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Diversity in MG Lit #43 February 2023

By on February 15, 2023   /   Book Lists, Diversity  
This spring marks my sixth year of doing the monthly round up of new MG titles which are diverse in race, gender and/or sexual identity, ethnicity, religion, and disability. In that time there has been a substantial increase in the number of diverse titles in Middle Grade publishing. We’ve seen a particularly dramatic increase in the number of diverse authors attending the national conferences as featured speakers and winning national literary awards. Consider for example that in the last 6 years every single winner of the Newbery medal has been a diverse person. And eighteen of twenty-one honor winners have represented some aspect of diversity. In the bookseller conferences that I attend regionally in the Pacific Northwest and nationally somewhere between 50% and 90% of featured authors have been diverse. Impressive progress.
I love digging into the diverse ARCs that come to me at the bookshop and looking for new points of view at trade shows and on the on line resources available to me as a bookseller. In the last six years my own life has changed dramatically too, leaving me less time for writing blog posts. I will continue to do the diverse books roundup every other month. I’ll shift my focus slightly to newer voices and less frequently represented identities.
Here are this month’s new titles.
book title No Matter the DistanceNO MATTER THE DISTANCE by Cindy Baldwin is her fourth book and the one that deals most directly with her own disabling condition, cystic fibrosis. The story starts on familiar MG terrain–Penny’s best friend is moving away. But then Penny finds a lost dolphin in the river behind her house and forms a strong bond with her. But the young dolphin can’t survive for long in the river. How Penny finds the strength to help her new friend to her home in the ocean is gorgeously told in blank verse. Equal parts friendship story, gripping adventure, and medical drama. On sale 2/21/23 from Quill Tree HC.
I love to celebrate a debut! THE PEARL HUNTER by Miya T. Beck is fantasy set in pre-Shogun era Japan. Pearl diving twins Kai and Kishi are identical in appearance but miles apart in personality, When one is stolen by a ghost whale the other searches the ocean for her with the help of sea dragons and supernatural foxes. This is the best fantasy book cover I’ve seen in a while. Kudos to the team at Balzer&Bray HC and congratulations Miya on her debut. On sale 2/7/23.book title The Pearl Hunter
Another debut this month is IT’S BOBA TIME FOR PEARL LI! by Nicole Chen. It’s a charmer. It’s about a seventh grade Taiwanese American girl who hatches a grand plan to save her favorite Boba Tea shop from going out of business. In my experience, the soda fountains and pizza parlors which featured so prominently in my teenaged years have been replaced by the sushi bar and the boba tea shop for kids today. It’s a story that I think will resonate with many. I hope we see more of the enterprising Pearl Li. Quill Tree HC On sale 2/28/23book cover It's boba time by pearl li
Here’s another recent development which makes me very happy. In the promo material that came along with the ARC for those last two debuts, the book was compared not to a white author with whom their work shares a few thematic threads and not a high profile diverse author with whom their book shares no themes in common. They are being compared to diverse authors who a good fit in terms of character identity, theme, tone, and setting. Hurray! Thank you to the hard working publicity teams who make it happen!
book cover the many fortunes of mayaTHE MANY FORTUNES OF MAYA by Nicole D. Collier is her second MG novel. There are plenty of books about kids and sports, what I appreciated so much about this one is its willingness to really interrogate the role of luck, talent, ambition, fortitude, practice, and the support of friends and family in whether we succeed or fail. Themes that will be familiar to more than just young athletes. Verisify HC. On sale 1/24/23
Janae Marks newest novel is ON AIR WITH ZOE WASHINGTON. I appreciate all three of her books for casting light on a subculture so often overlooked–the families of incarcerated and exonerated people. In this third book, she tackles the difficult road back to full employment for exonerated people. Happily for this story it involves both baking and BBQ. Katherine Tegan Books. On sale 2/14/23
book cover For LambI have admired the work of Lesa Cline-Ransom for many years. Her newest book is a YA novel. Set in 1930 in Mississippi it deals directly, honestly and sensitively with the lynching of black women. I mention it here because it is well within the grasp of mature MG readers and it gives important context to current events. FOR LAMB by Lesa Cline-Ransom Holiday House On sale 1/03/23
New from the very prolific Christina Soontornvat is LEGENDS OF LOTUS ISLAND: THE GUARDIAN TEST. It’s a short and sweet fantasy adventure in which Plum and her friends go to the Guardian Academy and learn to communicate with animals, meditate and fight to protect the natural world. Budding eco-warriors will love it! Scholastic Press, on sale 2/7/23
As always this is just a fraction of the new diverse titles coming out in January and February this year. Please mention any I have missed in the comments below.
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STEM Tuesday– Genetics– In the Classroom

By on February 14, 2023   /   Genetics, STEM Tuesday  

This month’s theme ties in with a few of my interests/hobbies. An amateur genealogist, I was recently reading about the use of genetics in genealogy. As a nature lover and Environmental Science merit badge counselor, I’m constantly hearing about the effects of biodiversity (or lack thereof) on the environment. These interests impacted the books I chose to read this month.

Book Cover for Saving The Tasmanian Devil

Saving the Tasmanian Devil: How Science Is Helping the World’s Largest Marsupial Carnivore Survive by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Tasmanian devils are threatened by a disease that defies genetics. This book follows the author as she learns about the disease and how scientists are working to save the species.

 

CRISPR: A Powerful Way to Change DNA by Yolanda Ridge, illustrated by Alex Boersma
The book delves into CRISPR technology and how it can be used to modify DNA. It’s packed with interesting scenarios and questions about ethics.

 

BIODiversityBiodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth with Environmental Science Activities for Kids by Laura Perdew, illustrated by Tom Casteel
Biodiversity is the variety of living things in an environment. This book explores biodiversity with a host of hands-on activities.

 

Bonus – This topic also ties in with a book I read for October’s STEM Tuesday theme.
Champion, The Comeback Tale of the American Chestnut Tree by Sally M Walker
To read about this book, check out this post: https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/stem-tuesday-extinction-in-the-classroom

Some of this month’s books have activities built into them. There’s a lot to explore there. Here are a few more ideas to extend or add to those.

Research and Speculate or Debate

There are lots of questions asked in CRISPR. For instance, in Chapter 4, while discussing the options available for modifying mosquito genes to get rid of malaria, there are the following questions:

“[S]hould humans really get to decide whether an entire species will live or die? Who decides which pests are pesty enough to get rid of, and who makes sure the technology is limited to bugs?”

Mosquitoes are carriers for some serious diseases, but what if editing their genes wiped them out? What would that do to the food web? Do a little research to see if you can find out what role mosquitoes play in the ecosystem.

How are other animals impacted by the diseases mosquitoes carry? What would happen if we wiped out those diseases? How would biodiversity be impacted?

Once you’ve done a little research, speculate or debate. Speculate on what you think might happen in the different scenarios where genetically modified mosquitoes are unleashed on the world. Debate whether or not you think we have the right to do so.

If you don’t want to explore this topic, pick one of the other topics raised in one of this month’s books. (Each chapter in CRISPR has at least one topic worthy of a deep-dive.)

Go Sci-Fi

“What If?” is a common question to ask when plotting fiction stories. Many “What if?” questions come to mind when reading up on the topic of genetics. Chapter 10 of CRISPR includes a few futuristic scenes that could be used as a Sci-Fi writing prompt. Pick a genetics-based What If? and write a science fiction story based on it.

Here’s a blog post that gives some good advice: https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-write-a-science-fiction-story-3f04782d243c

Explore Family Genetics

One fun way to explore genetics is to look into inherited traits. There are many published activities out there. Here are a few to start with.
This page – https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/basics/activities – has several genetics activities. Perhaps start with “An Inventory of My Traits.”

If you want, explore traits among family members. “A Tree of Genetic Traits” from the previous website does this. Another similar activity is: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/seeing-pedigree-science-making-a-family-tree-of-traits.

Even if a child is adopted, they may share inherited traits with their adoptive parents. If not, maybe they can predict which traits they are likely to pass on to any children they might have.

—
Janet smiling while holding a butterflyJanet Slingerland is the author of over 20 books for young readers. Her latest project involves increasing the biodiversity in her yard by planting a wide variety of native plants. To find out more about Janet and her books, check out http://janetsbooks.com.

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Cover Reveal: A Horse Named Sky

By on February 13, 2023   /   For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, MUF Contributor Books  

I’ve been hard at work on a new animal-narrated MG novel. It’s a companion book to A Wolf Called Wander and A Whale of the Wild. I’m thrilled to be working with the team at Greenwillow once again. And I’m even more excited to be paired with the brilliant illustrator Kirbi Fagin. Here is her gorgeous art work on the cover for A Horse Named Sky.book cover A Horse Named Sky

Sky will be galloping into young hearts and minds on September 5th 2023. I will be signing and personalizing pre-orders at Annie Blooms Books in Portland. But you can pre-order it at your neighborhood bookstore too.

A Horse Named Sky is the story of a mustang born in the Nevada wilderness who never wanted to leave home and never meant to become a leader, but learned how to find his way and fight for a family so much bigger than his own. The story is set in 1860, when our nation, like this young horse, was grappling with what it means to be free.
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