October 2019 | MahoganyBooks Children’s Bestsellers
#1 – Khalil’s Way by David Miller
An exciting illustrated children’s novel by author David Miller highlights the journey of Khalil Joseph an 11 year old boy growing up in a tough New Orleans community after Hurricane Katrina.
Khalil’s journey shows how a young boy who is gifted in math and chess but struggles with being diagnosed ADHD, asthma, numerous food allergies and growing up with a single mother struggle to deal with being bullied every day in school. Khalil’s Way is funny yet serious journey that encourages children to make making healthy decisions. Khalil like so many children is bullied every day in school. When you finish reading Khalil’s Way, you may be surprised at how the skinny kid with glasses was able to win over his bully, and deal with his own disappointment of growing up without his father. Khalil’s Way is illustrated by award winning artist Jerry Craft.
Khalil’s cautionary tale provides younger readers with a greater understanding of the impact bullying has on students and their families. According to stopbullying.gov a federal website clearinghouse for research and practices focused on bullying prevention: 70.4% of school staff have seen bullying; 62% witnessed bullying two or more times in the last month and 41% witness bullying once a week or more.
#2 – I’m A Brilliant Little Black Boy! by Joshua Drummond
Finally a gloriously designed and joyful, colorful picture book to celebrate our little Black boys with LOVE!
Meet our newest character, Joshua! He is a little boy who has big dreams and ideas as BRILLIANT as the stars!
With all of his good friends, Joshua’s days are filled with adventures where books, a telescope, a red-superhero cape, rhyming hip-hop verse, twinkling fireflies that light up the magical summer skies above a card board fort in the park― and so much more ― is just what boyhood innocence and imagination is all about.
Kind, smart, creative and always thinking― Joshua learns that through studying, good deeds, working hard and aiming to be brilliant . . . we can really shine!
#3 – Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer #1 by David Crownson
When slave owners can’t stop the formidable ninja warrior Harriet Tubman, they call on the help of Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, & Demons to stop her. Harriet Tubman must lead a family of slaves to freedom while battling an army of darkness.
A fictional take on the real life of a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, who freed approximately 1000 slaves in her history as one of the nation’s fiercest abolitionists and freedom fighters. Crowson decided to extend that story to include Demons.
“If Abraham Lincoln can fight vampires, why not right?
This first issue jumps right into the story when Caesar Edgefield wakes Venus Edgefield from her bed and tells her that they need to leave. In the dead of night they leave the plantation and meet Caesar’s wife Catherine who has procured a horse and wagon from another plantation. (this isn’t strange because many times slaves were sent between plantations to run errands and retrieve items for neighboring masters). It’s also not strange that masters often hired militia to patrol the roads at night to make sure that no slaves tried to escape.
What is strange is for those patrols to not just kill slaves but EAT them… because vampires.”
Review courtesy of The BlerdGurl
#4 – Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer #2 by David Crownson
A stampede of vampires chase Harriet & The Edgefields through the forest. Harriet encounters mysterious loved one from her past.
“Action. There are so many glamour shots in this comic, I want to post half the book in gallery style along with the review. But I won’t. Because you need to go purchase and read it for yourself. The art in this issue is devilishly beautiful. Vazquez’s The minor details like the cotton candy-like bushiness of Venus’ hair or the grotesque features of the vampire pack that’s chasing the Edgefield’s really make the book stand out.
It’s a treat to see. There are also a series of pages used for flashbacks in which all is black and white save for the color red that Burcham really makes shine. This masterful work, and I love style. Top that off with Ellis’ immaculate word balloon placement and long tails for dialogue and you’ve got something special. Every page ramps the action up to another level and there aren’t any low points.”
#5 The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing #ownvoices novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth.
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers–especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.
With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.
Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.
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