Summing Up 01/27/19-02/10/19

• What Poverty Taught Me About Being "Too Generous"
• Remarkable Black Women and Men We Overlooked 
• To All the White Friends I Couldn't Keep
• What I Said When My White Friend Asked My Black Opinion on White Privilege 

• This picture and the story behind it made me laaaaaaaaugh, and I keep laughing each time I see it.
• For authors: I offer free book promotion. See details here. Hoping for more #OwnVoices books!

• Read MONDAY'S NOT COMING by Tiffany Jackson (YA, realistic, contemporary). Suspenseful and raw, the author doesn't hold back about the truth about abuse in families, the sinkholes in the educational and social service systems that allow far too many of our girls to tumble into, the things our brains and hearts do to protect ourselves and others from pain. 
  Jumping back and forth in time, this brilliantly written novel is a force, making just the right impact without being gratuitous or patronizing the reader (who will most likely be a teenager). 
• Read I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER (YA, contemporary, realistic). Julia's older sister died unexpectedly and suddenly, and that becomes the tipping point at which we begin witnessing how trauma affects her and those in her orbit. Beautifully done. Heartbreaking at times. Funny at others. So many layers at touched upon (family dynamics, secrets, friendships, mental health, social unfairnesses, the differences between generations, etc.) just by watching Julia interact with her family, friends, and those around her. Unexpected twists and wonderful small moments captured exactly perfectly. Authentic. Honest. Not everything gets a tidy bow, just like in real life.
• Read GHOST by Jason Reynolds (middle grade, fiction, contemporary, realistic). A fast-moving, funny, smart, moving story about a boy with natural talent and a big secret. Like everything else Jason writes, this book had a way of entertaining while building empathy, of never dumbing down the things kids live with.
• Read LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds (YA/teen, realistic fiction, contemporary). I felt like a witness. Once I realized what was happening, I was a little breathless. And it kept happening, over and over again, tying together the threads of this boy's world that he never quite looked at all at once as a finished piece. And the ending? Holy crap. Tough, beautiful, important. 
• Read TYLER JOHNSON WAS HERE by Jay Coles (teen/YA, realistic contemporary fiction). I really liked Marvin, so it was really hard to stay with him as he watched his beloved twin brother make some choices he wished he could have controlled, to discover he was missing and try to find him. 
  And then they do. There is a lot of discomfort to sit with, but I think that's the point. These boys will stay with you, as will Marvin's mom and circle of friends. If you have read or want to read THE HATE U GIVE or DEAR MARTIN, make sure you add this to that list.
• Read DEFINITELY DAPHNE by Tami Charles (middle grade, realistic contemporary fiction). Great balance of all the moments of middle school: funny, cringe-worthy, awkward, kind, hopeful, horrified. A loving family that knows when their daughter could use some extra support, so she sees a therapist (which is SO not talked about enough in middle grade novels as a healthy, normal thing). Works in how technology/digital devices/social media is a part of our middle schoolers' lives, and reveals both the good and the bad and the struggles with that. She makes mistakes and good choices, but neither 100% define her. The language, humor, and lessons are all wrapped up in a great-for-middle-schoolers package.
• Am reading IF YOU COME SOFTLY by Jacqueline Woodson (realistic contemporary fiction, romance). Already yanked me in from the start.
• Am reading THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden (fiction, magical realism). It's beautifully done!

• I happened across the info that the author of CLICK, Kayla Miller, was going to be at a NJ B&N, so I signed up and took my daughter. It ended up being a great event! Definitely check out to see if your local B&N participates in the BNHangouts for kids!