POC Fall In Love Too

     I consider myself lucky that my office is in the library at the middle school where I work. When students come in to look for books, I often find myself talking to them about books, suggesting books, or helping them find books. If you know me at all, you know how much fun this is for me!

     This week a student came in looking for a book. I asked her if I could help her find anything specific and she said no, she was just looking at books to see if she found something she liked. 

     "What was the last book you read that you liked?" I asked her. 

     "Everything Everything," she explained. "And then I saw the movie this weekend." She liked the movie and thought they did a good job even though some parts were different from the book. 

     I asked, "What did you like about Everything Everything?"

     She paused. And then she admitted, "The romance."

via GIPHY

     I squeed. That's the only and best word to describe my reaction. 

     It's not often that a student comes in looking for romance and it happens to be my favorite genre. I've read all the books in The Princess Diaries series, all the books in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, tons of Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Perkins, Elizabeth Eulberg, John Green, Jordan Sonnenblick, and David Levithan. 

     Aisle to aisle, I scanned the shelves, thinking of some of my favorites, spotting others that stood out to me, handing them to the student until she had a stack to look through. 

     Not one of them featured a person of color as a protagonist.

     There is a Latinx character in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants...but it hit me right in the gut that I didn't have a book to give her that was about a person of color falling in love. Maybe if I had taken a little more time to search, I would have come up with one but none stood out to me as I went through the stacks.

    In the last year or so I've read Yaqui Delgado Wants To Kick Your Ass, Gabi, A Girl In Pieces, Piecing Me Together, The Hate U Give, and Always and Forever, Lara Jean, the third book in Jenny Han's To All The Boys I've Loved Before series and Always and Forever, Lara Jean is the only one that truly stands out to me as a contemporary young adult romance....though there are elements of romance in others. 

     Obviously, I'm aware of the We Need Diverse Books campaign and the need for people of color to be represented more in children's and young adult literature. I get it. But when I had a student standing in front of me wanting to read one of my favorite genres and I couldn't come up with more than one or two books with a protagonist who was a person of color, I wanted to cry.

     People of color fall in love just like white people fall in love.

     We fall in love too.

     We need more romance books with people of color as the protagonists.

     Now I'm on a mission to find contemporary young adult romance books with protagonists who are people of color for this student and for myself. I'm going to buy books if I have to but I'm determined to give her books that feature protagonists who are people of color.

Rich In Color has a list of YA Reads with POC-Centric Romances and I compiled a list here from my research of recently published or soon to be published. I haven't read any of these yet so if you have any thoughts to share on these or others I should add, please share in the comments. 

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena

In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet with stories by Jennifer L. Armentrout, 

Sona Charaipotra, Dhonielle Clayton, Katie Cotugno, Jocelyn Davies, 

Nina LaCour, Emery Lord, Katharine McGee , Kass Morgan, Meredith Russo, 

Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi, Julie Murphy

Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

King Geordi the Great by Gene Gant

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan

American Panda by Gloria Chao

Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi

That Thing We Call A Heart by Sheba Karim

Again, I haven't read any of these books so please let me know if there is one here I should bump to the top of my stack to read or others I should add!

*Update*

Suggested titles from Twitter:

You Bring The Distance Near by Mitali Perkins

I Believe In A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

Solo by Kwame Alexander

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
Fire In The Streets by Kekla Magoon

A World Away

Title: A World Away
Author: Nancy Grossman
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: July, 2012
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: A summer of firsts: Sixteen-year-old Eliza Miller has never made a phone call, never tried on a pair of jeans, never sat in a darkened theater waiting for a movie to start. She’s never even talked to someone her age who isn’t Amish, like her.
A summer of good-byes: When she leaves her close-knit family to spend the summer as a nanny in suburban Chicago, a part of her can’t wait to leave behind everything she knows. She can’t imagine the secrets she will uncover, the friends she will make, the surprises and temptations of a way of life so different from her own.
A summer of impossible choice: Every minute Eliza spends with her new friend Josh feels as good as listening to music for the first time, and she wonders whether there might be a place for her in his world. But as summer wanes, she misses the people she has left behind, and the plain life she once took for granted. Eliza will have to decide for herself where she belongs. Whichever choice she makes, she knows she will lose someone she loves.
What I Think: While reading this book, I felt like I was sneaking a peek into a world that I didn't know much about. I was ignorant about the ways of the Amish before this book. I knew they had no electricity and they dressed in bonnets and dresses, but the extent of my knowledge ended there though this is also where my fascination began. Usually I find myself learning the most from historical fiction novels and I extend that knowledge by jumping on the internet and learning more about the history. This book did just that, but about a contemporary topic. I loved learning about their culture. Nancy Grossman allowed us a glimpse into their peaceful and anything but plain lifestyle. Though their lives seem so out of reach for us, isn't it just a culture about family, God and relationships?
     This morning, I was also talking to my sister and found that it wasn't only a peek into Amish culture, but into the head of any 16 year old girl as well. I think this shows how truly the same people are even if they seem different. There are parts of the book that, pulled out from the Amish context, could connect to anyone- family, identity, love, etc.
     For a debut novel, I was very impressed. It was well written, a great plot arc that kept me reading, good research and well rounded characters. I adored the ending that, though resolved, leaves you with a feeling of hope, and I loved being part of Eliza's adventure. It is, underneath it all, a coming of age story about a 16 year old girl filled with trials, tribulations, romance and hard decisions.
     Would be a great book to read in conjunction with the study of the Amish culture (cross curricular with social studies?).
Read Together: Grades 10 and up
Read Alone: Grades 9 and up
Read With: From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas
Snatch of Text: "He reached inside his carriage and pressed a small package into my hands. Gently tearing away the newspaper wrapping, I smiled at the wood carving nestled in my curved fingers.
     "I made it," Daniel said, but I already knew that. I recognized the gleaming finish, the soft curves. It was a small nest with a bird rising from it, wings spread and head turned to the side. The bird's feathers were etched in tender lines, and the nest was a complex tangle of woven twigs. I cradled the carving, letting my fingertips roam across the different textures...
     "Enjoy your journey, Eliza," he said. "Then come back to your nest." (p. 75-76)
Mentor Text for: Plot development, Research
Writing Prompts: Eliza finds herself in a completely new situation in A World Away, what is a time where you found yourself discovering something new or not knowing what to make of a situation?
Topics Covered: Amish, Family, Love, Identity, Banishment

I *heart* It:

**4.5 Stars**

Romance-y Novels (for Kids & Teens)

I hope you and your significant other (or you and your friends for my single readers) have a wonderful day! 

Now, I must start this post out with honesty- 

Romance novels are very much one of my book gaps. I find that many of them are poorly written and that I just don't enjoy reading books where only romance is the focus. I do enjoy when my books have romance in them, but I just don't like it to be the main story line. With that being said, I did want to share with you some romance-y novels that my students and I have enjoyed on this day when loved is celebrated. 

Middle Grade

Teen

What are your favorite romance-y reads?

The Survival Kit

Title: The Survival Kit

Author: Donne Freitas

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication Date: October, 2011

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: When Rose’s mom dies, she leaves behind a brown paper bag labeled Rose’s Survival Kit. Inside the bag, Rose finds an iPod, with a to-be-determined playlist; a picture of peonies, for growing; a crystal heart, for loving; a paper star, for making a wish; and a  paper kite, for letting go.

As Rose ponders the meaning of each item, she finds herself returning again and again to an unexpected source of comfort. Will is her family’s gardener, the school hockey star, and the only person who really understands what she’s going through. Can loss lead to love?

What I Think: Rose's mom makes Survival Kits for those who need reminding of the good things in life. After she passes away, Rose finds a kit that her mom made for her. At first Rose avoids looking inside. Then, when she finally looks inside she finds a mix of things that at the moment don't mean much, but she knows will lead her to finding a way to make it without her mom. 

This book was perfectly put together. I read it in one sitting. Sometimes I worry when a book begins during a tragic event and has no back story, but with this book it didn't matter. Though it begins with Rose's mother's funeral, her mother is very much a part of the book. 

I was surprised when the book ended up being a romance. I wouldn't say that it is the central plot in the book, but it is definitely a big part. Mostly the book is about grief, so I didn't see the romance coming, but I felt that it worked how Donna Freitas did it. It helped that I LOVED the young man that Rose loves too. 

And an additional plus in the book is the play list at the end of the book. I will probably reread the book with the intention of putting each song with an event in the book. I'm also hoping to make the playlist so I can listen to them when I get there. I can't wait to have this amazing experience with this book.

Read Together: Grades 7 to 10

Read Alone: Grades 8 to 12

Read With: Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume, If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones, This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen,  The Mailbox by Audrey Shaffer, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

Snatch of Text: 

 "Lately my father was a fragile glass picture frame and I was the stand: solid, steady, ensuring that he didn't topple over and shatter." (p. 25)

"My beautiful Rose, 

I remember when my own mother died how it seemed the whole world went dark. Everyone is different of course, but I hope I can offer you some wisdom as you get used to life after I am gone. There is no order to this. Just a collection of things I want you to consider, to think about, that I never want you to lose, my daughter, my rose. Do your best to humor your mother one last time.  My one and only piece of advice: use your imagination! Always. It's such a gift. I love you heart and soul. 

Mom." (p. 36)

Mentor Text for: Characterization, Plot Development

Writing Prompts: Survival kits are kits for people when they are going through a hard time. Think of a time you were either depressed or scared- what things could have been in a survival kit for you? Now, think of a friend or family member- what would you put in their survival kit? 

Topics Covered: Depression, Music, Grief, Love, Friendship, School, Death of a parent, Surviving 

I *heart* It: