Sunday, February 28, 2010

Jacqui Reads Her Children & Herself Books By & About People Different From Her: the wrap-up

Well, I did it. I read a book by or about someone different from me every day for a whole month. Because it was Black History Month, I did mostly African/African-American authors/characters. I am really, really glad I did this, because I discovered some great books about which I should've known long ago, and some others about which I'd never have heard otherwise. Here's the wrap-up.

THE BOOKS:
Note: If I read a book and didn't think it was worth your time, I didn't mention it here. That's why the list doesn't go to 28. It also means I at least liked all of these. "You should really read this" recommendations are starred.

Novels

* When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune (Lori Aurelia Williams)

* Touching Snow (M. Sindy Felin)

Ten Things I Hate About Me (Randa Abdel-Fattah)

Romiette and Julio (Sharon M. Draper)

* The Skin I'm In (Sharon G. Flake)

Tyrell (Coe Booth)

Kendra (Coe Booth)

The Rock and the River (Kekla Magoon)

Mare’s War (Tanita S. Davis)

* 8th Grade Superzero (Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich)

Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Adichie) (for adults)

Out (Natsuo Kirino) (for adults)


Chapter Books/Middle Grades

This was the hardest category for which to find books. Where are the modern chapter books with African-American main characters?! There's a whole blog post in my head about role models and what a crime it is that there aren't more choices in this category...

Starring Grace (Mary Hoffman)

The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street (Sharon Flake)

Georgia the Guinea Pig Fairy (Tink convinced me I had to include it since Georgia is a fairy of color and is pictured as such on the cover; I suppose it's a good thing to which to give positive attention.)

Donovan’s Word Jar (Monalisa DeGross) (This was a re-read, but I read it to Tink this time)


Picture Books

Fireman Small - Fire Down Below! (Wong Herbert Yee)

* I'd Really Like to Eat a Child (Sylviane Donnio)

* My Best Friend (Mary Ann Rodman)

* Henry’s Freedom Box (Ellen Levine)

Pink Paper Swans (Virginia L. Kroll)

Pitching in for Eubie (Jerdine Nolan)

Looking Like Me (Walter Dean Myers, illus Chris Myers)


Books I Really Wanted to Read That Didn't Get Into My Library In Time

Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It (Sundee Frazier) - MG

Sassy Little Sister is NOT My Name! (Sharon Draper) - MG

When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street (Angela Johnson) - MG

Mr. Chickee's Funny Money (Christopher Paul Curtis) - MG

Kindred or Fledgling (Octavia Butler) - adult

Flygirl (Sherri L. Smith) - novel

Caucasia (Danzy Senna)


3 comments:

Kim Laird said...

Hi Jacqui, you might try the book, "Who's Jim Hines by Jean Alicia Elster. I think it qualifies as a chapter book, albeit on the older side. More information follows:
"Who's Jim Hines? by Jean Alicia Elster (Wayne State University Press) -- Based on real events about Douglas Ford, Jr., a 12-year-old African-American boy growing up in Detroit during the Great Depression, Elster's novel geared toward young readers touches on family, father-son relationships, racism and friendships. Doug's father owns a lumber company, and when Doug is forced to join his father in the physically demanding work of delivering lumber, he unravels the mystery of a man named Jim Hines, whom he always hears about but has never seen. "

Jacqui said...

Thanks, MNB. I will check it out.

Mrs. Pilkington said...

thanks so much for the mention!