The teen group I work with met Ellen Oh. She sparked our thinking around diversity in books for teens, book bans, ghost stories, and how far we are willing to go with research in service to story telling. There's plenty of Ellen Oh love in this group, and it‘s evident in their podcast episode.
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https://www.buzzsprout.com/2080893/episodes/14780101 (Also available on Apple & Spotify)

Another GenX fave, ragtag teen criminals feat vampires. The audiobook includes an interview of the author by her husband, which is silly and fun but also informative.

This was a March read.

IDK why, maybe because I'm GenX and did this myself, but I really do enjoy any story that involves wandering a cemetery -- as long as it's not horror, which I guess this might be, but not the kind that would give you nightmares like that. Nay, the nightmares would be the kind where you create problems while you try to solve problems. Into the Bright Open is on my TBR.

I read this back in February, but have been delinquent in posting.

YA author Brandy Colbert suggested I move this book to the top of my TBR. 💕 So good. Give this woman her flowers. 💐 May Viola experience so much joy in her life & may she continue to share her talents.

I like a book with a playlist — and this one has a watchlist! I enjoyed this critical (yet loving) study of the “trancestry” of tv/film. It‘s also validating to see cinematic representations of people I care about IRL. More, please.

Idk how I got so many professional Christians in my TBR, but I did. I grew up with this POV, & it doesn‘t have much to offer me at this point. Having said that, the speech patterns are comforting, & Moore talks like more progressive (but not all that progressive) members of family. This book was a pleasant use of my time.

At some point, I decided that I didn‘t have the luxury to heal from trauma, so I put on a mask. Carrière makes me wonder that I would need a mask regardless. However, I am taken by the openness of her family & the space they provide for transgressions.
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I need to figure out how to post here closer to when I finish a book, because otherwise I lose the essence of impact.

This time last year, I met Daniel Nayeri when he spoke about this book with #MiddleGrade readers in a program I administer. He is... just freaking amazing. He's hilarious & smart & connected with the audience. Then over winter break, I had a chance to purchase art from the book by Daniel Miyares to display at work. This Daniel was also great. The book itself is such an adventure! Strong recommend.

Margaret Chou Greanias discusses “How This Book Got Read,” along with her writing process, reader, interactions, and ideas for teachers, who use her picturebooks in an interview with me. Link below.
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https://wowlit.org/blog/2024/01/01/authors-corner-margaret-chiu-greanias/

Described by PW as “neo-gothic fiction,“ which explains a lot. I feel like the djinn. I am the metaphor.

As a person who requires a full-on pipe organ to appreciate Jesus, I wasn't sure this would be my bag. I also was not sure how well our povs overlap vis-à-vis feminism, but I appreciate that Crist struggles with judgement (of him & by him). Also, I agree that we should be less concerned with social media than we are, while also struggling with how concerned I am.
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Litsy made me read this, btw. So all this uncertainty is on you.

I heard a TON of criticism of the Empyrean series. Much of it valid. But some of of what bothered others, didn't bother me. For example, the books are U.S. military coded. The author is an Army brat, so that's not shocking. I served 23 years as a military spouse. While I hold a lot of liberal views, I also hold dear that community and understand some of those hard choices. Not saying that clears the critique, but that those parts didn't bother me.

“Leonhardt shows how Americans—if they commit themselves to transforming the economy, as they did in the past—have the power to revive the dream once more.“ United Statesians, do you believe our fellow citizens are willing to commit to a transformation of the economy to reignite the possibility of the American Dream for us all?
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Overall, I don't know what I learned that was new to me, but it is impactful to read this all in one place.

A book for when you feel comfortable in your allyship or think perhaps you are quite liberal. You probably aren't.
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I've read some since I read this, so I can't remember the details of my thinking, but it was a good one coming off Dream Town.

Such a great book about grief that doesn‘t disappear or even diminish the experience. Instead, our girl befriends grief, giving her new companion space in her life. Many of us in the US rush our grief & pray it lessens. But some of us don‘t easily banish the space left behind. How lovely is it to think of filling that sad space with flowers!

I got to see the Iranian version a few months back & am so happy to see it published here!

#picturebooks

I thought this book would be too much of everything for me, but it was just the right amount of everything. I picked it up because it was available on Libby & I saw all y‘all posting about it. Now I have to wait a hundred years for my hold on the next book. 🙄
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My dragon is a lab who likes to sleep in my closet.

Confronting injustice & inequity is messy. It‘s not that easy when our systems depend on racism. I appreciate this book depicts a bunch of people trying to various degrees & mixed success at creating equity. It also brings the issue of integration to right now, which I also appreciate because we like to think of school segregation as being behind us. It‘s not.
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Thanks to @DimeryRene for pointing out the Little Fires Everywhere connection.

I picked up this concept art for work at the LQ auction in 2023. I was already stoked, but then Vo added this sweet card AND sent me a holiday card. I put the art on display, but I can‘t way to integrate it more meaningfully into programming.

Another I missed. Podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wow-reads/id1673160568?i=1000614038925

Auditing my 2023 reads & missed this one. Anywhoo, here‘s an interview I wrote with the author: https://wowlit.org/blog/2023/04/01/authors-corner-judy-i-lin/

Idk much about BS, so this was a good entry point. The parts that stuck, of course, are the parts that butt up against my feminist sensibilities—like judgment around long hair. The Celebrity Book Club/Glamorous Trash podcast filled in some blanks for me. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/glamorous-trash-with-chelsea-devantez/id15...

At this point, it‘s hard to imagine a religion that I‘m going to be cool with, but I respect Lamya‘s path. I did enjoy the thoughtful approach of Lamya & her Quran study partner to difficult texts. I also appreciated her perspective generally. As a reader who enjoys memoir, I would recommend this one.

Growing up in Okla., I was covered in a thick layer of soil wisdom that … I guess we decided to ignore. Sometime around 2009 & in Ariz., I read about our new soil shortage (probably on Treehugger). I guess we decided to ignore that too.

Go read the blurb & other reviews (the positive ones). The thought that sticks with me is how we will suspend perceptions about beauty & whatever else for improv, but not for plays or screens.

More book festival prep — West-African middle grade fantasy. I dig a reluctant hero, especially a young one. While recognizing the audiobook narrator‘s storytelling skill, I did not enjoy the voicing of our MC here. She kinda got the Hermione treatment.

Litsy definitely made me do it, & I have no regrets. Thanks friends! The story is engaging, & the narration is top notch — among the best I‘ve “read”. If this is your genre, do the audiobook.

I enjoyed finding all the Gone with the Wind connections in this retelling. Then, we met with the author and learned about retellings & copyright. The teens‘ reactions were interesting too. Podcast forthcoming.

Prepping for the Tucson Festival of Books. Brown is Ghanaian American & this book is based off Akan folktales. (I should get a handle on definitions around folktales, fairy tales, house tales, folklore, mythology, etc.) Although the MC is decidedly not a popular cheerleader, this is Buffy vibes (or maybe Buffy is Akan vibes). I‘m rooting for this group of slayers.

💯I‘m going to read the biographies of women in history. Her story kept my attention & got me thinking, but his is probably all I‘d do on Charlotte.

It‘s been a minute since I read this, but I want to say the Arz caught my attention. If this book is about identity with the Arz as backdrop, is that an amplification or a thematic/symbolic threat? I‘ve read a couple of books about this earthen takeover or like storms that consume & leave nothing. So, I guess I‘m just thinking about storms in storytelling.

My doctorS lack the time/interest/ability to answer questions, so I‘m reading all the things. This book is not only more inclusive of people who experience menopause than other books I‘ve read, but Corinna also does a better job bridging home remedies with medical interventions.

Fuuuuu🙌🏼k. FR. Super uncomfortable. Read the summaries & reviews, I have nothing new to add. Excellent narration.

Short stories & horror aren‘t something I seek out, but I did seek this book out. In retrospect, I should have gotten a physical copy, because illustrated books are super cool.

This middle grade book explores the theme of separation. The @wow_reads Reading Ambassadors had a great chat with Lisa McMann, who brought her husband, Matt. He‘s also an author! (Book tagged in comments.)
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Take a listen to what the Reading Ambassadors said in their podcast: https://worldsofwords.buzzsprout.com/2080893/13928841-wow-reads-s2-e2-msrap-read...

The @wow_reads Teen Reading Ambassadors hosted the book launch for “The Broke Hearts” by Matt Mendez. They drew a great crowd & had a good discussion. The idea that we are always becoming something hit with the teens.
Mendez profile: https://wowlit.org/blog/2023/11/01/authors-corner-matt-mendez/
Teens‘ podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2080893/13768827 (also available on Apple Podcast)

As a child, I wore a T-shirt with the slogan, “The best man for a job is a woman.” I call myself a feminist even. However, feminism has not appealed to me the way other inclusive or poverty-related issues were. I even resisted this book. But it is 🔥 & reconciles my thinking. A lot of readers say take it slow, think about it. Sure if you want. Or swallow it whole like Bacchanalian-style. That‘s what I did.

Just about everything in this book fascinates me—including the absurd legalities/sensibilities of the time & how ppl can strip one another of their humanity even as they recognize that humanity. Also, Mary Lumpkin is a mighty woman. Friggin‘ made of steel.

Blame this one on BookTok. It‘s a pick for this desert dweller. Equal parts discouraging & encouraging.
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Global warming has been on my mind since the Carter administration, but my strongly worded letters to power brokers, attendance at neighborhood meetings about tree cover, & solar panel purchase haven‘t fixed it yet. Go figure.

Dad: I‘m going to use my fortune to force my daughter to have a child.
Mom: I‘m going to use parental privilege to force my daughter to be sterilized.
Power Elite & other Jerk Faces: We are going to use this case to reinforce our claim that we should control the bodies of women and entire groups of people who we don‘t like.

It‘s been a minute since I read this, but two things I know about myself. 1) I don‘t always want to be happy; and 2) I don‘t like to be told what to do.

Love the rawness & the honesty. However, maybe in updates he could footnote the parts that are casually racist & actively misogynistic to show areas for growth. We 💯 knew swastikas sucked back then. They still suck. Fuck nazis wherever they exist, and fuck their propaganda. Glad he has his shit together.

I don‘t know that any of this text is surprising, but I do appreciate the framework. I tell people I could be religious but not spiritual, because I enjoy ritual but not so much the navel gazing. Accordingly, I appreciate the social commentary, but the last chapter on sadness goes too far out for me. I did chat my friends up about the book & would rec to newbie career peeps.

I read this because:
* Someone at work said of a 17 YO I admire, “PF would say the oppressed will become the oppressor.” And now I can say that work person doesn‘t know jack about what PF would say about this kid.���🏻
* POTO was banned at my kids‘ high school.
* I‘m working on my advocacy.

For a time, I lived with my mom, her mom, & her mom‘s mom, but still I didn‘t know much about menopause. Maybe the workplace should separate us out to teach these hormonal changes like schools did for puberty.
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I like the feminist take. I like the balance of honoring the knowledge of crones & science. And I like that it got me to bypass my sucky PCP & head return to my GYN.

Just out of high school a classmate with cancer died of pneumonia. Just a few years ago, a coworker died of HIV/AIDS. Living that 30 year stretch, I remember the big events of this book, but putting them all together was something else.
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I read this chunkster after seeing a post by @AlizaApp. My plan was to challenge my perspectives on advocacy, which I did. My preference was (& still is) somewhere between Roberts Rules & chaos.

I‘ve been waiting on this book since Boulley mentioned it to the teen readers I work with in the summer of 2021. It is even better than anticipated!

At an event a couple of weeks ago, an intern asked Boulley a question about the title. Her answer gave a glimpse of the next two books. Is it too early to preorder?

Also, this jacket art by Caldecott winner Michaela Goade is stunning.

I appreciate the racism & economic privilege that‘s called out, but I can‘t shake the feeling that this examination is surface level. There‘s no accountability beyond the author. Good as a memoir but light as a study.

Gather round young ‘uns. I‘m going to tell you a story that took place before social media became a hellscape, when people could freely create, bond & heal alongside total strangers w/o the interference of trolls or monetization.

Major after school special vibes. 📖 ➡️ 📺

You know how you get what you get from a book & then someone tells you their takeaway is graphic (not really, just frank) sex talk when you were swept away that an entire family can be so loving & accepting of gender fluidity, expression & romantic love? No one reads the same book.