A tender-souled boy reeling from the death of his best friend struggles to fit into a world that wants him to grow up tough and unfeeling in this stunning illustrated middle grade novel in verse full of vulnerability and hope (Booklist, starred review) from the Newbery Honor-winning author of Genesis Begins Again.

It's the last few months of eighth grade, and Isaiah feels lost. He thought his summer was going to be him and his boys Drew and Darius, hanging out, doing wheelies, watching martial arts movies, and breaking tons of Guinness World Records before high school. But now, more and more, Drew seems to be fading from their friendship, and though he won't admit it, Isaiah knows exactly why. Because Darius is...gone.

A hit and run killed Darius in the midst of a record-breaking long wheelie when Isaiah should have been keeping watch, ready to warn: CAR! Now, Drew can barely look at Isaiah. But Isaiah, already quaking with ache and guilt, can't lose two friends. So, he comes up with a plan to keep Drew and him together-----they can spend the summer breaking records, for Darius.

But Drew's not the same Drew since Darius was killed, and Isaiah being Isaiah isn't enough for Drew anymore. Not his taste in clothes, his love for rock music, or his aversion to jumping off rooftops. And one day something unspeakable happens to Isaiah that makes him think Drew's right. If only he could be less sensitive, more tough, less weird, more cool, less him, things would be easier. But how much can Isaiah keep inside until he shatters wide open?

One of the best books I have ever read...will live in the hearts of readers for the rest of their lives. --Colby Sharp, founder of Nerdy Book Club

An emotional, painful, yet still hopeful adolescent journey...one that needed telling. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

I really loved this. --Sharon M. Draper, author of the New York Times bestseller Out of My Mind

This deeply sensitive and compelling (BCCB) debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

There are ninety-six reasons why thirteen-year-old Genesis dislikes herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list:
-Because her family is always being put out of their house.
-Because her dad has a gambling problem. And maybe a drinking problem too.
-Because Genesis knows this is all her fault.
-Because she wasn't born looking like Mama.
-Because she is too black.

Genesis is determined to fix her family, and she's willing to try anything to do so...even if it means harming herself in the process. But when Genesis starts to find a thing or two she actually likes about herself, she discovers that changing her own attitude is the first step in helping change others.

As a little boy grows into a bigger boy, ready to take on the world, he first must have that very difficult conversation far too familiar to so many Black and Brown Americans in this gentle and ultimately hopeful picture book.

Jay's most favorite things are hanging out with his pals, getting kisses from Grandma, riding in his dad's cool car, and getting measured by his mom with pencil marks on the wall. But as those height marks inch upward, Grandpa warns Jay about being in too big a group with his friends, Grandma worries others won't see him as quite so cute now that he's older, and Dad has to tell Jay how to act if the police ever pull them over.

And Jay just wants to be a kid.

All Black and Brown kids get The Talk--the talk that could mean the difference between life and death in a racist world. Told in an age-appropriate fashion, with a perfect pause for parents to insert their own discussions with their children to accompany prompting illustrations, The Talk is a gently honest and sensitive starting point for this far-too-necessary conversation, for Black children, Brown children, and for ALL children. Because you can't make change without knowing what needs changing.

Jay es el Sr. Energía. Está lleno de vida y espíritu y sólo quiere pasar tiempo con sus amigos. Piensa que los besos y los pellizcos en la mejilla de la abuela son asquerosos (aunque le gustan un poco), piensa que el carro de su padre es padrísimo y le encaaaanta cuando su madre lo mide y ve cuánto más alto pueden llegar las marcas de lápiz en la pared.

Pero a medida que esas marcas de altura van subiendo poco a poco, el abuelo le advierte que no debe andar en grupos demasiado grandes con sus amigos. Y aunque la abuela no deja de pellizcarle las mejillas, ahora lo hace con tristeza--tiene miedo de que los demás no lo vean tan lindo ahora que es más grande. Y luego papá le dice a Jay cómo actuar si la policía alguna vez los detiene mientras conducen ese carro padrísimo.

Y Jay sólo quiere ser un chamaco.

Lo que Jay no sabe es que esto es el comienzo de La Charla. La charla que todos los niños negros y marrones necesitan tener. La charla que podría significar la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte y cómo sobrevivir en un mundo racista. Contada de una manera apropiada para la edad, con una pausa perfecta para que los padres inserten sus propias conversaciones con sus hijos para acompañar las ilustraciones, La Charla es la forma idónea de entrar en una conversación que TODOS los niños necesitan tener para que, un día, deje de ser necesaria.

Zora was a girl who hankered for tales like bees for honey. Now, her mama always told her that if she wanted something, to jump at de sun, because even though you might not land quite that high, at least you'd get off the ground. So Zora jumped from place to place, from the porch of the general store where she listened to folktales, to Howard University, to Harlem. And everywhere she jumped, she shined sunlight on the tales most people hadn't been bothered to listen to until Zora. The tales no one had written down until Zora. Tales on a whole culture of literature overlooked...until Zora. Until Zora jumped.

Jay es el Sr. Energía. Está lleno de vida y espíritu y sólo quiere pasar tiempo con sus amigos. Piensa que los besos y los pellizcos en la mejilla de la abuela son asquerosos (aunque le gustan un poco), piensa que el carro de su padre es padrísimo y le encaaaanta cuando su madre lo mide y ve cuánto más alto pueden llegar las marcas de lápiz en la pared.

Pero a medida que esas marcas de altura van subiendo poco a poco, el abuelo le advierte que no debe andar en grupos demasiado grandes con sus amigos. Y aunque la abuela no deja de pellizcarle las mejillas, ahora lo hace con tristeza--tiene miedo de que los demás no lo vean tan lindo ahora que es más grande. Y luego papá le dice a Jay cómo actuar si la policía alguna vez los detiene mientras conducen ese carro padrísimo.

Y Jay sólo quiere ser un chamaco.

Lo que Jay no sabe es que esto es el comienzo de La Charla. La charla que todos los niños negros y marrones necesitan tener. La charla que podría significar la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte y cómo sobrevivir en un mundo racista. Contada de una manera apropiada para la edad, con una pausa perfecta para que los padres inserten sus propias conversaciones con sus hijos para acompañar las ilustraciones, La Charla es la forma idónea de entrar en una conversación que TODOS los niños necesitan tener para que, un día, deje de ser necesaria.

A tender-souled boy reeling from the death of his best friend struggles to fit into a world that wants him to grow up tough and unfeeling in this stunning illustrated middle grade novel in verse full of vulnerability and hope (Booklist, starred review) from the Newbery Honor-winning author of Genesis Begins Again.

It's the last few months of eighth grade, and Isaiah feels lost. He thought his summer was going to be him and his boys Drew and Darius, hanging out, doing wheelies, watching martial arts movies, and breaking tons of Guinness World Records before high school. But now, more and more, Drew seems to be fading from their friendship, and though he won't admit it, Isaiah knows exactly why. Because Darius is...gone.

A hit and run killed Darius in the midst of a record-breaking long wheelie when Isaiah should have been keeping watch, ready to warn: CAR! Now, Drew can barely look at Isaiah. But Isaiah, already quaking with ache and guilt, can't lose two friends. So, he comes up with a plan to keep Drew and him together-----they can spend the summer breaking records, for Darius.

But Drew's not the same Drew since Darius was killed, and Isaiah being Isaiah isn't enough for Drew anymore. Not his taste in clothes, his love for rock music, or his aversion to jumping off rooftops. And one day something unspeakable happens to Isaiah that makes him think Drew's right. If only he could be less sensitive, more tough, less weird, more cool, less him, things would be easier. But how much can Isaiah keep inside until he shatters wide open?

This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant--even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence.

What's not so regular is that this time they all don't have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma. It's not that Genesis doesn't like her grandma, but she and Mom always fight--Grandma haranguing Mom to leave Dad, that she should have gone back to school, that if she'd married a lighter skinned man none of this would be happening, and on and on and on. But things aren't all bad. Genesis actually likes her new school; she's made a couple friends, her choir teacher says she has real talent, and she even encourages Genesis to join the talent show.

But how can Genesis believe anything her teacher says when her dad tells her the exact opposite? How can she stand up in front of all those people with her dark, dark skin knowing even her own family thinks lesser of her because of it? Why, why, why won't the lemon or yogurt or fancy creams lighten her skin like they're supposed to? And when Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again?

Meet Shirley, a little girl who asks way too many questions! After spending her early years on her grandparents' farm in Barbados, she returns home to Brooklyn and immediately makes herself known. Shirley kicks butt in school; she breaks her mother's curfew; she plays jazz piano instead of classical. And as a young adult, she fights against the injustice she sees around her, against women and black people. Soon she is running for state assembly...and winning in a landslide. Three years later, she is on the campaign trail again, as the first black woman to run for Congress. Her slogan? Fighting Shirley Chisholm--Unbought and Unbossed! Does she win? You bet she does.

In Stop Wasting Time Dr. Alicia D. Williams conveys to her readers the importance of fulfilling their dreams.

The Author believes procrastination is the thief of time. Time Waits On No One.

In reading Stop Wasting Time this book will empower, inspire, encourage, and motivate readers to reach their goals.

In Stop Wasting Time Dr. Alicia D. Williams conveys to her readers the importance of fulfilling their dreams.

The Author believes procrastination is the thief of time. Time Waits On No One.

In reading Stop Wasting Time this book will empower, inspire, encourage, and motivate readers to reach their goals.

This deeply sensitive and compelling (BCCB) debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

There are ninety-six reasons why thirteen-year-old Genesis dislikes herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list:
-Because her family is always being put out of their house.
-Because her dad has a gambling problem. And maybe a drinking problem too.
-Because Genesis knows this is all her fault.
-Because she wasn't born looking like Mama.
-Because she is too black.

Genesis is determined to fix her family, and she's willing to try anything to do so...even if it means harming herself in the process. But when Genesis starts to find a thing or two she actually likes about herself, she discovers that changing her own attitude is the first step in helping change others.

Experiences and people can hurt us and leave us desperate and afraid. But if we are willing to do the work, wounds can heal, no matter the type. Are you ready to discover a path toward healing through God's love? In Open Wounds Can Heal: My Journey, Dr. Alicia D. Williams shares an uplifting message of hope, faith and grace to the wounded, especially survivors of sexual assault, victims of abuse, and those struggling with mental health, reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles. A moving testimony on overcoming adversity, the book empowers readers to confront their pain and use their voice to reclaim their life and emerge restored from God's healing touch.

Experiences and people can hurt us and leave us desperate and afraid. But if we are willing to do the work, wounds can heal, no matter the type. Are you ready to discover a path toward healing through God's love? In Open Wounds Can Heal: My Journey, Dr. Alicia D. Williams shares an uplifting message of hope, faith and grace to the wounded, especially survivors of sexual assault, victims of abuse, and those struggling with mental health, reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles. A moving testimony on overcoming adversity, the book empowers readers to confront their pain and use their voice to reclaim their life and emerge restored from God's healing touch.

Nani loves to drum. Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum. Her music captures the sounds of life, rustles the forest leaves, rouses all the critters, and never fails to get the villagers up and dancing, dancing, dancing. But one day, they're too scared to dance. Lion, king of the land, has outlawed noisemaking of any kind. The villagers beg her to stay quiet.

Nani's heart pounds with fear, but her love for drumming beats more loudly. To keep playing her music and bringing joy to her village, Nani must stand up to the biggest bully around armed with only courage, quick thinking, and her drum.