Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: I’m A Wild Seed
Author: Sharon Lee De La Cruz
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black Puerto Rican Dominican Queen female MC
Recommended For…: graphic novel, memoir, LGBT
Publication Date: February 23, 2021
Genre: Nonfiction Graphic Novel Memoir
Age Relevance: 16+ (death, violence, toxic masculinity, sexual content, alcohol consumption, language, sexual harassment)
Explanation of Above: There is death and violence mentioned in the book. There are examples and mentions of toxic masculinity and how it can be solved. There are some mentions of sexual content and actions. There is alcohol consumption shown and some cursing. There is also sexual harassment mentioned and shown.
Publisher: Street Noise Books
Pages: 85
Synopsis: In this delightfully compelling full-color graphic memoir, the author shares her process of undoing the effects of a patriarchal, colonial society on her self-image, her sexuality, and her concept of freedom. Reflecting on the ways in which oppression was the cause for her late bloom into queerness, we are invited to discover people and things in the author’s life that helped shape and inform her LGBTQ identity. And we come to an understanding of her holistic definition of queerness.
Review: I really liked this book! It’s a graphic novel about queerness and finding your identity. The book discusses a lot of things in its short form, including toxic masculinity and intersectionality. I thought the book did well to touch on the topics and the illustrations were all well done. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is searching who they are or even those who are solid in their identity.
The only issue I had with the book is that it was very short and abrupt. I wanted more and I wanted more of the lessons to be fleshed out a bit.
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Grow Up, Tahlia Wilkins
Author: Karina Evans
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For…: middle grade readers, contemporary, puberty, periods
Publication Date: April 19, 2022
Genre: MG Contemporary
Age Relevance: 8+ (puberty)
Explanation of Above: The book deals with a character who is going through puberty including her first period.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 304
Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Tahlia Wilkins is ready to kick off the perfect summer at the popular kid’s pool party. But when the Red Goddess of Panties, aka her first period, arrives 24 hours before the pool party, it messes up all her plans. To make matters worse, her mom is out of town, and there’s no way she’s going to ask her dad for help! Tahlia always feared that growing up would be tough, but this is just not fair.
In order to save herself from total embarrassment, it will take all of Tahlia and her best friend Lily’s scheming to keep her reputation—and her favorite jeans—from being ruined. Sneak off to the grocery store only to have the clerk price check your “goods” over the loudspeaker? Check. Trick your mature teenage neighbor into letting you use her bathroom to ‘rehome’ some tampons? Check. Take a dip into a fountain to ‘borrow’ some quarters for a bathroom period product dispenser? Check, check, check!
With the hilarious and heartwarming tone of Dork Diaries and the critically-acclaimed movie Eighth Grade, Grow Up, Tahlia Wilkins! is a coming-of-age middle-grade novel about growing up, in all of its awkward glory.
Review: I really liked this book! It was so sweet and talked about puberty and periods in a way that I think everyone would be able to relate to. It has major Turning Red vibes and the struggles of Tahlia in dealing with her first period will be especially relatable to those who have had to deal with a period or an embarrassing moment that keeps getting worse and worse (trust me, I’ve had my own period horror days). The book is also a great example as to why every member of the family should be educated and brought up to speed on a child’s incoming puberty and/or period concerns. It’s also a great example for why a child needs to know that their parent and/or guardian will have their back and be able to help them in any way during those puberty/period moments. This would be an excellent book for parents and/or guardians to read with their young children as it would serve as a springboard for discussions on planning for those moments. It’s also a great book for young children to read on their own!
The only issue I had with the book is that I felt like it was a bit too fast paced for me, but for a young child it is perfectly paced I think.
Verdict: I love it! Highly recommend!
Book Info:
Grow Up, Tahlia Wilkins by Karina Evans
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publishing Date: April 19, 2022
Synopsis:
Debut author Karina Evans gives modern-day readers their own version of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret with a fun romp about friendship, puberty, and growing up.
Twelve-year-old Tahlia Wilkins is ready to kick off the perfect summer at the popular kid’s pool party. But when the Red Goddess of Panties, aka her first period, arrives 24 hours before the pool party, it messes up all her plans. To make matters worse, her mom is out of town, and there’s no way she’s going to ask her dad for help! Tahlia always feared that growing up would be tough, but this is just not fair.
In order to save herself from total embarrassment, it will take all of Tahlia and her best friend Lily’s scheming to keep her reputation—and her favorite jeans—from being ruined. Sneak off to the grocery store only to have the clerk price check your “goods” over the loudspeaker? Check. Trick your mature teenage neighbor into letting you use her bathroom to ‘rehome’ some tampons? Check. Take a dip into a fountain to ‘borrow’ some quarters for a bathroom period product dispenser? Check, check, check!
With the hilarious and heartwarming tone of Dork Diaries and the critically-acclaimed movie Eighth Grade, Grow Up, Tahlia Wilkins! is a coming-of-age middle-grade novel about growing up, in all of its awkward glory.
Karina Evans is a children’s author from Santa Barbara, California. She is represented by Jessica Mileo at InkWell Management.
Karina studied English at the University of Delaware before starting a career in the entertainment industry. She works in marketing for Sony Pictures and has previously worked for Lucasfilm and Paramount Pictures.
Some of Karina’s favorite things are: See’s Candies, The Amazing Race, singing show tunes in the car, and volleyball. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two mischievous cats, Sir Pounce and Taika.
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