Dewey's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon Spring 2018

April was fast approaching and I knew a notice would be hitting my inbox any day. While I awaited the official notice, back and forth, back and forth, the pendulum swung as I decided whether or not to participate in read-a-thon this spring. My hand clutched the swaying pendulum stopping it on "no" in part stemming from the drastic change my life has undergone in the last four months. Adaping not just to motherhood, but motherhood of a sixteen, now seventeen-year old, having someone with me all of the time, being responsible for someone other than myself, changing job responsibilities, appointments, errands, and all of the running around has been a challenge. Keyword: balance. The balance I have yet to master.

Review: Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis

Tanita S. Davis. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 2016.  279 pp.

Rating: Decent

I debated whether to write a review for this book mainly because the writing is unremarkable and it was just an okay read to me; however, in subject matter this is a narrative that needed to be written. Oftentimes when we think of foster children, our minds are automatically wired to visualize children of color despite the stark reality that children of all races and ethnicities flow in and out of foster care trapped within an imperfect system. This story had to be written if only to demonstrate that black families foster more than just black children. It's important that I reiterate this because a few months back, a friend asked a question that I took exception to. For a brief moment, she shedded her friend cloak for that of a stranger. "How are you going to respond when someone asks you why you chose a white child when there are so many black children in the system?" is the question she posed to me.

To understand this question, you must know that I'm a single Black woman with no biological kids who is now fostering a white teenage girl. There is so much I could say in response to her question, but the bottom line is that ALL children need love, a loving home, and a safe living environment. Period. End of discussion.

Months later my friend confessed that finally she understood that it wasn't about race, but about a child who yearned for a stable, loving home and a woman who has always wanted to be a mother and has an abundance of love to give.

With that said...on to the book review.

How a Kid Who Didn’t Read a Book Until He Was 17 Grew Up to Become a Literary Star by Nora Krug

All it takes is the right book to get students hooked on reading or in Reynolds' case, a rap album with incredible lyrics.

Reposted from The Washington Post

By Nora Krug October 23 

Young Adult author Jason Reynolds (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Jason Reynolds can empathize with kids who don’t like to read: He was 17 before he read a book cover to cover. It’s a fact he’s shared with thousands of kids in classrooms and auditoriums across the country, as a cautionary tale.

“It’s not something I’m proud of. It’s not cool,” he told a group of seventh-graders in Stafford, Va. “The truth is, my life was made infinitely more difficult because I didn’t read any books. But I didn’t read any books. That’s my story. That’s my truth.”

Read More...

This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis - Book Trailer

I'm so excited for this book! "Phantom Heart" the short story beginnings of Mindy McGinnis' upcoming novel, This Darkness Mine," appears in the anthology, Among the Shadows:13 Stories of Darkness and Light. I was thrilled to learn that the story had been expanded into a full-length novel. I read Among the Shadows last fall. Although I liked "Phantom Heart," the story ended just as soon as it seemed to really begin. I need a good psychological thriller in my life right now. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book! 

I'm so excited to be part of the Solo Book Launch Team! 

Happy weekend reading to me! :)

Reading by Example: What Kids Learn About Books from Watching You by Edward Viljoen

During a family gathering last month, my five-year old cousin, in all seriousness asked, "Step, why you don't have no books no more?" Suppressing laughter, I replied, "I do have books, plenty of books, I just didn't bring any with me today." To Ayden, my presence means books and to be present without books for his sister and himself was an affront to his five-year old sensibilities. Particularly, since this was the second time I had been in his presence without any books for him.

I share this story with you because my attitude toward books has been keenly noted. At five-years old, Ayden knows I love to read and that I'm always giving away books. Just as my younger sisters' children know that I will never deny a book purchase request. 

While reading Viljoen's article, think about the reading behaviors the kids in your life are learning or have learned from you? As Viljoen writes, "Someone is watching." 

Reposted from Brightly

Reading by Example: What Kids Learn About Books 

from Watching You by Edward Viljoen

On April 27th, I had the privilege of being the guest reader of Thursday Night Storytime hosted by Hey! Helping Empower Youth. Since I had never before gone live on Facebook, my nerves got the best of me. Hopefully, it's not noticeable...well, at least not a lot. 😊

Posted by HEY! Helping Empower Youth on Thursday, April 27, 2017

Hey! Helping Empower Youth is a STEM-focused nonprofit organization in Atlanta, Georgia. Hey! has recently launched a new initiative, Hey! Let's Read!, which includes curated monthly subscription boxes spotlighting books for children of color, written primarily by people of color, book fairs/festivals, and Storytime every Thursday at 8:15 p.m. (EST) on Facebook Live. 

It's Read-A-Thon Time!

It's April and April means Dewey's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon! 

Dewey's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon is a bi-annual event and is held in April and October. I participated in my first RaT last April and I'm so excited to be doing it again this year. I will be updating this post throughout the day with my reading progress. 

Today's Reading Pile:

Review: Compulsion (Heirs of Watson Island #1) by Martina Boone

Martina Boone. New York: Simon Pulse, 2014. Ebook.
Rating: Decent

Goodreads Summary: Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson had been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lived with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Review: The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

Lilliam Rivera. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2017.
Rating: Decent

Goodreads Summary: Pretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted—from debut author Lilliam Rivera.

THINGS/PEOPLE MARGOT HATES:

Mami, for destroying my social life

Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal

Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal

This supermarket

Everyone else

After “borrowing” her father's credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts.

Love this post! Reposted from the Nerdy Book Club.

MY FAVORITE WORD BY NIKKI GRIMES

POSTED BY CBETHM ON JANUARY 4, 2017 IN AUTHOR POSTS

At a recent school visit, a student posed a wonderful question during Q & A.  “What is your favorite word?” he asked me.  Caught off guard, I said the first thing that popped into my head.  “Dream,” I told him, “because it opens up endless possibilities.”  It wasn’t a bad answer, but it wasn’t the only one I could have come up with.  If I’d considered it a little longer, I might have said, “Hope.”

Hope is the how of surviving my childhood, and the why of the stories I tell.  I can’t imagine a world without it.

Review: The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

Cat Winters. New York: Amulet Books, 2014.  352 pp.
Rating: Striking 

"Think of your future sons and daughters. Think how much better your childhood would have been if your mother had accepted her place in the world and ignored her selfish dreams." (60)

Oh, the cover, the cover! (squeals loudly) Love, love, love! I'm lucky to have scored a poster of the cover during TCfD Book Tour. The imagery is fantastic! The cover sets the atmosphere of what lies between the pages. The cumbersome garments, the strings tied around Olivia's skirt, and the buttons of her boots represent the bondage, the stagnant station of womanhood—the result of being born of the fairer sex. 

Where is a woman's place? Is it inside or outside the home? Is it both? What is a woman's role in the world and who decides her fate? 

How Many Lives Does A Book Live?

Yesterday, I was sorting through a box of children's books a co-worker had given me. Almost all of the books had a name scribbled inside the front cover. These names were of individuals who previously owned the book. Some of the books had graced a classroom shelf, a home library, and others a child's bedroom bookshelf. I then began to ponder about the lives of books. I'm not speaking of the life of a particular title or a new, fresh-from-the bookstore book, but a used hardcover or paperback book. A book that has been read, shared, and passed around from parent to child, sibling to sibling, and friend to friend.

Thinking to Inking: Pick Up Your Pen And Write. Your Voice Matters.

Reblogged from Thinking to Inking 

My comment on this post: Yes, all of this! Despite everything else I was feeling this morning, I woke up determined. Stacy, your post put into words my attitude going forward.

Thinking to Inking: Pick Up Your Pen And Write. Your Voice Matters.: I was supposed to post our monthly YA book pick today, but in light of everything that's happened it doesn't feel right. Some of y...

September 2016 YA Releases

Yes, I do know that there's only one more day in September, but that's not going to stop me from posting a pic of my September releases. After stalking my order status for a week, the last book I'd been awaiting finally arrived. Now, I can exhibit my new babies for all to see. :) I've been wanting to get my hands on each of these books once I learned of them. Look at these pretties! I cannot wait to read them!

From L to R...Into White by Randi Pink, The Female of the Species
by Mindy McGinnis, Labyrinth Lost by  Zoraida Córdova

Suicide Prevention Book Display

Earlier this month, two students within my county committed suicide on the same day. Their deaths were unrelated as one was a middle school student and the other high school, as well as, they occurred in different areas of the county. These latest deaths continues to secure Carroll's reign as the county with the highest suicide rate in the state of Georgia.

To call attention to this pressing issue, last evening, September 27, the community came to together to discuss ways to prevent suicide. Although the community did not swarm in masses, and the gathering consisted mostly of individuals representing social organizations, below is my contribution to the event. Referencing reading lists from School Library Journal and the Nerdy Book Club, I created a display of Young Adult books relating to depression and suicide. Many of the resources on the Information and After Care table were provided by a member of our local Survivors of Suicide group--I just set-up the display. I left the program one book lighter as a teen borrowed a book from the YA display. Success!

Tweens & Teens Biblotherapy Table

Adult Nonfiction titles & Resource Information Table

Review: Rising From the Ashes: The Chronicles of Caymin (The Dragonmage Saga #1) by Caren J. Werlinger

Caren J. Werlinger. Corgyn Publishing, 2016. 295 pp.

Rating: Worthy + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Fantasy isn't my go to genre. Truthfully, it's never really been on my radar. Not because I despised it, but because I hadn't been introduced to it. Many times as I read blog posts or hear readers talk about beloved fantasy stories, I feel that I've missed out on many great books during my formative years. While others were discovering and feeding their love of fantasy in middle and junior high school, I was re-reading, for the umpteenth time, the books that adorned my bedroom bookshelf. It wasn't because I loved them so much, but because I simply didn't know what else to read.  Now with each fantasy novel I complete, the shovel drops another load filling in the hollow pit of my non-fantasy reading life. Soon though, this book hole shall be jam-packed!

Author Interview: Kisha Mitchell/Book Launch Party of Brown Girl, Brown Girl, What Do You See?

It's approaching one o'clock and Central Library, the Headquarters of the Atlanta Public Library System, is abuzz with activity. Finishing touches are being applied to display tables and people are quietly strolling in. Grinning joyously, Kisha Mitchell, commences the launch of her debut picture book, Brown Girl, Brown Girl, What Do You See? It was a pleasure to attend the book launch and have the opportunity to meet and interview Author Kisha Mitchell.

How did you develop your love of books, reading, and writing?

I didn't have a TV in my room until I was nineteen. As a kid, I read to pass the time. I read such series as Goosebumps, The Baby-Sitters Club, and many others.

Review: Brown Girl, Brown Girl, What Do You See? by Kisha Mitchell

Kisha Mitchell. Illustrator: Marie Pearson. Girls Inspired Inc., 2016. 24 pp.

Rating: Worthy + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Brown Girl, Brown Girl , What Do You See? is an ode to self-love. It's a testament that brown girls are indeed beautiful. It's about loving the skin that you are in, but it's even more than that. It's about accepting yourself as you are. More importantly, it's about getting acquainted with and loving the person within.

"As I gaze in the mirror loving the perfect imperfections of me; I see a confidence emerging that will not cease!"

Checking In

Hey guys and gals, it's been awhile and I've missed you all! Well, summer vacation has come and gone in my little corner of Georgia. By now, I thought I would be well over half past my reading goal of sixty books; however, I've just been toddling along. My fellow reading pals, might declare me in a midst of a reading slump, but it is not so. In a way, my summer reading has matched the Georgia weather—dry and hot. Most of my reading has been in spurts, like the five-minute rain showers that we've had all summer. These teasing bursts of precipitation turned up the humidity and the heat, but failed to drop enough water to quench the thirst of the parched ground, which is kind of how I've felt about my reading life this summer. I say hot because each of the six books I've read have impacted me, a few more than others, but each one made me think, remember, reflect, and feel. From one of my reads, I learned of an obscure folk artist whose work graces the Smithsonian Institute. In another, I annotated almost half of the book due to its relevancy to my present circumstances and the current social climate. And yet, another is nudging me toward more fantasy novels. So, that's the long and short of it or rather the hot and dry of it. :-)