash (he was an Asian history professor) about Chinese traditions,” says Wang. “As my characters developed, I read and researched Chinese folktales and mythology, Chinese and Taiwanese history, and Chinese idioms. As themes of loss and internalized racism appeared in the book, I read articles about coping with grief and guilt, as well as colorism.”

 These research phases came in stages for Wang. She built Meilan’s world from the ground up, ensuring that authenticity was key, by starting with smaller details before ironing out the larger framework in which her story lives.

 Just like we were tasked with showing our work in projects, writing kidlit is no different. Now more than ever, accurate and respectful representation is necessary to ensure all kids can see themselves reflected in an authentic light. Wang’s method of research, starting from micro and moving to macro, is our preferred way to build the foundation of a story. What’s yours?

 For more on Andrea Wang and our debut class of YA/MG 2021 authors, visit Class of 2k Books.

Fun! As a librarian, I always love hearing about research. We have more guest posts coming up. Stay tuned for next month's edition.

Guest Post Today

Hi Everyone, I'm over today at Teen Librarian Toolbox 

where I'm talking about some of my favorite (older titles) books with Girls Saving the World as part as their Feminist AF series.

Guest Post: Dorothy Hearst

About the Book: 

Before the wolves barged in the door, demanding that their story be told, Dorothy Hearst was a senior editor at Jossey-Bass, where she published books for nonprofit, public, and social change leaders. She currently lives, writes, and plays with dogs in Berkeley, California. Spirit of the Wolves, the third and final title in the Wolf Chronicles, will be released December 2. For more information, and to download free CCSS-aligned discussion questions for all three novels, visit her website: dorothyhearst.com.

 The Cool Scientific Theory Behind The Wolf Chronicles by Dorothy Hearst

 The Wolf Chronicles trilogy tells the tale of how the wolf became the dog from the wolf’s point of view, and follows Kaala, a young wolf living 14,000 years ago who discovers that she’s destined to bring wolves and humans together. 

It’s the story of Kaala’s adventures and coming of age, but it’s also the story of our own evolution and, in particular, a really cool and controversial scientific theory about it: wolf-human coevolution.

Coevolution is the process by which two or more species mutually affect one another’s evolution. Wolf-human coevolution is the idea that wolves—and later dogs—played an important role in our evolution and vice versa. (Every dog living today is the descendant of wolves.) It may even be that wolves were part of the reason we became such a dominant species. 

Some people believe that this is as simple as wolves giving us more time to begin farming by hunting with us and by guarding our homes. Some believe it goes much further—that wolves taught us (by example) to hunt cooperatively, have centralized meeting places, and form complex societies. DNA evidence shows that wolves have been around us for at least 40,000 years and maybe as long as 150,000 years, which means that they may have been hanging out with us for much of the time we’ve been human.

Wolves are also a lot like us. They live in extended families. They take care of wolves that are too old to hunt, and the whole pack raises the pups. They love each other and fight with each other in ways that look very familiar to any family or group of friends. It makes sense that their dog descendants fit so well into our lives. 

Reading about all of this fascinated me, and it’s what convinced me to write about the wolves. I wondered: what if wolves domesticated us as much as we domesticated them? What would happen if at every turning point in our evolution, the wolves were there? What if they were why we developed language? What if they were why we survived instead of the Neanderthals? All of these ideas intrigued me.

From there, I left what was known behind and moved into making stuff up. I thought it would be interesting if the wolves were aware of the fact that they were changing us, and were doing so on purpose. Then they needed to have legends to explain this, so I made up those legends. Kaala’s story became part of a larger one. She wanted acceptance into her pack and to keep the humans and wolves from fighting with each other, but her story was also about how we evolved to be what we are now—and how we may or may not evolve enough to survive the future.

Romance Guest Post at Teen Librarian Toolbox

As you know, I'm a reader of romances. Head on over to the great blog of Teen Librarian Toolbox and check out my recommendations of teen romance books. 

(You  might also win an arc of one of them)

Why YA

You might have read Joel's Stein article on why adults should not be reading YA books.

I read this Why YA? post on the Teen Librarian's Toolbox blog. At the end, there's a call for other readers to write up their thoughts. You can view the other guest posts here.

Here's my guest post over at Teen Librarian's Toolbox

PS. I have no idea about Randy Newman