Throwback Thursday: Seeing Emily

Seeing Emily by Joyce Lee Wong 2005
Amulet Books/Abrams

Rating: 3/5

IQ "Perhaps the more familiar someone is to you the harder it is to separate her from the person she is to you, and the harder it is to see her as a person in her own right." pg. 204 ("Sleepover")

A free-verse novel that tells the story of sixteen-year old Emily, one of three Asian students at her Richmond, Virginia high school. Emily loves her parents (as their only child they are fiercely protective and doting) and has always obeyed them until she meets Nick, a junior transfer student who seems to have an interest in her. She's not allowed to wear make up or date, but she's actually considering going against her parents wishes. In addition she is growing more and more passionate about art and while her mother encourages it, she also offers advice, advice that Emily doesn't really want. Emily wants to make her own path, through her artwork and her relationships, she needs space from her family. But a trip to Taiwan might just change her perspective on everything and everyone.

The most unsatisfactory element of the book is Emily's relationship with Nick. I don't know if part of the problem was the fact that the novel was in free-verse and so I felt as though there was less dialogue but I wasn't buying their relationship. A transfer student, a year older than Emily, sees her suddenly in the hallway and decides to be extra friendly? Emily describes herself as plain (I no longer have the book so no exact quotes) and I think their relationship would have been more plausible for me if they started as friends. But no, they just started going out. I didn't understand where this story was going. this is my fault but I expected Taiwan to happen much sooner, instead it occurs towards the end and I didn't think those scenes were particularly well-developed. I didn't close this book thinking I had just glimpsed life in Taiwan in the 21st century. Not only was the relationship between Emily and Nick not described in much detail, her relationships with her family and friends were bare. I didn't understand the disconnect between her and her parents because they so rarely communicated. I would venture a guess as to that being why Emily has issues with her parents but to me her parents were never that unreasonable and when they did have a few strict rules, they never spoke them, it was just clear from their expressions (described by Emily). I would have liked more dialogue between all the characters. I was really through when *SPOILER: Highlight to read* WHY DID EMILY NOT TAKE NICK TO TASK for the geisha/exotic comments, etc? Yes he was ignorant but I felt some pity for him because Emily basically broke up with him for no reason. She should have explained why. You can't just ignore a person and hope they'll go away.* End of SPOILER

The free verse works superbly when it's just Emily narrating. Her voice is quiet but her use of metaphors, especially when describing her little epiphanies or her artwork are vivid and make her voice seem stronger. However I'm not sure I would finish this book thinking Emily became stronger. A tiny thing that I loved was how Emily's mom supported Emily's love of painting. From my personal MG/YA reading experience I've found that Asian mothers tend to not want their children to focus on the arts merely for enjoyment, they either push them incredibly hard or discourage them. Emily's mom strikes a nice balance, she loves to paint and she offers advice, but she was never overbearing. I wish I still had a copy of the book (or had thought to write the quote down) but there's a quote that goes something like 'Chinese mothers want their sons to become dragons and their daughters to become phoenixes.' LOVE

Seeing Emily's strength lies in the clear and expressive adjectives used to provide details about herself and her artwork. This novel fell flat for me when it came to the secondary characters because I felt as though they were ignored. The author didn't focus her wonderful way with words on the minor characters and Emily's relationships with them so I was left with a fuzzy view of them. I wish Emily's trip to Taiwan had been explored in more detail and had occurred sooner (and I was secretly hoping that China vs. Taiwan would be touched on but I don't hold that against the book). I was happy with one of the core issues between Nick and Emily. Happy isn't the right word, I was just pleased that the topic of how we view guys and girls from different cultures was addressed (except for the end-see spoiler). Read this book for the eloquent poetry, but there will not be much of a plot or significant character development.

Disclosure: From the library

Waiting on Wednesday: If I Could Fly

If I Could Fly by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Release Date: May 24, 2011

Fifteen-year-old Doris is used to taking care of herself. Her musician parents have always spent more time singing in nightclubs than watching after her. But when her ailing mother goes home to Puerto Rico to get well and pursue a singing career there, and her father finds a new girlfriend, Doris is more alone than she’s ever been. Disconnected from her family and her best friends, who are intertwined in terrifying relationships with a violent classmate, Doris finds refuge in taking care of homing pigeons on her apartment building’s roof. As Doris tries to make sense of it all, she learns that, just like the pigeons, she might have to fly far distances before she finds out where she belongs.

-The cover says the characters are from a previous short story collection, An Island Like You. I haven't read it (yet) and I doubt I'll have time before this book comes out so hopefully it will be easy to slide right into these characters' lives. I have a love of Puerto Rico and it's culture (even though I've never been) so I can't wait to read more about Puerto Rican culture. It's been a really long time since I've read a book with a Latino main character :( I really like the warm tones of the cover and Doris' triumphant pose.

What are you waiting on this week? Are there any YA/MG books with Latino main characters that I MUST READ this summer?

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

PS Why does spellcheck freak out when the word Puerto Rico pops up? It acknowledges Puerto but not Rican. Weird! They should recognize country names. Just like AOL Mail does not accept Latina. Bizarreeeee

Blog Tour Guest Post: Malinda Lo on Changes

Last night I finished Huntress. I had been reading it very s-l-o-w-l-y and that pace was oh so worth it. You need to in order to better appreciate Malinda Lo's fantastic worldbuilding and her phenomenal way with words.

My question to Ms. Lo was on the book of Changes aka the I Ching. In following that theme I wanted to know what changes she wished to see in publishing. As you will soon see I took the 'Changes' in the Book of Changes literally but that's not exactly correct. Regardless, I'll let the much-more eloquent and fabulous Malinda Lo explain.

My new novel, Huntress, is a young adult fantasy inspired by many aspects of Chinese culture, including the I Ching, which is a foundational work of Chinese philosophy. The I Ching (or Yijing, as it is romanized in pinyin) is often translated into English as the Book of Changes, and for this guest post, Ari asked me to write about some changes I'd like to see in the publishing industry.

While the I Ching is indeed about change, it's not exactly about change in the way that many people in our society think about it. So I'm going to ask you to bear with me for a minute while I briefly explain what the change in the Book of Changes is about.


Here are a couple of quotes from An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy by JeeLoo Liu, which I found to be a great resource for the basics about the I Ching as well as Daoism and Buddhism, which were also key influences in the world I created in Huntress:


“What Yijing teaches is that we need to adapt our conduct in accordance with your changing relations to the environment. Even if we do not change, other people and other things are constantly changing. Therefore, adapting to changes is far superior to ignorant persistence.” (Liu, page 31)

“Nothing is fixed forever. Neither the good nor the bad will last long. What one needs is a keen perception of the incoming development. If one sees where one is in the whole progression of events, then one can take appropriate action either to enhance the trend when it is auspicious, or to alter it, at least to slow it down, when it is inauspicious.” (Liu, pages 33-34)

What this means is that change is inevitable. Your task as an actor within the world is to adapt to that change, and to make decisions on how to act given the broader context. An individual does have freedom of choice, but that freedom is situational; it is limited by the situation the individual is in.

Now if that's not too confusing, let me explain how I fit into the grand scheme of publishing within this philosophy!

I am one person — one agent or actor — within a web of other actors that include editors, publishers, literary agents, other authors, booksellers, librarians, readers, book printers, ebook manufacturers, and any other actors that have anything to do with book publishing. I can certainly make choices about what I do within this industry. I can choose to write about lesbians, as opposed to straight people. I can choose to write about people of color, as opposed to white people. I can choose to be frustrated by the lack of diversity on bookshelves in general, or I can choose to co-found Diversity in YA (www.diversityinya.com) with my friend Cindy Pon.



A lot of people are upset about the lack of diversity on book covers in the YA department. A lot of people are angered by those who seek to remove books that include queer people from libraries and schools. A lot of people feel like they're up against a monolithic corporate giant (the book publishing industry); they see it as a David vs. Goliath situation (to borrow an analogy from an entirely different faith).

I absolutely have been upset, angered, and made to feel like I can't make a difference. But I also know that change will always happen. It is inevitable.

Your hair grows without you even noticing. Once I was terrified of saying "I'm gay," and now I can say it easily. Once the United States was predominantly white; now, it is 35% non-white, and it's estimated that by 2050, whites will be a minority.

There are changes happening within the ecosystem of the publishing industry, too, which is part of the broader web of human society. In addition to adapting to changing technology, the publishing industry will have to adapt to the changing demographics of its readers if it wants to stay in business.

Every actor within the industry can make decisions about how he or she will act in their situation. I want to see an industry that invests in stories about people of color and LGBT people, so I am choosing to act in ways that will contribute to that. I am hoping that projects like Diversity in YA can raise awareness of the fact that readers exist who are diverse, and who want to read about a diverse world.

I want to enhance the trend of diversity in YA publishing, because I believe it truly is auspicious. Everybody reading this post can help enhance that trend, too. I hope you'll join me in taking action that does exactly that.

Thank you so much Ms. Lo! And stay tuned for my Huntress review later this week.

Finding Family

Finding Family by Tonya Bolden 2010
Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers

Rating: 3/5

IQ "'People like to talk about how the truth set you free. Truth can come with burdens.' [Grandpa]

'But Grandpa, is a burden worse than mystery?'" Delana pg. 106

Twelve year old Delana has been raised by her quiet Grandpa and her talkative Aunt Tilley. Her mother died giving birth to her and she knows little about her father. And while Aunt Tilley talks plenty, she has nothing to say on the subject of Delana's father. Aunt Tilley has a Book of Bewares, detailing all the things Delana must avoid (boys, fairs, peeling a potato, certain kinds of clothes etc). Aunt Tilley does teach Delana about her family ancestors, they look at photos everyday. However when Aunt Tilley dies, Delana learns that Aunt Tilley may have mixed up family history and that everything is not as simple as it appears. Delana finally feels free enough to start slowly enquiring about her parents...

The ending was unsatisfactory. Delana sends a postcard to a certain family member but the book ends before she gets a response. I didn't think I had enough of a grasp on the personality of that family member to be able to decide how they would have responded. As a lover of historical fiction I wanted to know the exact time period the story was set but it's not clear, only that it's the early 20th century. The biggest problem I had with the book is that there is no plot and the problem is exacerbated by the lack of development of the characters (except for the main character). The book starts off slowly and there's a bit of mystery about halfway through the book, but if I wasn't the type of reader who has to finish every book (and who loves historical fiction) I probably wouldn't have finished it. It's too short of a book for there to be no plot or development of the other characters (for example the story between Grandpa and Miss Ida is predictable but so little mention is made of Miss Ida that it came off seeming random).

The most appealing part of this book is the concept behind it. The author collects photographs and gradually decided to write a story based on the photos she found. Delana is drawn to the photos and she imagines their stories and personalities based on how they appear in the picture. Delana has a voice. As the main character, I was relieved that she at least had some significant character development. At first, Delana accepts everything her Aunt Tilley tells her, once she dies, Delana feels lost. "Why didn't Ambertine just lay everything out for me, like Aunt Tilley and now Miss Ida laid out my clothes. What did Ambertine want me to decide-and want me to want?" (pg. 94) Delana feels lost without her Aunt Tilley not just because Aunt Tilley was fiercely protective of her and had lots of rules for her to floow but also because Delana's grandfather basically ignored her. Once Aunt Tilley has passed away, Delana is essentially all alone since her grandfather rarely talks to her. It's rewarding to see Delana growing more confident in herself. She works up the courage to talk to her grandfather along with other adults in her secret-filled family.

Finding Family suffers from little plot (and the little there is develops very slowly) and second dimensional characters but Delana as the main character avoids being presumptuous, instead she is refreshingly average if not a little timid. Her timidity/naivete are understandable since she's been reared by a domineering woman and once Aunt Tilley is gone, both her grandfather and herself are rather stupefied. Delana's growth is shown and that makes the book much more interactive. Plus learning about the members of Delana's family through the photos included makes this book unique and kept me turning the pages. Through the stories of Delana's family, more unusual (or at least less-well-known_ aspects of the Black experience are presented, reaffirming that there is no one universal Black experience. However, my guess would be that if you don't like historical fiction, you wouldn't be particularly drawn to this book. I wish though that we could have delved deeper into the stories of Delana's relatives (especially Ambertine, Emma and Grandpa).

Disclosure: Received from Lyn. Thank you <3

Waiting on Wednesday: Chain Reaction

Quick note about C.O.L.O.R. I will be partnering with a new librarian/library starting in May. More details to come but save some money/coupons ;D

This meme is hosted by Breaking the Spine

Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3) by Simone Elkeles

Release Date: August 16, 2011

Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn't live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he's never known, and just when he thinks he's got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?

-Not gonna lie I devoured the first two books in this series. I'm looking forward to this twist though, a 'good' guy falling in like (love?) with a 'bad' girl. The cover is a bit cheesy but it matches the other two perfectly and I think it's really attention-grabbing (if not a bit embarrassing to be seen walking around with, haha).

What book(s) are you eagerly anticipating the release of? Any romances in particular?

New Crayons + MIA

I'm trying to slowly work my way back to writing reviews but it's more difficult than I anticipated. It's not that I haven't read some good books, I just can't seem to write a review that satisifies me. Or I find an excuse not to write an review. *sigh* I need to pull it together. I should have some more reviews of this week, but no promises. On the bright side, summer is almost here thank goodness! I don't even care if we don't have summer weather, I just want no school. Whose with me??

New Crayons is hosted by Color Online (which I've also neglected =/)

From the publisher-Little & Brown

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless adventure story in the classic tradition of The Wizard of Oz. In the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest. -

This strikes me as a MG classic so I'm happy that I finally got a push to start reading it. I absolutely cannot wait to start reading since I've read nothing but rave reviews :)

The Prince of Mist by Carlos by Carlos Ruiz Zafron

A mysterious house harbors an unimaginable secret . . . It’s wartime, and the Carver family decides to leave the capital where they live and move to a small coastal village where they’ve recently bought a home. But from the minute they cross the threshold, strange things begin to happen. In that mysterious house there still lurks the spirit of Jacob, the previous owners’ son, who died by drowning. With the help of their new friend Roland, Max and Alicia Carver begin to explore the suspicious circumstances of that death and discover the existence of a mysterious being called The Prince of Mist— a diabolical character who has returned from the shadows to collect on a debt from the past. Soon the three friends will find themselves caught up in an adventure of sunken ships and an enchanted stone garden, which will change their lives forever.

-I think this might end up being an off color review because I don't think the main characters are of color. Not a big deal but for some reason I had thought they were? Sounds deliciously creepy!

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Sean Qualls

In a small upstate New York town during the Great Depression, three children—Hibernia, Willie, and Otis—are about to meet. Hibernia dreams of becoming a famous singer and performing at Harlem’s swanky Savoy Ballroom. Willie is recovering from a tragedy that prevents him from becoming a junior boxing champ. Otis spends every night glued to the radio, listening to the voices that remind him of Daddy and Ma. Each of them is looking for hope, and they all find it in the thrilling boxing matches of young Joe Louis. They know Joe has a good chance of becoming the country’s next heavyweight champion. What they don’t know is that during this unforgettable year, the three of them will become friends. Award-winning and bestselling author Andrea Davis Pinkney masterfully tells a story of friendship and determination, set against the backdrop of America’s golden age of radio.

-Another historical fiction book for young readers that covers a different time period! I've started reading it already, I'm almost done in fact. The '30s always depressed me and this story is very sad but there are rays of sunshine.

What new books did you get this week? And I'm curious, how do you get your books? Do you buy them, swap them, trade?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of the things around here. This meme is hosted by Breaking the Spine

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui

Release Date: May 25, 2011

One of Tsutsui's best-known and most popular works in his native Japan, The Girl Who Leapt through Time is the story of fifteen-year-old schoolgirl Kazuko, who accidentally discovers that she can leap back and forth in time. In her quest to uncover the identity of the mysterious figure that she believes to be responsible for her paranormal abilities, she'll constantly have to push the boundaries of space and time, and challenge the notions of dream and reality. -

I admit what first drew me to this novel was the gorgeous cover. It's a bit stereotypical but I can't look away! adfkjaldkfja. But how fascinating does this summary and title sound? One of the first science fiction YAs I've ever been excited for! And it will most likely be my first translated work.

Has anyone read it in the original Japanese? What May releases are you looking forward to this week?

Worst Impressions

Worst Impressions by K.L. Brady 2011 ARC
LadyLit Press

Rating: 3/5

IQ "How many people in the world would be happier for you than you'd be for yourself?" Liz pg. 244

A retelling of Pride & Prejudice with an all Black cast. Wait. Let's just take in this *moment* A quality Jane Austen retelling that features a diverse cast. The first of its kind and it's for the YA set, for the girls who at this age are usually first introduced to Jane Austen. I don't want to digress too much but NONE of my Black friends have read Jane Austen, neither has my mother nor her Black friends. I'm going to 'go out an limb' and assume that it's because teachers don't think we would be interested in Jane Austen and/or we don't have any interest in reading about a lilywhite 19th century English world where everything ends happily and the dialogue is a bit hard to follow and the romance is seemingly chaste. I'll leave it at that but I'm definitely writing a future post about this. I'm not even that big a Jane Austen fan myself. I've read 5 of her 6 books (including Pride & Prejudice) but I don't have undying adoration for any of them (Pride & Prejudice comes close as does Sense & Sensibility, I'm not a romantic so Persuasion doesn't do it for me but that might be changing...) *ahem back to review!*

Liz Bennett is an excellent basketball player whose mother won't let her play on the team. In fact, there's very little her mother will let her do, besides push her to get good grades and STAY AWAY from boys. Her mother has her hands full trying to make sure Liz, her older sister Jeni and her two younger sisters Kat and Lydia. Kat and Lydia are boy-crazy, Jeni gets all the boys but doesn't care and Liz just wants a nice guy. But they all question her sexuality due to her basketball prowess and baggy clothes so she doesn't give many of them a chance (or they just aren't worth talking to). Enter Trent Whitman, who really likes Liz and actively pursues her. He compliments her often and Liz might even go all the way with him someday. Then there's Darcell Williams the handsome star football player who insults Liz in front of everyone at Homecoming. He's a jerk and he knows it. It's only after a Bennett family crisis that everyone's true colors are revealed and maybe first impressions are right, maybe they're wrong.

There were some Pride & Prejudice updates I liked, some I didn't. I didn't like the Trent storyline. I felt that it was trying too hard to connect Worst Impressions to Pride & Prejudice and the whole thing ended up being unbearably dramatic. In fact that was a main theme of this story, lots of over the top drama and cheesy dialogue. I wanted to tell all the characters (parents and teens) to just take a breath, it's not the end of the world. What was most disappointing was the end. The romance was so fast and suddenly Liz was IN LOVE. Then we have to fast forward to the college decision process. However while I disagreed with a certain character's choice, I do think that some teens would do that (but it's a mistake I think to pick a school based on where your boyfriend or girlfriend is going). Furthermore while Mr. Darcy can say some rude things, I don't think he compared to Darcell. Honestly there were no redeemable qualities about Darcell in my opinion, which was disappointing.

All that being said, I laughed out loud so many times reading this book. SO MUCH FUN! Liz is quick to bring the quips, snappy comebacks abound. You also can't help but laugh at how easily avoidable and/or very dramatic certain situations seem to be. Liz's voice rings true and it resounds off the pages, full of life. Her reactions and actions were genuine, she didn't try to act overly brave or tough, she was at the happy medium.
"'You got me? You live in the same neighborhood I live in. You don't know a dang thing about the ghetto. What're you gonna do, hit 'em in the head with a football?' [Liz]

'I saw Boyz in the Hood three times'
'Why didn't you say so before? Now I feel safe...not'" (pg. 212) That line set me giggling until I shortly thereafter came to the next amusing line.. "'Who is it?' Trent yelled
'No esta aqui' I hollered back.
Okay was it stupid to yell, 'I'm not here' in Spanish from the wrong side of the door? Absolutely. But I was scared shitless and couldn't think of anything else to say. Seconds later, the door opened." Liz (pg. 212) Besides Liz having a strikingly real voice, I liked the twist on Mrs. Bennet. She goes from one extreme in the original P&P (trying to marry off her daughters) to the next (trying to keep her daughters from discovering boys their own age, especially athletes). Mr. Bennet was true to the original, doting on his daughters and steering clear of his wife.

Worst Impressions is one of I hope many more to come Jane Austen retellings with a diverse cast. This book will probably make more teens laugh out loud then the original...While at times the author's attempts to make the retelling work in modern times seemed to be a bit of stretch (see Trent storyline), at others time it worked (the parents, Liz's quick wit). If nothing else read this book for the humor alone, especially for teenagers who recently took the ACT and/or are preparing for the SAT or AP tests....

Disclosure: Received from author for review (with lots of excitement on my part)

PS Another great line "His diarrhea-brown skin turned seven shades of white, looking like a Twilight reject." (pg. 3) Realistic? No. Did I howl with laughter when I read it? YES

Elated Over Eleven: Candy Gourlay

This interview for my Elated Over Eleven feature is a bit different from others in the past. Both Candy and I were astoundingly busy (obviously she more so since she's the fairly newly published author!) so it took awhile for this interview to come together (that was entirely my fault). However we were able to have a bit more of a back-and-forth discussion :)

Tall Story was released in the UK back in 2010 and made it's U.S. debut on February 8, 2011.

Welcome Candy!

What is Tall Story about?

Tall Story is about a brother and a sister separated by visa problems. Bernardo, in the Philippines, is desperate to join his family in the UK - but how is he going to tell them that he's grown to eight feet tall? Basketball-mad Andi, in London, can't get into any basketball teams because (a) she's a girl and (b) she's tiny. Who's got the bigger problem? Then there's Bernardo's village who think Bernardo's extraordinary growth spurt has something to do with a giant of legend who saves them from earthquakes.

How did you break into publishing (was it easier to get published in the UK than the U.S.)?

I don't know what trying to get published is like in the US but I suspect it might be a bit like the UK - it took me nine years to get published. At the beginning I realized how little I knew about the industry - and how much I had to learn about writing books for children. I joined the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators in the British Isles. In 2008, I won the SCBWI's inaugural Undiscovered Voices anthology competition which led my agent to sign me. Having an agent meant Publishers were more open to reading my work. But I still had to write a book that they wanted to buy. Tall Story was that book.

I'm no expert on publishing but the process sounds the same to me, long and arduous! SCBWI sounds like a wonderful organization and I love how they seem to have chapters EVERYWHERE (or at least in many parts of the world) XD

Did the magical realism aspect of the story (i.e. Filipino mythology interspersed in the story) come first or did you originally set out to make it a story about a short girl who loved basketball who met her giant cousin?

My original "what if" stemmed from remembering how I felt like a freak in high school (I felt big and bulky compared to my petite classmates). Then I thought, well what if you really were "freaky" ... what if you suffered from gigantism? A while back, I was afraid to put Filipino characters into the books I was working on because I was afraid that no publisher would want to publish me. But an agent told me that I had to put my ethnicity into my writing - she felt it was part of my unique selling point as a writer. And then I remembered stories my father had told me when I was growing up in the Philippines about a giant named Bernardo who caused all the earthquakes. I think it is the mythology that gives Tall Story a certain uniqueness .

What book would your book date?

It would have to be Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce - a beautifully written, funny book about a boy so tall he is mistaken for an adult and manages to get away with adult stuff (like taking cars on test drives and later, going on a space mission!). I just love the Cottrell Boyce's humour - and the way he can bring out the essence of what really matters in his character's relationships.

You mentioned in a previous interview that you felt your ethnicity was a barrier to being published. Do you have any advice to authors who might feel the same way? And do you still view it as a barrier, why or why not?

What a good question. Someone like me who is culturally "other" - I was born and bred in the Philippines - have higher hurdles to jump. Not because of any racism but because we are operating outside our cultural norm. If my book were only to be published in the Philippines, I would have written it in a completely different way. But because I am trying to appeal to readers from both my native and my adopted homes, I worked hard on trying to create archetypes and reflecting the universality of our experience. I wanted my book to be something that someone from any country would read and say, "Oh that's exactly how I feel" at the same time, it's such a responsibility because I want Filipinos to read it and get all the nuances I injected from our culture. I felt like I was holding up a mirror to Filipinos and hoping that they like what they see.

I like how you said someone of color has higher hurdles to jump, not because of racism but because we are going outside our cultural norm. Interesting thought and I agree. Never would have thought to express it that way on my own, but it seems right. Or at least, it's not blatant racism, a lot it just has to do with white privilege and perhaps not remembering that we need diverse stories. when i was writing Tall Story, i kept thinking about how Filipinos would respond to the story. Filipinos have no representation whatsoever in children's books outside the Philippines - i talk about holding up a mirror ... what if they hate what they see? we Filipinos are very sensitive to how we are seen by the world, and all the stereotyping that happens (Filipino? are you a maid? - someone actually said that to me once) is hurtful and damaging to our self esteem as a nation. so ... yes, there's immigration in Tall Story, but it's just a backdrop to characters who I hope capture that sweetness and generousity that (I feel, anyway) characterizes our people. one of my fears as an unpublished writer, was that my Filipino-ness would stand in the way of getting a book deal. who would've thought that it would become my USP? Diversity goes two ways - sure, the white majority who influence the children's book industry needs to acknowledge that there is a rainbow of other people out there. but is the rainbow being true to itself? I wrote an entire novel with only white characters because I wanted to get published. I thought, writing is about "Write what you know", isn't it? So the colour of my character's skin doesn't matter. Then a literary agent told me such a book would be difficult to sell because it had nothing of the author in it. Which made me think, oh, so I will never ever get published. Then I read a book on plotting by James Scott Bell - he said you can't be content with just write what you know - you have to write who you are! And how amazing to find out that it's true. Tall Story was published to amazing acclaim in the UK - the most visited page on my website is my About the Philippines page. The Philippine Embassy in London liked the book so much they held a party in its honour. And I'm just thrilled that there will be some kids with Filipino heritage out there (my own included) who will point proudly at my book and say, "Hey there's a bit of me in there"!

I can think of ONE YA book with a Filipina main character. How pathetic. Now I know of at least two, baby steps. A party thrown by the Philippine Embassy in London? How cool! And what an incredible honor.

What are some of your current favorite YA reads? What fellow '11 debuts are you looking forward to?

I can only list the best of what I read recently - a few are old titles and one of them isn't technically YA but should be read by teenagers!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

When I was Joe and its sequel Almost True by Keren David

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean

A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda

Which two PoC (people of color) characters would you love to hang out with?

Billi Sangreal, the sword wielding heroine of Sarwat Chadda's Devil's Kiss, which combines Islamic mythology with the mythology of the Knight's Templar - she's got a bit of Buffy with an Asian aesthetic! Am I allowed to say my character Bernardo? He's just so loveable and I'd like to mother him ... If I'm not allowed my own character then it's got to be Bud (of Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis) - I know, it's a book from a while back but I adore Bud. I want to cook him a Filipino meal. I'll bet he'll love a bowl of pansit (noodles).

Absolutely Billi and Bud! No saying your own characters ;) I can't wait to meet Bernardo though. Bud was always hungry so I'm sure he'd appreciate any kind of food, but especially food cooked with love (and more unique than what he's used to). Hmm I've never had Filipino food but now I'm hungry.... As for Billi, I have undying love for those books. It's one of my most bookish regrets that there will not be a Billi #3 to further explore the Islamic mythology.

What is one issue you have with Middle grade fiction?

It's not an issue but a question. Are we really reflecting the experiences and sensibilities of our readers?

What is something you love about MG? I love the fantastical worlds of MG fiction ... Harry Potter's universe, the Mortal Engines world.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

my website is tallstory.net and i blog on http://candygourlay.blogspot.com on twitter, i am candygourlay and do come check out my page for Tall Story on facebook!

BUY TALL STORY :) Thank you so much Candy!

Waiting on Wednesday: You Don't Have a Clue

I think this may have been the longest period of time in which I haven't posted. I'm so behind on books I need to read it's ridiculous. BUT I'm babysitting this week and I'm taking Huntress with me because I might cry if I don't get to start reading it soon :) And I deserve it because the ACT is this Saturday. Ugh

Moving on, this meme is hosted by Breaking the Spine

You Don't Have a Clue: Latino Mystery Stories for Teens, edited by Sarah Cortez

Release Date: April 28, 2011 When two gun-toting hoodlums tell the fourteen-year-old narrator of Rene Saldana's story, "The Right Size," to kiss the floor, he doesn't think twice. And his dad and younger brother drop to the floor just as quickly. "This guy Jimmy probably thinks Dad is the greatest threat among the three of us, but he s dead wrong. Dad couldn't hurt a bug," the boy thinks. In the ensuing twenty minutes, he learns that his dad isn't as weak as he thought, and in fact, his dad is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family, even if it means killing someone.

The teens featured in these stories deal with situations typical to all young adults, including attraction to the opposite sex or to the same sex, in one story and first sexual encounters, problems with family and friends, academic and personal aspirations.

But they also deal with every kind of thrilling situation imaginable, from missing girls to kidnappings and dismembered bodies. A young girl finds herself living with her "family," though she has no memory of them or who they claim she is. A geek at a prestigious public high school finds himself working with his very attractive arch-rival to solve the mystery of a severed, bloody arm that appears inexplicably in his locker. And Mike s life sucks when his parents split up, but it gets worse when his best friend is abducted by a thug shot by Mike's dad, a police officer. There's something for everyone here, with aliens, ghosts and even an Aztec god making appearances in these stories. Set in schools and communities from New York City to Venice Beach, California, the protagonists reflect the breadth and diversity of the Latino authors included in this innovative collection.

Published authors such as Mario Acevedo, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Diana Lopez and Sergio Troncoso appear alongside less well-known authors who deserve more recognition. With an introduction by young adult literature expert Dr. James Blasingame of Arizona State University, this collection is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the last page is turned.

How cool does this collection of stories sound? I've only heard of one of the authors mentioned in the summary but I'm really excited to discover (hopefully) some interesting new-to-me authors. I've never read a lot of mystery books, Nancy Drew was about it (although I loved spy stories so I read a lot of those) along with the Lupe Solano Detective series (which I'm way behind on, but my library doesn't have the next one). I do wish the cover wasn't so generic, I had hoped for something reflected an universal aspect of Latino culture. Ah well.

What are you waiting on this week? Do you like mysteries? Know of any authors of color who write mysteries (besides Walter Mosley!)?