MCCBD 2019 Feature: Own Voices Young Adult Novels About Native Teens
The Children’s Book Council is excited to partner again with the team of Multicultural Children’s Book Day to celebrate diverse books all month long! Throughout January, 10 authors will be featured on the Multicultural Children’s Book Day blog where they have created lists of diverse books ranging from picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels under a variety of topics. Check our space for previews of these lists and links to the see the full lists and access the book giveaways on the Multicultural Children’s Book Day site.
Please welcome Cynthia Leitich Smith today to kick off the #ReadYourWorld Book Jam 2019! The Multicultural Children’s Book Day blog is giving away one copy of Cynthia Leitich Smith’s newest young adult book, Hearts Unbroken. Please click the link below for the full list to access the Rafflecopter giveaway.

Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Meet Louise Wolfe, a high-school journalist, covering the controversy around the diverse and inclusive casting of her high-school musical. Lou is a contemporary Muscogee girl, living in the middle-class suburbs, trying to navigate micro and macroaggressions, but still very much a work in progress herself. What I loved most about writing this story was crafting Lou’s supportive relationships with her family and community as well as, on the dating front, her choosing a healthier romantic connection. [young adult, ages 14 and up]

Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Cassidy Rain Berghoff is Louise Wolfe’s cousin. A quieter, more poetic girl who scribbles in journals, hides behind her camera and mourns the sudden and unexpected loss of her best friend. Rain’s humor is gentle, wry, affectionate and rooted in small-town life. She’s living on the outskirts of an American Indian college community and is especially close to elders in her life. This is a tender story, my debut novel and a foundational work that, in part, helped inspired Hearts Unbroken. [middle grade, ages 10 and up]

Apple in the Middle by Dawn Quigley
Apple is quirky, honest, gloriously awkward and at first uncertain around her Ojibwe relatives after having been raised by her white dad and stepmom. She’s gradually more and more sure of herself, her place in her extended family and tribal community as she confronts painful loss and the secrets her deceased mother left behind. Quigley’s new voice is especially welcome, delightful in its honesty and authenticity. [middle grade, ages 10 and up]
Click here for the full list and book giveaway.