In another shocking I can’t believe this is happening in the 21st century, the The Mcminn County School Board banned the Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel about the Holocaust.
The ban which is already garnering accusations of Antisemitism happened due to accusations of “crudity” within the seminal work. Apparently the inclusion of words like “God Damn” and “naked pictures” (illustrations) of mouse women were considered beyond the pale
No mention was made of the inhumane treatment meted out to the Jewish characters portrayed in the book.
I utterly condemn this move of cultural vandalism by an organization that is supposed to oversee the education of the children in the schools controlled by the board.
The School Board has released a statement via the schools Twitter feed doubling down on the ban, citing nudity and unnecessary language. You can read it below.
EMPATHY DEFICIT FOR LOCKDOWN GENERATION COUNTERACTED BY POWER OF READING
EmpathyLab launches its 2022 Read for Empathy book collection at a time when empathy has never been needed more. An expert judging panel has selected 60 books for 4-16 year-olds, each chosen to empower an empathy-educated generation.
The primary collection features 35 books for 4-11 year olds; the secondary collection has 25 books for 12-16 year olds. 43% of the collection are by authors of colours, and there are seven illustrators of colour. Many of the books help readers understand the lives of those experiencing tough situations, from becoming homeless, or a refugee. Others help children build their understanding of emotions or inspire positive action towards the climate or animals or people in their community.
To say that Comics are a gateway reading to ‘real’ books or that they are a way to ‘trick’ your small people into reading is to demean their true worth. Comics are a bone fide artform in their own right, reading comics and decoding images and text stimulates the brain more than reading text alone.
This is a *small* selection of comics that are recommended for all ages. This list will evolve and grow over time.
The series is an ode to adventure, fun, friendship, exploring, family and learning. The artwork is beautiful, the stories epic in scope yet focusing on humanity and growth. There is also a beautiful Netflix adaptation and a some novelizations (that I have not yet read, but they do seem to have fans).
Weekly subscription comic for readers aged 7 – 14 (& beyond) – many of the strips are also collected as graphic novels. A range of authors and artists work on this beautiful comic.
An achingly beautiful graphic novel about a young girl, her imagination, school, friendship, belonging and a spiral into terror with phantasms coming to life to steal her away for her creative spirit.
Illegal by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin & Giovanni Rigano
No punches are pulled in this gripping child’s-eye view of the refugee crisis. From Ghana to Tripoli and the perilous journey across the sea to safety in Europe.
High adventure and monster hunting collide in this epic tale of an orphan (& her loyal butler) who wants nothing more than follow in her parent’s footsteps and become a monster hunter.
Join Akissi and friends as they get up to all sorts of antics around their town in the Ivory coast. A funny, heartfelt and a very real look into the lives of children!
A high-octane, edge of your seats space opera featuring galactic empires, errant princes and a multi-generational bounty-hunting team in the middle of an intergalactic war.
A positive and uplifting book for young people who are queer or questioning – and their allies looking to support them.
In this empowering and uplifting book, award-winning podcaster Alexis Caught sets out to help queer and questioning teenagers explore their LGBTQ+ identity and understanding. Alongside the author’s personal experiences are first-hand stories from notable LGBTQ+ figures, providing an inclusive account of what it means to grow up queer. With chapters on questioning, coming out, friends and family, love and relationships, sex, shame, pride, being transgender and/or non-binary and allyship, this helpful, honest and heart-warming book is essential reading for any queer or questioning teen and their allies looking to support them.
I was excited to be asked if I’d like a review copy of QUEER UP, as I immediately thought of students of mine who have asked for books that do exactly what this does: answer questions, through advice and activites, about (basically) how to understand themselves…
To kick of the blog tour, I’ve been given the opportunity to share an extract from the very beginning of the book, part of the chapter on questioning:
Alexis Caught is the creator and co-host of the British Podcast Award-winning LGBTQ+ podcast Qmmunity, exploring queer culture, history and identity. He is also a mental health advocate, qualified psychotherapist, writer, speaker, model and rugby player. His writing has been featured in Attitude magazine and The Mirror along with the best-selling anthology It’s Not Okay to Feel Blue. His areas of passion and expertise are mental health, wellness and the queer community. On talking about the book, Alexis said this is the book that he “so desperately needed when [he] was 14.”
Walker Books will be donating 20p for every copy sold to Shout 85258, a free, confidential, 24/7 text support service for anyone in the UK who is struggling to cope, for which Alexis is an ambassador and trained mental health volunteer. 45% of young people who text Shout 85258 identify as LGBTQ+.
Jummy has won a place at the River School, the finest girls’ boarding school in Nigeria.
Nothing can dampen her spirits, not even when she learns that her less fortunate best friend Caro won’t be joining her. By the Shine-Shine River, school is everything Jummy dreamt of, with friendly new girls, midnight feasts and sporting prizes. But when Caro suddenly arrives at the school to work, not to learn, Jummy must bring all her friends together to help …
A joyful, glorious collision of classic boarding-school story with vibrant 1990s Nigeria, based on Sabine’s own experience of boarding school in Nigeria.
This really is a classic boarding school tale, with midnight feasts, friendships and rivalries, and mean teachers. It being set in Nigeria in the 1990s gives it another layer of interest for readers who may have never been there (or never seen it in a story), with a beautiful sense of place…and the potential for crocodiles in the river to cause trouble! I absolutely loved the descriptions of food and the voices were brilliant, with a story that highlights poverty and privilege at the same time as being about tested loyalties and the importance of friendship.
I asked Sabine Adeyinka a few questions:
As it is inspired by your experiences at a Nigerian boarding school, are many of the events things that happened in real life?
The place, emotion and setting are very similar to a regular Nigerian Boarding school in the 90s. However the actual story is completely fiction. I did have a friend who wasn’t able to continue her education after primary school and that stung. Her family just couldn’t afford it and there was nothing I could do at the time.
Which of the characters were you most like as a child?
A cross between Jummy herself and Rashidat (class clown) who appears once or twice.
Who was your favourite character to write?
Ngozi was quite enjoyable to write about as she was so contrary and determined. Owolabi was great too because he annoyed Jummy and that made me giggle when I wrote about him.
Jummy was discovered through the Chicken House open submissions, has the story changed much since that point?
The bulk of the story has remained the same but the strength and consistency (for example) of the characters greatly improved with the help of Chickenhouse.
Have you thought about the kind of events you would like to do with readers (imagining no pandemic!)?
Oh I’d love to sing the songs in the book with readers and create second verses. I’d love Q&A sessions as well especially about living and schooling in Nigeria.
What are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to?
Children of the quicksands by Efua Traore. It is a magical adventure also based in Nigeria. I’d recommend it to lovers of Jummy at the River School as it will enhance their understanding of what its like growing up in Nigeria.
Have you any further ideas for novels?
At the moment, all I can think of is more stories about the River School!
JUMMY AT THE RIVER SCHOOL by Sabine Adeyinka is out now in paperback (£6.99, Chicken House)
Thank you Chicken House Books for the review copy and Sabine for the q&a.
Do have a look at the official blog tour from last week!
