Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 27

Lent Read #3: THE TROUBLE WITH HALF A MOON by Danette Vigilante

Looking for a girl hero in a middle-grade novel with a heart to protect
the abused? You'll find her in THE TROUBLE WITH HALF A MOON's Dellie
(Putnam | 2011). The author, Danette Vigilante ,
grew up in Brooklyn's Red Hook housing project, and her "insider's"
mastery of the setting magically transports us there. We feel the blue
flakes on the playground benches, hear the sound of approaching sirens,
basketballs dribbling, and neighbors' fights, and smell the antiseptic
used by Dellie's mother to clean the elevators.



Vigilante's first person
tween voice effortlessly weaves in details about Puerto Rican culture
in this debut novel. Dellie honors her hard-working, loving, strict
parents, staying true to the culture's norms, even as she decides to
break a few rules for the sake of someone in need. Perfect read to illuminate for
tween girls that so-called "small" choices can make a difference in
their own lives and in their communities.

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A Kid/YA Book a Day for Lent

During this season, I strive to impose a new discipline that slows me to see and hear more clearly. What better practice than enjoying a book from cover to cover, especially in an age when I'm mostly reading in the " shallows " instead of deeply?



I'll be aiming to read a children's or YA book every day until Easter (picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels count--whew), and will be posting brief reviews here, on my Facebook page, and in my Twitter stream. I'll start by scouring my shelves for unread ARCs and review copies, and then head to the bookstore or library.



It's day two, and here's what I've read so far.





LOST AND FOUND: THREE by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine Books). Wistful, hopeful, a feast for the eyes.



ZORA AND ME by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon (Candlewick Press).
Rich sense of time and place, spunky, lovable child characters,
gripping mystery. Explores questions about community, race, and identity
still being asked today. Warning: will make you want to read Zora Neale
Hurston's novels.

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Why Our Kids Must Read Far and Wide

Primary Source , an organization that "promotes history and humanities education by connecting
educators to people and cultures throughout the world," recently launched an

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Sap's Running! Five Classic Early Spring Reads

It's maple sugaring season in New England, and it looks as if we're in for a marvelous early spring.  For avid tween readers, here are five classic books with a strong sense of place and seasonal change. I recommend and re-read them every year:


Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (helps me believe again in the transformative power of place)
Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (always makes me want to skip rope while singing the doxology, even though I'd likely be related to one of the "natives" who die of cholera in chapter one)
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (no troubling comments about American Indians in Almanzo's lovely family, thank goodness)
The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright (an artist and a writer, the author knew how to engage all five senses--how I wished she'd lived a bit longer to pen more books)
Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace (my favorite example of changes in a place mirroring change in a character, a perfect read if you're in the "slough of despond")



A recent study
found a decline in portrayals of nature in award-winning picture books. I hope the same isn't true among novels for children. Know of any contemporary MG or YA books that evoke spring so well I'd want to re-read them every year in late February?



Also, for your browsing pleasure, here are indie booksellers' Spring 2012 recommendations for young readers , featured by The Voracious Reader, one of my favorite bookstores on the planet.

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Why I Don't Write About Gossip, Zombies, or Gossiping Zombies

Primary Source recently featured me as part of their Asian American author series, asking how young people can relate to my books (perhaps because mine aren't necessarily "commercial" at first glance) and the experience of growing up "between cultures." Maybe I can write about immigrant zombies?



"A story can change the direction of how you view something for the rest of your life," I said, along with a bunch of other stuff which they edited nicely:

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February's Flood of Author Visits

Since I spent January teaching in California, I'm traveling here and there during an intense few weeks of author appearances which are usually spread out over January and February. I've been visiting the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum , Needham Free Library , Meadowbrook School in Weston, North Andover Middle School , a children's literature class at Boston College, Underwood School in Newton, and am heading to NYC at the end of this week for a meeting of the United States Board on Books for Young People.



I meet many wonderful educators, parents, writers, and students during winter author visit season, but one of my favorite encounters was last week's appearance at Boston International High School in Dorchester, Massachusetts. This small high school for students not yet proficient in English language hosts newcomers to the United States from more than 25 different countries, some with an interrupted or nonexistent education before arriving due to war or poverty.







You need company when you're growing up between cultures.



When I talked about my own experience of immigrating here and becoming a writer, faces lit up with empathy and understanding. I was a survivor of the life they were experiencing, my very existence sending the message that they, too, might endure a stressful coming of age between two worlds. Thanks, 826 Boston and the Foundation of Children's Books , for enabling this encouraging conversation about balancing the best of both worlds through the power of storytelling.

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Bell Rings, Class Over, Memories Remain

You'll have to use your imagination to grasp how much I enjoyed this past month of teaching at Saint Mary's College of California. This wonderful article might shed some light on the privilege of discussing "Race, Culture, and Power in Children's Books" with 25 undergraduates on this beautiful campus nestled in the San Francisco Bay Area.



Or maybe this picture of my cute students will help:







Think of me walking into my parents' house at the end of a long day of preparation and teaching, calling out, "I'm hungry! What's to eat?" And every day, there was a delicious meal, cooked from scratch by Mom, and good conversation with both of my parents.



I stayed in this cozy cottage nearby, perfect for quiet study and reflection, stocked with unlimited firewood and fresh flowers:







Picture me hiking these hills every day (in January, friends -- I live in Boston, remember?):







Oh, and did I tell you MY VERY OWN SON took my class? Talk about Mommy finagling: (1) nest empties, (2) miss him and reading aloud to him, (3) son takes my class, (4) get to read picture books to him again. I'm good, aren't I? Or maybe it's that Someone is very good to me.

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Take the Pledge: Join Me for a Net-Free Month This Summer

I'm feeling sucked dry by the internet again, my creative wells drained and shallow. Anyone want to join me for an experiment this summer?



This June 15 - July 15, 2012, we'll stay away from the internet and go old school: reading real books, writing longhand in journals, and napping in the sunshine.



Take the pledge to join me by commenting below.  You don't have to go cold turkey like me, but set a goal for some serious withdrawal (weekends are internet-free, evenings after 5, etc.). I'm looking for FOUR other writers/artists to join me with a full commitment, and after a month of internet-free life, we'll weigh in on the experiment.

Come visit me on the Fire Escape!

Take the Pledge: Join Me for a Net-Free Summer

I'm feeling sucked dry by the internet again, my creative wells drained and shallow. Anyone want to join me for an experiment this summer?



This June 15 - August 15, 2012, we'll stay away from the internet and go old school: reading real books, writing longhand in journals, and napping in the sunshine.



Take the pledge to join me by commenting below.  You don't have to go cold turkey like me, but set a goal for some serious withdrawal (weekends are internet-free, evenings after 5, etc.). After two months of (semi) internet-free life, we'll weigh in on the the experiment.

Come visit me on the Fire Escape!

Questions About Power in Stories and Storytelling

We're moving to the issue of power in my Jan Term class at Saint Mary's College of California , "Race, Culture, and Power in Children's Books." I thought my Fire Escape folk might be interested in a couple of lists I'm sharing with my students.



Questions to Ask about Power in a Story:


Who/what has the power to BE changed?
Who/what has the power to MAKE change?
Who/what has the power to PREVENT change?
Who/what GAINS power and how?
Who/what LOSES power and how?
What KIND of power does each player have? Where did they get it? Do they use it? Why or why not?
How is the child reader/listener empowered or disempowered by the story?


If I Want to Tell the Story of a "Less Powerful" Child ...


Why am I writing this story?
Could anyone else tell it better? Does that person have a voice I can seek to nurture or empower?
Have I held enough babies in that community?
Have I done my research?
Am I allowing that child/teen character to be whole and real?
What kind of power am I giving my fictional child/teen? Is it true to his/her context? Is it culturally appropriate or "western"?
Is there an outside "savior?" If so, who is it and why? How much power am I giving that "savior" over the child/teen? 
Am I reinforcing a "single story" about that child/teen? (Watch Chimamanda Adichie's brilliant TED Talk if you don't get this one.)

Anything to add?

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