Sarah Jamila Stevenson's Blog: Blog - Sarah Jamila Stevenson, page 76

Toon Thursday: The Mathematics of Revision

Hey, kids! It's time for Toon Thursday. Before I vomit forth my toon like some sort of crazed monkey with Photoshop, though, I'd like to say this: don't miss Diversity in YA's Diversify Your Reading Challenge this summer:

This summer, we're challenging readers to read books that feature a diverse world, to read beyond their comfort zones, and to just plain dive into some wonderful stories. Our challenge will have two components: one for libraries, one for readers and book bloggers. At the end of the summer we'll be giving away some wonderful book prizes donated by publishers.

Just check out the prize list--you won't want to miss this. Libraries, readers and book bloggers are all eligible. Sounds both worthwhile and fun!

With no further ado, here's your toon. As always, click the cartoon to view it larger.

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Monday Review: ANYA'S GHOST by Vera Brosgol

Dear FCC: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, First Second.

What if you made friends with a ghost and she turns out to be a bit more than you bargained for? What if you can't get her to leave you alone, and you're starting to wonder if you'll ever get your normal life back? The graphic novel Anya's Ghost is about a lot of things: friendship, school, romance, fitting in—and it's got a healthy dose of ghost story to boot.

Reader Gut Reaction : When I saw that the author testimonials on the cover were by Neil Gaiman, Scott McCloud, and Hope Larson, I already had a pretty good inkling that I was going to enjoy this book. And I did. It struck just the right balance between funny, poignant and creepy—an odd combination, perhaps, but it worked for me. The art style was simple and engaging, too, and reminded me quite a bit of Hope Larson and Raina Telgemeier. It also reminded me of Marjane Satrapi's work in Persepolis, in its ability to work well with a monochromatic format.

Concerning Character : For me, character development in graphic novels is inextricably tied to the characters' visual representation as well as their dialogue—the way a character expresses herself visually is critical to how I see her. In this case, Anya—our main character—is kind of a nobody, and she's more or less okay with that. She wants to fit in, not be picked on for her long Russian last name, or her accent, which she's worked hard to eliminate, or her generous frame, which is decidedly not an asset in gym class. She's a little snarky, sneaks cigarettes, and occasionally skips class, but she's generally a good person. But everything changes when she meets a ghost named Emily. At first, having a ghostly friend is kind of awesome. At first...

Recommended for Fans Of... : STRONGLY recommended for fans of Hope Larson. Also for fans of graphic novels about learning to just be comfortable in your own skin, like Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (reviewed here) and Katman by Kevin Pyle (reviewed here). May also appeal to fans of stories that manage to be both charming and spooky, like Neil Gaiman's Coraline.

Themes & Things : I really liked the ongoing theme of trying to fit in as an immigrant/child of immigrants, and learning to see one's background as an asset rather than simply a burden. It was very nicely done, and added a lot of meaning and depth to the plot. Another strong theme in this book is the idea that who someone is on the inside and who they appear to be on the outside don't necessarily match up, and it's worth getting to know people a bit better before making a final judgment about their character.

Authorial Asides : This is the author's first book, though she has contributed short pieces to the Flight anthologies, and in my opinion, it's a really outstanding and promising debut. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of her work. I'm generally really impressed with the quality of talent that the Flight books unearth; this is no exception.

You can find Anya's Ghost at an independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Kidlitosphere Happenings, and a Call for Submissions

Just cruising by with a few random notes on a Thursday. Did you see the final tally for the Guys Lit Wire book fair this year? Over 700 books were sent to the needy school library at Ballou Sr. High School in Washington, D.C. And GLW is planning to do another push for books at Ballou in the future, just to make sure they have all the titles they need--go read about it here and check out the final list of who sent what.


Are you going to KidLitCon this year? I definitely am. They're taking calls for proposals NOW, so if you have an awesome idea for a panel or presentation, you have until July 15th to get it turned in. Hope to see you in Seattle on September 16-17! Last year's Kidlitcon in Minneapolis was a smash, and this year promises to be amazing, too. I have it on good authority that there are awesome things in the works...but I've been sworn to secrecy.


Here at FW, and in our associated writing group, we often lament the fact that there aren't more markets for YA short fiction. Well, here's another one for you, and they're Desperately Seeking Submissions for Issue #2. Go check out Verbal Pyrotechnics, which not only has a cool name but also has a very nice PDF layout--check out Issue #1 here. I submitted an excerpt of a longer story that I am convinced must find a home somewhere because I love it so much. Could just be me, though.

Happy almost-weekend!

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Monday Review: BIRD IN A BOX by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Dear FCC: I received an Advance Review Copy of this book from ALA Midwinter in January. That's right, I'm still working through my pile of ARCs. Don't make fun of me. I'm savoring them.

In Bird in a Box, three very different children in Depression-era Elmira, New York meet and become friends, realizing that despite their differences (one is an orphan; one is fleeing an abusive father; one is the daughter of a Reverend) they have many things in common—not the least of which is their shared love of boxer Joe Louis, the "Brown Bomber."

Reader Gut Reaction : I have to say right off that I don't necessarily gravitate toward Great Depression stories (or historical fiction in general), and I'm not a fan of boxing as a sport, but although Bird in a Box does include these elements, I ended up really enjoying the story. It doesn't pull punches about how difficult life could be at the time, but it is still a heartwarming and ultimately optimistic story of friendship that would be great for middle grade readers.

Concerning Character : The three main characters, Otis, Willie, and Hibernia (or Bernie), are very distinctly drawn but all three are equally relatable. They're all growing up a little too fast, not simply because times are hard, but also because they've all experienced personal loss and family troubles. Fortunately, they find each other—and a cat named Bird—at the exact right time. The adult characters, though not the focus of the story, are integral to the children's lives, and I particularly enjoyed Bernie's relationship to her father as well as the kindheartedness of the orphanage caretaker Lila Weiss. Even Joe Louis feels very real thanks to the well-researched historical details (e.g. actual radio transcripts that have been incorporated into the text).

Recommended for Fans Of... : Stories about kids growing up during the depression, like Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis or Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. Historical stories about coming of age as an African American, like our own Tanita Davis's Mare's War.

Themes & Things : The characters in this story learn how to cross various social divides thanks to the bonds of friendship, shared loss, and shared joy. They also learn the importance of determination and aspiration—the fact that having a life goal you truly believe in can keep you going during difficult times.

You can find Bird in a Box at an independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Toon Thursday: We Really Mean It This Time

Yes! That's right! Brand-new writing advice in cartoon form, brought to you by Toon Thursday. I hope it was worth the wait. I really did mean to put this one up last week--I had the idea written down and everything--but I just never had time to actually sit down and draw it. Anyway, enjoy! (And when you're done, go check out a few new sites from Scholastic: You Are What You Read and This Is Teen.)

Click the cartoon to view larger, as always.

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Don't You Dare! They're All Mine!!

It's TGIFBM over at Cindy Pon's blog. What does that mean? It means a fabulous giveaway of TWO ARCS I DESPERATELY WANT. Cindy is giving away Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls and Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone. How awesome is that?

I'll tell you how awesome it is. It's so awesome that I'm going to shamelessly plug it here in order to get an extra contest entry. And, well, okay, I guess you can go enter the contest, too. :) But I'm not afraid to arm wrestle for books. Just sayin'.

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

YA Saves. That's All There Is To It.

Yep, more controversy in the YA writing world! As if you needed more. (Come on. You know you love it. NOT.)

The tagline to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Meghan Cox Gurdon reads: "Contemporary fiction for teens is rife with explicit abuse, violence and depravity. Why is this considered a good idea?" Rife! Depravity! That's right, we're a cesspool over here, just itching to inflict our negative moral values on the innocent, sponge-like brains of your children.

I couldn't bear to finish reading the article myself, but I got an excellent overview from Liz B. over at A Chair, A Fireplace, and A Tea Cozy. Liz says: "Some kids in terrible circumstances read about kids in terrible circumstances and find comfort and hope, even in the bleakest book; others live it, so don't want to read it. Some read for windows; some, for mirrors."

Cheryl Rainfield, whose book SCARS was named in the WSJ article, had this to say: "I think what helps us bring good into the world, and stop the things that hurt people so much, is to talk about the darkness, bring it out into the open, and encourage healing, compassion, and love. Not by hiding it."

On the L.A. Review of Books blog, Cecil Castellucci said: "Gurdon's article in the WSJ seems to imply that these kinds of dark books should be cleared off the shelf and that good clean books with less objectionable content should be there instead. And that the publishing industry, in the name of sales, pushes these kinds of books to pervier and pervier extremes and then cries censorship if called on it." She has a lot of other great stuff to say on the topic, too.

And these are far from the only voices speaking out. Check out the Twitter hashtag #YAsaves for more links and comments.

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Broken Promises and Sorry Excuses

Right. Remember two weeks ago, when I swore up and down that I'd post a brand-new Toon Thursday? Um, yeah. No. It's not happening. Why not? The short answer is, I went to Disneyland yesterday instead of staying home working and drawing a new cartoon. The longer answer would involve a detailed description of all the other things I did this week that prevented me from having any extra time for a new toon, but nobody wants to hear about all that. So let me just conclude by saying, sorry, but Disneyland was worth it. And please enjoy this blast from the past as a sorbet to cleanse the palate. (Click to view larger version.) I will possibly be posting a new one next week to make up for it, but apparently I shouldn't make any promises...

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Monday Review: EXCLUSIVELY CHLOE by J.A. Yang

Today's review covers another book whose author I got to see speak at the Diversity in YA tour a few weeks ago. (You know we like to promote diversity in YA here at FW!) I checked out a copy of this book from the library.

Reader Gut Reaction : Let me start by saying this book was not necessarily my type of reading, but it IS a book that my junior-high-aged, Sweet-Valley-High-devouring younger self would have enjoyed: it's got a poor little rich girl with a heart of gold, plenty of Hollywood glitz to make you feel like you've got a window onto the rich and fabulous, and a plot packed with friend hijinks, family drama and even romance. And it has a multicultural angle to boot.

My older self has evidently become a tiresome cynic with less patience for improbable plot developments and happily-ever-after endings (which this book also has) but I really thought the premise of this book was appealing—Chloe-Grace Star, the narrator, was adopted as a baby from China by her actress mother and aging rock star dad. Now that she's in high school, she's starting to explore who she really is and wonder where she came from, prompted in no small part by her parents' impending divorce and the subsequent tabloid extravaganza.

Concerning Character : Chloe-Grace is, in many ways, just a regular girl...who just happens to be uber-rich and famous. She attends a high school for the children of privilege, and her friends are similarly fabulous. She takes a lot of this for granted until she finds out (in the worst way possible) that her parents are about to split. The fact that her life is turned upside down does a lot to humanize her, which is important with a character that isn't necessarily one the reader will relate to directly. After all, how many of us can just drop beaucoup bucks on an emerald charm bracelet from Cartier just as a comfort purchase?

Still, Chloe is someone who will definitely generate vicarious enjoyment in a lot of readers, though, and not just because of the wish-fulfillment fantasy of being a wealthy celeb. It's because she IS ultimately relatable. She wants love; she wants to be important in her parents' lives; she really is sincere and tries hard to be a good friend. It was a little less satisfying for me, personally, that solutions to her problems seemed to come relatively easily, and that there was a fairly wide cast of side characters who seemed ready to jump at the chance to help her out. (Hence my comment about improbable plot developments.) But the book is fun, no doubt about that.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Series fiction like Gossip Girl or Sweet Valley High. Stories about what it means to grow up Asian-American. Books about what it's like to be the child of a celebrity when you're trying to figure out who you are as an individual, like Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee.

Themes & Things : The definition of real friendship is a strong theme in this book—as is the idea that you can have different types of friendships with different people. The meaning of family is also important here, as Chloe explores her feelings about her biological versus her adoptive family. She never has doubts that her adoptive parents are her parents, and so she approaches the search for her biological parents with a reasonably healthy attitude, simply wanting to know more about where she comes from. Lastly, a major thrust of the story is figuring out who you are as an individual apart from your family or your friends—and the fact that such an endeavor is healthy and fulfilling.

Authorial Asides : Take a look at our post about the kickoff of the Diversity in YA tour, where J.A. Yang was one of the speakers. Also, don't miss his author website and the story of his unusual journey to becoming a writer—and what I'd call a Latte-Rebellion-worthy author photo.

You can find Exclusively Chloe at an independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Thursday Review: LEVEL UP by Gene Luen Yang

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, First Second.

Here at FW, we've been a fan of Gene Yang for a long time, and we've loved reading his graphic novels, both the ones produced solely by him as well as the ones in which he collaborated with fellow writers and artists. In this latest work, artist Thien Pham does the visuals.

Reader Gut Reaction : Level Up is a pensive yet also humorous look at the rather confusing life of Dennis Ouyang, a young man who gives up video games and succumbs to the pressure to become a gastroenterologist. Who's pressuring him? Well, it WAS his father, but his father's passed away. Now, there's this rather pesky quartet of guardian angels ensuring that Dennis sticks to his father's wishes. It's a cute, funny premise, and the driving theme will be familiar to anyone who's ever felt parental pressure to enter a career. I know I got a lot of the be-a-doctor spiel while I was growing up, so I felt for Dennis. Besides the charming story (and a rather thoughtful, unexpected ending), I loved the formatting of this book, too—not just the Gameboy-esque cover, but also the video game screens that preceded each section of the story.

Concerning Character : Dennis is pretty easy to relate to if you grew up as part of a videogame-playing generation. At a certain point, people start to expect you to put aside your childish things and just be a grown-up. (I say THPPT to that, but anyway.) And so it is with Dennis, who adores videogames but also wants to be a good son and please his mother and late father. He's not entirely successful at first, clutching at his games like an addict to a crack pipe (or so I imagine). But then four helpful, terribly cute and unavoidably annoying guardian angels come along and kick his butt back on track.

The side characters are nicely realized here, sketched in quickly and clearly, from Dennis's family members to his friends in medical school. And I'd also like to point out something I particularly liked about the artwork: we know Dennis and his family are Asian, we can assume his friends Takeem and Ipsha are South Asian, and Hector Martinez is Latino—but visually speaking, the art doesn't beat us over the head with that. What I guess I'm trying to say is that the individual characters show differentiation and individuality without ever straying into visual ethnic stereotypes. All of them are rendered in an equally minimal, charming and cartoony style.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Other graphic novels that explore identity issues and discovering who you really are inside, like the work of Hope Larson, Kevin Pyle, Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki, and Jessica Abel. Authors who explore what it means to grow up Asian-American, like Lisa Yee, Justina Chen and Neesha Meminger.

Themes & Things : I like the fact that one of the driving themes of this book is the idea that for some of us, it takes a long time to figure out what you really want to do with your life, as you navigate your own predilections, assumptions and other baggage as well as outside pressures. And it's not always a smooth or direct road.

Authorial Asides : Read our Summer Blog Blast Tour interview with Gene Yang after the publication of American Born Chinese, and check out our recap of the kickoff of the Diversity in YA tour, at which Aquafortis got to meet Mr. Yang and be an awkward fangirl. You can also read our reviews of American Born Chinese , The Eternal Smile , and Prime Baby .

You can find Level Up at an independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.