
A Not-Recommended E-Book: THROUGH THE HIDDEN DOOR by Rosemary Wells
You know how kids can be cruel? Cruel kids are the opening for this novel. A group of cruel boys is throwing rocks at a dog that belongs to ...

What I Like about Eric Gansworth's IF I EVER GET OUT OF HERE
America--or any nation--celebrates moments and events in its history that show that nation in a good light. Noting those moments is importan...

Books by Native Authors at Bus Boys and Poets
I was in Washington D.C. last week. When I'm there, I try to get over to Busboys and Poets and check out the books they have in the book...

Cynthia Leitich Smith on Gansworth's IF I EVER GET OUT OF HERE
While I'm working on my review essay about Eric Gansworth's If I Ever Get Out of Here , here's what Cynthia Leitich Smith had to...

THE BROKEN BLADE, by William Durbin
An individual responsible for curriculum in a Wisconsin school district wrote to ask me about The Broken Blade , by William Durbin. Durbin...

A Native Perspective on Francesca Lia Block's CHEROKEE BAT AND THE GOAT GUYS
Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat is a much acclaimed book. When published in 1989, it was hailed as groundbreaking, primarily for its i...

"Indian American" in Francesca Lia Block's PINK SMOG
A few days ago, I wrote about Francesca Lia Block's now-classic Weetzie Bat. Although I appreciate that the gay relationship in it was ...

WEETZIE BAT by Francesca Lia Block
Years ago I started reading Weetzie Bat but put it down, in part, because of these passages in the first few pages of the first chapter (not...

New blog: DE COLORES: THE RAZA EXPERIENCE IN BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children is a new blog, just launched a few days ago. De Colores is moderated by Beverly Slap...

Navajo Nation's First Poet Laureate: Luci Tapahonso
Does your library have Luci Tapahonso's Blue Horses Rush In on your YA or adult fiction or poetry shelves? Is her Songs of Shiprock Fair...