Stevenson’s “Pride Puppy,” an introduction to Pride parades for young readers, and Ryan’s “When You Get the Chance,” a YA novel that follows cousins on a road trip to Pride, will form this basis for discussion. Also included will be an exploration of how representation matters in the books that people read and how encouraging readers of all ages to read diversely facilitates social-emotional intelligence. LGBTQ+ individuals and their families should be represented, celebrated and included in all parts of life, including bookshelves.
About the authors:
Robin Stevenson is the author of more than 20 books for children and teens. She has written both fiction and nonfiction, from early chapter books to middle-grade and young adult novels. She regularly presents in schools, offering book talks, creative writing workshops, and presentations on LGBTQ+ Pride. Robin’s YA novel “A Thousand Shades of Blue” was a finalist for Canada’s highest literary honor, the Governor General’s Award, and is included on CBC’s list, “100 YA Novels that Make You Proud to Be Canadian.” Her middle-grade novel “Record Breaker” won the Silver Birch Award, Canada’s largest reader’s choice award for young readers. Robin lives on the west coast of Canada with her partner and their son.
Tom Ryan is the award-winning author of six books for children and teens. His debut novel, “Way To Go,” was published in 2012 with Orca, and was a nominee for the OLA White Pine Award, and made the 2013 ALA Rainbow List, as well as YALSA’s 2013 Quick Picks, with positive reviews from Publishers Weekly, Quill & Quire, and VOYA. His follow-up, “Tag Along,” received numerous glowing reviews from Kirkus, VOYA, and School Library Journal, and was nominated for a number of distinctions, including CCBC’s (Canadian Children’s Books Council) Best Books and the 2013 ALA Rainbow List, and was also a nominee for the OLA White Pine Award and the Stellar Award. Tom was born and raised in Inverness, Nova Scotia, and lives in Halifax with his husband Andrew and their awesome dog.
Anica Mrose Rissi grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats cheese with her friends in Princeton, New Jersey. Her books include the “Anna, Banana” chapter book series; the picture books “Watch Out for Wolf!,” and “Love, Sophia on the Moon; the middle grade collection Hide and Don’t Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories; and the YA novels Always Forever Maybe and Nobody Knows But You. Her essays have been published by The Writer magazine and the New York Times, and she writes lyrics for and fiddles in the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves.
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This event was recorded on June 29, 2021.