Ghetto Cowboy - G. Neri, Jesse Joshua Watson

Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri illus. by Jesse Joshua Watson
12 yr old Cole lives with is mother in Detroit. When Cole's mom finds out he's been ditching school for weeks, she's had enough. She drives the two of them straight to Philly, and leaves Cole with a father he's never meant.

Cole's father Harper runs a stable in the city. Cole doesn't know what to think of his father or the horses. He's quickly put to work and learns a few things from the Black cowboys he never knew existed. The stable has a long history with the community. Between those blocks there's no gang violence. Now the city is demanding the land back. After learning from his father and the other men, Cole steps up to help out the Cowboy Way.
Cole's voice was very strong. He took hold of the story from the very beginning. And he has one of the best lines of the year.

"I look in the closet and see he pulled some stuff out of it and put a blanket on the floor. Uh no, I ain't no Harry Potter. And I ain't living in no closet."

One of the things I love about Neri, he knows how to tell a good story. Ghetto Cowboy moves at a great pace and everything fits together very well. I loved Watson's illustrations, they added a nice dimension to the story.

Listen to a sample of the audio book via Candlewick press

Join Us - Read In, Cybils Winners Announced, Nerds Heart YA Nominations

There's still time to read Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves and join, Ari, Edi and myself for the online Read In on Sunday Feb. 20. Bleeding Violet was one of my favorite books last year. I finally started rereading it today. The second time around I always notice new things. I still love Hanna but now I find myself paying more attention to Petra.

I don't know how this Read In is going to turn out but I am really looking forward to it. Bleeding Violet was selected out of six titles. Yummy by G. Neri was also one of the six. Earlier in the year it was named a Coretta Scott King Honor.

On Monday The Cybils Winners were announced. Yummy won in the young adult graphic novel category . I thought thia transition was going to be a little smoother but I am still going to run with it.

I had the pleasure of being on the first round non fiction picture book Cybils panel. I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot.

Congraulations to Barbara Kerley author of The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) Its a wonderfully different and engaging biography about Twain. I absolutely loved that Kerley had clearly defined fiction and non fiction lines. Edwin Fotheringham's illustrations are great and fit the text perfectly.

I am all for anything that helps promote diverse YA titles that others may never hear of otherwise. Nerds Heart YA -a tournment for under repesented YA literature does just that.


Now in its third year Nerds Heart YA will continue to bring attention to books that have received less attention in the book blogging world.

Through a bracket style competition, judges who are passionate about getting more visibility for fantastic, under represented books will whittle down a shortlist of thirty two young adult novels until one ultimate winner is given the Nerds Heart YA sash and sceptre.

It’s not just about the winner though, Nerds Heart YA seeks to draw attention to all the books on the shortlist. The contest focuses specifically on books that in some way represent groups of people who are typically under represented in YA fiction. We hope that everyone who participates in this contest will find lots of new books to enjoy that will expand the diversity of their reading experience.

Last years winner was Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Saenz. If you've never read this author, your seriously missing out. Saenz has some serious literary skills.

Book Nominations for 2011 are now open. You have until March 7th to head on over to Nerds Heart YA to nominate