![3 Own Voices Picture Books [Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/princess-and-the-peas.jpg?resize=245%2C150&ssl=1)
Princess and the Peas by Rachel Himes In Princess and the Peas, Rachel Himes puts her own twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea”. This book is #ownvoices for African-American representation. It’s the 1950s in South Carolina, and Ma Sally has begun to worry about her son John marrying a girl who can’t cook as well as Ma. She decides to host a cooking competition – whoever […]
![Reacting to Convenience Store Woman [Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/convenience-store-woman.jpg?resize=245%2C150&ssl=1)
Format/source: Hardcover/LibraryPublished: June 2018Publisher: Grove PressLength: 163 pages Genre: Literary fictionTranslator: Ginny Tapley Takemori★★★★ I’m going to try something new in this post. As I was typing up my notes on this book, I realized that there were so many specific bits of the novel that prompted me to think and respond to Keiko, the protagonist. So this is a ‘reaction’ style review, with most of my comments directed to Keiko. Spoilers abound (if you want […]
![Bringing an Inkblot to Life: Inkling by Kenneth Oppel [Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/inkling.jpg?resize=245%2C150&ssl=1)
Format/source: ebook/EdelweissPublished: 6 November 2018 (US; out now in Canada)Publisher: KnopfLength: 272 pages Genre: Middle grade speculative fictionI received a copy from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest opinion.★★★★ Ethan’s dad is a comic artist whose greatest creation, the mutant superhero Kren, brought him fame and glory. But after his dad’s string of successful books, a tragedy strikes the family and now his dad is completely stuck. If only artistic talent were […]
Earlier this month in my children’s literature course, I was part of a group that presented on Erin Entrada Kelly’s novels. I spoke about the theme of building friendships in the face of adversity in her first two novels, Blackbird Fly and The Land of Forgotten Girls. Here’s what I shared (spoilers ahead): Blackbird Fly 12 year old Apple and her mother moved to America after Apple’s father died when […]
![The Best of Middle Grade Fiction: Front Desk by Kelly Yang [Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/front-desk.jpg?resize=245%2C150&ssl=1)
Format/source: Hardcover/library Published: May 2018 Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Length: 286 pages Genre: Middle grade fiction ★★★★ Based on the author’s experiences growing up as a Chinese immigrant in the 1990’s, Kelly Yang’s debut novel explores the stark trials 10 year old Mia Tang and her parents face while managing a hotel for a prejudiced landlord in California. Front Desk takes place in California during the nineties. This time period had particular ramifications for Chinese immigrants […]