Download or read book The Poet X written by Elizabeth Acevedo and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-03-06 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Pura Belpré Award! Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth. Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent. “Crackles with energy and snaps with authenticity and voice.” —Justina Ireland, author of Dread Nation “An incredibly potent debut.” —Jason Reynolds, author of the National Book Award Finalist Ghost “Acevedo has amplified the voices of girls en el barrio who are equal parts goddess, saint, warrior, and hero.” —Ibi Zoboi, author of American Street This young adult novel, a selection of the Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List, is an excellent choice for accelerated tween readers in grades 6 to 8. Plus don't miss Elizabeth Acevedo's With the Fire on High and Clap When You Land!

Download or read book Xiomara written by Dakota Light and published by Dakota Light. This book was released on 2019-09-06 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Xiomara has no problem getting what she wants when it comes to her career. Love, on the other hand, is not so simple. It doesn't help that her mother tells her men aren't worth the trouble, and if she wants to keep one around she'll need to lose weight. Somewhere along the way, she forgot *not* to fall in love with the situation, Ray Burnham. When he turns out to be a huge disappointment, Xiomara has a hard time ignoring her mother's words. Getting involved with Malcolm Graves would break Rule #1: Men at work are off-limits. Besides, he doesn't seem like the type to go for thick-with-two-c's women like Xiomara, and he's a little rude. But when they get close, he confesses he's fallen for her. Hard. And he confesses that in his drive to secure the bag, he betrayed Xiomara to her boss. Malcolm asks for her forgiveness and a second try, and Xiomara must choose: have the love she's always wanted with him or give herself the love she deserves. Photo by Jessica Felicio on Unsplash.

Download or read book With the Fire on High written by Elizabeth Acevedo and published by Hardie Grant Publishing. This book was released on 2019-06-01 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From New York Times bestselling author of POET X comes a story of a girl with talent, pride and a little bit of magic that keeps her fire burning bright. Ever since she got pregnant during freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions, doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen. There, she lets her hands tell her what to cook, listening to her intuition and adding a little something magical every time, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Even though she’s always dreamed of working in a kitchen after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. But then an opportunity presents itself to not only enrol in a culinary arts class in her high school, but also to travel abroad to Spain for an immersion program. Emoni knows that her decisions post high school have to be practical ones, but despite the rules she’s made for her life — and everyone else’s rules that she refuses to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

Download or read book Luminous Darkness written by Deborah Eden Tull and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2022-09-27 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A resonant call to explore the darkness in life, in nature, and in consciousness—including difficult emotions like uncertainty, grief, fear, and xenophobia—through teachings, embodied meditations, and mindful inquiry that provide us with a powerful path to healing. Darkness is deeply misunderstood in today’s world; yet it offers powerful medicine, serenity, strength, healing, and regeneration. All insight, vision, creativity, and revelation arise from darkness. It is through learning to stay present and meet the dark with curiosity rather than judgment that we connect to an unwavering light within. Welcoming darkness with curiosity, rather than fear or judgment, enables us to access our innate capacity for compassion and collective healing. Dharma teacher, shamanic practitioner, and deep ecologist Deborah Eden Tull addresses the spiritual, ecological, psychological, and interpersonal ramifications of our bias towards light. Tull explores the medicine of darkness for personal and collective healing, through topics such as: Befriending the Night: The Radiant Teachings of Darkness Honoring Our Pain for Our World Seeing in the Dark: The Quiet Power of Receptivity Dreams, Possibility, and Moral Imagination Releasing Fear—Embracing Emergence Tull shows us how the labeling of darkness as “negative” becomes a collective excuse to justify avoiding everything that makes us uncomfortable: racism, spiritual bypass, environmental destruction. We can only find the radical path to wholeness by learning to embrace the interplay of both darkness and light.

Download or read book Snow Falling written by Jane Gloriana Villanueva and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-11-14 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Just the thing for a cold winter’s night between episodes.” —The Washington Post Book World “Fans of the show will undoubtedly enjoy the chance to read Jane’s book in real life.” —Entertainment Weekly It’s been a lifetime (and three seasons) in the making, but Jane Gloriana Villanueva is finally ready to make her much-anticipated literary debut! Jane the Virgin, the Golden Globe, AFI, and Peabody Award–winning The CW dramedy, has followed Jane’s telenovela-esque life—from her accidental artificial insemination and virgin birth to the infant kidnapping and murderous games of the villainous Sin Rostro to an enthralling who-will-she-choose love triangle. With these tumultuous events as inspiration, Jane’s breathtaking first novel adapts her story for a truly epic romance that captures the hope and the heartbreak that have made the television drama so beloved. Snow Falling is a sweeping historical romance set in 1902 Miami—a time of railroad tycoons, hotel booms, and exciting expansion for the Magic City. Working at the lavish Regal Sol hotel and newly engaged to Pinkerton Detective Martin Cadden, Josephine Galena Valencia has big dreams for her future. Then, a figure from her past reemerges to change her life forever: the hotel’s dapper owner, railroad tycoon Rake Solvino. The captivating robber baron sets her heart aflame once more, leading to a champagne-fueled night together. But when their indiscretion results in an unexpected complication, Josephine struggles to decide whether her heart truly belongs with heroic Martin or dashing Rake. Meanwhile, in an effort to capture an elusive crime lord terrorizing the city, Detective Cadden scours the back alleys of the Magic City, tracking the nefarious villain to the Regal Sol and discovering a surprising connection to the Solvino family. However, just when it looks like Josephine’s true heart’s desire is clear, danger strikes. Will her dreams for the future dissolve like so much falling snow or might Josephine finally get the happy ever after she’s been dreaming of for so long?

Download or read book Beastgirl and Other Origin Myths written by Elizabeth Acevedo and published by Vinyl Poetry 45's. This book was released on 2016-10-15 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Cataveiro written by E.J. Swift and published by Jabberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.. This book was released on 2015-03-31 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A shipwreck. And one lone survivor. For political exile Taeo Ybanez, this could be his ticket home. Relations between the Antarcticans and the Patagonians are worse than ever, and to be caught on the wrong side could prove deadly. For pilot and cartographer Ramona Callejas, the presence of the mysterious stranger is one more thing in the way of her saving her mother from a deadly disease. All roads lead to Cataveiro, the city of fate and fortune, where their destinies will become intertwined and their futures cemented for ever... REVIEWS: “Swift has produced another beautifully-written novel.” (Civilian Reader) "Cataveiro has a soulful, lonely quality as Taeo and Ramona embark on their missions, haunted by memories of the past and visions of what lies ahead ... an intriguing world to get lost in.” (SciFi Now)

Download or read book Same Love written by Tony Correia and published by James Lorimer & Company. This book was released on 2017-02-14 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At seventeen, Adam has suspected for a while that he might be gay. His sketchbook has become full of images of good-looking men, and he isn't attracted to any of the girls he knows. When he reveals his feelings to his devout parents, they send him to a Christian camp, warning him that there will be no room in their lives for a gay son. The last thing Adam expects is to meet someone he is deeply attracted to; unfortunately, Paul is more committed to his Christian faith than Adam is. Adam tries to bury his attraction to Paul by concentrating on his art and his new friends Rhonda and Martin. When it becomes clear how unhappy Rhonda and Martin are at Camp Revelation, Adam and Paul are both forced to question what the church tells them about love. But with a whole camp full of people trying to get Adam to change who he is, what kind of chance do Adam and Paul have to find love and a life with each other?

Download or read book I Can Write the World written by Joshunda Sanders and published by Six Foot Press. This book was released on 2020-06-15 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Lovely and timely. So glad Joshunda is telling our stories." - Jacqueline Woodson Eight-year-old Ava Murray wants to know why there’s a difference between the warm, friendly Bronx neighborhood filled with music and art in which she lives and the Bronx she sees in news stories on TV and on the Internet. When her mother explains that the power of stories lies in the hands of those who write them, Ava decides to become a journalist. I Can Write the World follows Ava as she explores her vibrant South Bronx neighborhood - buildings whose walls boast gorgeous murals of historical figures as well as intricate, colorful street art, the dozens of different languages and dialects coming from the mouths of passersby, the many types of music coming out of neighbors’ windows and passing cars. In reporting how the music and art and culture of her neighborhood reflect the diversity of the people of New York City, Ava shows the world as she sees it, revealing to children the power of their own voice.

Download or read book Paper Butterflies written by Lisa Heathfield and published by Carolrhoda Lab& 8482. This book was released on 2019-05-07 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: June is physically and emotionally abused by her stepmother, and the only person June feels safe telling is her friend Blister, but when a shocking tragedy occurs June finds herself trapped, potentially forever.

Download or read book Kids Like Us written by Hilary Reyl and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr). This book was released on 2017-11-14 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A tender, smart, and romantic YA novel about a teenage boy on the autism spectrum who learns he is capable of love.

Download or read book Fortune s Kiss written by Amber Clement and published by Union Square & Co.. This book was released on 2024-11-12 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you willing to risk everything for a chance to be kissed by fortune? Drink and let your soul be measured. Welcome to Fortune’s Kiss, where you can attain your wildest dreams, but the price of admission . . . may be your life. For the first time in a decade, the legendary gambling den, Fortune’s Kiss, has returned to Ciudad Milagro. The game is Lotería. As starry-eyed children, best friends Mayté and Lorena made a pact to enter the den together, but much has changed: strong, proud Mayté, sole daughter of the disgraced Robles family, dreams of becoming a famous painter, while beautiful Lo suffers at the hands of her powerful—and abusive—father. With its return, the pair enter the mystical den. Once inside, they realize that beneath the enchanting glamour, the salon hides treacherous secrets—like the old, predatory magic beating in its heart. And it is ravenous. Round after round, the girls scheme, lie, flirt, do what’s necessary to win. But when bodies begin piling up, all bets—and friendships—are off as each girl learns exactly how far she’s willing to go to ensure she leaves the table on top. See, this Lotería is no children’s diversion. It is a deadly game of chance that may just eat them alive.

Download or read book Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass written by Meg Medina and published by Candlewick Press. This book was released on 2013-03-26 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award In Meg Medina’s compelling new novel, a Latina teen is targeted by a bully at her new school — and must discover resources she never knew she had. One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is.

Download or read book Crooked Letter Crooked Letter written by Tom Franklin and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2010-10-05 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The classic trifecta of talent, heart, and a bone-deep sense of storytelling….A masterful performance, deftly rendered and deeply satisfying. For days on end, I woke with this story on my mind.” —David Wroblewski A powerful and resonant novel from the critically acclaimed author of Smonk and Hell at the Breech, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter tells the riveting story of two boyhood friends, torn apart by circumstance, who are brought together again by a terrible crime in a small Mississippi town. An extraordinary novel that seamlessly blends elements of crime and Southern literary fiction, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a must for readers of Larry Brown, Pete Dexter, Ron Rash, and Dennis Lehane. In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county—and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town. More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they've buried and ignored for decades.

Download or read book Maxine written by Dakota Light and published by Dakota Light. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maxine has everything she wants for one weekend. An exclusive, two-week artist residency in her future, and the man who adores her, Isaiah Moyawa, in bed. For the first time in her life, she sees a path to her dream of becoming an artist. Except she’ll be a starving artist because when she asks for the time off at work, she gets an ultimatum: drop the art or lose the day job. Isaiah says it's time for them to take the next step. She can move in with him and he'll support her with his millions while she pursues her dream. She puts her major trust issues aside, even though Isaiah keeps declining phone calls from his mother, and despite breaking her Rule #1: Never rely on a man to do for you what you can do for yourself. Declined phone calls escalate to Maxine. When his mother shows up at their home with an agenda, and with the woman claiming to be eight months pregnant with Isaiah's child, Maxine must learn what it means to trust herself before she can trust the love of her life. Photo by Shanique Wright on Unsplash.

Download or read book Community written by Peter Block and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2009-09-01 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most of our communities are fragmented and at odds within themselves. Businesses, social services, education, and health care each live within their own worlds. The same is true of individual citizens, who long for connection but end up marginalized, their gifts overlooked, their potential contributions lost. What keeps this from changing is that we are trapped in an old and tired conversation about who we are. If this narrative does not shift, we will never truly create a common future and work toward it together. What Peter Block provides in this inspiring new book is an exploration of the exact way community can emerge from fragmentation. How is community built? How does the transformation occur? What fundamental shifts are involved? What can individuals and formal leaders do to create a place they want to inhabit? We know what healthy communities look like—there are many success stories out there. The challenge is how to create one in our own place. Block helps us see how we can change the existing context of community from one of deficiencies, interests, and entitlement to one of possibility, generosity, and gifts. Questions are more important than answers in this effort, which means leadership is not a matter of style or vision but is about getting the right people together in the right way: convening is a more critical skill than commanding. As he explores the nature of community and the dynamics of transformation, Block outlines six kinds of conversation that will create communal accountability and commitment and describes how we can design physical spaces and structures that will themselves foster a sense of belonging. In Community, Peter Block explores a way of thinking about our places that creates an opening for authentic communities to exist and details what each of us can do to make that happen.

Download or read book Water in May written by Ismée Williams and published by ABRAMS. This book was released on 2017-09-12 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fifteen-year-old Mari Pujols believes that the baby she’s carrying will finally mean she’ll have a family member who will love her deeply and won’t ever leave her—not like her mama, who took off when she was eight; or her papi, who’s in jail; or her abuela, who wants as little to do with her as possible. But when doctors discover a potentially fatal heart defect in the fetus, Mari faces choices she never could have imagined. Surrounded by her loyal girl crew, her off-and-on boyfriend, and a dedicated doctor, Mari navigates a decision that could emotionally cripple the bravest of women. But both Mari and the broken-hearted baby inside her are fighters; and it doesn’t take long to discover that this sick baby has the strength to heal an entire family.