Contributing Author: Tasslyn Magnusson
It's Monday and time to check in with what DIVERSE book we're reading! At the Allies meeting during the Summer Residency, we decided to take a small - yet important - piece of action. We committed to reading 12 diverse books and blogging, facebooking, whatevering, about those books. Emily Lockhart kicked us off at the end of residency sharing her books. So, here's what I read - Justina Ireland's Promise of Shadows. I LOVED THIS BOOK. When I was young, I read every greek myth. I pretended that yes, the greek gods were still alive. So, from the second I picked up with Zephyr, I knew this was going to be the kind of adventure I wanted to be a part of. Zephyr is a Harpy - but as she feels, not a very good one. Her sister's been killed, she's used a secret power to kill the god that killed her sister, and when we meet her, she's been sent to Tartarus, forever.
Here are a few things I loved about this - I loved that Zephyr doesn't always want to be a hero. That she is scared. (Like me). I love that she gets angry - really, really angry. And accepting that anger is part of her journey - not stuffing it, a lesson I was taught far too often as a girl. I love that Zephyr comes to see herself as beautiful - that she isn't told she's beautiful by others, although they clearly see her that way - but that we get to see her struggle with that inside.
So, I could say SO MUCH MORE. But, put this ON YOUR LIST. Few details - I bought Promise of Shadows from Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis. They were kind enough to mail to this lazy girl ... I only live 45 minutes away.
I'm buying this book for my niece - she's going to be 13. She's a reader and a writer. I love the positive messages about power and bodies and the AWESOME story. I'm also going to buy a copy for my son - he and I love to read together. He'd LOVE the adventure and it won't take him long to get over his tweenish weirdness about girls. After all, Zephyr is a Harpy - that's not like any female he knows.
Alright folks - let's chat - what diverse book are YOU reading?
Here are a few things I loved about this - I loved that Zephyr doesn't always want to be a hero. That she is scared. (Like me). I love that she gets angry - really, really angry. And accepting that anger is part of her journey - not stuffing it, a lesson I was taught far too often as a girl. I love that Zephyr comes to see herself as beautiful - that she isn't told she's beautiful by others, although they clearly see her that way - but that we get to see her struggle with that inside.
So, I could say SO MUCH MORE. But, put this ON YOUR LIST. Few details - I bought Promise of Shadows from Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis. They were kind enough to mail to this lazy girl ... I only live 45 minutes away.
I'm buying this book for my niece - she's going to be 13. She's a reader and a writer. I love the positive messages about power and bodies and the AWESOME story. I'm also going to buy a copy for my son - he and I love to read together. He'd LOVE the adventure and it won't take him long to get over his tweenish weirdness about girls. After all, Zephyr is a Harpy - that's not like any female he knows.
Alright folks - let's chat - what diverse book are YOU reading?
Book cover images used under Creative Commons from Amazon.com