The Coretta Scott King award, an prominent part of the annual ALA Youth Media Awards, honors African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children. This year’s top CSK illustrator award went to Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8 Recommended for: ages 8-12 “It’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” The author applies this simple sentiment, with its repetitive lines and rollicking melody, to the history of experience of black people in the US. From chains and slave ships to separated families and…

In this “Retro Reads” book, homeschooled Thankful Curtis must leave her beloved island to brave the mainland and boarding school. Bright Island by Mabel Robinson. Random House, 2012 (75th ann. reprint). 288 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended For: Ages 10 and up I really appreciate it when publishers re-issue older books. The market isn’t as wide, no doubt, for these old-fashioned favorites, but they’re worth reading and keeping in print. Bright Island is a great example; this 75th anniversary edition is now 10 years old itself! One of my favorite books growing up was Ruth Sawyer’s Roller Skates (another 1930’s Newbery title); Bright Island reminds me of that same type of old-fashioned fiction.…

A twist on Sleeping Beauty, Princess of the Wild Sea explores the concept of heroism and the danger and reward of risk-taking. Princess of the Wild Sea by Megan Frazer Blakemore. Bloomsbury, 2023, 303 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 A Curse and a Promise Princess Harbor Rose’s 12th birthday was supposed to bring significant changes to her restricted life on Small Island. The story of her situation is well known: how she was cursed at birth by a disgruntled magical aunt, who predicted how a prick to the girl’s finger before her 13th birthday would precipitate death and destruction to her homeland. But another…

A twist on Sleeping Beauty, Princess of the Wild Sea explores the concept of heroism and the danger and reward of risk-taking. Princess of the Wild Sea by Megan Frazer Blakemore. Bloomsbury, 2023, 303 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 A Curse and a Promise Princess Harbor Rose’s 12th birthday was supposed to bring significant changes to her restricted life on Small Island. The story of her situation is well known: how she was cursed at birth by a disgruntled magical aunt, who predicted how a prick to the girl’s finger before her 13th birthday would precipitate death and destruction to her homeland. But another…

Victory, Stand!, this year’s ALA YA nonfiction award winner, tells the story of the notorious “Olympic fist” from a point of view that makes it understandable. Victory, Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith and Derrick Barnes, artwork by Dawud Anyabwile. Norton, 2022, 202 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 Raising a Champion When the national anthem played, they bowed their heads and raised their fists, sheathed in black leather gloves. Tommie Smith had just won an Olympic gold medal for breaking a record in the 200 meter; his friend and teammate had won bronze. They hadn’t planned what they were going to…

Victory, Stand!, this year’s ALA YA nonfiction award winner, tells the story of the notorious “Olympic fist” from a point of view that makes it understandable. Victory, Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith and Derrick Barnes, artwork by Dawud Anyabwile. Norton, 2022, 202 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 Raising a Champion When the national anthem played, they bowed their heads and raised their fists, sheathed in black leather gloves. Tommie Smith had just won an Olympic gold medal for breaking a record in the 200 meter; his friend and teammate had won bronze. They hadn’t planned what they were going to…

In the Blue gently explores what it is like for a child to experience the depression of a loved one. In the Blue by Erin Hourigan. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2022. 40 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 Recommended For: Ages 4-8 “My dad is as tall as the sky! And I’m his teeny-tiny sunspot.” A vivacious little girl introduces readers to her dad. As the cover and illustrations quickly show though, there is something wrong. Colors are used to explain the transformation as pages shift from a joyful array of colors to a limited palette. “Right now things for my dad aren’t bright and yellow. They…

15-year-old boys: learning to drive. Wrestling with heavy high school work (10th grade is usually more intense than 9th, in terms of work load). Taking standardized tests with an eye to college. Girlfriend? Part-time job? Who has time to read? When the right book appears, it’s amazing what you can make time for! We’ve got 15 books for 15-year-old boys, but don’t expect any one 15 year old to like them all. After all, part of maturing as a teen and separating from parents is having Opinions. That goes for books and genres, too. But we’ve got a nice mix of genres that include a little something for every type…