I am ashamed to admit parts of the ending did not satisfy or explain moments in time.

A prime example: What am I missing? What is the point of the $2 bills and their disappearance from Jimmy’s Fred Flintstone bank?

Am I looking for it to mean something when it doesn’t?

Please help. Or advise. Or both. :}

The reason this bothers me, if it is in fact true, is that there is never an examination of Miranda’s feelings toward Julia. That said, it’s entirely feasible that reader’s will pick up on things that are not explicitly noted in the text!

I wasn’t bothered by being referenced so it didn’t matter. My point was I hoped that whoever thought I might prefer the non-fiction, historical titles wouldn’t be disappointed. Moreover anyone who actually reads me knows that I think we have a good number of solid of historical titles featuring African Americans. My criticism is the lack of AA characters in other genres. I haven’t read the Colvin or Marching For Freedom titles. To be honest, at my age, I’ve read these books half a dozen times in my lifetime already. My parents were pretty pro-black. I hope no one takes this an a slight against these writers. If you’ve read my recent rant you know I take issue with how editors and publishing houses dictate that only historical and non-fiction works by AA writers sell. You all really need to join the rest of the reading world.

I want more books, books that will get kids excited and not simply the adults.
My aim is to get kids excited about reading so I’m looking for books like When You Reach Me. I’m currently reading and enjoying The Prince of Fenway Park. I’m waiting for the publishing industry and those who report on the industry to catch up and acknowledge writers like Troy Cle and Melissa Thompson.

For four years I actively ran a small library. My aim was to expose my girls to characters who looked like them and to those who didn’t. The world is more than black and white.

For what it’s worth, I live in a neighborhood that is largely South Asian and I seek out a lot of South Asian YA literature. I should also mention that I focus on YA and only recently have I tried to learn more and read more in MG and children’s lit.

I am also very interested in the Newbery contenders so I am likely to read Colvin and Marching For Freedom. Because the majority pays attention to award winners. It seems the only time KOC gets any attention is when it wins an award. Well, how can a KOC win when the majority doesn’t even know it exists?

Lastly, I worked in publishing in my former life. I had the good fortune of working with librarians both public and schools. The publishing industry needs to do a better job of connecting with librarians. If you spent more time with the folks who are actually interacting with kids, you would learn a lot. Teachers need to revisit the library beyond the computer lab and make an effort to read books kids read instead of simply assigning what they consider good literature and parents need to pick up a book. Kids emulate what they see.

Stepping off my soapoox now.

Thanks.