The Booktrekker: Brazil

READ I really didn’t like the book I had chosen for Brazil, and it didn’t help that it was 521 pages long. I tried to keep plugging away, but when I was about halfway through, I finally threw in the towel and decided to choose another book. I’m so glad I did! Otherwise, I would … Continue reading The Booktrekker: Brazil

The Booktrekker: Botswana

READ First off, let me just say that I loved the protagonist in Unity Dow’s book, The Heavens May Fall. She’s a young, smart, fierce lawyer working for a nonprofit organization that helps women and children in Mochudi, Botswana. It’s hard for me to not love a character whose inner musings on the first page of the … Continue reading The Booktrekker: Botswana

#WorldKidLit Weekend: Ellie’s Voice or Trööömmmpffff

Ellie’s Voice or Trööömmmpffff,* an adorably whimsical Estonian picture book for ages 3-6, is about a seabird named Ellie, who has no voice.  “Everything else has a voice,” Ellie thought sadly. "The trees rustle.  The waves crash. Even the rain sings when it falls."  I’m the only one who can’t make a sound." Ellie felt tears … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Weekend: Ellie’s Voice or Trööömmmpffff

The Booktrekker: Bangladesh

READ For Bangladesh, I was planning to read Tahmima Anam’s The Good Muslim. But just as I finished the first few pages, I found out that it was a sequel to Anam’s first novel, A Golden Age. So I stopped reading The Good Muslim (for now), and picked up A Golden Age. The book opens with widow Rehana Haque losing … Continue reading The Booktrekker: Bangladesh

#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: Furia

Written by Yamile Saied Mendez ISBN: 978-1-61620-991-9 Publisher: Workman: Algonquin Books for Young Readers Buy it here. Furia is an #ownvoices novel, set in Rosario, Argentina, and it's the story of a young woman named Camila Hassan, also known as, La Furia. Camila dreams of playing fútbol professionally and being one of the best Futboleras in the … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: Furia

#INTLYALITMONTH: Aya Life In Yop City

Written by: Marguerite Abouet, Illustrated by Clement Oubrerie Translated by Helge Dasher ISBN: 978-1-77046-082-9 Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly Aya Life In Yop City is the story of 19-year-old Aya, who’s very dedicated to her studies and committed to her goals. It’s 1978 in Abidjan, a suburb of the Ivory Coast and Aya is your typical … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: Aya Life In Yop City

#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: I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)

I Am Malala: Young Reader's Edition Written by Malala Yousafzai, with Patricia McCormick Published by: Little Brown Books For Young Readers ISBN: 9780316327916 Malala Yousafzai is a household name nowadays, more commonly known by her first name like Cher or any number of pop stars. But Malala started out as just a normal girl in … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)

#INTLYALITMONTH: A Castle In The Clouds

A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier Translated from the German by: Romy Fursland ISBN-10: 1250300193 ISBN-13: 9781250300195 Publisher: Holt Books for Young Readers (Henry Holt & Company) Buy it here Sophie Spark is completing an internship at Castle in the Clouds, a picturesque hotel in the Swiss mountains. On any given day, she … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: A Castle In The Clouds