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Saturday, November 17, 2018

The Power of Female Protagonists - Seeing is Believing

I'm in Houston this weekend for the NCTE Annual Convention. It's been amazing so far and I'm excited for today and my two sessions. One session is on innovative non-fiction and the other is called "Becoming the Leaders: The Power of Female Protagonists to Empower All Student Voices." I already know it's going to be a fantastic conversation with Molly Brooks, Alex Gino, Mae Respicio, Laura Shovan, and Linda Williams Jackson.
I'm honored to be part of this amazing group and can't wait for the conversation we are going to have. On the plane ride here to Houston, we had a female pilot. I overhead a woman on the plane say, "And we had a female pilot. I've didn't know there were female pilots. I mean, I knew there were, but I didn't really know."

It stood out to me because I could hear the importance of representation and believing something when you see it. I couldn't remember ever having a female pilot before so it made me stop and think too. There is power in seeing yourself. There is power in seeing a variety of people and knowing truly seeing that each person is unique and valued and in then truly seeing that you are unique and valued.

Below I have a list of recommended reading to share from the amazing authors that I'll be talking with today: Molly Brooks, Alex Gino, Mae Respicio, Laura Shovan, and Linda Williams Jackson. My contribution is this wonderful video from Bomba Estéreo. Their song Soy Yo is a celebration of being yourself and a reminder to love who you are. I hope you enjoy it!


Recommended Reading
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai
Ernestine, Catastrophe Queen by Merrill Wyatt
Evangeline of the Bayou by Jan Eldredge
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
George by Alex Gino
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve
The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio
The Laura Line by Crystal Allen
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson
The Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
Nadya Skylung and the Cloudship Rescue by Jeff Seymour
Patina by Jason Reynolds
Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate & Sword by Henry Lien
Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks
A Sky Full of Stars by Linda Williams Jackson
Skylark and Wallcreeper by Anne O’Brien Carelli
Spin the Golden Lightbulb by Jackie Yeager
Takedown by Laura Shovan
The Unforgettable Guinevere St Clair by Amy Makechnie
Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung
The 11:11 Wish by Kim Tomsic

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