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  • Watch ‘The Book Thief’ Trailer Here!

    The upcoming adaptation of Markus Zusak’s bestseller will be released on November 15, 2013, and stars Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and young Sophie Nélisse as Leisel. Watch the trailer below!

  • Industry Q&A with editor Phoebe Yeh

    Please tell us about the most recent diverse book you published. 

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    For the purposes of this response, I propose that we define “diversity” in a more expansive way.

    I suggest that “diversity” should mean more than issue based books by authors of color about protagonists of color. (While I believe that these books are still needed, the definition of diversity in the 21st century needs to be broader. I encourage all of you to read Christopher Myers’ excellent Horn Book piece for more on this subject.

    Please consider the work of the debut novelists Korean American Ellen Oh and Asian Indian Soman Chainani. They are part of a growing number of authors of color who are breaking boundaries with regard to the diversity of book content and genre.

    In Prophecy by Ellen Oh, our heroine is a girl soldier/demon slayer. Oh based her research on Genghis Khan and feudal Korea. Readers may pick up on the nods to Asian history and culture, or they can be content with reading an action packed adventure with a strong heroine.

    Darius & Twig by Walter Dean Myers, is about the friendship of an aspiring writer, Darius and a runner, Twig, set against an urban landscape. Myers sets the standard for challenging himself as a writer and for giving voice to young people, their fears and frustrations, but also their hopes and dreams. But do not be fooled. These are not “just urban novels for urban teens.” Pay more careful attention, dear reader. Myers’ message is about universality.

    In The School for Good and Evil, Chainani skillfully upturns our notions of the good, bad and ugly. Readers will find the travails of Sophie and Agatha uproariously funny but I also like to think that the novel offers another perspective, a broader perspective about identity that maybe, you may have taken for granted.

    All three novels were acquired with the slightly subversive intention of pushing us along just a little bit farther as readers.
     
    What is one factor holding you back from publishing more diverse books OR what’s the biggest challenge for publishing companies who want to feature more diverse titles?

    I started in children’s publishing in 1986. What was true then still holds true today. Someone needs to buy the books. We can continue publishing the books if people are buying them. All of us who wish to see more diversity in publishing are collectively responsible. So borrow the books from local libraries or purchase them. Fewer sales, fewer books. It’s that simple.

    If you accept my more expansive definition of diversity, the news is happier. A glance at the New York  Times bestseller list from Aug 18 shows a range of books by authors of color, not necessarily writing about protagonists of color.  Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell is an illustrated novel, a popular genre avidly consumed by middle graders.  I suspect that Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper is garnering strong institutional sales. Incidentally, Draper intentionally did not specify the ethnicity of her protagonist. A Long Walk In Winter by Linda Sue Park, is based on a true story. The aforementioned School for Good And Evil by Soman Chainani is a post fairy tale fantasy. It is nothing like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie but both novels are hilarious.  And everyone knows, funny books sell.   To my mind, the success of these novels is an indicator that there is a book for every taste, every sensibility.  And popularity and diversity aren’t mutually exclusive.
     
    Who would you consider to be a diversity pioneer in children’s and/or young adult literature? 
     
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    The one and only Walter Dean Myers, our current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Why  is he a pioneering genius?  He has mastered both fiction and non-fiction in all age genres: picture book, middle grade and teen. And all subjects: it could be a war novel (upcoming Invasion), a screenplay (Monster), sports fiction (Kick), opera (Carmen). And all formats: short story, novel, poetry.  He’s a skillful poet with a range that spans poetry for the very young (Brown Angels) and prose poetry that is Whitmanesque in scope (We Are America). Since we aren’t bean counters, we won’t enumerate all his awards here. Suffice to say that he has won every single major award in children’s literature. 
     
    Walter Dean Myers has changed the way we write and publish for young people. And he continues to set the standard for excellence. Because kids deserve it.
     
    His upcoming novel, On a  Clear Day, which will be published on my debut Crown list in 2014, is one more example of how Myers consistently pushes himself as a writer. Set in 2035, Myers meets Orwell as his Bronx heroine teams up with an ex rocker, an ex con , an ex athlete. Then throw corporate greed and  a young adult terrorist into the mix. 
     
    Tell us about your editing process. When you edit cross-culturally, how do you ensure that the book gets a culture with which you might not be as familiar “right”? 
     
    Anyone can write whatever they want but it is not easy to get it right.  My job is to advise the author, to remind him or her about what to watch out for and occasionally this may mean rethinking the ethnicity of a character or a plot development. I should be questioning and double-checking, and making sure  s/he is doing the research alongside. I consult others. And the author must do likewise.
     
    You need to leave no stone unturned. And even then, you don’t always get it right.  It’s about collective responsibility.  But here’s one of the first things I learned on the job.  I am a first generation Chinese American New Yorker with a 60s childhood. I have had the good fortune to work with Laurence Yep, a San Francisco Chinese American with a very different background that includes a parent who was raised in West Virginia and a parent who immigrated via Angel Island. We both come from Chinese heritage but it’s still not the same difference.  Being mindful of the difference is key.
     
    If you could receive a manuscript about one culture or subculture that you don’t normally see, what would it be? 

    This summer I read Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber. I was embarrassed that somehow, I had missed Ms. Abu-Jaber’s work until now, some ten years after publication. When you consider the children’s book genre, it was a timely reminder that there are far too few books about the Arab American experience.


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    After seventeen years at Harper Collins Children’s Books, Phoebe Yeh moved to Random House where she is VP/Publisher of Crown Books for Young Readers. She is launching her first list in Fall 14 with titles by Lou Anders, Suzy Becker, Jon Meacham and Walter Dean Myers. From editing the Magic School Bus and the Big Nate series, she knows what kids like. And she plans to foster diverse new talent in this vein.

  • This Week on Girls Scouts’ The Studio: ‘Lara’s Gift’ Author Annemarie O’Brien

    “Dasha opened doors for me that I never knew existed and singularly shaped the direction of my career and where I am today. She is the inspiration for Lara’s Gift, …

  • Shailene Woodley Donates Hair to Prepare for ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ Movie Role

    Over at her personal tumblr page, Woodley explained that “john green (author of T.F.I.O.S.), wyck godfrey (producer of the film), and i all decided that this could be a beautiful …

  • Jarrett J. Krosoczka on Not Judging What is “Legitimate” Reading

    “I was an avid reader as a kid. The only problem was that I didn’t realize it at the time. The reading I was most passionate about wasn’t validated as …

  • Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm on the Positive Impact of Graphic Novels

    “Graphic novels have the incredible ability to give visual clues and break out different aspects of the text like narration and dialogue. It really simplifies storytelling in a way for …

  • Cassandra Clare to Make a Cameo in ‘City of Bones’ Movie

    Constantin Film has already given the green light for a film adaptation of the second Mortal Instruments book, City of Ashes. Director Harald Zwart will return to oversee this project. …

  • The Horn Book Poses Five Questions For Mitali Perkins

    In an exclusive interview with The Horn Book, Mitali Perkins discusses mining the “funny fields” that emerge when you “grow up in between cultures,” humor’s community-building potential, and her three …

  • This Week on Girls Scouts’ The Studio: ‘Miss Maple’s Seeds’ Creator Eliza Wheeler

    “The best way to cope with negative emotions in hard times is to channel them through creative activities: drawing, reading, writing, music, gardening, cooking, crafts, physical activity—the list is endless. …

  • NCALL Calls for Empowering and Addressing Black Male Readers

    “The problem is more than just covers showing females, or books written by female authors, or boys preferring non-fiction. It’s about kids who almost never see themselves in a book …

  • New York Magazine Profiles Samantha Shannon, Possible “Next J.K. Rowling.”

    Samantha Shannon, author of the much-hyped upcoming Bloomsbury release The Bone Season, has garnered raves, a movie deal, and comparisons to the Harry Potter scribe—all before the age of 21. …

  • Christopher Myers On Trayvon Martin & His Responsibilities as a Children’s Storyteller

    “So here, then, is my responsibility. To make images, to tell stories, to trouble the narratives that pervade so many people’s secret hearts and minds. To make books in which …

  • NYC Middle School Eliminates ‘The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian’ From Summer Reading List

    “Alexie, after a banning of his book unrelated to the Queens controversy, also said recently in an interview on the National Coalition Against Censorship blog that, ‘I have no objection …

  • Sanibel Public Library Donates More Than 500 Books to the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida

    “New books are needed every year because worn out copies are discarded and books given to children staying at the hospital can’t be returned because of the possibility of spreading …

  • Diversity in the News

    August 2nd – August 9th, 2013

    NEW AT CBC DIVERSITY THIS WEEK


    CBC DIVERSITY/COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

    ON OUR RADAR
    Read more »

  • Two More Actors Join ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ Film Cast

    It has already been announced that Ansel Elgort will play Augustus Waters and Shailene Woodley will play Hazel Grace Lancaster. The movie comes out in 2014. more at Entertainment Weekly▸▸ …

  • This Week on Girls Scouts’ The Studio: Artist Michel Rodrigue

    “For drawing, I’d suggest that you study at a good art school that will give you sound basic skills. You should draw all the time and draw all sorts of …

  • Industry Q&A with Robin Smith, children’s book reviewer

    When you were a child or young adult, what book first opened your eyes to the diversity of the world?



    I think the first book I remember really opening my eyes was The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou. I have no idea how well it holds up over time.

    What is your favorite diverse book that you recently read?

    Since I am currently serving on a committee which looks at books from all over the globe, I have many books with diverse characters from all countries. I couldn't possible pick a "favorite," but a new book I think everyone should read is I Have the Right to Be a Child which is an illustrated book about UN Convention on the rights of the child. It is stunning.

    If you could participate in a story time with any children’s book author or illustrator (alive or dead) who would it be?

    I would love to have met and heard John Steptoe--I would love to hear him tell and talk about Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, one of my favorite books of all time.

    How do you introduce books featuring characters of color to parents and kids?

    I really don't do anything different when I share books with characters of color to children, to tell you the truth.
    Read more »

  • Talking to Teens

    Over the past few weeks, I got to spend time with a diverse group of teenagers from the Leave Out Violence organization and Writopia Lab, and in doing so I realized how little I interact with teenagers on a regular basis. Yet, my job and career revolve around making books for them. How can I possibly be making the best books for today’s teenagers when I don’t even know them?

    Well, this was my chance to get to know them and find out what they loved, hated, made them passionate, and totally turned them off about books. And what I learned really surprised me and made me re-think the way I imagine the readers for my books and YA novels in general.
     
    With both groups, I spread out a whole bunch of YA galleys to get their takes on covers. The galleys ranged from fantasy to historical to contemporary, from photographic to iconic to illustrated, from type driven to image driven. Almost unanimously, no one liked photographic faces on the cover – they all wanted to picture the characters in their own ways and didn’t want to be told right from the start what someone looked like. Fantasy fans told me our fantasy covers looked too much like everything else out there and didn’t tell them anything about what the story was actually about. Romance readers were put off by images of single girls in pretty dresses – again, this was something they’d seen too much already. They were put off by the New York Times bestseller headline because every book they see has that. If a book was trying too hard to appeal to a teen girl, they wanted nothing to do with it.

    Read more »

  • Diversity in the News

    July 25th – August 2nd, 2013

    NEW AT CBC DIVERSITY THIS WEEK


    CBC DIVERSITY/COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

    ON OUR RADAR
    Read more »

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