BookDragon Young Adult Readers

Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle

23 Apr, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Caribbean, Caribbean American, Cuban, Cuban American, Fiction, Jewish, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers

In case you've missed the recent headlines, Cuba has been in the news a lot: "We are separated by 90 miles of water, but are brought together through shared relationships and the desire to promote a democratic, prosperous, and stable Cuba," a recent official White...

Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda by J.P. Stassen, translated by Alexis Siegel

17 Apr, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, African, European, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

In Latin, Deo gratias, means 'thanks be to God.' And yet in Belgian graphic artist/author J.P. Stassen’s arresting title of the same name, gratitude and God have all but disappeared. The titular Deogratias here was once a teenage boy – mischievous, a little desperate, in love with...

Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince

10 Apr, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Memoir, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

By age 4, Liz Prince knew something important about herself: she could be "totally happy as long as [she] didn't have to wear a dress." Before you pass any judgments, Prince explains at age 31, "I look like a total tantrum-throwing brat, which I wasn't...

If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

31 Mar, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Native American/First Nations/Indigenous Peoples, Young Adult Readers

After four novels, four poetry collections, editing an anthology (and multiple awards), Eric Gansworth – who is also a playwright and visual artist – takes on young adult fiction for his 10th title. His 7th-grade hero, Lewis Blake, calls the Tuscarora Reservation in upstate New...

Cat Person by Seo Kim

27 Mar, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Canadian Asian Pacific American, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Korean American, Young Adult Readers

Both my kids regularly refer to me as 'the crazy cat lady.' When Eldest gets especially annoyed, I get shooed off with advice to conduct feline conversations instead. So imagine my delight in discovering a shared obsession with Canadian Korean cartoonist Seo Kim! Currently Los Angeles-domiciled and...

The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye, illustrations by Betsy Peterschmidt

26 Mar, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Arab, Arab American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Palestinian American, Young Adult Readers

Here's a narrative I haven't seen often: a not-yet-an-immigration story. Young Aref has one more week left to spend in his idyllic home in Muscat, the capital city of his native Oman. In too-few days, he and his mother will fly to the other side of the...

I Was Here by Gayle Forman

24 Mar, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Fiction, Latina/o/x, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

As the story begins, the titular 'I' is dead. That's actually not a spoiler – "The day after Meg died ...

Snackies by Nick Sumida

20 Mar, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese American, Young Adult Readers

So when's the last time you took screen shots of book pages and sent them to friends and family because you wanted to guffaw in virtual company? Once upon a time, my middle brother and I would have long lasting giggle-fests triggered by what might not have been...

A Bride’s Story (vol. 6) by Kaoru Mori, translated by William Flanagan

06 Mar, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Central Asian, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

This thus-far six-parter has to be the most visually exquisite series in a long, long time. Every panel is an exercise in meticulously rendered details – whether fabric textures, the subtlest of facial expressions, fur moving in the wind, a hair out of place, a cloud...

Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger

01 Mar, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Fiction, Hapa/Mixed-race, Latina/o/x, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

These days, too many young folks know little of life before smart phones enabled virtual instant access. Last century – in the 1990s, that is – something called 'zines' gave voice to angry young voices ...

With the Might of Angels: The Diary of Dawnie Rae Johnson, Hadley, Virginia, 1954 by Andrea Davis Pinkney

28 Feb, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Black/African American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers

On the morning of her 12th birthday, Dawnie Rae Johnson – named for the new day rising when she was born – wakes to find a surprise under her pillow: a diary made by her 8-year-old brother Goober. The year will turn out to be crucial, not...

My Neighbor Seki [Tonari no Seki-Kun] (vol. 1) by Takuma Morishige, translated by Yoshito Hinton

27 Feb, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Okay, so parents might not be so thrilled about dealing with classroom distractions, but when this much imagination is involved, sometimes tossing rules and regulations aside can be very conducive to learning – in less traditional ways. Not that I'm encouraging this sort of behavior, ahem! Meet Seki....

I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina 1865 by Joyce Hansen

22 Feb, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Black/African American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers

For Patsy, literacy began "as a joke." On the Davis Plantation in South Carolina in the 1860s, Mistress Davis’ niece Annie told her aunt, "'We are only playing at school ...

Prophecy (vols. 1-2) by Tetsuya Tsutsui, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian

20 Feb, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

His user name is "paperboy_1878." He rents booths at various Pit Boy internet café branches. He wears a newspaper mask that covers his whole head and a t-shirt with a smart phone screen. He posts video warnings. And then he carries out his own vigilante...

Henshin by Ken Niimura, edited by Yumetaro Toyoda, translated by Ivy Yukiko Ishihara Oldford

13 Feb, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

If you're already a manga/anime aficionado, feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph. If this is the first time you're hearing the titular word, henshin, then stay with me for a few lines. In Japanese – 変身 – the characters literally mean "change" and "body," respectively, and...

47 by Walter Mosley

12 Feb, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Black/African American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers

February marks African American Heritage Month. Do you know where your books are? I've been picking up older, missed titles the last couple of weeks, and discovering some unique treasures, especially those that highlight unusual or lesser-known historical experiences. Stay tuned for more ...

My Love Story!! (vols. 1-2) by Kazune Kawahara, illustrated by Aruko, translated by JN Productions, English adaptation by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

06 Feb, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Valentine's Day is already next week: let this sweet reminder of young love inspire your own heartfelt plans. Takeo and Sunakawa have been best friends and neighbors forever. As close as they are, they couldn't be more different: Takeo is a boisterous, gentle giant with as large a...

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (vols. 1-2) by Yuto Tsukuda, illustrated by Shun Saeki

30 Jan, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

So I confess I haven't seen a single episode, but the hubby seems addicted to the TV series, Masterchef Junior. Time magazine recently declared it "the Best Cooking Show on TV," especially noting that "here are some other things you don’t have on MasterChef Jr....

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign (vols. 1-2) by Takaya Kagami, illustrated by Yamato Yamamoto, storyboards by Daisuke Furuya, translated by Adrienne Beck

23 Jan, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Here's an intriguing blend of vampiric dystopia: "One day ...

All You Need Is Kill, original story by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, storyboards by Ryosuke Takeuchi, original illustrations by yoshitoshi ABe, art by Takeshi Obata, translated by Tetsuichiro Miyaki

16 Jan, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

See how long this post title is above? Well, apparently, I seem to be discovering this spectacular story (and it really, truly is!) in its umpteenth iteration. Better late than never, I must say, because I'm convinced that this manga rendition is the very best...