FRESH INK is a collection of short stories edited by Lamar
Giles, a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. The text is dedicated in memory of Walter Dean
Myers and includes a one act play by him as well as stories by Jason Reynolds,
Gene Luen Yang (in graphic form), Melissa de la Cruz and several other YA
authors. The stories feature plenty of
name calling and bullying as well as some genuine heroes who find their
voices. Overall, a truly diverse set of
characters are represented and provide much needed perspective as they deal
with more universal events (a best friend moving away, finding oneself at college,
and fitting in). A favorite submission was “Super Human” by Nicola Yoon. FRESH INK received starred reviews
from Booklist and School Library Journal. ADDED: Educator's Guide from the publisher.
This anthology was one of several new publications featured
by Random House Children’s Books at SLJTeen Live! earlier today. Other exhibitors included
these vendors: Annick, Candlewick, Diamond, We Believe in Comics, Junior
Library Guild, KCP Loft, Little Brown, Penguin, Scholastic, Skyhorse and
Tutor.com; plus, sponsorship was provided by other major publishers. This was
the seventh annual conference and I think I have attended most of them – there are
always great presentations and keynotes, too. The theme this year was Speaking
Truth to Power and the sessions dealt with topics such as Mental Health; Creativity
and the Arts, Detoxifying Masculinity, and more. I am excited about following
up on book titles (future reviews coming) and many blogger suggestions to help
with Readers’ Advisory. The Teen Activism and the Passive Programming panels had great
ideas, too: “Social Justice Begins with Me Book Club,” Read Woke Challenge, Peace Crane Project,
breakout boxes and chalkboard response walls are just a few.
