Giveaways

Are Multi-Cultural Books Dead? Maybe . . . maybe not.

Wonderful author and writing teacher, Uma Krishnaswami (of many terrific Middle-Grade novels and picture books), is in the camp that believes the term “multicultural” is dead – to which I agree. “Multicultural” books seemed to take a nose dive between 2002-2005, but that doesn’t mean wonderful and marvelous books are not being published. They are, and often to great acclaim and winning big literature awards – see below for some of the titles!

Uma blogs on this subject frequently as well as teaching at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in their MFA program for children’s literature. She calls them *Books With Cultural Contexts* – I like that! Books With Cultural Contexts describes books about other cultures and people around the world much better. (Click here to read Uma’s intriguing bio).

UmaKrishnaswami-225x295More from Uma: “I have given up using the term “multicultural.” I think its overuse has reduced it to a cliché. Also, in my opinion, it’s imprecise. You can describe a collection of books as “multicultural” if it contains titles from many cultures but how on earth can the term describe a single book grounded in a single culture, or even a book with elements of cultural fusion or blending?

Here are several books with specific cultural contexts—they are only a small selection of the many, many fine books out there.”

(This is a list that Uma graciously put together for us, books from the last several years). LOOK at how many great titles there!!! How many have you read? (And scroll down for the giveaway of Uma’s new MG books!)

Picture Books
Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying Hwa-Hu
The Kamishibai Man by Allen Say
From the Bellybutton of the Moon by Francisco Alarcon illustrated by Maya Cristina Gonzales
The Princess of Borscht by Leda Schubert, illustrated by Bonnie Christensen
Tiger on a Tree by Anushka Ravishankar, illustrated by Pulak Biswas

fromthebellybuttonofthemoon

Chapter Books
Anna Hibiscus (and sequels) by Atinuke
The Year of the Dog (and sequels) by Grace Lin
The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule by Kashmira Sheth
Indian Shoes by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Middle Grade
A Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems by Janet Wong
Chronal Engine by Greg Leitich Smith chronal engine
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerjee
Moccasin Thunder: American Indian Stories for Today edited by Lori Marie Carlson
Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
The Wild Book by Margarita Engle0-545-26125-2
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami
The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic by Uma Krishnaswami
Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy
Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Shang
The Unforgotten Coat
by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Breakaway, Enchanted Runner, and The Last Snake Runner by Kimberley Griffiths Little (soon to be re-released in print and Kindle/Nook versions in a week or two so keep an eye out!)

the last snake runner

Young Adult
Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher Shadow spinner
Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye
A Step From Heaven by An Na
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Tantalize series
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos
Tyrell (and sequels) by Coe Booth
A Girl Called Problem by Katie Quirk
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

And now for your chance to win both of Uma’s new MG novels – set in India about Bollywood! Funny and poignant family stories about friendship and magic and dreams and movie stars! Just leave a comment to win BOTH. Our random generator (or a hat!) will pick the winner this Sunday afternoon – after I get back from YALL Fest in Charleston, SC. 🙂

Problem with being slightly heroic Gran Plan

 

Kimberley Griffiths Little is the author of three magical realism novels with Scholastic, THE HEALING SPELL, CIRCLE OF SECRETS, and WHEN THE BUTTERFLIES CAME (2013). Forthcoming: THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES (Scholastic, 2014) and her Young Adult debut, FORBIDDEN with Harpercollins (Fall 2014). When she’s not writing you can find her reading/daydreaming in her Victorian cottage and eating chocolate chip cookies with a hit of Dr. Pepper.

A Stitch in Time Giveaway

sew zoeyAuthor Chloe Taylor has been making clothes since she was a child. Her new series celebrates the creativity of sewing, along with the ups and downs of the middle grades.

From Amazon: Over the summer, fashion-loving Zoey Webber gets the best news ever: Her middle school is getting rid of uniforms! There’s just one problem. Zoey has sketchbooks full of fashion designs, but nothing to wear! So with a little help from her best friends Kate and Priti, she learns to make her own clothes. She even begins to post her fashion design sketches online in a blog. That’s how the Sew Zoey blog begins, and soon it becomes much more.

Zoey’s quirky style makes her a bit of a misfit at middle school, but her Sew Zoey blog quickly gains a dedicated following. Real fashion designers start to read it! Yet even as her blog takes off, Zoey still has to deal with homework, crushes, and P.E. class. And when the principal asks her to design a dress for the school’s fashion-show fund-raiser, Zoey can’t wait to start sewing! But what will happen when her two worlds collide?

sew zoey 2Chloe is giving away copies of the first four books in her series. Enter a comment below to be eligible–then wait on pins and needles to see who wins.

 

Cinderskella by Amie and Bethanie Borst

Eek, guys!! I can’t believe it. Tomorrow is the big day – the day I’ve waited for pretty much my whole life. It’s the day Cinderskella–my first published book–releases into the world as well as straight into the hands of readers…and hopefully their hearts!

Cinderskella Cover

Cindy is just a normal eleven and three-quarter year-old. At least until she wakes up one night and finds out she’s dead. Well, she isn’t technically dead—she just doesn’t have any hair . . . or a nose . . . or skin. Yep—all bones, no body.  

Human by day and skeleton by night, Cindy is definitely cursed. And because her mother recently died, Cindy has no one to turn to except a father who’s now scared of her and an evil stepmother who makes her do the housecleaning with a toothbrush. To make matters worse, the Spring Fling dance is approaching, and Ethan, the cutest boy in sixth grade, doesn’t seem to know Cindy exists. Of course, Cindy doesn’t think letting Ethan find out she’s part skeleton is the best way to introduce herself.

While facing such perils as pickled pig’s feet, a wacky fortune teller, and a few quick trips to the Underworld, Cindy’s determined to break the curse—even for a single night.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-MillionGoodreads!

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I’m super excited that all of our readers here at MUF will be some of the first to celebrate with me. So thanks for joining the party! But first…a top ten list  just for fun!

Top 10 Clues That Amie is Writing

10. Laughing and snorting is accompanied by table slapping. Unless you want to endure lame jokes, you best not venture into the room to see what all the commotion is about.

9. Dinner is frozen pizza. This actually makes the kids happy and they insist Amie keep writing until…

8. Dinner is YOYO (You’re On Your Own). What’s that green fuzzy stuff? Is it supposed to jiggle?

7. The phrase, “Girls, come here!” is shouted, not because they’re far away but because Amie’s forgotten to remove her earbuds.

6. The aforementioned shouting is responded with grunts, groans, and eye rolls because they know the next words out of Amie’s mouth are, “Let me read you something!”

5. There’s a sudden shortage of chocolate in the house. Better watch out! Momma’s on the prowl!

4. There’s a family-wide search for Amie’s slippers, which are usually found hiding beneath the blankets at her writing desk. Who left them there anyway?

3. Conversations center around comma rules and other grammatical concerns.  First world problems. Phew!

2. The house looks like a thermonuclear explosion.  Apparently Amie’s the only one who knows how to do the dishes, wash and fold the laundry, put shoes in the closet, store the books on the shelves and make the beds.

1. The dog is missing. Dang it! Not again!

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Okay…now for the serious stuff….

Cinderskella, like all books, certainly was a labor of love. That’s what makes the next part really special. I get to share this publishing journey with my 13 year old daughter. What a thrill for both of us!

To be honest, I never set out to write a book with my daughter. The opportunity sort of just stumbled into my lap. If you want to know more about that, then hop on over to Ann Marie Meyer’s blog and read the whole story.

My daughter has some learning disabilities and working together has helped us both grow. If you want to read her experience and perspective about disabilities in literature, then you should read her post at Disability in Kid Lit.

One of my favorite things about writing Cinderskella was creating fun characters. In fact, Rose Cooper interviewed our very own Cheddar just the other day. Put on your party hat and bring the cheese!

And, of course, one of the scariest things about having a novel published is…<gulp>…reviews. Thankfully, there’s a glowing one at Janet Jensen’s blog. I swear that’s not a tear in my eye. It’s dust, I tell you! DUST!

Wanna know the fun part?  The most fabulous, best thing about having a book published? It’s getting to share it with readers like you! That’s why I’m giving away a copy. Yup, one lucky winner will receive a signed copy of Cinderskella!

So just fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter! Be sure to spread the word, too.

Borst Family  (7)

Amie Borst, a PAL member of SCBWI, still believes in unicorns, uses glitter whenever possible and accessorizes in pink. She enjoys eating chocolate while writing and keeps a well-stocked stash hidden away from her family. A native New Yorker she currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, three children and a cute dog named Lily. She wishes she had a hot-pink elevator with carnival lights to travel the world. But for now, her minivan will have to do.

Bethanie Borst is a spunky 13-year-old who is an avid archer with Olympic dreams, enjoys the outdoors, loves reading and is quick to make lasting friendships. When she is not writing, she swings on a star.

You can follow Amie and Bethanie on facebook. You can find Amie at her blog, twitter, and pinterest.

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