Fresh Eyes Story Corner


Welcome to the Fresh Eyes Story Corner!

...a place where I will publish video storyboards of read-aloud stories featuring Caribbean authors & illustrators, especially those from the US Virgin Islands.

First story in the series: (I've changed this a zillion times...sorry...until I found the perfect book! I am just so damn excited to read it to you all!)


The first read-aloud story will be Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender!

This story is for children in Grade 4 - 6 (8 - 12 years old).
(I realize some of you expected stories for younger children, but this story is just so interesting and compelling. I think it's worth everyone's time.)

About the story: Twelve-year-old Caroline and her father live on Water Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Caroline, known as a “Hurricane Child,” since she was born during a hurricane, is plagued with bad luck. She sees a spirit—the woman in black—that no one else can see. She is bullied daily at school by both children and her teachers who make cruel remarks about her dark skin tone. Her feelings of loneliness are compounded by the fact that her mother left and never returned. When a new student from Barbados named Kalinda joins her class, Caroline is drawn to Kalinda’s confidence and disinterest in befriending the bullies. The two girls soon become close friends. Caroline realizes her feelings for Kalinda are more than platonic and when she expresses them to Kalinda, they are unfortunately met with resistance. Nevertheless, Kalinda agrees to help Caroline find her mother in the midst of a terrible storm. By the end, the protagonist is able to feel more at peace with herself, her family, and her complex relationship with Kalinda. The novel moves at a substantial pace and contains intermittent flashbacks. Told solely from Caroline’s perspective, readers get an in-depth understanding of her experiences and feelings. Lush descriptions bring the Caribbean environment to vivid life.

"An excellent and nuanced coming-of-age tale with a dash of magical realism for readers who enjoy character-driven novels, especially those with middle grade LGBTQ+ characterizations."
–Jess Gafkowitz, Brooklyn Public Library (School Library Journal Review)

"An amazing, complex, moving portrayal of a young queer black girl from Water Island in the Caribbean."
–goodreads.com reviewer

"This reads like it should be a classic."
–goodreads.com reviewer

About the author:
photo by Ashley Cain
Kacen Callender is originally from Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. They have a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA from the New School’s writing for children program. They are also the author of the young adult novel This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story and the middle grade novel Hurricane Child, winner of the Stonewall Book Award and Lambda Literary Award. They can be found online at www.kacencallender.com. (check it out!)

FUN (AMAZING) FACT: In 2018, in reaction to Hurricane Irma, Callender launched the online auction #USVIPubFund, under which they and other book publishing professionals raised $104,000 to support the U.S. Virgin Islands!


This book will be broken up into 6 parts. To be published and posted weekly.  
 


Hurricane Child: Part 1:

Visit https://www.facebook.com/FreshEyesSTX and hit 'Like' to be in the know about any live readings and events.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Book recommendations? 

Are you an author/illustrator and you're willing to do a FB/Instagram LIVE & chat about your work, process, and connection with the Caribbean? 

Contact Me.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A note about Mothers on Mother's Day

You and I are brother and sister forever...

‘Teachers teach someone something....