Today’s post offers a review of ANNEXED·by Sharon Dogar and suggests pairing it with NO CRYSTAL STAIR by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.
(Note: this is part of my “If I were a librarian” fantasy in which I would always … Read more
Who else is thinking about race in fiction AND has battled evil garden invaders?
The answer is…. Justine Larbalestier* (psst, that asterisk means “see memorial footnote below”)! On her blog this week, she has a great post about handling race… Read more

No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson is yet another proof that Carolrhoda Lab is pushing boundaries in diverse ways. Here’s a description of this “documentary novel of the life and work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem bookseller”:
“You can’t walk straight on a … Read more

A week ago I did a general post on historical fiction. Today I want to add that historical fiction is a way to preserve (or imaginatively recreate) stories that have gone unrecorded. I’ll give you an example of what I … Read more
Reading the Kirkus list of best YA historical fiction and best children’s historical fiction from 2010 ups my desire to write a historical novel.
There are so many amazing stories and settings from the recent and distant past that are … Read more