Review by Paige Spilles The League of Super Feminists by Mirion Malle Explaining complex ideologies to our younger readers can be a struggle! In her book, The League of Super Feminists, French cartoonist and author Mirion Malle offers a useful, illustrated primer to all things related to feminism. Malle uses lively, conversational language and colorful … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: The League of Super Feminists by Mirion Malle
#INTLYALITMONTH: My Brilliant Life by Ae-Ran Kim
Review by Mairin Raisdana My Brilliant Life by Ae-Ran Kim “I’m the youngest here, but I’ve probably lived the longest . . . When I’m really sick, the days feel so long. One minute feels like one hour. Sometimes it feels like an eternity. I’ve lived that so many times.” My Brilliant Life is the … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: My Brilliant Life by Ae-Ran Kim
#INTLYALITMONTH: Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu, translated by Silja-Maaria Aronpuro
Review by: Jennifer Baltes Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu Poorling doesn’t fit in. She’s not a bear cub, like her brothers, and with her tiny, upright body and flame-shaped head, she doesn’t look like anything in the forest. She desperately wants to be a bear: fierce, strong, and loved by her bear mother, Umi. As Poorling’s … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu, translated by Silja-Maaria Aronpuro
#INTLYALITMONTH: Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
Review by Lauren Elliott Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim Grass is a powerful oral history in graphic novel style that tells the story of 15-year-old Lee Ok-Sun, who was taken prisoner and forced to become a “comfort woman” for the invading Japanese Army during World War II. Comfort Women is the term commonly used to … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
#INTLYALITMONTH: The Hour Past Midnight by Salma
Review by: Mridula Koshy The Hour Past Midnight by Salma The Hour Past Midnight defies classification in any category. I think it can be read by a very young reader - say 13 - but it is likely sold in bookstores in India as a work for adults. This could be because of its heft … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: The Hour Past Midnight by Salma
#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: Here the Whole Time
Last month I reviewed the first of our co-winners for the GLLI Translated YA Book Prize. This month we turn to the second winner of the prize, Here the Whole Time. Written by Vitor Martins, this book gives us another look into the lives of LGBTQ young people in Brazil. Also translated by Larissa Helena, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Here the Whole Time
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Where We Go From Here
As someone who grew up during the 80s and 90s, I have several memories of the earlier years of the AIDS epidemic. I still remember the news reports of gay men dying in large numbers, and learning about how HIV is spread—and how it is not. I also remember the death of Freddie Mercury (right … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Where We Go From Here
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest
Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Dulcinea who lived happily “with her father in a house on the edge of a large forest.” The forest, of course, was off-limits to all, for deep within it, an evil witch lived inside a castle, replete with a treacherous, monster-filled moat. Such is the stuff of fairy tales, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest
#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
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 