Babe Conquers the World: The Legendary Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, by Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace, is a wonderful new biography out now from Calkins Creek. I have to admit, my reading of Babe Conquers the World got off to…
Author: E.M. Kokie
Beyond Magenta: An Interview with Susan Kuklin (Part II)
As I wrote last week in the first part of this interview with Susan Kuklin about her new book Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out (Candlewick Press, February 2014), I was thrilled that Susan agreed to be interviewed for The…
Beyond Magenta: An Interview With Susan Kuklin (Part I)
In a desert of positive and honest information for teens about peers who identify as transgender, gender queer, gender nonconforming and intersex, Susan Kuklin has provided a much needed oasis with the publication of her new book Beyond Magenta: Transgender…
Review: Five, Six, Seven, Nate !
In a pitch perfect follow up to last year’s Better Nate Than Ever (my review here), Tim Federle continues 13-year-old aspiring-actor Nate Foster’s pursuit of his musical comedy dreams in Five, Six, Seven, Nate! (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, January…
Review: Year of the Jungle by Suzanne Collins, Illustrated by James Proimos
“My dad has to go to something called a war. It’s in a place called Viet Nam,” explains Suzy, the younger-self narrator of Suzanne Collins’ autobiographical picture book The Year of the Jungle, Illustrated by James Proimos (Scholastic Press, 2013).…
Review: Boxers & Saints
While it did not claim the top prize, it’s easy to see why Gene Luen Yang’s latest work, the two-volume set Boxers and Saints (First Second, 2013), was a finalist for this year’s National Book Award. Like in his National…
Review: Sex & Violence
Young Adult novels often focus on the moment when a teen protagonist’s life is about to change — sometimes in small ways, and sometimes in large ways. In the first chapter of Carrie Mesrobian’s Sex & Violence (Carolrhoda LAB, October…
Jane Addams’s Legacy: An Interview with Author Susan C. Griffith
Jane Addams was an extraordinary woman, a leader dedicated to peace and empowerment of women, an activist whose work for social justice improved the lives of so many people. Her life and work continue to inspire those of us concerned…
Worth the Price of Admission: Review Of Better Nate Than Ever
Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February 2013) is a love song, and a lifeline, to every kid who has ever dreamed of Broadway while navigating the mean streets of Hometown, USA.…
Review: If You Could Be Mine
I’ve heard it said that good books mirror for readers their experiences of our world and open windows through which readers can share the experience of others. That is how we find solace, find ourselves, grow, learn, build empathy, and…