It's not easy to write about 'issues' in a way that's not didactic or preachy, but there are those authors whose passion and prose create a story that does more than just introduce us to people and places -- we develop new ideas, make new meaning in our lives, and are inspired in unexpected and lasting ways. Below, readers and writers share their experiences with children's literature that 'has issues':

"Of course, in SHINE, I was focused on the issue of post-9/11 discrimination against anyone who was perceived to be Arab, Muslim, or Middle Eastern, but that was an issue I… Continue reading

Like all of you, I love a great story. Books teach us about our world and our place in it. In order for us to really enjoy these stories we need to connect to them and with the characters and their experiences. This is where multicultrual literature plays a critical role. Multicultural literature highlights the literary contributions that minority cultural groups have made. We might consider Lind Sue Park, Christopher Paul Curtis, or Pam Muñoz Ryan to name a few.

Does this mean then that only authors

• Publication Season/Year: Fall, 2010
• Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
• Release Date: TBD
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-8109-8971-9

  It's a beautiful, cloudless summer day--perfect for the annual neighborhood celebration. Everything is running smoothly...until Momma burns the food! AROUND OUR WAY is a lyrical, rhyming picture book; a contemporary story about a young girl's love for her close-knit, diverse community. The Author: Tameka Fryer Brown Location: Charlotte, NC Tameka Fryer Brown has gone from medical supply sales rep, to stay-at-home mom, to (now) children's book author. She has worked with children of all ages in various church and volunteer organizations, and as a Teacher's Assistant at her children's Montessori school (ages 3-6) . AROUND OUR WAY… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: Chronicle
• Release Date: May 05, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover):ISBN 9780811870153

Recently, I had the privilege of surveying seven very cool South Asian teens on their likes and dislikes regarding book genres, themes, language, and sexuality content in their reading material.  I wanted to share the (revealing!  Surprising!  Fascinating!) responses I got with the AuthorsNow! readership. To keep from taking over the site completely, I've included the first half of the survey here.  If you'd like to read the rest of the questions and responses, they are up on my site at www.NeeshaMeminger.com/funstuff. Q.  What are some of the most recent books you've read for fun? Which ones did you like the… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Spring  2010
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Release Date: TBD
• ISBN (hardcover): TBD
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Every quilt tells a story. When ten year old Ludelphia Bennett decides to make a quilt for her mama, she thinks it will tell the story of her quiet life in the isolated sharecropper community of Gee's Bend, Alabama. But when Mama gets deathly ill and rumors start flying about the "witches of Gee's Bend," life gets tangled and Ludelphia worries that it's all her fault. Determined to fix things, Ludelphia takes her needle and thread and leaves Gee's Bend for the very first time. Her adventures take her across… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Summer 2009
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Release Date: June 11, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0399250439
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Twelve-year-old Paris Pan’s life is a mess. She’s just moved to a tiny town in Nowheresville, Oklahoma; her family life is a comical disaster; her new friends are more like frenemies; and the boy she has a crush on is a dork. Things couldn’t possibly get worse, until she discovers that a girl mysteriously died years ago while taking a seventh-grade rite of passage–the Dare– right near Paris’s new house. So when Paris starts hearing strange noises coming from the creepy run-down shed in her backyard… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
• Release Date: March 1, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-1416954958
• ISBN (paperback): 1416954953

Samar--a.k.a. Sam--is an Indian-American teenager whose mom has kept her away from her old-fashioned family.  It's never bothered Sam, who is busy with school, friends, and a demanding boyfriend.  But things change after 9/11.  A guy in a turban shows up at Sam's house--and turns out to be her uncle.  He wants to reconcile the family and teach Sam about her Sikh heritage.  Sam is eager, but when boys attack her uncle, chanting "Go back home, Osama!," Sam realizes she could be

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
• Release Date: January 2010
• ISBN: 0-545-09676-6

Reginald Garvey McKnight created a superhero character in kindergarten; now he dreams of being a real-life leading man: The Guy who's got game and gets The Girl. Instead, he threw up on the first day of school. In front of everyone. Eighth grade has gone downhill ever since. In EIGHTH GRADE SUPERZERO, Reggie wonders why things are so bad if God is so good; his faith at all levels is challenged by his friendships, his work at a homeless shelter, and a pair of "Dora The Explorer" shoes. Reggie's involvement… Continue reading