Children/Teen Books for Silicon Valley Reads 2023
About the Book
Coqui in the City by Nomar Perez
Miguel's pet frog, Coquí, is always with him: as he greets his neighbors in San Juan, buys quesitos from the panadería, and listens to his abuelo's story about meeting baseball legend Roberto Clemente. Then Miguel learns that he and his parents are moving to the U.S. mainland, which means leaving his beloved grandparents, home in Puerto Rico, and even Coquí behind. Life in New York City is overwhelming, with unfamiliar buildings, foods, and people. But when he and Mamá go exploring, they find a few familiar sights that remind them of home, and Miguel realizes there might be a way to keep a little bit of Puerto Rico with him--including the love he has for Coquí--wherever he goes.
About the Author
Nomar Perez
Nomar Perez was born on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, in the city of Ponce, and moved with his parents and five siblings to Ohio when he was ten. Nomar is heavily influenced by all types of media, most especially animation, puppetry, and computer art. He studied computer animation and painting at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and since then has worked as an illustrator on social expression products in the categories of humor, children's, and young adult. Nomar has also illustrated numerous children's board books and school publishing books. Coquí in the City is his author-illustrator debut.
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About the Book
Sugar in Milk
A young immigrant girl joins her aunt and uncle in a new country that is unfamiliar to her. She struggles with loneliness and a fierce longing for the culture and familiarity of home, until one day, her aunt takes her on a walk. As the duo strolls through their city park, the girl's aunt begins to tell her an old myth, and a story within the story begins.
A long time ago, a group of refugees arrived on a foreign shore. The local king met them, determined to refuse their request for refuge. But there was a language barrier, so the king filled a glass with milk and pointed to it as a way of saying that the land was full and couldn't accommodate the strangers. Then, the leader of the refugees dissolved sugar in the glass of milk. His message was clear: Like sugar in milk, our presence in your country will sweeten your lives. The king embraced the refugee, welcoming him and his people. The folktale depicted in this book was a part of author Thrity Umrigar's Zoroastrian upbringing as a Parsi child in India, but resonates for children of all backgrounds, especially those coming to a new homeland.
About the Author
Thrity Umrigar
Thrity Umrigar is the bestselling author of nine novels and three picture books. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and published in over sixteen countries. She is the winner of the Cleveland Arts Prize, the Lambda Literary award and is a recipient of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard. An award-winning journalist, she has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. She is the Distinguished University Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Illustrator Khoa Le
Khoa Le is an award-winning Vietnamese illustrator and author, with many books published in her home country and around the world. She has a passion for travel, an eagerness to learn about different cultures and a desire to discover the beauty of the world, which she finds immensely inspiring. She works and lives with her cats.
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About the Book
When Stars are Scattered
Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.
Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.
About the Authors
Victoria Jamieson Co-author/Illustrator
Victoria Jamieson is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of books for children. Her graphic novel Roller Girl was awarded a 2016 Newbery Honor. When Stars Are Scattered, co-written with Omar Mohamed, was named a National Book Award Finalist in 2020. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania.
Omar Mohamed Co-author
Born in Somalia, at age 4, Omar fled to Dadaab Refugee Camp, and spent the next 15 years in the camp. Despite the difficulties of living in the refugee camp, Omar completed his primary and secondary school in Dadaab. He came to the U.S. in 2009 as a refugee, traveling with his younger brother who is mentality handicapped. In 2010 Omar became a US citizen and was also accepted into the University of Arizona where he completed his degree in International Development. Omar started Refugee Strong, a 501(C) (3) nonprofit organization committed to empowering refugee communities by providing support and hope through education. Having grown up in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Omar is a constant advocate for those who live there. Omar co-authored When Stars are Scattered based on his experience.
About the Book
Furia
In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.
But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.
About the Author
Yamile Saied Méndez
Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) Saied Méndez is the author of many books for young readers and adults, including Furia, a Reese’s YA Book Club selection and the 2021 Inaugural Pura Belpré Young Adult Gold Medalist. Her books have received many accolades such as the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard, Whitney Award, Cybils Award, Américas Award, Bank Street Spanish Language Book Awards, among others. She was born and raised in Rosario, Argentina, but has lived most of her life in a lovely valley surrounded by mountains in Utah.
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