“OLD ROOTS & NEW STEMS: GROWING INTO A YOUNG ADULT” – FICTION

Like a tree growing from concrete, these three stories celebrate resilience in the face of adversity that comes with growing up. In NADINE PINEDE’s poignant novel-in-verse When the Mapou Sings, teenage Lucille’s life is uprooted by sudden changes and the disappearance of a friend, but she finds strength and guidance in her roots – the Haitian mapou trees. In SAMUEL TEER and MAR JULIA’s graphic novel Brownstone, a young woman grapples with her identity in a neighborhood that thinks, speaks, and acts in a different language, challenging her to find her place in both a beat-up old brownstone and a vibrant Latin community. And in JUAN VIDAL’s novel-in-verse A Second Chance on Earth, friendship takes center stage – and the wheel! – when young Marcos takes a taxi ride through Colombia trying to understand the mind of his late father, a story that branches into new challenges and friendships in a poetic conversation about forgiveness and manhood. Moderated by PRECIOUS SYMONETTE, PH.D., award-winning veteran educator with Miami Dade County Public Schools. Grades 9-12

Buy When the Mapou Sings – Pinede

Buy Brownstone – Teer

Buy A Second Chance on Earth – Vidal