Waiting on Wednesday: The Whole Story of Half A Girl

The Whole Story of Half A Girl by Veera Hirandani

Release Date: January 10, 2012

After her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni, half Indian and half Jewish American, finds herself yanked out of private school and thrown into the unfamiliar world of public education. For the first time, Sonia's mixed heritage makes her classmates ask questions—questions Sonia doesn't always know how to answer—as she navigates between a group of popular girls who want her to try out for the cheerleading squad and other students who aren't part of the "in" crowd.

At the same time that Sonia is trying to make new friends, she's dealing with what it means to have an out-of-work parent—it's hard for her family to adjust to their changed circumstances. And then, one day, Sonia's father goes missing. Now Sonia wonders if she ever really knew him. As she begins to look for answers, she must decide what really matters and who her true friends are—and whether her two halves, no matter how different, can make her a whole


-Sounds like a very timely novel in these harsh economic times. This book sounds like it will thankfully be less about the struggle of being bicultural/biracial and more about the hardship of having an unemployed parent.

What are you waiting on this week? Do you know of other YA books that deal with unemployment in the present?

Under the Mesquite

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall 2011
Lee & Low Books

Rating: 4/5

IQ "I know he wouldn't purposely/hurt me; he's just venting/his frustrations,/So when I feel his anger/blowing my way,/I hold my breath and try to see through it. /But then the smoke burns my eyes/till they start to water,/and I know it's time to move-/find a clear spot/away from the smoldering coals." "What's Gone" Lupita pg. 111

Lupita is the oldest of eight siblings and so she is a huge help to her mother. Her mother tries to hide her cancer diagnosis from her children but Lupita discovers the truth and she is terrified by the very real possibility that she could lose her mother, the thread that holds their large family together. Lupita must take charge as head of the family while her father works and drives her mother to various treatment facilities, but her siblings won't cooperate with her and her class load is hardly manageable. If Lupita falls apart she fears the family will fall apart and she cannot allow that to happen.

Lupita's friends were bizarre. They jarred me so much that I couldn't get them out of my head even after they disappeared for a brief time from the pages. Her friend Mireya makes one horrid comment in the beginning of the book and I expected Lupita to stop being her friend. But she doesn't. Lupita seems to pretty much be a loner anyway so I could not fathom why she still talked to Mireya. It seemed unrealistic to me because I do not think anyone would remain friends with someone who made such an awful comment about their family. I also think that whether because it was free-verse or just short, it was hard to connect with the other characters. This is Lupita's story but when you have eight other siblings I can't help but feel that more notice should be taken of them. I also wanted to know more about her relationship with her father.

This novel is not driven by plot, it is driven by emotions and a series of small events in Lupita's life that affected how she is now. I think this book's strength lies in the fact that it focuses less on Lupita's mother succumbing to the disease and more on how her mother's illness affects Lupita and their strong mother-daughter bond. The mesquite grows in Lupita's mother's rose garden and at first her mother tries to remove it but eventually she gives up. Lupita and her mother are both stubborn and they book strive to see the beauty in pain and in ugly things. Lupita uses her mother's illness to help herself become a better actress, to inspire her writing. But her poems are not angst-ridden, instead they are thoughtful. This thoughtfulness is a theme for the author as more and more now I find myself able to applaud the ease at which an author includes Spanish and English side-by-side without offering the direct translation. Lupita is not babied and neither is the reader. I appreciated the little moments of joy that permeated throughout this novel. Like Lupita I was worried for their family and then something amusing or a border-line miracle would occur and we would both be reassured that maybe everything would be OK.

Under the Mesquite is a fast read filled with sublime poems that will make this book stretch out further because you want to go back and re-read the lines. Lupita's self-direction and courage are admirable qualities and we should only be so lucky to remain as steadfast as she does. She is not a saint, she lashes out at her siblings at times just like anyone else would. I admired her utter selflessness as her college funds and the college funds of her siblings were drained in order to pay for her mother's operations. I would do the same but it might take me a little more time to come around. To be perfectly honest though, while this book is lovely, it did not stay with me. I had trouble writing this review because I could not remember the small details in this book. Since this is a book that is all about the small things, the little details that change during the illness of a loved one, this is problematic. But that's just me.

Disclosure: From the publisher. Thank you so much Lee & Low!

5 Historical Novels I Wish Someone Would Write

For the first time in my life I am not enjoying my history class (European History) so to cheer myself up and rekindle my love of history I have begun looking for historical fiction to read once college apps/finals are done. My search led me to start thinking about what books I wish would be written about certain time periods. Maybe they will inspire an aspiring author!

1. Harlem Renaissance era story about a dancer. Or aspiring author who visits all the literary hangouts. Luckily for me I recently discovered Persia Walker, I got one of her Harlem mystery books from the library this week. But I'm not a big mystery fan (I don't think haha) so I would like a more general historical fiction book set during this time.

2. Eighteenth Century Enlightenment Salonniere-Salons were hosted by women and they were brilliant. The salons were gathering places for the leading intellectuals of the day and the women steered the conversation. Thus they had to be knowledgeable about a variety of topics. Tres cool! I was astonished at the lack of fictional and non fictional books about these amazing women. Granted this could only be about a person of color if it was steampunk but that would persuade me to try that new genre!

3. Spain during the Golden Age (Siglo de Oro) 15th-17th centuries. I just want to read a book about life during these times, prefarbly for the nobility. Or a fictionalized story about the famous Diego Velaszquez painting, Las Meninas. For some reason that painting intruges me.

4. Life in Paris for Black people post WWI-pre WWII. Many soldiers stayed in France because of the equal treatment they received. Was life really better for them there? Did they all intermarry or stick to Black women from the American forces?

5. Japan's Golden Age (1568-1618 I believe). I would love to know more about life for women during this time as Japan started to reform and Westernize.

As you can see golden ages fascinate me. Mainly because I hope to one day be a "Renaissance woman", someone with basic knowledge about a variety of topics and this often leads back to golden ages of society. Next week will be my 5 Contemporary Novels I Want Someone to Write!

Do you agree with these? Or better yet do you know of any books that pertain to this topic? What are your five historical novels you want someone to write?

New Crayons + Alan 2011 & Contests

New Crayons is my weekly roundup of books I received/bought for the week. It's hosted by Color Online, a group-run blog that I rarely post on now *is ashamed* Anyway, I urge you to join

ALAN 2011 was fabulous. Except for the fact that I missed almost all of it. Bascially school ruins everything. The three days before Thanksgiving break are known as "Hell week" because every teacher gives you a test and as a senior, 1st semster is make-or-break so I could not afford to take Monday and Tuesday off and attend ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents), which was held in Chicago this year. I am most upset that I missed meeting Francisco Stork, Jacquleine Woodson, Chris Crutcher and Matt De La Pena. There were many many authors I wanted to meet but those were my top four. I did leave school early on Tuesday in order to make my panel workshop and I was able to hear National Book Award winner Thannha Lai speak along with Beth Fantaskey, Michelle Hodkin and Katie Alender. Their presenation was about The Future of YA Lit and the future is them. It was amusing since they all said they did not realize THEY were the future of YA lit, they simply thought they were supposed to talk about what they thought the future of YA lit was. I was especially cheered when Katie Alender spoke about the future of YA lit reflecting racial diversity. I certainly hope so. An interesting tidbit I took away from the panel was when Thanhha Lai said that Vietnamese is similar to Chinese in that the language is all about images (I may be misquoting her so Vietnamese speakers correct me if I'm wrong since I failed to write down the correct quote!). As you can imagine this made writing quite difficult since she was channeling herself as a ten year old and her ten year old self thought in Vietnamese. Thus she struggled with writing this book because she didn't think in complete snetences, more like flashes of phrases. So she wrote her main character's voice like that and was surprised to learn she was now (according to Nikki Grimes) a poet.

Then it was my panel, "Teen Book Bloggers Forge a new Reviewing Model" while I am not the nearly an expert on this or the best book blogger to ask I hope I did a good job. I was on the panel with Maggie, Edi and it was moderated by Lyn. Unfortunately Maggie was really sick and thus unable to attend but she was there on paper and in spirit. Edi captured her voice (well I think so anyway but I've never actually heard her speak haha) as she read the answers Maggie wrote to the questions Lyn asked us, as teen bloggers. I am honored to have been on a panel with such brillant, creative and inspiring people. We had a good turnout and I thought it was really fun becuase our panel was more like a discussion between us and the audience which I preferred to simply a Q&A with the audience watching. I barely remember what I said but thanks to the awesome new-to-me blogger R Mauk from YA Book Bridges I have two quotes that she shared with me on Twitter from my presentation "reading is about opening doors" and "books are the first tools of tolerance." Classic lines that millions before me have said but it always bears repeating :) I was thrilled to meet B.A. Binns and Medeia Shariff. I met Medeia by chance but B.A. went to our panel. They are both so nice! Medeia and I commiserated over missing some great presentations (she arrived a day late) and talked about other literary conferences (she will be at the Miami Book Fair, I hope to attend BEA one day). B.A. Binns is so enthusatic, I love her spirit!

I was inspired to read Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (which was included in the ALAN box) after hearing the author speak and while I won't review it here, I will review it on Goodreads. I thought it was really good, I liked how it poked fun at vampire supersitions. There were some cheesy parts but I think that's to be expected when it's a romance. I also read Anna and the French Kiss, both of these books are ones that I read right away because I needed some levity. Many of the books I have to review right now are heavy heavy heavy and with college apps I can't handle that right now. So these books were a wonderful breath of fresh air. I might review Anna and the French Kiss because a secondary character is a poc. She's not extremely relevant but she's there. What do you think? Regardless it's a fantastic book, I understand the love 100%.

Books I received from ALAN (I believe there were 22 or so total. I will have a holiday giveaway due to having some extra copies of books and publishers keep sending me books that don't fit the theme of my blog so I need to give those away too). I'll post other ALAN books about people of color I received next week.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama.

For all the ten years of her life, HÀ has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by . . . and the beauty of her very own papaya tree.

But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. HÀ and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, HÀ discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape . . . and the strength of her very own family.

This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next.

-If I hear an author speak I try to read their book. Plus I WoWd this. I'm determined to read this book before the year ends.

This Thing Called the Future by J. L. Powers

Khosi lives with her beloved grandmother Gogo, her little sister Zi, and her weekend mother in a matchbox house on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. In that shantytown, it seems like somebody is dying all the time. Billboards everywhere warn of the disease of the day. Her Gogo goes to a traditional healer when there is trouble, but her mother, who works in another city and is wasting away before their eyes, refuses even to go to the doctor. She is afraid and Khosi doesn't know what it is that makes the blood come up from her choking lungs. Witchcraft? A curse? AIDS? Can Khosi take her to the doctor? Gogo asks. No, says Mama, Khosi must stay in school. Only education will save Khosi and Zi from the poverty and ignorance of the old Zulu ways.

School, though, is not bad. There is a boy her own age there, Little Man Ncobo, and she loves the color of his skin, so much darker than her own, and his blue-black lips, but he mocks her when a witch's curse, her mother's wasting sorrow, and a neighbor's accusations send her and Gogo scrambling off to the sangoma's hut in search of a healing potion.

-I haven't seen many reviews of this book but I'm eager to read it. I WoWd it awhile ago.

Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story by Kelly Milner Halls

What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of “hesaid/she said” stories—he tells it from the guy’s point of view, she tells it fromthe girl’s. These are stories of love and heartbreak. There’s the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flipside, the toxic girl who neverlearned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boyshe never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girlwho could help make it happen. Each story in this unforgettable collectionteaches us that relationships are complicated—because there are two sides to every story

-I hadn't even heard of this book (2012 release) but CHRIS CRUTCHER, JOSEPH BRUCHAC, CYNTHIA LETICH SMITH and RITA WILLIAMS GARCIA have stories in this anthology. Must-read asap

From publisher WestSide Books

Cracking the Ice by Dave Hendrickson

Delves into the perilous world of a black teen hockey phenom in 1968, during the highly charged Civil Rights era. Jessie leaves home for New Hampshire, despite misgivings of his parents and girlfriend Rose, to pursue his dreams at an elite, formerly all-white prep school, which he hopes will put him on the path to the Ivy League and NHL. He is realistic about encountering racist fans and opponents at his new school, but finds that he's in the most danger from his own teammates and coach, who clearly despises him based only on the color of his skin.

-I really really like hockey and there are four Black players in the NHL I believe so I look forward to reading about hockey back in the day and its issues.

BookWish is having a writing contest

write an essay of no more than 500 words about how the wishes in the story relate to the Darfuri refugees in eastern Chad. The stories were contributed for free by their authors so we could use the book's proceeds to develop libraries in Darfuri refugee camps. Essays will be judged on style, creativity, understanding of the story, and understanding of the refugees. If you win, either the story's author or the author's literary agent (as indicated below) will provide a one-page critique of the first 50 pages of a middle grade or young adult manuscript of your choosing

Authors giving critiques include Francisco Stork and Meg Cabot. If only I could write a whole manucsript/book!

Literacy Orgs I Love: Room to Read

I am a book lover, therefore I must be a passionate advocate for literacy for all. My current literary obsession is books about people doing amazing things for other people, basic human kindness. These books have given me tips on things I can do to help others besides donating money and I think one of the ways that I could possibly make a small impact is by highlighting literacy non-profits. I found some that I had never heard of before so maybe you will discover a new one that you want to donate your time/money to, but regardless all of these organizations are dedicated to spreading the love of books and education to all and who wouldn't support that? This will be a monthly post.

Today I am featuring Room to Read! All quotes and logos from http://www.roomtoread.org/

The phenomenal organization whose founder's autobiography, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World I reviewed on Tuesday.Their mission: Building educational infrastructure and providing educational opportunities in the developing world is not a simple task. Every country offers a unique set of challenges and advantages, every region has its strengths and weaknesses, every community has its own needs. For this reason, Room to Read employs local teams led by a local director in each country. Our local teams understand the needs of each country and each community. They speak the language, know the customs, and understand what it takes to implement each program successfully. They ensure that our programs are of the highest quality and meet their singular needs.

Room to Read builds libraries and schools and it has a special focus on giving girls a quality education. I think what makes Room to Read unique is that they stock their libraries with local-language books as well as the donated English-only books and they have a publishing program. Their Local Language Publishing program uses local writers and illustrators to create children's books for their libraries and schools. They sponsor workshops and competitions to encourage local authors and illustrators. I even cited this specific program in a college application essay about a cause I'm passionate about. For me it's simply not realistic to promote literacy for all only in English. We have to reach people in their native language first.

Furthermore I like how Room to Read is such an efficient organization. The founder John Wood is a former marketing director for Microsoft and he focuses on having a low overhead, engaging the local population and constantly updating donors ("investors") on Room to Read's progress. The staff is very engaged in the day-to-day operations and constantly visits it's various programs around each respective country. They are proactive. They have a plan and outline their goals. Room to Read also encourages students to get involved with a variety of fundraising ideas and awareness activities (I'm a BIG fan of the school/club read-a-thons).

And if you buy the book (published in 2006, the organization was founded in 2000) through Barnes & Noble 5% of the proceeds go to Room to Read.

Oh and I love their banners, like the one above

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children by John Wood 2006
Collins/HarperCollins

IQ "My favorite creative idea came from Parkgate, a Montessori primary school in London. Catherine, the energetic founder and headmistress of the school, called to say that her students had invented a new fund0raising technique. They offered their parents the opportunity to pay for what they called the Sponsored Silence. For 10 [I believe pounds] per hour, the parents could basically hit the Mute button on their children for the evening. Sales of this new luxury item were quite robust. [...]Children can be natural fundraisers, and very entrepreneurial, if given the freedom to think creatively." pg. 224

I found that quote especially appealing because I 100% agree, kids never cease to amaze me with their cruelty but then they outdo themselves with kindness, finding ingenious ways to raise money for a variety of causes. And I love the idea the children in London came up with. It got me thinking that something similar could be done in schools where students are particularly rowdy and they could raise money for those "with no voice" such as those incarcerated, victims of sexual and physical abuse, etc.

John Wood is the founder of RoomtoRead, an organization I was unfamiliar with until the fabulous Sarah Rettger recommended Wood's book to me. I'm so glad she did, it was fantastic! Room to Rea's goal is to promote literacy and provide an education to every child, no big deal. Currently they are based in Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India, Laos, Bangladesh, South Africa and Zambia. John Wood originally worked for Microsoft as a marketing director but after a hiking trip to Nepal where the illiteracy rate is 70% he was inspired to send books for a library. The Nepalese people were skeptical he would return but he did, bringing "thousands of books bundled on the back of a yak", shortly afterward he decided to start his yet-unnamed non profit organization to build libraries, schools and distribute books. This is his story and the story of the origins of Room to Read.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this story is the business model of Room to Read, even though Room to Read is a nonprofit. The author talks about how they relay on donations of all kinds, not simply the ones from billionaires. They insist the community they build the school/library in must take part in the building of the school/library, this way the community feels a deeper connection to it. I think that's a really great point that I have never heard mentioned by other non-profits. If people don't feel a sense of ownership they won't care, but give them some responsibility and people will create the best product they can. Classic business model, no? They also ensure that they have local staff and partner with local businesses/governments. I think more and more non profits are realizing that they need to consult with the actual people who live in the country they are trying to "reform/improve." It's very refreshing and reassuring. I loved reading John Wood's explanation as to why Room to Read tries to fund raise from more than large donors "there simply are not enough billionaires out there to solve all of the world's problems. True change requires mass participation, because one person writing a large check is never enough. He could change his mind about the cause, or make bad investment decisions that deplete his capital, or die and leave his money to his heirs rather than to charity. To rely on just one person is quite risky, especially when the future of millions of people is at stake. The larger problem is that too many of the truly rich are loath to give away their fortune in any meaningful way. [...he then goes on to say...] The Andrew Carnegie of the 21st century will not be a rich white male. It will be a network of concerned global citizens, and we will create it" (pgs. 151-152), he's ambitious, determined, and optimistic. In short, everything I would expect a business person to be (obviously intelligent as well) with the rarity of being truly about service.

The added bonus of this inspirational and productive story is the behind-the-scenes look at Microsoft. He doesn't spend a lot of time talking about Bill & Melinda Gates but he does mention a time when he met Bill Gates. It's not the most flattering portrait but the author makes apologizes for why Gates might have acted the way he did. What I found even more interesting was the author describing his interview with Melinda French Gates, who was Bill Gates' girlfriend at the time. The position he was interviewing for would be under her supervision and while it was brief mention, it gave a tiny peek at Microsoft in the earlier days. Something that wasn't mentioned but that I'm curious about, is if the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports Room to Read? Furthermore the author is very pragmatic but also very fair. Perhaps I found him to be very fair because I can be very harsh and critical of people who I feel have been given much but do very little (which I am working on), regardless it's a wonderful quality to have. He discuses telling his girlfriend Sophie about his trip to Nepal and how amazing it was to deliver the books and his idea to do something similar but she isn't interested. "I reminded myself that despite her international postings, her strong preference was for the glamour of the expatriate life in a big city like London, Prague, or Paris. Large paychecks, housecleaners, and a full-time driver on call could make any city feel even better than home. My desire to strap on backpacks and 'go walk about' in the developing world held no appeal to her. We were both 'international', but in very different ways. This does not make either of us a better or worse person than the other" (pg. 43), I want the best of both worlds but I'm slowly realizing that it's not possible but that's Ok. I would rather "go walk about".

Room to Read was founded in 2000 and what makes this literacy organization really stand out is that it's run like a business, but the businesspeople actually have compassion. Room to Read is trying to sell you the importance of gender equality and raising literacy around the world, they have a business plan. Please consider donating to them, I know I will be (I will donate to them before I specifically profile the organization this weekend). John Wood seized the moment and created a dynamic non profit and this gives him a super-hero quality. He has human qualities though, he has doubts sometimes. Wood discusses his wish to own a home, to stay in a long-term relationship, to have more money to devote to a few small luxuries but at the end of the day he loves what he does. If only we all could be so lucky. I wish I could work for Room to Read but I'm not so sure I'd make it past the first round, it's a very competitive interviewing process! Which is as it should be, we need the best and the brightest working with nonprofits to change the world. Fortunately we have Room to Read and John Wood.

Disclosure: From the library. I wish I had bought it though since proceeds go to Room to Read. I may still buy a copy because it's definitely a book needed for my shelf

New Crayons + Better World Books Giveaway Winner

I know I never officially announced the winners of my Better World Books giveaway but I did mail the books out to the winner already. Winner as in singular because I could not convince (apparently) my C. O. L. O. R. donors to enter the giveaway. So I chose to only select one regular winner. There will probably be another giveaway towards the holidays.

This is a rather old New Crayons because it's from when I checked my mailbox Halloween weekend. Yes it's been that long. I'm insanely busy. I sincerely apologize for neglecting the blog so much, especially since I have about 6 books to review. Without further ado


From publishers-Thank YOU!

Vanished by Sheela Chari

Eleven-year-old Neela dreams of being a famous musician, performing for admiring crowds on her traditional Indian stringed instrument. Her particular instrument used to be her grandmother’s—made of warm, rich wood, and intricately carved with a mysterious-looking dragon. When this special family heirloom vanishes from a local church, Neela is devastated. As she searches for it, strange clues surface: a teakettle ornamented with a familiar-looking dragon, a threatening note, a connection to a famous dead musician, and even a legendary curse. The clues point all the way to India, where it seems that Neela's intrument has a long history of vanishing and reappearing. If she is able to track it down, will she be able to stop it from disappearing again?

-Not only have I WoWed this book but I also had the lovely opportunity to interview the author

Circua Galacticus by Deva Fagan

Trix can deal with being an orphan charity case at a snotty boarding school. She can hold her own when everyone else tells her not to dream big dreams. She can even fight back against the mysterious stranger in a silver mask who tries to steal the meteorite her parents trusted her to protect.

But her life is about to change forever. The Circus Galacticus has come to town, bringing acts to amaze, delight, and terrify. And now the dazzling but enigmatic young Ringmaster has offered Trix the chance to be a part of it.
Soon Trix discovers an entire universe full of deadly enemies and potential friends, not to mention space leeches, ancient alien artifacts, and exploding chocolate desserts. And she just might unravel the secrets of her own past—if she can survive long enough.

-I was WoWing quite often about this book and even though the potential MG aspect of both books I received from publishers gives me pause for a second, in this case, it's DEVA FAGAN. So it doesn't matter what age group she writes for in my book.

From the author

Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress (Ash Mistry Chronicles, #1) by Sarwat Chadda

Release Date: Spring 2012

Weaves together contemporary and mythological India, about British-born Ash, whose father is offered a dream job in India, and discovers something is very wrong with mysterious millionaire Lord Savage, finding himself in a desperate battle to stop Savage’s master plan--the opening of the Iron Gates that have kept Ravana, the demon king, at bay for four millennia.

-How excited am I for this book? I won't list all the reasons but there are many many. I will also do a WoW post for this book, probably in March/April. This book is the first book I plan on reading for Christmas break. afjlakdjfkadfa I'm beyond stoked! Thank you so much Mr. Chadda =D

What new books did you get this week? Have any 2012 YA (YA ONLY for now. Next week I will ask for MG) releases for me to add to my slowly-growing list?