More Summer Reading: API* Young Adult Fiction
While looking around the Harvard Bookstore today, I noticed that two books in the current Select 70 are by two of my fave API* authors: Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look and The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. I haven’t read either of these yet, but the previous Alvin Ho book was a fun read and Shug enthralled me during part of trans-pacific flight. Yes, these books are classified as being for younger audiences, but the adventures within them are wonderful for readers of any age, culture, gender or technological competence, so long as they read with an open mind and open heart.
Oh, but why, you might ask, do I dabble in API* young adult fiction? Trying to vicariously experience childhoods I never had? I don’t have a straightforward rationalization for this penchant other than declaring it my attempt to find among fiction classified as young adult the amazing literature that tends to get overlooked by older audiences. If you haven’t already, try reading some of these books and then maybe you’ll regret that you scoffed at me and this post. It’s simply wondrous what many API* authors communicate to our children (and all of us) with their unique voices. Now it’s almost appalling to me that most of my friends haven’t even heard of Cynthia Kadohata; her books Kira-Kira, Weedflower and Outside Beauty unfold in stunningly lyrical literary expressions that I will probably only appreciate more with the passage of time.
Who’s your favorite API* author? Please tell us in the comments section! There’s still some summer left — we can build an API* summer reading list here!
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Tags: Arts and Culture, authors, Books.
1 comment
Favorite API* young adult fiction author?
Hmmm, that’s tough. I was happy to see Grace Lin’s novel “Year of the Dog” on some summer reading lists though. =)