Book List - Black History Month

I did this Book List last year as well.  It's Black History Month in the US (and some other countries) so in honor of that here is a new list of books with black authors and/or prominent black characters.  Like always, books I have personally read are marked with an *.  Also this list will be updated over the course of the month.

Pre-K and Kindergarten
* The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1963 Caldecott Medal winner. The beautifully illustrated story of a  boy playing in a snow draped city.  This book is one of the first popular children's books to focus on a black child.)

Grades 1 - 2
Max Found Two Sticks by Brian Pinkey ( Max doesn't like talking much, so he uses his drunk sticks (twigs) to make music that expresses his feelings.)

Grades 3 - 5
J.T. by Jane Wagner (J.T's a kid on a bad track, until he befriends an injured cat and learns how to express the love he has a hard time showing other humans.)

Young Adult
* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Various characters in this book and series are people of color.  However, often the race isn't explicitness mentioned but implied through comments about hair type, eyes, and skin shade.  Some people see Katniss as mixed race. Read my review.)

* The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan (The last book in the Demon's Lexicon series is told from the perspective of Sin, a bi-racial demon dancer

Mildred B Taylor (Especially famous for her Logan family books, about a black sharcropping family in the deep south right from the 1930s to the Civil Rights movement.  Some of her books are young adult, such as The Road to Memphis and Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry others, like Mississippi Bridgeand The Friendship are appropriate for Grades 3 and up.)
Walter Dean Myers ( Preeminent writer for children and young adults.  Writes fiction, nonfiction and poetry.  Famous books include Monster,Scorpions, Hoops, 145th Street: Short Stories, The Blues of Flat Town and Countless others.)

Fairies Are So Hot Right Now

Now I've seen children and YA books with and about fairies for the last several years (and of course there's the centuries old popularity of fairy tales), but recently they really seem to have taken off.  All of my girls between the ages of 6 and 10 are into the Never Fairies and Rainbow Fairies series and some authors are trying to increase the range by writing and illustrating fairy books that are more gender neutral or geared towards boys.  So here's a post on fairy books, part Book List and part Review.

First for the younger kids there's the picture books by Bobbie Hinman. The most popular of these is the Fart Fairy. Which I'm not surprised appeals to kids, but personally I like to steer them away from bathroom humor.  There's also The Belly Button Fairy, The Knot Fairy, and The Sock Fairy.  Bobbie Hinman was an elementary school teacher, so she knows how to appeal to young kids.  All four stories are written in simple rhyme and have adorable and fun illustrations.  They're meant to appeal to boys and girls and children from a broad age range.  You can read them allowed to a 3 year old, with an emergent reader, or have a 7 or 8 year old read it to themselves.   If you buy them new they come with a read along CD, which can be great.

The Rainbow Fairies is a series about seven sister fairies who bring color to Fairyland, and the two human girls, Rachel and Kristy, who help the fairy sisters when they show up in our world.  These books fall into the easier reading range of chapter books.  The chapters are short, there are a fair amount of illustrations, and the stories not to long.  However, there aren't so many pictures that 3rd graders would scorn the books as "babyish".  I'd recommend this series for early Fluent readers (often 2nd and 3rd graders), it's the most popular series among my own students at the moment.  These books have been out for two or so years so the first part of the series should be available in libraries and used book stores.

The Never Fairies of Pixie Hollow is a Disney franchise about Tinkerbell and her pixie friends.  There's movies and books and games and the general Disney characteristic of trying to get you to buy more, but the actual book series Tales from Pixie Hollow is pretty good.  They have good messages about friendship, working together, gaining new skills, the growing and changing of  a person, and other wonderful things.  The fairies all have different skills and professions, Tinkerbell's a blacksmith, and the illustrations portray them as different races (though they all have the same general body shape).  I'd recommend the series for fluent readers (it's a bit harder then the Rainbow Fairies series) so about the 3rd grade level.  However, I know a lot of older girls who also enjoy this series so they're good for older kids for an easier read or those who might have a lower reading level but don't want to look "babyish". Also, since the first books in the series came out a couple years ago they're easy to find at used books shops or in the library!

I've already reviewed Justine Larbalestier's How to Ditch Your Fairy which is Young Adult and a light read with an interesting world, great female friendships, queer characters, and a good message about working for what you want.  However, I was a little disappointed that the protagonist, Charlie, didn't seem to learn that lesson as well as her friends did.

And of course there are the traditional fairy tales and their more modern retellings. I'm sure many people remember Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.  It was published in 1998 and has won a Trophy Newbery and had a movie remake starring Anne Hathaway.  Levine has also retold the story of Snow White in Fairest and written her own fairy tales in The Tale of Two Castles and The Two Princesses of Bamarre.  I've only read Ella Enchanted and Fairest, and I preferred Ella Enchanted, but all the books are YA in regards to reading level and appropriate story wise for younger children. 

Book List - Banned Books Week

So this past week (Sept. 24 - Oct. 4) has been Banned Books Week.  As the site will tell you Banned Books Week, organized by the American Library Association, started in the 1980s when the rise of neo-con, religious values lead interest groups to protest books with queer, sex-positive,  non-Christian, "witch craft", "racist", and overtly political messages.  I wrote witch craft and racist with quotation marks because these reasons have been used to ban Harry Potter and The Adventures of Huck Finn, which is especially troubling since Huck Finn might use the n-word but it's actually pointing out the wrongness of racism. The habit of banning books for racism when really they are criticizing racism in society has happened again in 2010.

This month's book list is the Top Ten Banned Books of 2010.  The majority of these are YA novels, the most banned book is for young children, and one book is a non-fiction book aimed at adults (though appropriate for YA audiences as well).

The Top 10 Banned Books of 2010

1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson is an adorable book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin in a zoo.  I recommended this book for Pre-K/K aged children in my Book List - Gay Pride Month post in June.  It was banned for homosexuality, religious view point, and having material unsuitable to age group.
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a YA book and story of a 14 year old Spokane Indian boy who transfers from his reservation school to a rich, white school. It's semi-autobiographical and deals with family death, reservation life, and questions of community and identity.  This book was banned for racism, offensive language, religious view points, sex education, violence, being sexually explicit, and for being unsuited to age group.
3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a classic sci-fi book suitable for YA and Adult readers.  It portrays a distopian world similar to that of The Giver where there is no violence, crime, poverty or individuality.  It's a critique of society and a warning to us on par with 1984 and Fahrenheit 451.  It was banned for insensitivity, offensive language, racism, and for being sexually explicit. 
4. Crank by Ellen Hopkins is a semi-autobiographical YA novel similar to Go Ask Alice.  It deals with teenage drug addiction and rape in a relatively realistic and completely unglamorized manner.  It was banned for drugs, offensive language, racism, and for being sexually explicit. 
5. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins is the YA story of Panem, a distopian future US where children fight gladiatorial games, and Katniss Everdeen the girl who volunteered to take her sister's place and challenged the government by refusing to play by their rules.  I reviewed it here.   The series has been banned for violence, being sexually explicit, and unsuitable for the age group.
6. Lush by Natasha Friend is a YA book where a 13 year old girl struggles to deal with her father's alcoholism and pressure from her mother and grandmother to hide it from everyone. It also deals with more typical teenage problems like crushes and puberty,  It was banned for drugs, being sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuitable for the age group.
7. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones is a YA book about a typical teenage girl dealing with relationships, crushes, issues with Mom, and understanding the difference between love and lust.  It's poetic and emotionally intense and banned for sexism, being sexually explicit, and unsuitable to age group. 
8. Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich is a famous non-fiction book about the author trying to survive on minimum wage in different parts of the country.  It examines the unfairness in the US, especially for women, and explains how important Welfare and a living wage really are.  It's been banned for drugs, inaccuracy, offensive language, political viewpoints, and religious viewpoints.
9. Revolutionary Voices by Amy Sonnie is a YA anthology of stories by queer and young writers. It's autobiographical for the various writes and wonderfully edited by 22 year old Amy Sonnie.  It's been banned for homosexuality, being being sexually explicit. 
10. Twilight (Series) by Stephanie Meyer is the incredibly popular YA series about the age old tale of love between a human girl and a 100 year old sparkling vampire.  While I have objections to the series (like the quality of writing) they're a bit different then the reasons it was banned; violence, being sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to audience. 

Now I have two reasons I have problems with the list.  The lesser one being some of the books banned for being sexually explicit don't portray anything more intense then kissing and cuddling, the ones being banned for racism are attacking and exposing racism, and the idea that people ban books for positively portraying queer characters is offensive.  

But my main objection to this list is that it exists at all.  Books should not be banned, it's an issue of free speech and access to opposing speech and stories.  The idea of institutionally stifling or hiding voices that portray something different or something that some people find objectionable is repugnant.  This is especially true when these voices portray the experiences of real people or are something that many people face or deal with.  Teenagers go through puberty and the majority of them experience desire.  Addiction and rape happen (to adults, teenagers, and even children).  Not everyone is straight and queer people are victimized and bullied.  People of Color experience racism.  To ban books at all is wrong, but to ban them for showing the world as it really is, instead of how white, conservative Christians want it to be, is inexcusable. 

To See Where Books Are Being Banned Near You

Book List - Gay Pride Month

June is Pride Month in the US and in honor of that here is a list of books featuring gay characters and themes.  As with other book lists I wanted the themes/morals of the stories to be secondary to the characters.  After all if books have well developed gay characters then they'll naturally raise awareness about gay people and the issues they face.  Some of the books listed with have a primary focus of gay characters and issues while other's will be stories that happen to have gay characters.  Also a lot of the gay rights movement and Pride focus on white men to the extent of silencing or ignoring women, people of color, and other people on the LGBTQ spectrum.  The counter this I tried to find several books that focused on or included characters that were POC and LGBTQ.

Book's I have read are marked with an *.

P-K/Kindergarten
* And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell  (The charming story of Roy and Silo, two boy penguins who fall in love and are given an egg to foster by their zoo keeper.)

Daddy, Papa, and Me by Leslea Newman (A Pre-K boardbook about a young toddler playing and daddy and papa and the activities they get up to.  The writing is in short rhymes.  It also has a companion Mommy, Mama, and Me.)

King & King written and illustrated by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland.  (This is a story of a prince who is supposed to find a princess to marry, but falls in love with a prince instead.  This book has been translated into several languages and has a sequel King & King & Family.)

The White Swan Express by Jean Davies Okimoto and Elaine M. Aoki.  (This is the story of four Chinese baby girls and the people who adopt them. One family is a lesbian couple, and another person is a single mom. )

1st - 2nd Grade
Anna Day and the O-ring written and illustrated by Elaine Wickens and Alyson Wonderland. (Evan, his two mom's, and their dog Anna Day are getting ready for Evan's birthday party when the O-ring for the tent goes missing.)

Mom and Mum Are Getting Married! by Ken Setterington.  (Rosie's mom's are getting married and she wants to be the flower girl and take care of the wedding rings.  But are Rosie and her brother Jack mature enough?)

One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads by Johnny Valentine.  (A Dr. Seuss like rhyming book about a brown boy, Lou, answering his friend's questions about Lou's two blue dads.)

3rd - 5th Grade
* The Skull of Truth by Bruce Coville.  (Charlie, a chronic lier, finds a skull (that used to belong to Shakespeare!) that makes everyone around it tell the truth.  A sub-plot of the book has to do with the revelation that Charlie's favorite uncle is gay)

Young Adult
* Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan.  (Jamie, one of the main characters of the series, is gay.  Several secondary characters are as well.  The main focus of the story is on magic and family, though additional content on Rees Brennan's web-page shows more from Jamie's, or the secondary characters, perspectives.) Reviewed by me.

The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  (Bi-racial Staggerlee has felt even more confused and different ever since she kissed her best friend Hazel.  Luckily she has a kindred spirit in her cousin Trout.)

The Pride Pack by R.J. Hamilton.  (A mystery series about gay teens and adults.  The first two books in the series are Who Framed Lorenzo Garcia? and The Case of the Missing Mother.)

* Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez.  (The story of Kyle, Jason, and Nelson, three gay teens growing up and falling in love in a conservative town. There are two sequels Rainbow High and Rainbow Road.  All of the books have some sexual content. Not the best written series ever but it really focuses on gay characters and themes and the later books have other LGBTQ characters.)

Book List - Autism Acceptance Month

For insight into why I use the term Autism Acceptance instead of the more popular Aurism Awareness see my previous post.  In a similar vein, the books on this month's list are not necesarilly about promoting awareness of Autism Spectrum Conditions or helping children understand people with Autism Spectrum, though any book with well developed characters that have Autism should naturally do this.  Which is what these books do have, characters with Autism Spectrum.  Some of these characters are the narrators some are not, but I wanted to find books were the characters with Autism Spectrum were active, where they were more then learning experiences for others.  I haven't read every book on this list, so if I fail in my goals then I apologize.

P-K - Kindergarten
Jeffery and the Despondent Dragon by John Sprecher (The author wrote this book for his son who has Autism)

1st - 2nd Grade

Troy’s Amazing Universe by Sharon Kennedy Tosten (A series of four books where the narrator, 7 year old Troy has some incredible adventures.  Tosten wrote these books for and about her son Troy, who has Autism)

3rd - 5th Grade

Rescued by a Cow and a Squeeze: Temple Grandin by Mary W. Carpenter (A book about Temple Grandin and how she used her Autism to revolutionize the farming/meat industry)

Young Adult

Wright & Wong Mysteries by Laura Burns & Melinda Metz  (A series about 7^th grade detectives.  One of the main characters has Asperger's.  Is appropriate for younger children.)

Curious Incident of the Dog and the Night Time by Mark Haddon (This book approaches the adult edge of YA fiction.  It is very emotionally heavy. While never explicitly stated the 15 year old narrator/detective Christopher is generally considered to have Autism Spectrum Conditions)

The Boy Who Ate Stars by Kochka (12 year old Lucy moves to France and meets Matthew, a four year old with Autism, his mother and silent nanny.  These three people change Lucy’s life.)

Out to Get Jack by James M. Williams (11 year old Jack is always blamed for other people's misbehavior, just becuase he has Autism.  Jack decides to take matters into his own hands and becomes a detective.  The author has autism and wrote this book when he was 13 years old)

UPDATE

The Book List for Women's History Month has been updated.

Book List - Women's History Month

UPDATED

March is Women's History Month.  For this month I'm compiling a list of books about famous historical women, historical stories with female protagonists, or books with female protagonists and a focus on female friendship.  The list includes books for all ages.  Books I've read myself and can personally recommend will be marked with a *.  Some books will be ones I have reviewed or I am planning to review, so they might be linked to other entries on this blog.  The list will be updated throughout the month.

Pre-K and Kindergarten
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson (Clara, a young slave, works as a seamstress in the Big House and dreams of reuniting with her momma and running away to freedom.  From hearing other slaves talk Clara gets the idea of turning a quilt into a map of the Underground Railroad.)
* Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor (A series that follows the adventures of Nancy, a little girl who loves fancy thigns and words.) Reviewed by me.

Grades 1 - 2
Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan (A part fictional and part historical story of a real event that took place in April 1933 when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and First Lady of the Air Amelia Earhart snuck away from the White House for a night time flight over DC.)
When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest (Jessie, a 13 year old Jewish girl travels to New York in the early 1900s, she works at a dressmakers trying to earn enough money to bring her grandma to America.)
* Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows (Ivy and Bean are opposites, Bean's loud and active, Ivy's quite and creative, and this makes them the best of friends who have wild adventures.  There are 8 books in the series so far.)

Grades 3 - 5
* Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord (The year is 1947. Bandit, now Shirley, has just traveled from China to America.  Also recommended last month.)
* Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (Set in 1970's about a 6th grade girl dealing with new friendships, growing up, family and religion.  Often considered young adult, but several of my 4th graders are reading and loving it.  Just be aware it deals with puberty and first crushes.)

Young Adult
* The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (16 year old Katherine has just moved to a Puritan community in Connecticut.  This book closely examines the options available to women in Puritan Colonial society and how the society reacted to people, especially women, who stepped outside of that.)
* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Future distopia where children are forced to fight in the yearly gladatorial Hunger Games.  The trilogy follows Katniss through the games and her fight against the corrupt government.  Deals with violence, death, and PTSD, this YA series is more for high schoolers than 12 year olds.)
* Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (A story of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression told in stanza form from the perspective of 14 year old Billie Joe.  Winner of the 1998 Newbury Award.)
* How to Fitch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier (A story set in the future about a 14 year old girl, named Charlie, who loves sports and hates her fairy, which find the best parking spots.  Great book for showing girls who love sports and having positive female friendships.) Reviewed by me

On a side note, finding quality books for girls and young adults that pass the Bechdel Test (Story must include two named women, who have at least one conversation, about something other than a man/men) is a focus of mine.  So most books recommended here will have female protagonists, or at the very least active female characters.

Book List - Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month here is a list of books written by black authors or that have prominent black characters.  This list includes books for all ages.  Books, I've read myself and can personally recommend will be noted with a *.  The other books have been recommended by friends or co-workers.  This post will be updated several times over the month of February.

Pre-K and Kindergarten
In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers by Javaka Steptoe (A collection of poems by various authors.  Won the Coretta Scott King Award.  Also appropriate for older children)

Grades 1 - 2
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave  by Laban Carrick Hill ( A biography about a famous potter and slave, also appropriate for younger children)

Grades 3 - 5
* Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Won Coretta Scott King Award. It's the 1930s and Bud Caldwell is on the run from his abusive foster home.  Bud gets the idea that his father is a famous bassist and goes in search of him)
Jackie and Me by Dan Gutman (Boy travels back in time to meet Jackie Robinson)
* Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord (The year is 1947. Bandit, now Shirley, has just traveled from China to America.  Baseball hero Jackie Robinson helps Shirley make a place for herself)

Yound Adult
* Liar by Justine Larbalestier (Biracial Micah is 17, might have special powers, and is an uncontrolable liar.  This causes problems when her boyfriend Zach ends up dead and the police think she might be involved)

Authors
Bryan Collier (A children's author and illustrator. His work includes biographies of Barack Obama, John Lennon, Rosa Parks, Dave the Potter, and Mohammed Ali)
Mildred B Taylor (Especially famous for her Logan family books, about a black sharcropping family in the deep south right from the 1930s to the Civil Rights movement.  Some of her books are young adult, such as The Road to Memphis and Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry others, like Mississippi Bridge and The Friendship are appropriate for Grades 3 and up.)
Walter Dean Myers ( Preeminent writer for children and young adults.  Writes fiction, nonfiction and poetry.  Famous books include Monster, Scorpions, Hoops, 145th Street: Short Stories, The Blues of Flat Town and Countless others.)