#WeNeedDiverseBooks

Diverse Texts Now

Jason Reynolds in his keynote at the ALA Annual Convention this past summer talked about how we are all walking libraries. I loved this metaphor because it provided an image as to how each person is made up of a collection of their identities, experiences, and memories. We are all databases in motion. While many websites, blogs, and social media accounts are contributing to the call for the presence of more diverse texts, the work is still in progress. This comparison only clarified the position to mandate more diverse texts in classrooms and in the publishing industry overall because we have to honor the collective and individual experiences in our schools. Our main libraries, our classroom libraries, read aloud choices, and book talks all need to be purposeful and selective in voice, author, and representation. Because the goal, in the end, is to honor diverse voices as part of our daily and yearly norm.

When speaking about diverse texts, it is important to remember diverse to whom? The School Library Journal summarized the updates to the widely known infographic regarding diversity in children’s books. These infographics remind us that while progress has been made, there is still work to do in the field of education and in publishing. As teachers, we are reminded that diverse texts are a way to access comprehension and unlock engagement in our students because students see themselves in our curriculums. The concepts of windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors are more than analogies; they are points of access to be humans with our students. Cornelius Minor in We Got This.: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be reminds teachers that the very act of using diverse texts is engaging to our students because we are including them in the content and the strategies in our rooms. He also reminds us that “teaching without this kind of engagement is not teaching at all. it is colonization (28). Zaretta Hammond in Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students also reminds us “Instead, I want you to think of culturally responsive teaching as a mindset, a way of thinking about and organizing instruction to allow for great flexibility in teaching” (5). The use of diverse texts in our schools is a mindset and necessity- not a strategy.

Want to check out my professional development session “AH-HA MOMENTS AND HANDS IN THE AIR: USING DIVERSE TEXTS TO TEACH COMPREHENSION AND RAISE ENGAGEMENT ACROSS CONTENT AREAS” on-demand? Click here to get the handouts and walk through my presentation. 

Choosing Diverse Texts

The call for diverse books also brings up the conversation that there is a significant amount of criteria that goes into choosing a text that will increase the comprehension and cultural relevance in a classroom and a curriculum. This feels less like reinventing the wheel and more like we are getting our voices heard in choosing texts that will create a cohesive curriculum that is heading in the direction of cultural proficiency. 

This cultural competency continuum is the same image that my district uses in our cultural responsiveness professional developments each fall. As the district strives to reach proficiency, keeping in mind misconceptions about the reason why we put these diverse texts in our classrooms in the first place is an excellent reminder of the purpose of the work. Jennifer Gonzalez from Cult of Pedagogy discusses the first misconception of culturally responsive teaching in that people think it is synonymous with multicultural education and social justice work. In summation, the reason why we put diverse texts in our classroom in order to be more responsive is that it helps our individual students meet their "learning capacity" as stated by Zaretta Hammond in Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Each student needs to see themselves represented in texts and needs to also see themselves not represented in texts to become more aware and competent learners. 

Simply, have a class of all white children? They need to see inside and outside of themselves. Have a class of with children of color? They still need to see inside and outside of themselves. 

When selecting diverse texts for the classroom, a good article to start with is Teaching for Change entitled "Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books." This article provides an excellent summary on how to avoid stereotyping and examine characters engaging in change. After reading this article and doing my own reading, I have come up with my own personal checklist that contains 10-point criteria when it comes to reviewing these books that I wanted to share with my fellow teachers looking to revise their curriculums and add more diverse texts to their shelves. 


The 10 Criteria for Choosing Diverse Texts

In each section, I offer two books or more books to consider when choosing within a category. It is a helpful exercise to compare the two texts not only in the given category but to also compare and contrast them across all of the other categories. When possible, please shop at your local, independent bookstore. I have linked each book to my bookstore, This is a Bookstore & Bookbug, located here in Kalamazoo, MI.

#1: Author

All authors are able to write about diversity. Many misconceptions stem from the idea of infusing our shelves with diverse literature and banning white authors from shelves. This is not the case. Instead, the focus is on including diverse authors as much as other authors and looking at the experiences that our white authors are presenting in their texts. It is invaluable to present an insider perspective. Each year I have the same conversation with students, "Can female authors capture male perspectives in the text?" The short answer is yes.

However, an insider perspective cannot be replaced.

Don't immediately exclude white authors because they are outsiders. Immediately include diverse authors of all races and ethnicities so that there is a balance of color represented in your authors. Simply, because the world of publishing is disproportionate in the representation of color in authorship.  If the author is in the white majority, how do they represent characters? How do they display people of color in their texts? Looking into the upbringing and background of the author is integral in getting students to understand writers and how they write. Remember, at the end of the day, I am encouraging all students to be authors. They need to see themselves in the books they read. 

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

Author Website: Alicia D. Williams//Stories to Life

Bookbug Description: “There are ninety-six reasons why thirteen-year-old Genesis dislikes herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list: -Because her family is always being put out of their house. -Because her dad has a gambling problem. And maybe a drinking problem too. -Because Genesis knows this is all her fault. -Because she wasn’t born looking like Mama. -Because she is too black. Genesis is determined to fix her family, and she’s willing to try anything to do so…even if it means harming herself in the process. But when Genesis starts to find a thing or two she actually likes about herself, she discovers that changing her own attitude is the first step in helping change others.”

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Bookbug Description: “The two-time Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt delivers the shattering story of Joseph, a father at thirteen, who has never seen his daughter, Jupiter. After spending time in a juvenile facility, he’s placed with a foster family on a farm in rural Maine. Here Joseph, damaged and withdrawn, meets twelve-year-old Jack, who narrates the account of the troubled, passionate teen who wants to find his baby at any cost. In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires.”

#2: Published/Copyright Date

I tend to favor recently published material. I want my students to have what is current in their hands the same way I want what is currently published in my hands. But we also need to honor those stories that need to be told again and again. I like to look for texts that are within the 10-year or newer range. Often, you see older texts leaning more towards stereotyping characters of color through a lens of attempting "historical accuracy." Instead, look to texts that represent characters in current texts and historical texts outside of stereotyping, tokenism, and invisibility. There are some older texts that remain classics and in the class novel rotation due to quality of representation. Here is one of them:

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Maniac Magee was written in 1990, so it technically falls outside of my criteria for wanting new texts. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. I have the best conversations with students about this book about the topic of color blindness. I also love how Jerry Spinelli deliberately uses commas in a series repeatedly throughout the text. This makes it a mentor writing hit!

Bookbug Description: “Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.”

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor

Bookbug Description: “With the land to hold them together, nothing can tear the Logans apart. Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year—the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black—to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood. It is the land that gives the Logans their courage and pride, for no matter how others may degrade them, the Logans possess something no one can take away.”

#3: Lexile

I feel like this debate has been everywhere right now in the world of English Education. Should we talk to kids about their Lexile or reading levels? While I don't believe in focusing on levels as the point of conversation, I do believe we should be having conversations about reading habits with readers. I don't hide levels from students, but I don't make them feel less than because they are where they are.

We can talk about levels in a human way.

All too often, I see teachers putting books in front of kids that aren't at their reading level. Now, research supports that students should get a choice about the books they put in front of them, but as I put it to a commenter on the blog: "You need choice and structure to move struggling readers." Having frank conversations with students about their reading level leads to results for the reader, not just the teacher. So often, we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings about their low reading level when in reality we just bring students into the fight regarding their low reading scores. This then shows them how to help themselves and participate in the learning you are providing.

I like to have the student on my team when fighting back against deficits in reading comprehension and fluency.

I like to use the Lexile Finder in order to gauge my books. The Lexile Framework for Reading shows the levels where they put letters on the elementary scale, percentiles, and also shows Lexile bands. All of the metrics are used to help diagnose a given reading level and ability. 

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Author Website: Jewell Parker Rhodes

Ghost Boys is a HL360 Lexile book. While 360 is far below middle school grade level, this text has content that appeals to this age group. The High Low Lexile Level makes this text accessible to struggling readers. Reading Rockets provides a great article here about the appeal of High Low Lexile books. 

Bookbug Description: “Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better. Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that's been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing.

Soon Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey towards recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who grapples with her father's actions.

Once again Jewell Parker Rhodes deftly weaves historical and socio-political layers into a gripping and poignant story about how children and families face the complexities of today's world, and how one boy grows to understand American blackness in the aftermath of his own death.”

Suee and the Shadow by Ginger Ly and Molly Park

Amazon Description: “Meet Suee: Twelve years old, wears her hair to the left in a point, favors a black dress, has no friends—and she likes it that way! When Suee transfers to the dull and ordinary Outskirts Elementary, she doesn’t expect to hear a strange voice speaking to her from the darkness of the school’s exhibit room, and she certainly doesn’t expect to see her shadow come to life. Then things start to get really weird: One by one, her classmates at school turn into zombie-like, hollow-eyed Zeroes. While Suee investigates why this is happening, her shadow gains power. Soon, Suee must confront a stunning secret that her shadow has been hiding under her own two feet—something very dark and sinister that could put Suee and her newfound friends at risk!”

Shop at Bookbug

#4: Grade Level

Just like Lexile, grade-level content also matters to the book selection. Think of these criteria in terms of grade-level appropriateness. This can also spark heated debate as one teacher may feel like profanity is not a barrier to grade-level selection as another teacher is adamant in the idea of no curse words. Some teachers develop coping skills in teaching students to look at situations of violence. An example of this would be my entire Advanced 7th-grade curriculum focusing on the 1940's Decade of Change. Images like those seen in Auschwitz are always up for debate In terms of grade-level consideration; however, more often than not it is left up to the teacher discretion what they are presenting to students.

Here are some points to consider:

• Violence/Use of Weapons

• Language/Profanity

• Sexual/Relationship Situations

• Situations of Fear

• Drug Use

Common Sense Media provides an interesting breakdown by age grouping if you are completely lost. I always urge new teachers to go with their gut regarding what you are showing students.

Ask yourself these three questions:

1.) Do they need to see it?

2.) Is it important to their understanding of the world that they view or read it?

3.) Will they become better people based on the lesson?

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman

Maus I is the first book I teach to my Advanced 7th Grade students. It makes an excellent choice for the grade-level content area due to the general topic of the Holocaust, but specifically "The Prisoner on the Hell Planet" section where there are some images of nudity and profanity that require some guidance for younger readers.

Bookbug Description: “The first installment of the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” (Wall Street Journal) and “the first masterpiece in comic book history” (The New Yorker).

A brutally moving work of art—widely hailed as the greatest graphic novel ever written—Maus recounts the chilling experiences of the author’s father during the Holocaust, with Jews drawn as wide-eyed mice and Nazis as menacing cats.

Maus is a haunting tale within a tale, weaving the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father into an astonishing retelling of one of history's most unspeakable tragedies. It is an unforgettable story of survival and a disarming look at the legacy of trauma.”

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give is one of those books I am constantly asked about by other educators about whether or not it should be taught or read in the middle school classroom. My answer is always yes. The book does have violence, profanity, and drug use; however, the book contains messages about society and culture that need to be present in all classrooms. Some teachers I know recommend an alternative read, Dear Martin by Nic Stone, and I would continue to recommend both books to those in grades 6-8.

Bookbug Description: “Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.”

#5: Category

Looking at diverse texts often instigates a binary approach to choosing texts. We want texts with white characters. We want texts with black characters. However, the spectrum is more than this binary. This diversity wheel by Johns Hopkins University provides a more inclusive approach to what we need to be looking for when selecting diverse texts:

Examining this wheel, we can reiterate the obvious: Selecting diverse texts is more than choosing texts that contain a variety of races or ethnicities. The goal of putting diverse texts into a classroom curriculum or classroom library is to promote an awareness of diversity in all areas. Proficiency results by promoting an understanding of culture at all levels. Therefore, including an array of races and ethnicities seems to be the default in choosing diverse texts in the classroom. However, the lens needs to be larger to include gender, sexual orientation, income, ability, national origin, age, etc. 

George by Alex Gino

Bookbug Description: “George joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!

When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.

George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because she's a boy.

With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.”

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

Bookbug Description: “For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player) Callum tells Mila it’s his birthday, and asks her for a “birthday hug.” He’s just being friendly, isn’t he? And how can she say no? But Callum’s hug lasts a few seconds too long, and feels…weird. According to her friend, Zara, Mila is being immature and overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like?

But the boys don’t leave Mila alone. On the bus. In the halls. During band practice—the one place Mila could always escape.

It doesn’t feel like flirting—so what is it? Thanks to a chance meeting, Mila begins to find solace in a new place: karate class. Slowly, with the help of a fellow classmate, Mila learns how to stand her ground and how to respect others—and herself.”

#6: Genre

I like to look at genre to provide depth to a curriculum or scope just as I would other factors that pertain to categories. I don't want all historical fiction or non-fiction. I want to mix in novels-in-verse, fantasy, adventure, dystopian texts, and more. I teach middle school so the drive of looking at what is appealing to students is inherently linked to what genre the text belongs to overall. I want students to learn how to examine different genres in order to provide a new scope and sequence for them as writers. Remember, when we teach them how to be writers we are encouraging them to imitate the authors we put in front of them. This makes it necessary to put authors of color and each category in front of our students that can relate to them. 

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Bookbug Description: "With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . . The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. ’Cuz tonight I’m delivering," raps twelve-year-old Josh Bell. Thanks to their dad, he and his twin brother, Jordan, are kings on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood—he's got mad beats, too, which help him find his rhythm when it’s all on the line.

As their winning season unfolds, things begin to change. When Jordan meets a girl, the twins’ bond unravels.Told in dynamic verse, this fast and furious middle grade novel that started it all absolutely bounces with rhythm and bursts with heart.”

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Bookbug Description: "A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism--and antiracism--in America

This is NOT a history book.
This is a book about the here and now.
A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.
A book about race.

The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.”

#7: Stereotypes/Tokenism/Invisibility

The guide that I mentioned at the start of this post talks in-depth about avoiding stereotypes, tokenism, and invisibility in diverse text selection. This may be the hardest category to pin down because often outsiders are judging insider texts. When considering stereotypes, the "Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books" by Louise Derman-Sparks states, "A stereotype is an oversimplified generalization about a particular identity group (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, ability/disability), which usually carries derogatory, inaccurate messages and applies them to ALL people in the group. Stereotypes dehumanize people. So, too, does misinformation." The same applies to tokenism and invisibility. The question should be: “What do readers see when they look at characters?”

I always ask teachers to look at what the image of the person represented in the text portrays. Here are some questions to ponder when looking for these areas in texts:

• Is the image historically accurate?

• Does it represent people in the current context?

• Is the image representing an entire group of people?

• Is there only one type of character in the text?

• Are there inaccurate depictions of characters?

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

The Lions of Little Rock contains a setting in the Civil Rights Movement, yet she also integrates characters that step outside the bounds of stereotypes. While there are some token characters in the text, Levine creates a world where there is another type of character to offset the token or stereotype. She weaves a story that takes a stance against stereotyping and tokenism. 

Bookbug Description: “As twelve-year-old Marlee starts middle school in 1958 Little Rock, it feels like her whole world is falling apart. Until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is everything Marlee wishes she could be: she's brave, brash and always knows the right thing to say. But when Liz leaves school without even a good-bye, the rumor is that Liz was caught passing for white. Marlee decides that doesn't matter. She just wants her friend back. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are even willing to take on segregation and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.”

A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee

Bookbug Description: “Twelve-year-old Shayla is allergic to trouble. All she wants to do is to follow the rules. (Oh, and she’d also like to make it through seventh grade with her best friendships intact, learn to run track, and have a cute boy see past her giant forehead.)

But in junior high, it’s like all the rules have changed. Now she’s suddenly questioning who her best friends are and some people at school are saying she’s not black enough. Wait, what?

Shay’s sister, Hana, is involved in Black Lives Matter, but Shay doesn't think that's for her. After experiencing a powerful protest, though, Shay decides some rules are worth breaking. She starts wearing an armband to school in support of the Black Lives movement. Soon everyone is taking sides. And she is given an ultimatum.

Shay is scared to do the wrong thing (and even more scared to do the right thing), but if she doesn't face her fear, she'll be forever tripping over the next hurdle. Now that’s trouble, for real.”

#8: Character

I like to balance narration and character representation in books. For example, my Advanced Sixth grade curriculum has 4 books with female protagonists and 1 book with a male protagonist. It's obvious that this gender balance leans toward the female perspective, but we must remember that there is more than just the male or female perspective sitting in our classrooms. My goal is to provide an insider perspective to those voices that are not in my classroom and who are in my classroom. This certainly ties back to category, but you are also looking closer at writer's craft when choosing what characters to put in children's hands. My goal is always to provide a balance again of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, and more. 

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Bookbug Description: “Hà has only ever known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope—toward America.

This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny."

An author's note explains how and why Thanhha Lai translated her personal experiences into Hà's story. This paperback edition also includes an interview with the author, an activity you can do with your family, tips on writing poetry, and discussion questions.”

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Bookbug Description: “Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.

At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before.

But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.”

#9: Cross-Curricular Opportunity

Anytime I can work with my colleagues to tag-team a project, I will. I have an amazing Social Studies teacher that conducts an amazing unit on environmentalism and pollution. She also has another unit that we team up on talking about child labor. For that project, I use Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo or I Am Malala. We always meet before we begin a project and look at the end assessment. Often, we will approach a paper from two different perspectives to see the complexities there are in writing. The benefit of the cross-curricular opportunity is that students can hear multiple perspectives from different teachers, and they can apply their reading to another subject area.

Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Bookbug Description: “It's city-girl Maddy's first summer in the bayou, and she just falls in love with her new surroundings - the glimmering fireflies, the glorious landscape, and something else, deep within the water, that only she can see. Could it be a mermaid? As her grandmother shares wisdom about sayings and signs, Maddy realizes she may be the only sibling to carry on her family's magical legacy. And when a disastrous oil leak threatens the bayou, she knows she may also be the only one who can help. Does she have what it takes to be a hero? Jewell Parker Rhodes weaves a rich tale celebrating the magic within.”

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Bookbug Description: “The New York Times bestseller A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.”

#10: Writing Style/Appeal to Readers

There are books that kids just can't put down. It is hard to teach students to quantify writing style, and even though I give them the voice by using the six traits of writing, I know that sometimes a good book is just a good book. I often find that this travels with certain authors as well. An example of this is Jason Reynolds. I literally have had a group of struggling students scream at me to not stop reading...and they had an option to leave to go see a reward movie. When we have stories like this that relate to readers and pull them in we can't deny them in our classrooms.  

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Bookbug Description:

“A cannon. A strap.

A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?

As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator?

Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.

And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if Will gets off that elevator.”

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

Bookbug Description: “Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Padma Venkatraman's stirring middle-grade debut. Life is harsh on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter--and friendship--on an abandoned bridge that's also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys, and the four of them soon form a family of sorts. And while making their living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to take pride in, too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.”

Hashtags to Follow:

#OwnVoices

#DisruptTexts

#WeNeedDiverseBooks

Writing Mindset Reflection: How do we put diverse texts in front of kids? Please share any resources, ideas, or your criteria down below!

What to Read Now…