Review by Shyamala Parthasarathy
First published in South Africa back in 2012, This Book Betrays My Brother follows the life of Naledi, a young teenage girl growing up there in the nineties. She loves her brother, Basi, and all things feminine, but the novel’s title is, as you’ve guessed, as much a spoiler as a warning. … More This Book Betrays My Brother by Kagiso Lesego Molope
We hope you’re all doing okay and staying safe and warm! Spring is just around the corner… right? We’re going to be optimistic. … More YAing News: Week of Feb. 22
Akem is an artist and writer. Her short stories have appeared in Pulp Literature, Polar Borealis, and the Capilano Review. She illustrated Brown Sugar Babe, a picture book published in Feb 2020 that received great reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, and Black Nerd Problems. … More 5 Questions for Akem
Review by Rachel Jung
Imagine a small, fragile bead the size of your fist that contains your entire life energy (gi). Now, imagine that one day, its existence only becomes known to you after a messy interaction with a monster ejects it from your body and into the hands of a stranger. … More Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
Review by Logaine Navascués
Sons can bring good fortune and prosperity to a Taiwanese family, so what could be better than having ten of them? But if we look a little more closely, we see that their quiet sister also shines, despite growing up in the shadow of her siblings. … More Ten Little Dumplings by Larissa Fan, Illustrated by Cindy Wume
Review by Hira Peracha
Loss and addiction have a way of overpowering your thoughts. When it seems like the only option available, you sometimes have to seek help from strangers. Kipp learns the hard way that not everyone has good intentions. … More Stranded by Jocelyn Shipley
In this newsletter we look forward to upcoming literary events, and celebrate the accomplishments of black authors and illustrators of children and young adult books. … More YAing News: Week of Feb. 8
Review by Sara Francoeur
If you are anything like Lucille Harper—driven to excel at school and diligent about building up your resume for college applications—then having a living replica of yourself might seem like a solution to many problems. … More Half Life by Lillian Clark
Review by Logaine Navascués
Max doesn’t feel like a regular 11-year-old boy in his hometown of Santa María. His dad won’t let him join the other kids for fútbol practice in a nearby town—even though making it to the local team is Max’s greatest dream—because he’s worried something might happen to him. That he will also disappear, just as his Mother did when he was still a baby. … More Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Is it just us, or does it already feel like it’s been a long year? But one thing that’s getting us through is finding ways to connect online and of course, reading great books. … More YAing News: Week of Jan. 24
