I was raised in an interfaith household, and I read a lot of books about young Jewish girls when I was growing up. There was Judy Blume’s Sally and Margaret, Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars, and the All-of-a-Kind Family, of course, but there was also the lesser-known Rachel Bloom and Sashie from The Night Journey. The Night Journey is a simple story–Rachel is 13 years old, growing up in Minnesota with her parents and her great-grandmother, Nana Sashie, who lives with them. Sashie tells the story […]
A nominee for Best Book of 2016
If you’ve never read Jewell Parker Rhodes, you absolutely must. Her prose is light and crisp at once, and she tells a story like no other. You inhabit her characters fully, and they are strong, sensitive young women. I’ve read Ninth Ward and Bayou Magic, both of which tackle current issues and also include an intriguing thread of magical realism that’s friendly to young readers. I’ve taught excerpts from Ninth Ward to my college Composition I course, and if I was to theme a course […]
A worthy entry in a children’s literature trend
Several weeks ago, I was at a retirement celebration for my English education professor (and academic advisor) at my private college. It just so happened that one of my mentor teachers from student teaching was there—she and I fell into a terrific conversation about teaching, life, and books. Always books. An observation K had made (and I agree with, now that I notice it) is that young adult literature is kind of in a lull right now. Dystopian fiction has been the big trend, but […]
Another longer-than-anticipated reviewing hiatus ended!
Hey, crew! I’m back again. Hopefully, I can keep up with my reviews. Like I said, Goodreads is a better bet at this point, because almost all of my reading now takes place at bedtime, thanks to my three adjunct jobs (SO MUCH GRADING). I’ve got some major catching up to do. Let’s start with some children’s lit: I’m a huge fan of Thanha Lai’s novel in verse, Inside Out and Back Again, so I was eager to hear about her new novel that was […]