Welcome! My theme for the A-Z Blogging Challenge is middle-grade and young adult fiction. The final book is a Caribbean Folk tale written by a Trinidadian.

Young Isha has to find out the old woman's name but, try as she might, she cannot guess. Who can help her and why does she need to know? Only a remarkable crab Solistine knows the secret. In this classic, beautifully illustrated folk tale, the famous Caribbean crab is changed for evermore, and so are the faces of old women. The latest addition to Macmillan Caribbean's list of highly illustrated children's books this is another example of why the Caribbean produces wonderful children's books. The merging of traditional folk tales and modern illustrations tell a delightful story that is wonderful to share with children.

About the Author

Lynette Commissiong was born and grew up in Trinidad, where she lives with her family. A librarian for many years, she has lived in England and Canada and has travelled throughout the Caribbean, Europe and America. Her love for the richness and colour of the Caribbean landscape is reflected in her vivid and imaginative writings for children.

Welcome! My theme for the A-Z Blogging Challenge is middle-grade and young adult fiction. The letter X is for the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. A Spell for Chameleon is the first book in the series.

Xanth was the enchanted land where magic ruled--where every citizen had a special spell only he could cast. That is, except for Bink of North Village. He was sure he possessed no magic, and knew that if he didn't find some soon, he would be exiled. According to the Good Magician Humpfrey, the charts said that Bink was as powerful as the King or even the Evil Magician Trent. Unfortunately, no one could determine its form. Meanwhile, Bink was in despair. If he didn't find his magic soon, he would be forced to leave....

About the Author

Piers Anthony is one of the world's most popular fantasy authors, and a New York Times bestseller twenty-one times over. His Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and he daily receives hundreds of letters from his devoted fans.In addition to the Xanth series, Anthony is the author of many other best-selling works. Piers Anthony lives in Inverness, Florida.

Source: Amazon

Welcome! My theme for the A-Z Blogging Challenge is middle-grade and young adult fiction.

Eighteen-year-old Bria wants to be a Global Vagabond. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. So when Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspoken sister, Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel through Mayan villages and remote Belizean islands, they discover they're both seeking to leave behind the old versions of themselves. The secret to escaping the past, Rowan's found, is to keep moving forward. But Bria realizes she can't run forever. At some point, you have to look back.

About the Author

A travel writer and young adult author, Kirsten Hubbard has hiked ancient ruins in Cambodia, dived with wild dolphins in Belize (one totally looked her in the eye), slept in a Slovenian jail cell, and navigated the Wyoming badlands (without a compass) in search of transcendent backdrops for her novels. She lives in San Diego, California.

Source: Amazon

Welcome! My theme for the A-Z Blogging Challenge is middle-grade and young adult fiction. This book sounds like a wonderful collection for young readers.

Featuring velvet-smooth dolphins and flying fish, and whispered ghost stories about the Jumbie Man, this collection of poetry conjures the sights and sounds, tastes and tales of the Caribbean.

About the Authors

This collection of Caribbean poems was compiled and edited by John Agard & Grace Nichols, Under The Moon & Over The Sea: The artwork was done by Cathie Felstead, Jane Ray, Christopher Corr Satoshi Kitamura, and Sara Fanelli.

Source: Amazon

Welcome! My theme for the A-Z Blogging Challenge is middle-grade and young adult fiction. If you’re a writer and would like to have your book featured during the Challenge, drop me an email with your book blurb, cover, your bio and picture. I’ll slot in your book based on the letter of the day. I like the sound of this book and would love to read it.

A luminous novel in verse from the author of the Jefferson Cup award winner ALL THE BROKEN PIECES.

Serafina has
a secret dream.

She wants to go to school
and become a doctor
with her best friend, Julie Marie.

But in their rural village
outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti,
many obstacles
stand in Serafina’s way--
little money,
never-ending chores,
and Manman’s worries.

More powerful even
than all of these
are the heavy rains
and the shaking earth
that test Serafina’s resolve
in ways she never dreamed.

At once heartbreaking and hopeful,
this exquisitely crafted story
will leave a lasting impression
on your heart.

About the Author
Ann Burg was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to New Jersey when she was in the third grade. Although she always knew she wanted to be a writer ~ and began writing in earliest childhood ~ Ann studied to become a teacher and taught for ten years. It wasn't until the year 2000, that Ann gave up teaching to pursue writing full-time. Her first books were published in 2003. In 2009, Ann received the Jefferson Cup Award for her poetry novel, All the Broken Pieces. Her latest release, Serafina's Promise, has been designated a Fall 2013 Parent's Choice Gold Award winner. Ann's favorite quote is by Charlotte's Web author, E.B. White. "All I hope to say in books, all I ever hope to say, is that I love the world."

Source: Amazon

Welcome! My theme for the A-Z Blogging Challenge is middle-grade and young adult fiction. If you’re a writer and would like to have your book featured during the Challenge, drop me an email with your book blurb, cover, your bio and picture. I’ll slot in your book based on the letter of the day.

Gerald Manston and his friends Shifty and Fu lead pretty uneventful lives until the arrival of the ‘upheaval’. Then comes the opportunity to fight for a better way of life for the poor folk of Kingston. How can a kid resist the lure of excitement, danger and change?

This is the moving conclusion to Andrew Salkey’s quartet of children’s novels about the natural and manmade cataclysms of Jamaica.

Praise for the original 1960s quartet:

About the Author Andrew Salkey was a writer, a poet, a teacher, and a broadcaster for the BBC on the Caribbean Voices program. As a descendant of Jamaican parents, he was deeply involved in the Caribbean Artists Movement. He is the author of numerous books, including Anancy's Score, Come Home Malcolm Heartland, In the Hills Where Her Dreams Live, and Jamaica.

Source: Peepal Tree Press and Amazon

Welcome! My theme for the A-Z Blogging Challenge is middle-grade and young adult fiction. If you’re a writer and would like to have your book featured during the Challenge, drop me an email with your book blurb, cover, your bio and picture. I’ll slot in your book based on the letter of the day.

Q is for Question is a resource book for those interested in leading philosophical discussions with children. Presenting a wide range of philosophical issues in charming and witty rhymes, it is sure to delight children and their elders as well as spark debates about the most elemental matters.

About the Author
Tiffany Poirier lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she shares her passion for philosophy as an elementary teacher in gifted education. Today, she presents workshops, creates curriculum materials, and writes articles and books.

Source: Amazon