Review by Chris Fazenbaker The Secret Life of Debbie G. by Vibha Batra The Secret Life of Debbie G. revolves around the life of 16-year old Arya as she encounters and navigates major life changes. With her divorced mother remarrying, she struggles to adjust to her new blended family that includes classmates who are not … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: The Secret Life of Debbie G. by Vibha Batra, illustrated by Kalyani Ganapathy
#INTLYALITMONTH: The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis
Review by Jack Gantos The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis The End of Eddy is the semi-autobiographical story of a young gay man’s life in an impoverished and dysfunctional rural French family. Both the family and his social environment - in school and in the town - do not attempt to understand him, and … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Colorful
As my dead soul leisurely drifted off to some dark place, this angel I’d never seen before suddenly appeared right in my way. "Congratulations! You’ve won the lottery!" The angel smiled. So begins Colorful, a surprisingly humorous YA novel about mental illness, bullying, and teen suicide. The protagonist—nameless throughout most of the book—isn’t thrilled to … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Colorful
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Sato the Rabbit
A surreal symphony of vibrant colors and images, Sato the Rabbit* is a whimsical trilogy of picture books for readers age 4-8: One day, Haneru Sato became a rabbit. He's been a rabbit ever since. He likes stars, the ocean, and tasty treats. He likes lots of other things, too. What young child hasn’t imagined … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Sato the Rabbit
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Blue Wings by Jef Aerts
Shortlisted for the 2021 Global Literature in Libraries Initiative Translated YA Book Prize "You're Jadran's guardian angel," Mom had told me when I was only eight..."If your brother's having problems, you have to help him.""Jadran is a giant," I said. "How am I supposed to help him?""You're a giant too," Mom said. "A little giant … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Blue Wings by Jef Aerts
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Fighting the Good Fight: Social Justice in Children’s (Translated) Books and Graphic Novels
Books for young readers help shape children’s minds, attitudes, and viewpoints. Hence it’s crucial for young readers to have the opportunity to hear diverse voices from around the world. Today’s impressionable, thoughtful young minds need to be aware of important issues and acts of historical or social justice. Graphic Novels Maus: A Survivor’s Tale From … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Fighting the Good Fight: Social Justice in Children’s (Translated) Books and Graphic Novels
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Forgotten Book
Books can transport us across time and space, even though the journey is only an imaginary one. The literary voyages readers take within the pages of a book can inspire us and affect how we see the world via the magic of the written word. Writers, indeed, have immense power. But what if that literary … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Forgotten Book
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Other Side
Much of the rhetoric around immigration from Central America across the southern United States border discusses persons wanting to enter the U.S. in abstract and dehumanizing terms: as caravans, illegal aliens, vectors of disease, even as an invasion. We spend so much time talking about Central American refugees and what they represent, yet we rarely … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Other Side
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The 2021 Eisner Award Nominations
Known as the Oscars of the comics world, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are traditionally given every summer at San Diego Comic Con. Due to COVID-19, the ceremony was virtual in 2021, when the awards featured 33 categories. Books for children in translation can be found in a number of them. The pickings were … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The 2021 Eisner Award Nominations
#DutchKidLit Nonfiction – Palm Trees at the North Pole: The Hot Truth about Climate Change by Marc ter Horst
Today is September 11 and it is the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States of America. That Tuesday morning in 2001, I was working for the Ithaca City School District in Upstate New York and along with a class full of my husband's middle school ICT students, we watched incredulously … Continue reading #DutchKidLit Nonfiction – Palm Trees at the North Pole: The Hot Truth about Climate Change by Marc ter Horst
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 