On a hot day, how wonderful it is to be able to sit outside in the shade of a tree! And how terrible to be deprived of the opportunity by one person’s greed and selfishness. In The Shade Tree, renowned picture book creator Suzy Lee retells a traditional Korean folk tale. As the story goes, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Shade Tree
Dear readers, As we reach the close of #IntlYALitMonth 2024, I want to express my gratitude to the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative for inviting me to be involved. It has been a privilege to curate this month-long celebration of YA literature from around the world and to engage in meaningful conversations about the power … Continue reading Goodbye to GLLI’s 2024 #IntlYALitMonth
Review by Sietse Hagen Note: This review is based on the original Dutch text, De Meisjes: Zeven Sprookjes by Annet Schaap. A translation by Laura Watkinson was published in English by Pushkin Children's Books, under the title Girls. Seven girls, seven fairy tales, seven feminist retellings filled with Dutch culture. De Meisjes is an empowering … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Girls
Review by Christina Fawcett Going away to school and leaving everything you know behind is hard. Going away to school on another planet is harder. Going away to school and your interplanetary shuttle being attacked by murderous Meduse is so much worse. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor follows a young Himba woman who is the first … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Binti
Review by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Having escaped his narrow-minded and isolated village in Palestine, Saeed moves to the city, marries, opens a bookstore, then returns with his pregnant wife. She gives birth to twin girls – Shams and Qamar – but the family is exiled to the village outskirts, accused of bringing a curse. Although they … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands
Review by Nina Hotchkis Our Own Little Paradise by Marianne Kaurin has been translated into English from Norwegian by Olivia Laksy and is a refreshing text for middle grade and young YA readers, especially those transitioning between schools. Nora (in the English translation) has recently moved to a new school and is determined to fit … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Our Own Little Paradise
The International Journal of Young Adult Literature (IJYAL) aims to foster new scholarship and critical dialogue about young adult literature from around the world. As we celebrate the final weekend of #IntlYALitMonth, it’s the perfect time to share this open-access academic journal that I (Dr Emily Corbett, Co-General Editor) have the pleasure of editing alongside … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Spotlight: The International Journal of Young Adult Literature (IJYAL)
Review by Joanna Snellin Masculinity has become a hot topic in recent years, and rightly so. With the internet a breeding ground for incels and misogynists, one can’t help but fear for the future of masculinity and what it’s like for teenagers exploring this rocky terrain. In response to this, there have been, thankfully, some … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Mask Off
Review by Helen Jones Please be advised that this review refers to discrimination and sexual assault. Ducks, an autobiographical graphic novel by Kate Beaton, starts off with a simple, coming-of-age premise. Fresh out of university, twenty-one-year-old Katie heads off from her home on a quiet, windswept island off the coast of Nova Scotia to travel … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Ducks
Review by Kimberly Bayliss Could there be anything more magical than a Christmas mystery novel split into twenty-four advent readable chapters? This book combines my two favourite things – Christmas and mystery – and would make a remarkably fun yuletide read for a middle-grade or younger YA reader who also enjoys a bit of mysterious … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 