Geo Librarian

  BLACK GIRL YOU ARE ATLAS written by Renee Watson, fine art by Ekua Holmes Kokila, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-46170-9 Source: publisher for review Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A thoughtful celebration of Black girlhood by award-winning author and poet Renée Watson. In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender. Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power. Black Girl You Are Atlas encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration. With full-color art by celebrated fine artist Ekua Holmes throughout, this collection offers guidan...

THE LAST MESSENGER OF ZITOL by Chelsea Dyreng Sweetwater Books, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4621-1896-0 YA Fiction Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK When Rishi is kidnapped and taken to Zitól, she faces an unthinkable future: she is to be sacrificed to appease the gods. To survive in this place, where greed, lust, and fear eclipse compassion, Rishi befriends the selfish and ignorant king, only to discover that he may not have the power to save her after all. REVIEW I found The Last Messenger of Zitol  a compelling read from the very first page, where Nadal, the king of Zital begins the story.  I found it rather interesting that the selfish, ignorant king is the one telling the story, but since he's clearly telling the story after the fact it created interest for me rather than confusion.  It gave the story added dimension by allowing the reader to really see and feel the changes that Nadal undergoes.  Rish...