25 Feb, by in Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers
While everyone else has been lost to Linsanity, I've been contrarily following baseball ...
BookDragon Coming-of-age Tag
Tropical Fish: Stories Out of Entebbe by Doreen Baingana
18 Feb, by in Adult Readers, African, Black/African American, Fiction, Short Stories
This interlinked story collection by Uganda-born, Stateside MFA-ed Doreen Baingana is a family affair that explores the lives of three sisters, their diverse paths, and their eventual return home. The two bookended stories introduce the family in the opening "Green Stones," only to end with...
Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani
14 Feb, by in Fiction, Indian, Indian American, Middle Grade Readers, South Asian, South Asian American, Young Adult Readers
Ah, this day of mislaid Hallmark hearts ...
Voice of a Dream by Glaydah Namukasa
12 Feb, by in Adult Readers, African, Fiction, Young Adult Readers
Nanfuka wants nothing more than to finish her education and become a nurse – the first in her village. While still a child herself, the teenager is suddenly forced to leave school and thrust into adult responsibilities when she is called home as her father...
The Gemma Doyle Trilogy: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
11 Feb, by in Audio, British, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers
Here's a dilemma: If you knew how much a book series might deteriorate by its final title, would you read all the way through to the bitter end? As contrary as I am, I probably would ...
Waiting: A Novel of Uganda at War by Goretti Kyomuhendo, afterword by M.J. Daymond
10 Feb, by in Adult Readers, African, Fiction, Young Adult Readers
Still a young teenager, Alinda knows only too well the potential horrors of war ...
Schooled by Gordon Korman
05 Feb, by in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers
Ever since the fabulous audible version of No More Dead Dogs kept my then-backseated young 'uns highly entertained through many a traffic jam, Gordon Korman holds special favor on the contraptions that have taken over their now-teenage ears. [Pop, by the way, earned a double rave.] Oldster me is still laughing along...
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie and After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
04 Feb, by in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers
Being in the throes of adolescence, my two teenagers have little they agree on ...
Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap, illustrated by Mari Araki
19 Jan, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Indian American, Japanese American, South Asian American, Young Adult Readers
"Dear Mr. Jean Paul Sartre, I know that you are dead and old and also a philosopher. So, on an obvious level, you and I do not have a lot in common." Thus begins 15-year-old Tina's class project for her English Honors elective on existential...
Dumpling Days by Grace Lin
13 Jan, by in Chinese American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Taiwanese American
Even though today's calendar reminds you it's Friday the 13th, no worries! Let me share with you the youthful wisdom of one Grace Pacy Lin: "There was no day dumplings couldn't make better." After a long-awaited four-year hiatus, Pacy's back ...
Wandering Son (vol. 2) by Shimura Takako, translated by Matt Thorn
10 Jan, by in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers
The ongoing gender-bender adventures of Nitori Shuichi – a boy who wants to be a girl – and his best friend Takatsuki Yoshino – a girl who wants to be a boy – open with the beginning of the 6th-grade school year. What commenced as mostly cross-dressing fun in volume...
Nervous Conditions by by Tsitsi Dangarembga
07 Jan, by in Adult Readers, African, Fiction, Young Adult Readers
The first sentence of Tsitsi Dangarembga's semi-autobiographical novel sets a haunting tone: "I was not sorry when my brother died." With his death, 13-year-old Tambu is presented with a profound opportunity: even though she's a girl, as the now-eldest child in her poor village family...
The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
04 Dec, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Canadian, Canadian Asian Pacific American, European, Fiction, South Asian, South Asian American, Sri Lankan, Sri Lankan American
With utter certainty, I can claim that I've never ever been remotely disappointed by a Michael Ondaatje title. Until now, alas. Here's my very best advice to you about this, his long-awaited new title, The Cat's Table: read it page by page for yourself only;...
Cross Game 4 (vols.8-9) by Mitsuru Adachi, translated by Lillian Olsen
09 Oct, by in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Let the games continue! Volume 8 adds a new character to the roster – cousin Mizuki Asami returns to Japan from his mountaineering adventures with his world-famous father, and moves in with the Tsukishimas. As sweet, polite, and considerate as he is, he almost immediately announces...
Cross Game 3 (vols.6-7) by Mitsuru Adachi, translated by Lillian Olsen
01 Oct, by in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Half a century ago today – on October 1, 1961 – Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit his 61st home run of the season, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 60 set in 1927. I knew you needed this information today (it came in at the...
Defiance: Resistance Book 2 by Carla Jablonski, illustrated by Leland Purvis, color by Hilary Sycamore
25 Aug, by in European, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers
The story of the brave Tessier children, begun in last year's Resistance, continues here with the focus on the middle child, teenager Paul and his courageous tenacity. The year is 1943, and the German occupation of France is an everyday nightmare. "[T]o ensure their continued control,...
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
07 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Jewish
Here's how I finally came to read The History of Love ...
Chanda’s Wars by Allan Stratton
02 Aug, by in African, Canadian, Fiction, Young Adult Readers
In the six months since Mama passed away, Chanda's life has changed completely. As the sole provider for her sister Lily and brother Soly, Chanda is unable to continue her own education and instead substitutes at the primary school. With Mama gone, Chanda's best friend...
Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton
02 Aug, by in African, Canadian, Fiction, Young Adult Readers
If it hasn't happened already, soon enough Chanda's Secrets will be coming to a theater near you ...