ROLLING STONE’S 40 BEST YA NOVEL

Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian – Sherman Alexie

Speak – Laurie Halse Andersen

Naughts and Crosses = Malorie Blackman

Forever – Judy Blume

Shipbreaker – Paolo Bacigalupi

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – Ann Brashares

Beauty Queens – Libba Bray

The Princess Diaries – Meg Cabot

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

Gingerbread – Rachel Cohn

The Hunger Games Series – Susan Collins

Vivian vs. the Apocalypse – Katie Coyle

(Vivian Apple at the End of the World)

Romiette and Julio – Sharon M. Draper

If You Could Be Mine – Sara Farizan

Monster – Walter Dean Myers

The House of the Scorpion- Nancy Farmer

The Fault in Our Stars – John Green

Born Confused – Tanuja Desai Hidier

The Outsiders – S. E. Hinton

Firecracker – David Iserson

The Summer Prince – Alaya Dawn Johnson

Alice, I Think – Susan Juby

Boy Meets Boy – David Levithan

Adaptation – Malinda Lo

Legend – Marie Lu

The Knife of Never Letting Go – Patrick Ness

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen – Susin Nielsen

The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix– J.K. Rowling

How I Live Now – Meg Rosoff

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Saenz

The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger

Grasshopper Jungle – Andrew Smith

The Raven Boys – Maggie Stiefvater

(You) Set Me on Fire – Mariko Tamaki

Code Name Verity – Elizabeth Wein

Uglies – Scott Westerfield

Miracle’s Boys – Jacqueline Woodson

I am the Messenger – Marcus Zusak

D IS FOR DIVERSITY (IN KIDLIT)

IS FOR DIVERSITY.

For the last month, the diversity topic has been the conversation at the water cooler. Especially, if you are a Kidlit writer. After an article written by Walter Dean Myers in the New York Times
, more writers are evaluating their work while others are crying “reverse discrimination.” For me, I have always felt that there is not enough books with diverse characters. I love to read. So as long as I have a good story, I am okay. But it would be the icing on the cake if I could find books with people of color.

After reading the article and commenting, I was contacted on Facebook by a editor of a small press. This editor created Kids of Color Children’s Books. I call it KOCCB. It is a Facebook group with writers, teachers, librarian, authors, and those who would like to see more books with people of color being distributed and circulated. Our world is changing. America is a melting pot. It is important that we do not leave anyone out. So if you are looking for books written by authors of color, check out Pamela M. Tuck, Aliona Gibson, Kelly Starling Lyons, Don Tate, Crystal Allen, Dr. Zetta Elliot, Jacqueline Woodson, Walter Dean Myers, Tracey Baptiste, and others.