Posts Tagged diversity

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows!

By on October 8, 2018   /   Author Interviews, For Librarians  

To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, MUF is featuring Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows, a middle-grade fantasy inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths. Talented new author, Ryan Calejo, has agreed to tell MUF blogger Annabelle Fisher about how he developed the ideas behind his magical, action-packed book.

AF:Your characters come from so many countries in Central and South America. Where are your ancestors from? Who were the storytellers among them?

RC:What an amazingly timely question! I just got the results back from an ancestry DNA test, so I’ve got graphs, pie charts—the works! The findings were as follows: 39.5% Cuban, 27% Spanish, 20.5% Portuguese, 9.3% French, and 3.7% Chullachaqui. The Chullachaqui comes from my mother’s father’s side according to the test (and some very reliable family sources).

The storytellers of the family would have to be my abuelitas (that’s Spanish for grandmothers). It was their wild and fantastical tales that instilled in me a love of stories and reading at a very young age.

AF: Your knowledge of Hispanic/Latino stories and myths is encyclopedic! How did you research the stories and characters? Did you travel, take classes, interview other authors—or live in a library? What books were most helpful?

RC: Haha! Yes, I did live in a library for a while—right between the children’s section and the gardening books, in fact. But honestly, I first heard about most of these myths from my abuelitas. As a child, I was a little . . . rambunctious, by all accounts, and my grandmothers really didn’t have any other way of keeping me under control other than to entertain me with myths and legends and then tell me that the creatures/beings from those stories would take it personally if I didn’t eat my lunch or go to bed on time or stop jail-breaking my cousins from their high-chairs. And sometimes it actually worked!

But I did do quite a bit of research at my local library. Perhaps the most helpful books were Mesoamerican Mythology: a Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals and Beliefs of Mexico and Central America, and South and Meso-American Mythology A to Z, although there are many, many, MANY wonderful books on the subject! I also spoke with a whole bunch of my grandmothers’ friends and some of my older relatives who had grown up listening to these myths and they proved to be a valuable resource as well.

AF: Your use of humor is very effective in bringing your characters to life. Are you a funny guy?

RC: I’m definitely the clown of the family. I love making people laugh! I’m also a seasoned prankster. I believe I hold the record for “most consecutive pranks on a relative”; I’ve pranked my uncle (whose name I won’t mention here today so as not to shame the man) at every single family Christmas party since I was 11. And I’m proud to say the streak lives to this day!

AF: Did you ‘play superheroes’ as a child? Please tell us a bit about it.

RC: As a child??? I still play superheroes! But, yeah, I was a different superhero practically every day of the week. Just ask my poor mother who had to hand make most of my costumes. In fact, I still have the black cape and Darth Vader chest box that she fashioned out of a curtain chain, a crackerjack box, and a few shirt buttons during my Star Wars phase. I remember getting really upset when I would try to levitate something and it wouldn’t move, so my parents always had to be ready to toss something across the room—usually it was their car keys. I also remember one of my aunts being too embarrassed to walk into a grocery store with me when I was King Kong for a day and had shaved off most of my dog’s hair and glued it all over my body in order to give myself a nice Kong-like coat. Fortunately, my parents have always celebrated my eccentricities.

AF: Which of the mythical creatures in your book is your favorite and why?

RC: My favorite would probably have to be El Cadejo. It’s sort of a guardian angel that takes the form of a huge white dog. When I was little, one of my neighbors owned this ginormous White Shepherd I was convinced was the myth incarnate, because it would follow me around the neighborhood whenever I rode my bike. I always felt so safe! Those are some of my earliest and fondest memories.

AF: Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadowshas been compared to The Lightning Thief. Congratulations! What are some of the differences between Hispanic/Latino mythology and Greek mythology?

RC: The biggest difference I’ve found between the two is the incredible amount of variation within Hispanic/Latino myths. There are countless examples where a mythological creature is called one name in a certain region and then something completely different just two hundred miles away. Many times you’ll even find subtle—and sometimes not so subtle—tweaks to the creature’s origin story! I find that little quirk particularly fascinating, because it provides us with unique insight into the psychology and the various regional and social challenges facing individuals from that time and place. Also, Hispanic/Latino mythology tends to be a whole lot scarier!

AF: Why did you think it was important to write this book? What do you hope young readers will take away from it?

RC: I wanted to offer children of all backgrounds a glimpse into the richness and beauty of Hispanic/Latino culture in a fun and engaging way. It was also of utmost importance to me to write a book that children who are of Hispanic/Latino descent could see themselves in, while at the same time introducing them to the myths and legends their ancestors grew up with. I hope young readers will come away with the knowledge that there’s something special in all of us—even if it’s not what we expected—and that it’s up to us to embrace it.

AF: I get the feeling that Charlie is going on “to the south and beyond the sea.” Are you working on a sequel?

RC: Yes! It’s almost finished and Charlie and Violet are in for another crazy adventure! Get ready for even more myths, mystery, and funnies!

AF: Thanks for your time, Ryan. Good luck on your terrific book!

 

Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows, Ryan Calejo’s first novel, will be released on 10-23-18 from Aladdin, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How I Became a Ghost by Tim Tingle

By on September 20, 2018   /   Articles, children's bookstores, Cross-Curricular, Curriculum Tie-in, Diversity, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, independent bookstores  

Well done, Mr. Tingle.

Imagine a class full of anxious 5th graders sitting on the rug at your feet begging for the next chapter in our read aloud, How I Became a Ghost by Choctaw native and story teller Tim Tingle.

As a teacher, I incorporate every moment into a teaching moment, and storytelling is no different. This is my third year reading this book aloud and a common comment after each session is how much my students love this story.

A couple of years ago, I sent two students on an errand, and they later burst through the classroom doors out of breath. They said they had run as fast as they could across the campus to get back before I started reading. I realized then, that I shouldn’t send kids on errands or make kids do catch-up work when we were visiting the land of the Choctaw on the Trail of Tears.

How I Became a Ghost is not only entertaining, it is also brutally honest. It is a tale of the Trail of Tears, when  Native Americans were forced to leave their homes in Mississippi and relocate to land now called Arkansas and Oklahoma.

The story is told through the eyes of Issac, a ten-year old Choctaw. In the very beginning, Isaac announces to his readers (or listeners in this case) that he is going to be a ghost soon. And because of his condition, premonitions of grisly events begin to plague him.

This is where the brutally honest part comes in. There are many disturbing scenes that are so well-told, that the kids shriek in shock. But they get it. And they are anxious for you to keep reading. For example, during one of Isaac’s premonitions, he sees an old Choctaw couple burning in flames. Soon after, the same couple die when soldiers sneak into the neighborhood at night to set everyone’s homes on fire. And then there is the premonition of pus-filled sores covering some of the tribe’s bodies. You guessed it. Soldiers ride into camp and offer the shivering population blankets exposed to Smallpox.

Choctaws were removed west of the Mississippi started in 1831. Louisiana Indians Walking Along a Bayou by Alfred Boisseau was painted in 1846.

Smallpox became a huge topic in the classroom and I had to teach a mini-lesson on communicable diseases (which ties into our Health curriculum) and the use of diseased blankets.  The bigger story, which we discussed several times, was the relationship between native tribes, societal beliefs, and the government in the 1830s.

Because Tim Tingle is a master storyteller, tie-ins to Native American culture are seamlessly woven into the story. We learn how the spiritual world is part of the family unit and how those who have passed on look after and protect those still walking the earth.  When Isaac becomes a ghost, his story does not stop there. As a ghost he is able to assist the living as they continue their fight to stay alive while walking the trail.

As with most great books, and one that has won many awards, the literary elements are rich. Besides profound sayings worthy of insightful discussion, we examined how imagery comes from the imagination. The scene goes from text on paper to an image inside our heads. In the following scene, Isaac’s feet are frozen in a puddle, and when he pulls his feet up the skin tears off. The kids cringe when this happens, but they understand how bitter cold can affect the body and the desperate conditions of the Choctaw. It is interesting to see imagery taking shape through the imagination of a fifth grader.

Some conversations: What is the author saying? Why does the author make a point of one hundred footprints turning into a thousand? Why were the footprints bloody and not regular footprints?

Isaac looking back and seeing a bloody trail of footprints.

Isaac covered with a blue blanket leaning against a tree with his feet frozen in ice.

One of the reasons I originally chose to read a book on Native American history is because it helps students to build a broader concept of how the U.S. was formed. Books can be powerful tools and it is a tool that sits at the top of my teacher toolbox.

 

 

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Diversity in MG Lit #2 India, Pakistan, & Tibet

By on September 14, 2018   /   Book Lists, Diversity, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers  
Asian literature is such a broad category that I will cluster books by geography. This month I’ll be featuring books set in India, Pakistan, and Tibet. I will focus on the stories of China and southeast Asia in a later post. Throughout this series I will try to focus on new books with a particular emphasis on debut authors and small or regional presses. Please share your favorite books about India, Pakistan, and Tibet in the comments.
  • MEET. YASMIN!by Saadia Faruqi, art by Hatem Aly, published by Picture Window Books and available in August 2018.
    • For the youngest MG readers, Pakistani-American Yasmin is going to be a real treat. She is a spunky, curious second grader with a fairly typical round of family and school-centric adventures. Her mother and grandmother are hijabis. She is not—as is common (but not universal) among Pakistani girls of this age. I appreciated the inclusion of live-in grandparents, including a grandfather in a wheelchair. The text of the story never mentions Yasmin’s ethnicity as an obstacle. The end notes contain some information about Pakistan, a short glossary of words in Urdu, a recipe for lassi and a craft suggestion. Large text, generous leading, and lively illustrations on every page make this a great choice for new readers. Saadia Faruqi has written short stories and essays for adults. This is her debut children’s book. Hatem Aly is the illustrator of the Newbery Honor winning Inquisitor’s Tale
  • RUNNING ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD by Jess Butterworth, published by Algonquin Young Readers and available May 2018.

     

    • Here is a refugee story, an adventure story, a survival story and a mystery all in one. Most MG readers will have at least heard of the Dalai Lama but they are probably less familiar with the migration of thousands of Tibetan Buddhists over the Himalayas to India. Sam and Tash are two such refugees who flee to India when Tash’s parents are arrested for participating in the resistance to Chinese rule. They bring yaks on their journey. Twelve year old me would have read it just for the yaks. This one is on the easier end of the reading scale and it handles the brutality of the political situation in Tibet with a light touch—neither denying the violence nor giving it undue detail. I wish there was a map but otherwise this is a gem of book. It’s Jess Butterwoth’s debut novel.
  • AMAL UNBOUND by Aisha Saeed published by Nancy Paulson Books and available May 2018
    • Contemporary indentured servitude is far more common world wide than any government is willing to admit. It is hardly ever a topic of fiction even for adults, but Aisha Saeed has done a nice job of taking a topic full of brutality and monstrous injustice and fashioned it into a story that will arouse a readers conscience and compassion on the topic of slavery without crushing their spirit with to much brutal detail. Amal is a book-loving girl with dreams of higher education who is swept up by a local man who has the power of a feudal lord and made to serve as a maid in his home—an arrangement from which typically no-one returns. Amal is clever enough to get away and readers will rejoice in her escape.
  • THE NIGHT DIARY by Veera Hiranandani published by Dial Books for Young Readers and available in March of 2018.
    • Set in 1947 and told in diary entries addressed to her mother who died long ago, Nisha tells the story of how her half-Hindu and half-Muslim family decided to leave their home in response to the partition of India. Nisha is shy and her social circle is quite limited which, along with the diary format, makes this a more cerebral book than the others on this list. It’s an interesting slice of recent history that will likely be new to readers.
  • ARU SHA AND THE END OF TIME,by Roshani Chokshi published by Rick Riorden Presents and available in May of 2018.
    • Here’s a story in the Rick Riorden tradition of mythology come to life. Spunky middle school girl takes a dare she shouldn’t have while touring her friends through a museum of  Indian-American artifacts. Monsters are unleashed, pluck and cultural savvy are employed, the world is saved. It’s a romp any reader of the Percy Jackson books will love.
  • THE SERPANT’S SECRET: KIRANMALA & THE KINGDOM BEYOND  by Sayantani Dasgupta published by Scholastic and available June of 2018
    • This is probably my favorite book cover of the year. Love the colors and the girl with her bow and arrows facing down an army of snakes to save New Jersey. I feel like New Jersey is going to be okay. This is another fantasy based in Indian mythology with a sprinkle of romance and dollop of sass. I have some avid mythology readers at the shop and this was their favorite read of the summer
Lots of great books to choose from. If you’ve got a favorite I didn’t mention, please recommend it in the comments. Next month I’ll be featuring books from the Hispanic American experience.
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