In Open Mic, ten writers of color team up to offer their experiences (or stories based on their experiences) in this frank, humorous collection for teens. Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices, edited by Mitali Perkins. Candlewick, 2013. 144 pages. Reading Level: Teen, ages 12-15Recommended For: Teens, ages 12+ (note considerations below) Those who grow up between cultures have a different experience than those who grow up in a more homogeneous culture. Whether it’s parents from different cultures, immigration experiences that lead to life in two different cultures, or simply a different cultural background from the majority culture, a “between cultures” experience is a significant one.…

Prairie Lotus, by Newbery author Linda Sue Park, offers a hopeful look at overcoming racism in the 19th-century American west. Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park. Clarion (HMH), 2020, 256 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 Dakota Territory, 1880: Hanna Edmonds, age 14, has been on the road with her father for three years, ever since her mother died in Los Angeles. The circumstances of Mama’s passing were especially painful because they were indirectly related to race; Mrs. Edmunds was Chinese, and Hannah, in uncharitable terms, is a “half-breed.” During their travels, she has kept her face shaded with a bonnet, but now that Papa…

In Pirates, a collection of poems by David Harrison, adventure on the high seas was only a small part of life. The rest was boredom, bullets, and brutality. Pirates by David Harrison, illustrations by Dan Burr. Boyds Mill Press, 2008, 40 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: ages 8-14 NOTE: Pirates is a recommended book for middle graders in our “Hope on the Horizon” summer reading challenge. Times were hard for some men./ They slept in places/ roaches would snub,/ ate when they were able,/ drank when they could . . . It was such men as these, not the honest tradesmen or adventure-loving schoolboy, who signed…

Back Porch Book Chat: A casual, virtual conversation about books. Join us as we chat with book lovers like ourselves about a topic we all love! Our guest today is S. D. Smith from West Virginia. He chats with us about his family’s reading life, his writing (Green Ember!), and the StoryWarren website. Check out his bio after the interview for more about Sam. Interview conducted by Betsy. Getting to Know S. D. Smith Before we begin, tell us what iced beverage you’d like as we sit in our rocking chairs on this late spring day: Sweet tea? Lemonade? La Croix? Ice water? I’m not an ice guy. I hope…