Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

I'm excited to introduce you all to Foreshadow: A Serial YA Anthology , a unique new online venue for young adult short stories, with a commitment to showcasing underrepresented voices, boosting emerging writers, and highlighting the beauty and power of young adult fiction. Each month this year we will publish an issue featuring three stellar young adult stories -- original work from acclaimed writers and new voices who have been specially selected by your favorite authors. For example, this month we have stories from New York Times bestselling author Courtney Summers , award-winning author Brandy Colbert , and Maya Prasad (a new voice selected by New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith). Our next and final deadline for submissions is April 1, 2019 and we are especially looking for stories from people of color and Indigenous writers; LGBTQIA+ and gender diverse writers; writers with disabilities; and religious, ethnic, and cult...

Scholastic , the global children’s publishing, education and media company, is giving a chance to Filipino writers living in Asia to submit a short synopsis and the opening pages of their unpublished chapter book or novel and stand a chance to be shortlisted to receive a review and written feedback from the man who discovered J.K. Rowling, Mr. Barry Cunningham. In partnership with   the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) , You Write to Me, I'll Write to You is a manuscript critique initiative of   the Scholastic Asian Book Award (SABA)   in an effort to further encourage and inspire Asian writers. The manuscript critique initiative aspires to motivate writers while assisting them to get their manuscript in shape and recognizing excellence in Asian writings. A total of six entries (the brief synopses and opening pages of six manuscripts) will be shortlisted to receive a review and written feedback from Mr. Cunningham, and only the most outstanding ...

Welcome to the Janus Silang blog tour! Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tabon is a new Filipino young adult novel written by Edgar Calabia Samar and published by Adarna House . We're kicking off the blog tour with a cover reveal and first chapter preview. Check out the cover below! Here is a blurb about the novel: Sa tournament ng TALA Online sa bayan ng Balanga, namatay ang lahat ng manlalaro maliban kay Janus. Sunod-sunod pa ang naging kaso ng pagkamatay ng mga kabataan sa computer shops sai ba’t ibang panig ng bansa. Kinontak si Janus ng nagpakilalang Joey, isa rin umano sa mga nakaligtas sa paglalaro ng TALA na gaya niya. Hindi inasahan ni Janus ang mga matutuklasan niya mula rito na mag-uugnay sa kanya sa misteryo ng kinahuhumalingan niyang RPG—at sa alamat ng Tiyanak mula sa Tábon! And ohohoho you can read the first chapter here or below! Edgar Calabia Samar will be at National Book Store SM North on May 10 at 3 p.m. Please join us for the book...

The Philippine Boardon Books for Young People (PBBY) formally launches the KABANATA Young Adult Writer’s Workshop with a call for fellowship applications. Slated to begin in October 2014 in Quezon City, KABANATA aims to provide a venue and support system to writers who share in PBBY’s commitment to the promotion of a culture of r eading among Filipino youth by providing this growing population with books that recognize their culture, aspirations, and sense of maturity. For a period of at least six months, fellows accepted to KABANATA will meet monthly for learning sessions with industry experts, and progress discussions with their co-fellows. Upon novel completion, PBBY will help fellows with publication by inviting publishers to bid on the finished works. With this, KABANATA hopes to produce chapter books and young adult novels that will set the bar for similar endeavors to aspire to, and be the growth spurt of what will hopefully become a thriving, diverse, and quality Fi...

I'd like to congratulate the finalists for the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Awards , especially the finalists in the children's picture book category: Ako’y Isang Mabuting Pilipino by Noel Cabangon and Jomike Tejido (Lampara Books)  Mga Saranggola sa Tag-ulan by Eugene Evasco and Bernadette Solina-Wolf (LG&M Corporation)     Ninoy, Cory, and Noynoy by Yvette Fernandez and Abi Goy (Dream Big Books) And the finalists in the novel in English category, all young adult novels! Salingkit: A 1986 Diary by Cyan Abad-Jugo (Anvil)  Voices in the Theater by A.S. Santos (Flipside Publishing)  Woman in a Frame by Raissa Rivera Falgui (Flipside Publishing) If you want to catch the announcement of the winners of the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Awards, please attend the 3rd Filipino ReaderCon on Nov. 9 at the Rizal Library of the Ateneo de Manila University!

This month's issue of Candy , a magazine for Filipina teens, includes a fiction special! Pretty perfect timing, huh? :o) The fiction special includes three stories for older teens (ages 16-19) which are described as "super short, so-you stories that will change your life." I've read them and I wouldn't say that they will change readers' lives, but the stories are definitely about life changes: "Sparrows" by Leslie Lipa is about losing a mother, "Is there even a future here?" by Joanna Kennedy is about breaking up, and "Arrival" by Marla Miniano is about reuniting with an estranged father. My favorite is "Is there even a future here?" because it's a realistic and entertaining depiction of an "amicable breakup" that I feel will really appeal to older teen readers.   I wonder if Candy features at least one short story every issue. THEY SHOULD!

To celebrate Bangkok, Thailand being the 2013 UNESCO World Book Capital, some international schools organized the Bangkok Book Awards . Congratulations to the authors, illustrators, and publishers below! Bangkok Book Awards - Picture Book Category Winner The Umbrella Queen , written by Shirin Bridges and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (Greenwillow Books, 2008) Bangkok Book Awards - Junior Book Category Winner Tua and the Elephant , written by R.P. Harris and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (Chronicle Books, 2012)   Bangkok Book Awards - Teen Book Category Winner Behind the Painting: And Other Stories by Siburapha (Silkworm Books, 2001)

For having freedom of speech, tons of reading programs, and a strong publishing industry, Bangkok, Thailand is the 2013 UNESCO World Book Capital . To celebrate this honor, international schools in Bangkok are running the Bangkok Book Awards for the best children’s and teen books set in Thailand. I would really like to commend the ten amazing and hardworking librarians from these schools for putting together the awards shortlists. Over three months, they read children's and teen books set in Thailand and chose age-appropriate, high quality books available in English and still in print. Each shortlist includes at least one book by a Thai author and one book by an international author, books set in different parts of Thailand, and at least one book in translation from Thai. You can check out the picture book shortlist here , the junior book shortlist here , and the teen book shortlist here . They are a GREAT way to discover good children's and teen books set in Thailand. =D ...

The Calistro Prize aims to: * promote the creation of Malaysian stories for children and teenagers, * reward excellence of Malaysian content in fiction for children and teenagers, * and support Malaysians writing for children and teenagers. The Calistro Prize 2013 is now open for entries! To be eligible for the prize, stories should be original and unpublished works of at least 6,000 words, written in English, set in Malaysia, and Malaysian in content. Translations of original unpublished works are also welcome. Only one entry per writer is allowed and the closing date for entries is September 30, 2013. The results will be announced on December 31, 2013. The winning story will receive RM8,000 in cash, a medal, and a certificate. Two stories may win merit awards, each with a cash prize of RM1,000, a medal, and a certificate. Click here for all the rules and regulations of the Calistro Prize 2013!

Here are the Philippines' best children's and young adult reads from 2010 and 2011. Congratulations to all the winners of the 2nd National Children's Book Awards! Ang Sampung Bukitkit By Eugene Y. Evasco and Ibarra C. Crisostomo LG&M Ay, Naku! By Reni Roxas and Serj Bumatay III Tahanan Books Doll Eyes By Eline Santos and Joy Mallari CANVAS The Great Duck and Crocodile Race By Robert Magnuson Hiyas/OMF Lit The Secret is in the Soil By Flor Gozon Tarriela, Gidget Roceles Jimenez , and Liza Flores Conquest for Christ Foundation I predicted this would win a National Children's Book Award when I attended its launch . =D Tall Story By Candy Gourlay (with illustrations by Yasmin S. Ong) Cacho Publishing House Also predicted this would win a National Children's Book Award. =D Click here to read the judges' citations for the books. And wow, you can see the entry number of each book in the pictures above!

Congratulations to Sarah Jamila Stevenson! Her novel The Latte Rebellion (Flux Books, 2011) won the bronze medal in the children's multicultural fiction category of the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards. "Hoping to raise money for a post-graduation trip to London, Asha Jamison [who is half Indian, a quarter Mexican, and a quarter Irish] and her best friend Carey [who is half Chinese and half Caucasian] decide to sell T-shirts promoting the Latte Rebellion, a club that raises awareness of mixed-race students. But seemingly overnight, their 'cause' goes viral and the T-shirts become a nationwide social movement. As new chapters spring up from coast to coast, Asha realizes that her simple marketing plan has taken on a life of its own—and it's starting to ruin hers. Asha's once-stellar grades begin to slip, threatening her Ivy League dreams, while her friendship with Carey hangs by a thread. And when the peaceful underground movement spins out of control, Ash...

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 8 May 2012) Book description: When soldiers arrive at his hometown in Cambodia, Arn is just a kid, dancing to rock 'n' roll, hustling for spare change, and selling ice cream with his brother. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever. Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children, weak from hunger, malaria, or sheer exhaustion, dying before his eyes. He sees prisoners marched to a nearby mango grove, never to return. And he learns to be invisible to the sadistic Khmer Rouge, who can give or take away life on a whim. One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument. Arn's never played a note in his life, but he volunteers. In order to survive, he must quickly master the strange revolutionary songs the soldiers demand—and steal food to keep...

Today is the launch of Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction (Stone Bridge Press), an anthology of thirty-six Japan teen stories. Proceeds from the sales of Tomo will go directly to long-term relief efforts for the teens displaced by the March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami disasters. Buying this book will help pay the educational expenses of these affected teens! Tomo is edited by Holly Thompson and the stories are by authors and illustrators from all around the world who share a connection to Japan, including Andrew Fukuda, Tak Toyoshima, Alan Gratz, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, and Shogo Oketani. Visit the Tomo blog for more information and please do everything you can to support the book. I'll be posting my reviews and interviews as soon as I can!

The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association has selected the following books as recipients for the 2012 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature. =D Picture Book Award: The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China by Ed Young (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Honor Book: Hot Hot Roti for Dada-ji written by F. Zia and illustrated by Ken Min (Lee & Low Books) Children's Literature Award: The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (Scholastic) Honor Book: Vanished by Sheela Chari (Hyperion) Young Adult Literature Award: Orchards by Holly Thompson (Delacorte Books for Young Readers) Honor Book: Level Up by Gene Luen Yang (First Second Books) Congratulations to all the winners! Click here to see the winners and honor books for the adult fiction and adult nonfiction categories.

Today the American Library Association announced the winners of the 2012 Youth Media Awards - the top children's and young adult books, audio books, and videos of the past year. The winners included. . . Stonewall Book Award Honor book: Money Boy by Paul Yee (Groundwood Books) Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor book: Drawing from Memory by Allen Say (Scholastic Press) John Newbery Medal Honor book: Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (HarperCollins Children’s Books) Congratulations!!! Click here to see the list of all winners.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Awards! The Sydney Taylor Book Awards honor new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Pasadena, California in June. The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers: Chanukah Lights by Michael J. Rosen with artwork by Robert Sabuda (Candlewick Press) The Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger Readers: Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti with illustrations by Holly Meade (Candlewick Press) Around the World in One Shabbat: Jewish People Celebrate the Sabbath Together written and illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard (Jewish Lights Publishing) The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers: Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin (Charlesbridge Publishing) The Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Olde...

Congratulations to the finalists of the 2011 Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (the Cybils)! For this blog, I would like to highlight the following finalists. =D Middle Grade Fiction The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson (Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers) The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (Scholastic) Warp Speed by Lisa Yee (Arthur A. Levine) Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy (Arthur A. Levine) Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade) The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty (Harcourt) Poetry Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto by Paul B. Janeczko (Candlewick Press) Graphic Novels Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch (Amulet) Sidekicks by Dan Santat (Arthur A. Levine) Level Up by Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham (First Second Books) Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult) Angelfall by Susan Ee (Feral Dream) Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (Tor Teen) The winners will be announced on Valentine...