Little Divas Philana Marie Boles

Little Divas -Philana Marie Boles When I started this blog in March, I told myself no going back, no matter how much I loved a book if I read it before March, oh well. Little Divas is going to be my one exception. Originally published in 2006, Little Divas is now available in paperback. I was afraid that with all the time that passed since I read it, Little Divas wouldn't be as good, like maybe my memory of it was better than the real thing. Nope, it was as good as it was the first time. I still love Little Divas. The cover is oh so very cute, light and fun. The cover artist - Ali Douglass, the cover designer - Michelle Gengaro
Life is changing for 12 yr old Cassidy Carter. Since her parents divorced Cassidy's mom wants to try new things. She joins people for peace, going to Africa for a year. Cassidy will be moving in with her dad. Cassidy's best friend is her cousin, Rikki. Little Divas is the summer before seventh grade. Its a busy summer. Cassidy adjust to living with her dad, keeping a journal for when her mom comes home. Cassidy worries about her dad sending her to private school. She can't imagine going to the same junior high school as her archenemy Lane Benson, without Rikki at her side. Cassidy goes to her first boy/girl pool party kissing a boy for the first time. Golden, a new girl moves next door to Cassidy, Rikki resist at first but the three become friends.

Since Cassidy's dad is a musician, she spends a lot of time at Rikki's house. Rikki parents are very strict. Cassidy and Rikki always cover for Rikki's older sister, Mary when she sneaks out to see her boyfriend. Mary rewards them with items for their contraband box.

"Mary buys us peach jolly ranchers, watermelon hubba bubba, wet n wild glitter fingernail polish (and remover to erase the evidence) Teen Vogue, Seventeen and YM magazines, playing cards, and grape lip smackers to store inside our contraband box." Mary also give them some great sisterly advice like making a boy work like Paul Bunyan to get a whiff of their perfume.

Boles has written a great story many girls can relate to. If anybody knows the author, please let her know I am still patiently waiting for another Little Divas book.

"In the tradition of Judy Blume and Alice Naylor, Bole's first novel for youth is joyful, honest story of girls friendship, family and love" - ALA Booklist

Dark Dude Oscar Hijuelos

Dark Dude - Oscar Hijuelos Rico Fuentes is a very light Cuban, so light people think he's white. Both of Rico's parents are Cuban, he gets his color from an Irish ancestor. Going up in Harlem Rico is picked on by Latinos and Blacks, carry money for would be jumpers. Dark Dude is one of the many names Rico got called. He has two close friends Gilberto and Jimmy. The novel opens with Gilberto using his lotto winnings to move to Wisconsin for college. Gilberto looked out for Rico like an older brother. Rico scored very high on a high school intelligence test, though his public school nicknamed "Jo Mamas" by the students was not a great learning environment. Rico skips school on a regular basis. When his parents find out, Rico's father threatens to send him to live with his uncle. Before Rico's father can send him away, he runs away to Wisconsin for a new start. Rico convinces Jimmy to go with him. Jimmy is Rico's best friend, a very talented artist and trying to kick a heroin habit. The two hitchhike all the way to Wisconsin. By the time Rico and Jimmy are hitchhiking I had already figured out that Dark Dude isn't set in the present day thanks to words like jive and converse being the sneakers of choice. Hijuelos setting choice is subtle and of little importance. The author has created a character many teens can relate to , a 15yr old teenager who is trying to figure out where he belongs. One thing Rico is sure of his is love of reading especially comic books. Rico creates some pretty cool superheroes himself including one called the Latin Dagger. Dark Dude is over 400 pages, about one year of Rico's life. I really enjoyed Dark Dude, its hard not to like a novel that begins with the main character cleaning an outhouse.
Time to share

Rico tries to join an after school club
"One afternoon I left school late. I'd just tried to join the ASPIRA club, which was for Latino students, but as soon as I had walked in, it took me about thirty seconds to change my mind. The kid behind the desk gave me an up and down that said, What are you doing here. And so I walked right out, not wanting to explain a single thing about myself. Why should I have to?"

Rico and Jimmy are picked up by an angry black man
"And while I thought about telling our driver that I had cousins in Cuba who were as black as himself, with all shades of color running through the past generations of my family, and that I knew all kinds of nice black folks even if I had my share of hassles, I doubted that he would have believed me. Then, as he went on about white devils, it hit me that the only reason he had picked us up was to torture us with his nasty feelings. Like that was my kind of luck."

Hijuelos was awarded the Pulitzer prize in 1990, Dark Dude is his first novel for teens. In the back of the book there is a note to the reader from Atheneum publishers. It basically says they plan to offer more Latino literature for young adult readers.

The tail end of the note
"We believe that the Latino community - so diverse in tradition , cultural sensibility, historical pacing, race and religion is renewing the American spirit. We invite you to share with us in celebrating our new venture."

I didn't find anything else about this at Atheneum website but I did find this Voices in First Person: Reflections on Latino IdentityEdited by Lori Marie Carlson

Pro Green

Before I tell you about my not so happy encounter, I'll begin with the hour prior. I was in the children's section doing my thing. I sold a lot of books including two copies of Underneath by Appelt, two copies of Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken by Dicamillo, one Crooked Kind of Perfect by Urban, one Ellie Mcdoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel by Barshaw, one Coraline by Gaiman. I was able to sell and talk about kids books it was a very good hour. When you work retail its hours like that, that remind you why you put up with all the crap. Now I shall tell you about my crappy encounter that F'd up my happy retail high. While I was at the registers a man comes in sees a political display and ask if we are Pro Obama. I hate this question because anyone who poses it is always looking for a fight. And since when is Obama Nation by Corsi (great title) a Pro Obama book. I said no we are Pro Green. I probably shouldn't have said that because customers will tell on you real quick, but I didn't care. Its a stupid question. There is no red or blue in retail only green.

Come Sip My Margarita

It's been a slow Tuesday night at Books are Beautiful. The staff has shelved all the books, dusted all the displays and cleaned the store from top to bottom. Though they would never wish for a condescending prick bastard talking on their cell phone customer,but a customer with a little color with help past the time. The staff gets there wish. Tamika lucks out and gets the customer but she will share the story with everyone

Come Sip My Margarita- Another Unfortunate skit

Tamika - Hi, how are you doing today?
Customer- Feeling cleansed, clean and with it. My body clock and I are clicking again
Tamika- Well thats good
Customer- Yes it is. Returned from a bitchin world experience.
Tamika- (he's kind of fun, and this better than busy work) Welcome back
Customer- Dude there is so much out there.
Tamika - Where did you go?
Customer- Everywhere my body heard the call. My travel tops were Australia, New Zealand Brazil and Thailand. Everywhere I went the people were so welcoming. I needed to step away from my life, regain core control. I was so bad off at the beginning you could smell my melancholy. Brazil was my first stop and I went into a little dump of a bar with a few locals, the bartender kept looking at me funny. I thought he wanted to kick my non Brazilian ass. (slight laugh), Nadel and I are friends for life now
Tamika ( I am going to call you Matthew in my head. I really like you Matthew) What did Nadel do?
Customer - I knew you would ask. You give off this wise vibe and only the wise question. Nadel came over to me and said "Come sip my Margarita." Those four words help me reestablish core control. It sounds strange I know but Nadel is gifted in the ways of the margarita. There are many margaritas for our many moods. Nadel said he felt my sadness, and knew I needed to slow sip a cool mango margarita. I didn't want to offend Nadel but of course he was still the bartender at the time, so I took the drink. When I got that first taste of mango and ice life didn't seem so bad. I stayed in that bar all night and that is way I am here today. I promised Nadel when I got back to the states I'd find a book on how to make proper margaritas.
Tamika- (walking Matthew to beverage section) You've inspired me to drink more margaritas, and I just got a new blender.
Customer - Yes to more margaritas, no to the blender. Nadel says a true margarita never sees the inside of a blender. In order to benefit from the magic that is a margarita the process must be all natural. No blender no mix.
Tamika- No blender, no mix, thanks for sharing
Customer- I always share with those who will listen. I am no Nadel but I feel you would do well to drink a strawberry margarita. It will help ease some of that work tension.
Tamika- You're not suppose to see that
Customer- I won't tell
Tamika- Thanks, here are the drink books. I guess I have to get back to work
Customer- Really
Tamika- Unfortunately, but I hope you find the perfect margarita book
Customer- I will

Tell the World Writerscorps

Tell the World: Teen Poems from Writerscorps- Writerscorps This is a collection of poems by teens who have taken part in workshops run by Writercorps. Writercorps was founded in 1994, in San Francisco, CA, Washington D.C. and Bronx, NY http://www.sfartscommission.org/WC/about-writerscorp/ . There goal is to transforms the lives of children with words. Tell the World is the third collection of poems by teens put out by Writercorps. Though I loved and was touched by this collection, I wish could say I had heard of WriterCorps before now. Tell the World is broken up into six sections. Who We ARE, Where We're From,What We Love,What We Think, How It Feels, Why We Hope. The poets range between 12-18. I had to resist the urge to share one from each section. I narrowed it down to three. The first two are excerpts, so you'll have to buy the book for the full poem


Tell The World Who We Are
Tea Cake (an excerpt)
i'm like a modern-day Tea Cake
my mom named me Michael Newby
but i'm better known as Prince Akzionz
smooth with his words as i am in composition
to top it all off both of us are musicians
live my life for the moment no set goals or missions the whole world
hip hop complex young guys with free spirits
don't turn away from nothing we accept it as it happens
life on improv like freestyle rappin
or freestyle actin
but it's all reality no dvd on pause
the perfect man for Janey even in my flaws
by Michael Newby, 17

Tell the World What We Love
Rules Are Simply (an excerpt)
rules are simply broken locks on open doors meant to
be ignored
written in a text that is easily erased and replaced
let's work thru those doors into a hidden world
of temporary ecstasy that envelopes every dream
and desire we've never had the chance to achieve
let's taste the sweetness of the "should nots" and
"don't you evers" as we fulfill them
rules are simply ideas created by bland minds
that crave a softer touch than I possess
by Liana Castro, 17

Tell the World Why We Hope
Anger & Poetry
Anger is like breaking
all the plates
and ripping out
the windows.
Poetry is like seeing
the whole world
by Alma Garcia, 12


Some teens may think poetry is for yesterday or someone else. This collection will change there minds. There is no pressure, no lines to analyze, they can simply pick a poem at will. Tell the World may inspire a few teens to pick up a pen. If nothing else they will at least know its an option.

Tell The World will be released Oct. 14