April has been Stress Awareness Month in the UK, soI thought I’d share with you this book for teenagers about looking after their mental health that I was sent earlier this year by Scholastic
How Not to Lose it, written by Anna Williamson and illustrated by Sophie Beer
Anna Williamson is a TV presenter and has written for adults, as well as being an ambassador and national spokesperson for Mind, The Prince’s Trust, and Childline, and working as a counsellor for children and young people.
contents page
The book covers lots of issues that will affect the emotional and mental health of most teenagers: including school, families, friendships, sex and sexuality, and the dreaded puberty, and things that can be affected: such as body image, self-esteem, and fears. To make the book accessible it is set out really nicely with illustrations by Sophie Beer, and it includes some real actions that readers can take to improve situations.
Toxic friendship is well covered in the ‘Just be You’ chapter
There are also some other brilliant mental health books for teenagers around at the moment (not to mention the excellent fiction dealing with mental health issues, or simply the fact that reading a book is good for you…). I’m also a fan of the Usborne Looking After Your Mental Health book, and Nicola Morgan has written lots about it, for teens and their grownups!
The Little Rebels awards shortlist was released whilst I was away, and it is a fantastic bunch of titles for children (aged 0-12) which “promotes social justice or social equality, challenges stereotypes or is informed by anti-discriminatory concerns.”
Government propaganda, militarization, misjudged Western ‘aid’ and the UK’s participation in the slave trade are just some of the themes highlighted by this year’s shortlist for the Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction.
Small, independent publishers figure strongly on the shortlist, including titles from HopeRoad and Lantana Publishing. Anne Booth makes her second Little Rebels Award appearance (Girl With A White Dog was shortlisted in 2015) and former Little Rebels Award judge, Catherine Johnson, is shortlisted for her historical fiction novel, Freedom, an account of the UK’s role in the slave trade which takes the 1781 Zong Massacre as its cue.
The full Little Rebels Award 2019 shortlist (for books published in 2018) is: Across the Divide by Anne Booth – Catnip Publishing Freedom by Catherine Johnson – Scholastic The Ghost and Jamal by Bridget Blankley – Hope Road Publishing The King Who Banned the Dark by Emily Haworth-Booth – Pavilion Children’s Books The New Neighbours by Sarah McIntyre – David Fickling Books Running on Empty by S E Durrant – Nosy Crow Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadaan – Lantana Publishing
War and conflict are recurrent themes while receiving very different treatments: Across the Divide explores the pacifist movement and the militarization of local communities; picture book, Tomorrow (by Nadine Kaadan who moved to London following the onset of the Syrian conflict), portrays civil war through the eyes of a family forced to stay indoors; The Ghost and Jamal exposes young people as the real casualties of wars and critiques Western charitable ‘interventions’ in conflict zones. Two of the shortlisted titles foreground disabled characters as significant voices and agents: The Ghost and Jamal’s protagonist has epilepsy and AJ’s parents in Running on Empty have learning disabilities. Durrant’s novel, set in Stratford (London), stars a working-class family struggling under the pressure of financial hardship and a welfare system ill-equipped to support them. Picture book, The New Neighbours, hints at themes very familiar to previous Little Rebels Award shortlists -the treatment of refugees and pre-conceptions about new arrivals- while the protagonist of the third picture book on the list, The King Who Banned the Dark, is an autocrat who instills obedience in his citizens through imagined fears. Fen Coles, Co-Director of Letterbox Library, said of the shortlist: “From a king who bans the dark to a tower block community fearful of the ratty (!) newcomers, the Little Rebels Award shortlist demonstrates again that weighty topical themes can be brought to the youngest minds in ways which are playful, provocative, thoughtful and fun. Social divisions, conflict, the rise in far right parties and ideologies, threats to democratic rule as well as very home-grown human rights abuses such as the Windrush scandal are all ‘live’ topics which children are hearing about through ubiquitous social medias. The Little Rebels titles continue to offer young people and children texts to help them navigate, question and make sense of the fractured world which surrounds them”.
From the press release
I’ve seen all except 2 of these so will have to seek them out, what I’ve seen/read though is fantastic. Do have a browse of the award’s site for the history, past winners, and current judges! The winner will be announced on 10th July.
I reviewed High Rise Mystery last month and enjoyed it so much that I asked to send some questions to Sharna Jackson!
Hi Sharna, thank you for agreeing to undergo
the Third Degree!
What or who were your influences when writing?
How did Nik and Norva come into your head?
I loved the idea of transposing classic mystery
genre conventions and seeing what happened to them when placed in a
contemporary, city setting. I was thinking about Sherlock Holmes,
Poirot, The Thin Man, books by Kathrine Woodfine and my lovely editor
Robin Stevens, but also TV programmes like Luther, films like Attack
the Block and the Nothing Beats a Londoner Nike ad.
Nik and Norva are both a bit like me. I love
shaving my hair off and being practical like Nik, but I can also be
dramatic and excitable like Norva. Norva is actually named after a
ceramist I met in The Hague in the Netherlands at her exhibition one
day. She was very cool.
What made you decide to pitch a murder mystery
to a young audience? Was there anything you consciously toned down
because of it?
Alongside the thought of murder mystery in the
city being interesting, I was also keen to see young black characters
being sleuths – being clever and cunning.
I did tone down some of gory aspects of finding
Hugo’s body. I took it a bit too far.
How did it come to be published by KnightsOf?
I knew David Stevens from conferences – and
Twitter – and was delighted that he and Aimée Felone – his
business partner – had launched Knights Of. What a fantastic thing!
I had been speaking to them about other matters and one day they
said, why don’t you write? I thought about it for a hot second, said
yes and pitched High Rise Mystery to them. I described it to them as
“PIs in the Projects, they sent back two black girl detective
emojis and that was that.
In your day job you’re concerned with social
engagement in the arts. Is The Hub, or indeed any character, based on
places or people you have worked with?
The Hub is based on community centres I’ve seen
across the UK – flexible spaces used by people in the area to use.
I’m the Artistic Director at Site Gallery in Sheffield, and have
worked with museums and galleries across the world, and have met some
interesting people. Hugo is definitely an amalgamation of some people
I’ve met along the way!
What do you think is most important about
community spaces such as The Hub, and how are they faring in the face
of austerity?
Community Spaces are incredibly important as they
allow people in the immediate areas access and spaces to use in ways
that are directly relevant to their needs and wants. Unfortunately
austerity has a knock-on effect on everything – especially the
arts. There is less funding for artists, and less money for the
public to spend on events.
What are you reading at the moment and who
would you recommend it to?
I’m just about to start Ghost by Jason Reynolds –
can’t wait!
Have you done any author visits to schools
and/or libraries yet?
Not yet – my first visit is on Thursday 11th at
the Basil Griffith Library in Sheffield and then Waterstones Durham
on Saturday [13th April]. I’m excited – and nervous!
Several months ago I started researching how to offer multi-sensory story-times in my library. Mid-way through my preparations I changed library services and now this work is on hold for a few months while I find my feet again in a new position. In the interim I am making the resources I have been collating available, on the off-chance that they will assist others with an interest in extending their library services and story-times.
A series of gripping adventures that reflect the authentic, unsung stories of our past.
The series so far!
Last year Scholastic announced the launch of their new series of books, Voices, a series bringing to life BAME figures from British history, who’s stories are rarely told. I have been lucky enough to be sent the first two, both of which are fantastically paced, evocative, believable, heartbreaking, exciting, thought provoking, rage-inducing, and full of historically accurate information ripe for discussion. They are both brilliant stories in their own right, I expect to see them on topic reading lists in primary and secondary schools and in every school library, and I am really looking forward to finding out what is next in the series!
The world is at war and standing on the shores of Dunkirk, a young Indian soldier fights in defence of a Kingdom that does not see him as equal. “My trust in the kindness and decency of others ended. It seemed I had reached a point of no return...”
Bali Rai’s Now or Never
Bali Rai wrote the first, Now or Never: A Dunkirk Story, about a period of time that every British school child has to learn about, but an aspect of that historical event that has been brushed under the carpet by the history books. Faz is one of hundreds of Indians that volunteered to join the British army during WW2 and who were then so badly treated. Scholastic interviewed him about it here. It has been out since January.
When Eve and her mother hear that one of the African divers sent to salvage the Mary Rose is still alive, and that another wreck rich with treasures lies nearby, they set out to find him.
“The water was my destiny. I knew it…I breathed in slowly and slipped over the edge of the boat into the water.”
Patrice Lawrence’s Diver’s Daughter
The second book is Diver’s Daughter: A Tudor Story, from Patrice Lawrence, makes it clear that black people have been in Britain for a lot longer than the Windrush generation, and focussing on another oft-taught about feature of English history: Henry VIII’s flagship, Mary Rose. Her author’s note says she didn’t want to focus on slavery, but it is definitely clear that people of African descent were not safe despite it being illegal on English soil at that time. It is being published in May, look out for it.
Diver’s Daughter brought to mind Catherine Johnson’s many (and brilliant) historical novels…maybe she’ll do one of the future books in the series (fingers crossed)?
A passive programme that I have found to be very successful is setting out a mug containing jokes on the service desk.
It has been attracting library patrons of all ages and has a dedicated band of followers who now come in on a regular basis just to pick up a joke.
If you are interested in testing it out, all you need is a mug/cup and a discrete sign advertising hat is on offer. You can collect a range of jokes and reuse them as statistically people would grab a different joke each time.
For those of you who may not have the time to hunt down jokes suitable for all ages I have a selection available to download below.
From debut author Justin A. Reynolds comes Opposite of Always, a razor-sharp, hilarious and heartfelt novel about the choices we make, the people we choose and the moments that make life worth reliving.
When Jack and Kate meet at a party, he knows he’s falling – hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack.
But then Kate dies. And their story should end there.
Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do to save the people he loves.
I was given a copy of OPPOSITE OF ALWAYS at the CILIP YLG London Macmillan event in January, it was one of the books they told us about that I loved the sound of, so when I was given the opportunity to ask Justin some questions for the blog I rushed it to the top of my TBR pile, and boy am I glad I did! It isn’t your classic YA love story, it isn’t your classic teen angst story, but it is your classic teenager trying to deal with what life throws at him. Jack is a great protagonist, making terrible decisions and bad jokes while his family and friends stick by his side through thick and thin (so refreshing). It is funny and moving and totally engrossing, and I finished it in a day.
Hi
Justin, welcome to TeenLibrarian and thank you for giving up
your time to undergo the third degree!
‘Opposite
of Always’ is your debut novel, was it a long journey to publication
or was it snapped up?
Great
question. The answer is actually a combination of both. Opposite of
Always is my third or fourth completed manuscript, after drafting my
first back at university; so, yes, it’s been a long journey in that
sense. In fact, at one point, right before beginning this draft, I’d
considered giving up writing altogether. Of course, now I’m glad I
kept going. Once my agent took the story out on submission with
publishers, we had immediate interest the very next day, and it was a
whirlwind from there. I was very fortunate.
Do
you still have a day job? How have you managed writing time?
Currently,
writing is my day job, which is something I’d always dreamed
of—writing full time. I do often think of my former occupation,
though, with a special fondness; I was a registered nurse and had the
privilege of assisting so many awesome patients get back on their
feet. It was a very different job than writing, but both revolve
around stories, on shaping a narrative. And both require a great deal
of humility and empathy.
What
has been the best thing so far about being published?
The
best thing has been the opportunity to meet so many fantastic people!
The young adult book community, as it turns out, is smaller than I
thought; which has been nice because it’s afforded me the chance to
get to know other writers. They’ve shared their personal stories of
perseverance with me and they’ve given me great advice throughout
this entire journey; it’s been a tremendous (and unexpected) help!
You
say in your introduction that it is your “refusal to say
goodbye” to lost loved ones. Did you find yourself using any
real memories in the story or is it all fictional?
So,
I actually struggled with the idea of writing a story that stemmed
from those personal losses. I wasn’t sure that I had the right to
include those personal memories because they were no longer around to
share their opinions; because of that, I did not use any specific
memories in OPPOSITE OF ALWAYS. But the characters are certainly
composites of people that I love; people that have loved me.
Jack
has extremely supportive parents, something often missing in YA and
very much missing from his friends’ lives, was that the case from the
very first draft?
I
love this question! The answer is yes! It was absolutely the case
from the very first draft. There were a couple of things about this
story that I knew from the beginning
beginning—one was that Jack’s voice would be the focal point, and
another was that he would have a very loving and dynamic support
network—the center of which would be his parents. Not only was it
important to me that their love for Jack be front and center, but
that their love for his friends would feel the same. I think much of
the parents’ instincts to love and support Jack (and company) stems
from their deep (and sometimes super affectionate haha) love for each
other.
You
reference ‘Groundhog Day’, were there any other time travel
influences that you’d recommend?
I
love the movie ‘About Time’! If you haven’t seen it yet, please
do yourself a favor and correct that immediately!
What
are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to?
I
just finished a great book called ‘Let Me Hear a Rhyme’ by
Tiffany D. Jackson; at first glance it may appear to be a departure
from her previous work—stories intent on drawing attention to the
disregarded and giving voice to the overlooked—but at her newest
novel’s core is the same heart and urgency present in all of her
stories. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves music, values
friendship, and enjoys superb storytelling.
Any
plans to come to the UK?
I definitely want to visit the UK! Is this an invitation? 😀
I’m afraid we can’t stretch the budget to airfares, but I know a lot of librarians that would definitely love to meet you if you do come over!
OPPOSITE OF ALWAYS is out in the UK on the 4th April 2019.
