School will be back in session in the coming weeks in Arizona, and many students are probably finishing up their summer reading assignments right about now. The Show is talking to the authors of books for middle grade — generally 8- to 12-year-olds — and young adult readers — generally between the ages of 12 and 18 — as part of a series called Lit Squad.
Kyle Lukoff is a former elementary school librarian and the author of several books, including “Call Me Max” and “Too Bright to See.” His new book is called “Different Kinds of Fruit.” In in, sixth grader Annabelle Blake not only finds out she has a crush on her non-binary classmate, but also that her dad is a transgender man.
The Show spoke with Lukoff for more about the story.
More Lit Squad stories
-
A 13-year-old girl is preparing for her bat mitzvah, even though her family rarely goes to synagogue. At the same time, Zippy believes she’s a witch. That is the premise of the latest children’s novel from Laurel Snyder, called "The Witch of Woodland." -
Thousands of Japanese-Americans were held in internment camps in Arizona during World War II. MichiNishiura Weglyn was one of them — along with her family. Ken Mochizuki tells her story. -
Maria Ingrande Mora is a writer and content designer who lives in Florida. She talked about how she writes about something like anxiety — which some number of her readers likely also deal with — while keeping it authentic. -
The Show spoke with author Celia Pérez about her book "Tumble" and how the main character's story is someone many other children can relate to. -
Over the past year, The Show has heard from authors of books for middle-grade and young adult readers dealing with issues of race, gender, disability and socioeconomic differences, among other things. It’s a series called Lit Squad — and in this episode, The Show spoke with author Mónica Mancillas.
