​It happens slowly yet swiftly. A red lipstick.
A gold necklace.
A makeup bag.
The list lengthens.
My friend is taking my things.


***
The set is gorgeous.  Rubies and pearls. I have never been a big jewelry person, but holding my grandmother’s delicate jewelry and hearing the stories of who passed it on to who, where it was worn, changes everything. Woven into the intricate jewelry are stories I have not heard … yet.
***

It takes me a while to realize it’s me. Other people are mumbling. My mother tells me I should get my hearing checked. The thing about hearing loss is that it’s typically irreversible, something I never knew. And the cause remains unknown. Currently, my hearing loss is mild and in one ear. I did not realize until masks became a fixture that it has become harder to understand the grocery store cashier, that without the visual cues of seeing someone’s whole face, conversation is trickier.
***
 
 
These three experiences are bits and pieces of what I wove into my latest middle grade novel in verse, GOLDEN GIRL. Real experiences are typically what I weave into my stories. I fictionalize them, but at the base of some of my fiction is something real. Raw emotions that I have experienced. Drawing on these experiences, I can understand what my character is feeling because I may have gone through it. 

In GOLDEN GIRL, my character Aafiyah Qamar has mild hearing loss. She struggles with being attracted to pretty little things and may ‘borrow’ them. Jewelry plays a part in her coming-of-age story.

I initially resisted writing Aafiyah’s story. Aafiyah has flaws, big ones, yet I could hear her compelling voice in my head. Through writing GOLDEN GIRL, I learned Aafiyah didn’t need to be instantly likeable, but she did need to be redeemable.

In my story, I infused humor, a strong family dynamic, my Muslim faith, and a lot of heart.  After some hard lessons that Aafiyah learns, she learns to move forward and do what’s right, to try again. Because no matter what age we are, we all deserve a second chance. 

From the award-winning, ALA Notable author of Unsettled and Lailah’s Lunchbox, this is a captivating coming-of-age middle grade novel in verse about seventh grader Aafiyah Qamar, a Pakistani American girl who hatches a special plan to help her family but finds that doing what’s right isn’t always easy. For fans of The Thing About Jellyfish and Clean Getaway, this is a heartfelt, soul-searching story with laughter, hope, and lessons learned.

Seventh grader Aafiyah loves playing tennis, reading Weird but True facts, and hanging out with her best friend, Zaina. However, Aafiyah has a bad habit that troubles her—she’s drawn to pretty things and can’t help but occasionally “borrow” them.

But when her father is falsely accused of a crime he hasn’t committed and gets taken in by authorities, Aafiyah knows she needs to do something to help. When she brainstorms a way to bring her father back, she turns to her Weird but True facts and devises the perfect plan.

But what if her plan means giving in to her bad habit, the one she’s been trying to stop? Aafiyah wants to reunite her family but finds that maybe her plan isn’t so perfect after all. 
 
"A story about family, friendship, change, and hope." --Kirkus

“In Aafiyah, Faruqi creates a relatable but flawed protagonist whose road to redemption makes for an engaging, warmhearted story.” --Booklist

"Much like in her previous novel Unsettled, Faruqi’s elegantly crafted verse illuminates a Muslim family navigating and ultimately transcending domestic challenges." --Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

​“This story [has] a well-characterized, flawed heroine and a lot of heart.” --Publishers Weekly
 ​

Book Launch link here.

Reem Faruqi is the award-winning children’s book author of Lailah’s Lunchbox, a book based on her own experiences as a young Muslim girl immigrating to the United States. She’s also the author of “Amira’s Picture Day,” “I Can Help,” and a middle grade debut novel in verse, “Unsettled” which all got starred reviews. After surviving Atlanta traffic and the school drop off, Reem spends her days trying to write, but instead gets distracted easily by her camera and buttery sunlight. Reem Faruqi lives in Atlanta with her husband and three daughters. 

​Website: www.ReemFaruqi.com
Instagram and Twitter @ReemFaruqi

We are happy to reveal the cover of KidLit in Color author Valerie Bolling's new picture book, Ride, Roll, Run, which will be published on October 4, 2022 by Abrams. Fellow KidLit in Color author Aya Khalil interviewed Valerie about her book. With sparse text—the book has only 30 words—Valerie has kept her responses to my questions brief, as well.

What does the cover say? 

First of all, shout-out to Sabrena Khadija for the amazing illustrations! Doesn’t she have such a beautiful, unique style? 

The cover says Community, Diversity, and Joy, which is evident in all of my books. I hope people also feel the characters’ energy and excitement that emanates from the cover.

Why should folks read this book? 

Ride, Roll, Run will be a walk down Memory Lane for adults, and children will enjoy seeing activities that they like to play. 

I hope people will have fun with the cadence of the rhyme and be inspired to do something fun after reading the book – realizing the possibilities for frolic that surround them daily.

And here is our cover reveal!

Valerie Bolling's debut, Let's Dance! (SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner and Connecticut Book Award finalist), was published in 2020, and she’s happy to welcome Together We Ride (illustrated by Kaylani Juanita) and Ride, Roll, Run: Time for Fun! (illustrated by Sabrena Khadija) in 2022. Sequels to these books as well as a Scholastic early reader series (illustrated by Kai Robinson) are slated for 2023.

Valerie has been an educator for almost 30 years, teaches classes at Westport Writers Workshop, and is a WNDB mentor. She is deeply immersed in the kidlit writing community, particularly involved with SCBWI, the 12X12 Picture Book Challenge, and Black Creators HeadQuarters.

linktr.ee/ValerieBolling

KidLit in Color author Valerie Bolling was excited to interview KidLit in Color author Lisa Stringfellow. This is an interview you don’t want to miss! So, let’s begin …

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, Lisa, on your middle grade debut, A Comb of Wishes, which releases today! I’ve been waiting for this book to be published ever since it won the manuscript critique award at the annual Kweli conference in 2019, which is when you and I first met. 

Thank you, Valerie! That conference seems like it was just yesterday!
​
What’s your one-liner to describe A Comb of Wishes?

I think it is best summed up as "Mermaids, Monsters and Black Girl Magic!"

I love it, especially the alliteration. Share a little more about your book.

A Comb of Wishes is about twelve-year-old Kela who is grieving her mother’s recent death when she stumbles on an ancient box in a coral cave. Inside is a beautiful hair comb and when she touches it, she opens a magical connection to a dangerous mermaid named Ophidia. The mermaid offers Kela a wish in exchange for her comb’s return, so Kela wishes for the thing she wants more than anything else...for her mother to come back.

How did this book come to be? Feel free to talk about your inspiration, your publication journey, and anything else you want to share.

I started writing the manuscript in 2013 and my inspiration came from thinking about two middle grade books I loved, The Tale of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler and Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

For the characters and setting, I drew on my family’s culture. Kela lives in St. Rita, which is inspired by Barbados where my father was born. The story is rooted in the sounds, sights, smells, and tastes of the islands.

I wrote the manuscript along with my students as part of NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month, the challenge which encourages writers to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

After completing the manuscript in 2014, I worked on revisions for several more years with the help of critique groups and wonderful mentors I gained through Author Mentor Match and Writing in the Margins. In 2018, I received an offer of representation from my agent Lindsay Auld of Writers House and we revised until the manuscript was ready to go on submission. Once on sub, the novel quickly moved to a five-house auction and was acquired by Rosemary Brosnan at HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books in December of 2019.

What a wonderful journey, Lisa. Please tell us more about the refrain in A Comb of Wishes:  “Crick Crack. The story is put on you.”

Throughout the book, the chapters that are told from the mermaid Ophidia’s point of view start with the phrase “Crick Crack.” It is a cue for the reader and part of an important cultural tradition in the Caribbean. In the Black diaspora, storytelling is a participatory event that requires interaction from both the teller and the hearer of the tale. Another place you can see this in the call and response structure of sermons within the Black church.

In the Caribbean, many islands have traditional ways of beginning and ending a story, story frames, that serve as signal for listeners. “Crick, Crack” (sometimes written as “Krik Krak”) is the frame that I use throughout my book, and it is common on islands like Haiti, Grenada, and others. A popular ending phrase in storytelling in the Caribbean is “De wire bend, De story end.” The tags sometimes are just a signal of ending, like writing “The End” at the end of a story, but other times the tags invite the listener to consider some deeper meaning in the story. 

The call and response nature of that refrain truly drew me in as I read. Now tell us about yourself and the type of writer you are.

Of course! When I write, I usually start with a concept or premise. I have some scenes in mind and may even choose to write out of order at times.

I would consider myself somewhat between a plotter and a pantster. My favorite part of the writing process is definitely revision. Drafting can be hard at times, but I get the most enjoyment from looking at words on the page and being able to shift and shape the ideas. 

What’s your involvement in the writing community?

Having strong relationships in the writing community is important for all writers. When I first began writing, I looked for organizations where I could meet other writers and learn. My first critique group met bi-weekly at a Barnes and Noble to share our work and give each other feedback. They read early manuscripts of A Comb of Wishes and helped me develop the characters and voice.

Since moving, I’ve transitioned to mostly online communities (some have connected me with writers who are close to me geographically). I’m part of several communities such as Inked Voices, The Writers’ Loft in Hudson, MA, Grubstreet and Writers of Color (Supported by Grubstreet), Black Creators HQ, KidLit in Color, and a few Slack groups. The Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Conference has led to many friendships and craft learning opportunities. My debut group the 22Debuts has been especially valuable to me over the past two years leading up to my book’s launch. I’ve met many wonderful writers who I know I will stay connected to past our debut year.

I think learning is a lifelong process, and as a writer I continually look for ways to improve my craft. I frequently take workshops and classes, and I attend writing conferences to develop a deeper knowledge of writing craft. One silver lining of the pandemic has been increased opportunities for online classes and seminars that make it possible to study from home.

As a picture book writer, the idea of writing a middle grade novel is daunting to me. What advice would you give to someone new to writing this genre? 

I would advise aspiring writers to take the time to learn their craft. The best thing you can do is to read widely within the age category and genres that interest you. It’s important to read recent books and not rely on our nostalgia for books published when we were young. The needs and interests of children have changed and reading current books will help you understand the nuances of craft, such as style and voice.

Writers also must understand something about what’s important to children that are of middle grade age (8-12). They are learning who they are in the world and starting to explore their independence. They also care deeply about family and friends and the relationships that matter to them.

Observing and listening to kids is a great window into their world, but if you’re not normally around children that age, YouTube channels created by kids and children’s programming (think Disney, Nickelodeon, etc.) can provide great fodder for research.

Those are great suggestions, Lisa. One thing I’ve noticed about middle grade books is that there are multiple threads interwoven throughout the story. In A Comb of Wishes these threads make the story captivating, begging the reader not to put the book down. Is there a thread you enjoyed developing most? Was there one that was particularly challenging?

When I began working on A Comb of Wishes, Ophidia’s character came to me first. She is a complicated creature and I loved writing her. In her past, she once had been hopeful and found friendship with a human girl, despite warnings from the Sea, but that risk backfired and she lost that friend and all trust in humans. When crafting her character, I wanted to keep her emotions in the forefront, because it's such a strong part of her motivation. That emotion is also what eventually causes her to listen to Kela and begin to trust again.

What was challenging about writing her character was that doing so broke one of the “rules” of middle grade storytelling, which is not to have adult point of view characters. I went back and forth over whether to include chapters in Ophidia’s voice, but ultimately decided it was what the story needed and wanted.

How do you hope young readers will experience A Comb of Wishes? 

I hope readers will see a positive representation of Black girlhood and family in the novel. Even though Kela is dealing with sadness, she is not alone. In the Black experience, community is vitally important. Eventually, she confides her feelings to her father, her best friend, and others.

What book can we look forward to next from you?

I’m currently working on my second middle grade book which will be another stand-alone fantasy novel. I like to call it my “princess in a tower” story, but it won’t be like other fairy tales readers might imagine.

My hope is that it will be an exciting book and one that empowers young readers to be brave and stand up for what is right.

Lisa, I have no doubt that your second book won’t be like other fairy tales and that it’ll be just as fantastic as A Comb of Wishes. Thank you for allowing me to interview you, and congratulations on being a Brown Bookshelf honoree!

Thank you so much, Valerie!
​
A Comb of Wishes is available wherever books are sold, including:
HarperCollins
Bookshop

For more about Lisa Stringfellow and her books ... 

Visit http://lisastringfellow.com 
Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @EngageReaders

KidLit in Color author Gabriele Davis interviews Amina Luqman Dawson about her new middle grade novel, Freewater, which explores a little-known part of Black history.

What’s the story behind your story, and what inspired you to write about it?

I first learned about enslaved people who escaped and lived clandestinely in the wilderness while taking a Latin American studies course in college. They are known as maroons. In that course we discussed maroons in the Caribbean and South America. It blew my mind. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t known this history before. I thought of the story of two children escaping enslavement and finding a secret maroon community way back in 2002. However, it took years for me to seriously begin writing it. Having my son was my inspiration. Being a parent made how I would share the story of my son’s enslaved ancestors with him a pressing question. Freewater was my answer. 

How much of the setting sprang from your imagination and how much was based on research you were able to locate?

There is so much we have yet to learn about maroons in the United States. In part, because maroonage was on a much smaller scale here than in other countries in the Americas. Also, because smaller instances of maroons are harder to find given that their very survival was built on being clandestine. 

Still, while writing Freewater, it was fun intertwining bits of information I garnered from maroons of the Great Dismal Swamp, maroons in other parts of the American South and those in  other countries. Here are a few pieces of history I loved including. The character, Suleman, a skilled marauder, is based on maroons in the Great Dismal Swamp and those in other swamps and forests in the American South. Marauders who stole from plantations were pretty common. They would steal everything from corn to cattle for their survival. I appreciated including patrols or “Tree People” as Ada called them. In Freewater, these people camouflaged themselves in leaves and vines to blend into the swamp. They watched over Freewater and offered protection. Well, among the maroons of Jamaica, there were maroons who used the same strategy to make themselves unseen.

You use multiple viewpoints to tell your story. Can you share why you chose this device? Did you add viewpoints during the revision process? 

Multiple viewpoints allowed me to share numerous voices of children, each with their own story to tell and challenge to overcome. My very first draft only had a couple of characters, over time I layered on character voices one by one. When their voices come together it creates a tapestry. It’s in that rich fabric that the humanity of these children comes to light. We see how each brings their own personality and point of view to the story. I loved that I was able to do this for enslaved children. I love that we get to hear their voices. Too often depictions of enslaved people stop at the pain of their bondage. I hope that these multiple viewpoints help the reader to see beyond that pain. 

Only one character, Homer, speaks in first person. Why?

Homer is my protagonist. He’s spent his life trying to make himself invisible. As a result, he keeps much of who he is inside and hidden. I liked the idea of being able to hear that inside voice and the journey he goes through to learn that he matters and that he can and must be seen. 
 
Nora, the plantation owner’s daughter, is the only white character whose perspective challenges the status quo. You compare her realization of her father’s cruelty to “a first small crack setting into a sheet of lake ice.” Why was it important to include her point of view?

Nora has her own journey. It’s a journey in what it means to be an ally. From a place of privilege, first learning to recognize injustice, then striving to do something about it. Yes, beyond Nora the other white characters chose the status quo. That’s a reality I wanted to convey. Enslavement of African Americans was an accepted norm. I wanted Nora to show that allyship is a choice, sometimes it’s a hard one that goes against everything everyone around you claims to be true. Ultimately, Nora had the courage to make some good choices. For readers, I think there’s something children of privilege can still learn from Nora’s journey. 

Suleman is such an enigmatic character. One of my favorite passages is when he says: “None of those are good questions…Here are some questions: Can you spot bear tracks in mud? Do you know how to keep snakes off you at night? Do you know how to hunt?” What purpose does his character serve in the novel?
 
Suleman is my superhero. He invokes the most courage and comes across as almost having super powers. So much of what enslaved African Americans overcame has been lost. Yet, the truth is that they survived and sometimes found ways to thrive against almost insurmountable odds. Suleman helps depict the amazing essence of who they were in a language children can understand. 
 
Many of the young characters come to realize unexpected strengths towards the end of the book. It’s a great reminder to children that our gifts develop in their own time. What other jewels do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I hope they feel a bit of excitement and thrill when they think about the enslaved souls they came to know while reading this book. I hope they leave the book with a feeling of connection to these characters that can translate to a connection to this important history. 

Thanks for sharing your inspiration and insights, Amina. How do you plan to celebrate your book birthday?

With COVID my plans are modest. I’m having a virtual book launch. Since the COVID lockdown in 2020, my family does a weekly Facetime call. I imagine we’ll have some sort of virtual celebration during the one we have on my book launch week. Mainly, I’ll just try to pause and be thankful to have made it this far with a book that only started as a dream. 

Can you share what you’re working on now?
I am working on a new book. I’m not quite ready to say what it’s about, although I think it will have some connection to Freewater.

Amina Luqman-Dawson loves using writing to tell stories and to build an understanding of race, culture and community. Her published writing includes op-eds in newspapers, magazine articles, travel writing and book reviews.  She’s authored the pictorial history book Images of America: African Americans of Petersburg (Arcadia Publishing). She’s worked as a policy professional, researcher and consultant on issues of education and criminal justice. She has a BA in Political Science from Vassar College and a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley. She’s a proud mother of a 13-year-old son.  She, her husband and son reside in Arlington, VA
 
​To learn more about Amina, please visit her website and social media pages.
Website: www.aminaluqman-dawson.com
Twitter: ​@aminaluqman
Facebook: Amina Luqman-Dawson

Freewater is now available in bookstores and online. 

Join Amina at her Book Launch on Feb 3rd!