Set against the backdrop of the ongoing Syrian civil war and the resulting refugee crisis, Wild Poppies is the story of two brothers, Omar and Sufyan. As the novel opens, they, along with their mother and younger sister, have been displaced to their aunt's home in a village named Al-Nuaman, or "the poppy flower." Their … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wild Poppies
The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu is the engagingly told story of a lesser-known figure from an important part of 20th century history, Edith Garrud. A 2024 GLLI Translated YA Book Prize Honor Book, this superb nonfiction graphic novel connects the dots between women’s suffrage, their personal freedom, and their ability to … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu
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 Beth Kemp Dara McAnulty's Diary of a Young Naturalist is beautiful, following the teenage naturalist through a year of his life (aged 13-14) as he and his family move from County Fermanagh to County Down in Northern Ireland. From Spring – as he wakens to the blackbird’s call – through a Summer in … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Diary of a Young Naturalist
Review by Dainy Bernstein Most booklovers have sometimes wished they could meet the characters they read about. But for Meggie, who gets to experience book characters coming to life, that wish becomes more of a nightmare than a dream come true. Her father, Mo, accidentally learns that he can bring characters to life when he … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Inkheart
Review by Kris Feller Queen of the Tiles opens as our protagonist, Najwa Bakri, is dropped off by her family at the annual Word Warrior Weekend, a Scrabble competition which she describes as "part elite tournament, part sleepover, all awkward teen hormones and chaste, chaperoned social events in between." At the previous year’s tournament, Najwa’s … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Queen of The Tiles
The following extended review essay was written by Ritwika Roy. At first glance, the three books in Devika Rangachari’s Queen Series – Queen of Ice (2014), Queen of Earth (2020) and Queen of Fire (2021) – might seem like a relative of the hit Korean drama Queen of Tears. In Queen of Tears, Hong Haein, … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review Essay: The Queen Series
Review by Emma Tueller Stone “Once, there was a little girl who prayed for heroes… But that little girl is long gone… I am a monster. I am one of them” (Falaye, p. 362). If anyone finds out who or what Sloane is, she will die. She is a Scion, the descendent of powerful Orisha … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Blood Scion
Review by Alice Penfold “I had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen…” Liur is dominated by the fear of “something terrible” happening to her or her father. After her mother dies suddenly, her father disappears to America; although he originally goes there to study, he soon abandons this plan and goes travelling, … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: The Ventriloquist’s Daughter
Review by Jennifer Gouck Fifteen-year-old Amandla’s mother, Annalisa, has had a vision: if Amandla wears a blue bedsheet hastily fashioned into a dress to school today, its magic will bring her father, who has been missing since before she was born, home forever. Annalisa has lots of visions. She also has a broken memory that … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Sugar Town Queens
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 