#DutchKidLit – The Female Gothic and Lampie and the Children of the Sea by Annet Schaap

Like all good fairytales, Lampie and the Children of the Sea starts with things going horribly wrong for a young, vulnerable heroine. Lampie's name is a nickname that reflects her purpose, as she is in charge of lighting the lamp every night at the lighthouse where she lives with her drunken, lame father. She is … Continue reading #DutchKidLit – The Female Gothic and Lampie and the Children of the Sea by Annet Schaap

#DutchKidLit – Where Is the Cake? by Thé Tjong-Khing

Post by guest author Sabrina Rossi from the International School of Amsterdam.Last August, during my staycation in the Netherlands, I decided to visit the Kranenburgh museum in Bergen with the intention of exploring the exhibition on Thé Tjong-Khing and his children’s book illustrations for the last twenty years, Thé Tjong-Khing: In the Master Illustrator's Studio, … Continue reading #DutchKidLit – Where Is the Cake? by Thé Tjong-Khing

#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 – The Cat who Came in off the Roof by Annie M.G. Schmidt

Last night I provided shelter to a purring lady who entered my apartment through the attic window and, on being asked, informed me that she had once been a cat...- The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof No list of #DutchKidLit would be complete without Minoes or The Cat Who Came in Off the … Continue reading #DutchKidLit – The Cat who Came in off the Roof by Annie M.G. Schmidt

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Temple Alley Summer

Written by award-winning Japanese author Sachiko Kashiwaba, Temple Alley Summer* features not one but two ghost stories. The first is the outer shell in this engrossing middle-grade novel and a fully-fleshed narrative; the other is an embedded fairy-tale fantasy with intriguing connections and parallels to the first. In the “outer” ghost story, Kazu, who is … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Temple Alley Summer

#WorldKidLit Weekend: The Story of the Blue Planet

A Roald Dahlian eco-parable for middle grade readers, The Story of the Blue Planet* takes place on a special, beautiful planet strikingly similar to earth and inhabited only by children. These Peter-Pan-esque protagonists never age and come in all shapes and sizes. Some are “even weird like the child you see in the mirror.” They can … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Weekend: The Story of the Blue Planet

#INTLYALITMONTH: That’s a wrap!

I cannot believe we have arrived at the end of the first ever International Young Adult Month! It’s been truly an honor to be the first guest editor of #IntlYALitMonth by the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative. It’s been an eye-opening experience for me as I have learned so much about international translated Young Adult Literature … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: That’s a wrap!

#INTLYALITMONTH: Noughts & Crosses

Written by Malorie Blackman ISBN: 978-1-5344-9742-9 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Noughts & Crosses is one of those books that takes a while to wrap around your head because there’s so much to unpack!  This is a story of love in a very different dystopian world trying to keep these two lovers apart. Sephy and Callum … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: Noughts & Crosses

#INTLYALITMONTH Shuri #1: The Search For The Black Panther

Shuri #1: The Search For Black Panther, written by Nnedi Okorafor and Illustrated by Leonardo Romero & Jordie Bellaire (Colorist) ISBN:  978-1302915230 Publisher: Marvel Shuri #1: The Search For Black Panther shines with beautiful cover art designed/illustrated Leonardo Romero & Jordie Bellaire Shuri is busy testing out her gadgets, creating scientific formulas and throwing out gauntlets, but … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH Shuri #1: The Search For The Black Panther

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Beast Warrior

YA fantasy novel The Beast Warrior takes place about a decade after its award-winning prequel, The Beast Player.* In The Beast Warrior, mixed-heritage protagonist Elin is now a full-fledged Beast Player (a field that combines veterinarian with naturalist) and has had a son with her husband, Ialu. As the book opens, their feudal, agrarian nation is … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Beast Warrior