I haven’t read many books this winter. Maybe it’s because I’ve been busy writing or spending time with family. Maybe it’s because winter is hibernation season for me. Whatever the reason, as soon as I started reading Kacen Callender’s King and the Dragonflies, all my excuses flew out the window. I finished the book in one sitting.

Are you obsessed with Netflix comedy specials? Do you salivate at the mere thought of Korean barbecue? Are you, or have you ever been, a middle schooler? If you answered yes to any of these questions, do me a favor and grab a copy of Jessica Kim’s Stand Up, Yumi Chung!—a delightfully warm, deliciously funny middle-grade novel that is sure to get you smiling.  

Enjoy a book club with your friends outside for a socially distant summer activity!

Last night, Linda Sue Park was one of many wonderful speakers at the KidLit Rally 4 Black Lives, which was created by Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jason Reynolds. Having recently read Park’s latest book, Prairie Lotus (delivered to my apartment by the lovely Books Are Magic) it was so powerful to see her speak about the way Asians, especially East-Asians, can use the “power of white adjacency” to speak up to white people about racism against black people. Read on for my review of Prairie Lotus, and then, if you missed the rally, you can watch the entire event here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=248795633092755.

If you need inspiration while writing, create your own book-themed playlist! Making a playlist will energize you, offering continued inspiration for your story. You can include songs your main character would enjoy listening to and songs representing a specific character or chapter—whatever will get you get closer to your characters and capture the tone of your book. Check out my playlist for Pippa Park Raises Her Game!

I first read The Doll People by Ann M. Marlin and Laura Godwin when I was in elementary school. So when I was on tour a few weeks ago and the owner of Blue Willow Bookshop mentioned the title to me, a couple bells rang faintly in my mind. But I couldn’t quite put a plot to the name. Then, I saw the cover. Immediately, warm memories rushed back to me. Of course, I thought. How could I forget about The Doll People? How could I forget about green-haired Annabelle or the adventure of being cooped up in a single house? Whether you’re in a nostalgic mood like me or you’re someone who is just now encountering this charming series, The Doll People is sure to win you over.

Cake has always been one of my favorite desserts. Carrot cake, German chocolate cake, and, of course, the best of the best—birthday cake! In Remy Lai’s Pie in the Sky, the main character Jingwen makes an abundance of cakes. Every single one looked absolutely mouthwatering, but I didn’t have so much as a spoonful of frosting nearby! I’m already looking forward to a reread—and this time I’ll be huddled up in a bake shop.

Jasmine Warga’s Other Words for Home was recently named a Younger Readers Category Honor Book in the 2020 Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children’s Literature. Told as a prose poem, the book is full of beautiful and powerful language, and readers will find themselves immediately immersed in the life of a young Syrian girl named Jude.