~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY DIVERSE AUTHOR
STORY COLLECTION FEATURE ~
-- 'THE HERO NEXT DOOR' --
EDITOR--OLUGBEMISOLA RHUDAY-PERKOVICH
From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind 'Flying Lessons & Other Stories', comes another middle-grade short story collection--this one focused on exploring acts of bravery--featuring some of the best own-voices children's authors, including R. J. Palacio (Wonder), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Linda Sue Park (A Long Walk to Water), and many more.
Not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes teach martial arts. Others talk to ghosts. A few are inventors or soccer players. They're also sisters, neighbors, and friends. Because heroes come in many shapes and sizes. But they all have one thing in common: they make the world a better place.
Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, this vibrant anthology features thirteen acclaimed authors whose powerful and diverse voices show how small acts of kindness can save the day. So pay attention, because a hero could be right beside you. Or maybe the hero is you.
AUTHORS INCLUDE: William Alexander, Joseph Bruchac, Lamar Giles, Mike Jung, Hena Khan, Juana Medina, Ellen Oh, R. J. Palacio, Linda Sue Park and Anna Dobbin, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ronald L. Smith, Rita Williams-Garcia, and short-story contest winner Suma Subramaniam
"As with the two previous anthologies from We Need Diverse Books, this collection admirably succeeds in making available to all readers a wider and more representative range of American voices and protagonists." -The Washington Post
MY THOUGHTS:
Not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes teach martial arts. Others talk to ghosts. A few are inventors or soccer players. They're also sisters, neighbors, and friends. Because heroes come in many shapes and sizes. But they all have one thing in common: they make the world a better place.
Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, this vibrant anthology features thirteen acclaimed authors whose powerful and diverse voices show how small acts of kindness can save the day. So pay attention, because a hero could be right beside you. Or maybe the hero is you.
AUTHORS INCLUDE: William Alexander, Joseph Bruchac, Lamar Giles, Mike Jung, Hena Khan, Juana Medina, Ellen Oh, R. J. Palacio, Linda Sue Park and Anna Dobbin, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ronald L. Smith, Rita Williams-Garcia, and short-story contest winner Suma Subramaniam
"As with the two previous anthologies from We Need Diverse Books, this collection admirably succeeds in making available to all readers a wider and more representative range of American voices and protagonists." -The Washington Post
MY THOUGHTS:
I would like to highlight three of my favorite selections from this short story collection.
-- Home, written by Hena Khan:
This is a touching story written from the point of view of a twelve-year-old girl, Aleena, who lives in Virginia with her parents and teen brother, Bilal.
The family arranges to adopt a three-year-old boy, Hakeem, from an orphaniage in Morocco. Hakeem speaks no English, and Aleena's family speaks no Arabic. The process of adopting this child has taken over a year. The entire family is anticipating the arrival of Hakeem in their home with great joy and excitement.
As you can imagine, there are many adjustments to be made for Hakeem and the entire family along with some rough patches along the way. The powerful ending of the story brought tears to my eyes. This story is filled with realistic emotions and life lessons. Highly-recommended!
-- A Girl's Best Friend, written by Cynthia Leitich-Smith:
I featured one of this author's (who is herself a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation) story collections for Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday earlier in 2019. Here's the link if you wish to read it:
Indian Shoes Story Collection Post
A Girl's Best Friend focuses on the relationship between a twelve-year-old girl, Sophie, and her neighbor and landlord, Miz Wilson. Sophie has had to explain several times to Mis Wilson that she is a Muscogee-Osage girl and a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen leading Sophie to feel that the landlord is nosy about the Bigheart family.
Even though there is tension and some emotional trauma in the story, the fact that Sophie and her mother volunteer at a local animal shelter will delight young readers as much as it did me!
Through some significant misunderstandings, Sophie and Miz Wilson work together to break down some walls, leaving the reader inspired about how communication and trust can improve relationships. Highly-recommended!
-- Reina Madrid, written by R.J. Palacio:
This well-written and poignant story will stay with me for a very long time . . .
Maria Eugenia Madrid, called 'Reina' by her parents, lives in Queens in the 1970s. Reina's father passed away recently, and she and her mother are adjusting to a new apartment and a new job for Mrs. Madrid.
The author enriches the story with her detailed description of the neighborhood dynamics at the time and place of the story's setting. Life was definitely different back then, and I enjoyed reading about a time period with which I was personally familiar.
Reina, who is now a ten-year-old, becomes best friends with a girl from another building in the complex, Franny, who is one year older than Reina. The girls spend a lot of time together, but Franny never invites Reina over to her apartment. The reasons for this are revealed late in the story. Reina's mother takes Franny on all sorts of outings with she and Reina.
The final section of this story is meaningful on many levels. Suffice it to say that Reina learns many life lessons at a young age. Highly-recommended!
I borrowed this book from the children's collection at the local public library.
Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.
Indian Shoes Story Collection Post
A Girl's Best Friend focuses on the relationship between a twelve-year-old girl, Sophie, and her neighbor and landlord, Miz Wilson. Sophie has had to explain several times to Mis Wilson that she is a Muscogee-Osage girl and a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen leading Sophie to feel that the landlord is nosy about the Bigheart family.
Even though there is tension and some emotional trauma in the story, the fact that Sophie and her mother volunteer at a local animal shelter will delight young readers as much as it did me!
Through some significant misunderstandings, Sophie and Miz Wilson work together to break down some walls, leaving the reader inspired about how communication and trust can improve relationships. Highly-recommended!
-- Reina Madrid, written by R.J. Palacio:
This well-written and poignant story will stay with me for a very long time . . .
Maria Eugenia Madrid, called 'Reina' by her parents, lives in Queens in the 1970s. Reina's father passed away recently, and she and her mother are adjusting to a new apartment and a new job for Mrs. Madrid.
The author enriches the story with her detailed description of the neighborhood dynamics at the time and place of the story's setting. Life was definitely different back then, and I enjoyed reading about a time period with which I was personally familiar.
Reina, who is now a ten-year-old, becomes best friends with a girl from another building in the complex, Franny, who is one year older than Reina. The girls spend a lot of time together, but Franny never invites Reina over to her apartment. The reasons for this are revealed late in the story. Reina's mother takes Franny on all sorts of outings with she and Reina.
The final section of this story is meaningful on many levels. Suffice it to say that Reina learns many life lessons at a young age. Highly-recommended!
I borrowed this book from the children's collection at the local public library.
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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.
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I will have to get my hands on a copy of this collection. So many great authors and the three you chose sound like they have great read-aloud potential. I hope to find this on my library's shelves.
ReplyDeleteI heard about this series. Now I really want to read it. I'm going to try to find it at my library too.
ReplyDeleteHaven't heard about this serious, although I love many of the authors. Will look at my library too. Excellent selection.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting. Sometimes it's nice just to read a collection of short stories by some talented authors!
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's nice to read a short piece, and these all sound quite good. Thanks for the heads up on this one.
ReplyDelete