Diversity in YA: Guest Post with Deva Fagan

Posted In: guest blog

I’m very happy to help announce the launch of a book tour and website devoted to celebrating diversity in middle grade and young adult books: Diversity in YA!

Founded by two YA authors, Cindy Pon (Silver Phoenix, Fury of the Phoenix) and Malinda Lo (Ash, Huntress) Diversity in YA seeks to bring attention to MG and YA books featuring people of color, LGBT characters, and any other “diverse” characters. These authors envisioned DIYA as a positive, friendly gathering of readers and writers who want to see diversity in their fiction. Every week on their website they will be featuring books that include diversity, from realistic, contemporary novels to absorbing historicals and adventurous fantasy.

Cindy and Malinda as well as several other authors will be going on a five-city tour in May 2011 (San Francisco, Austin, New York, Chicago, Cambridge). I have more information at about the tour at the end of this post! In addition to the traveling tour, they’re also putting together a virtual one. As part of that virtual tour I have a guest post with author Deva Fagan! Tomorrow I’ll have an interview with Gene Yang and a giveaway!

Happy Reading!

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
This would be perfect for a younger reader who enjoys humorous books about the real-life adventures of being a kid, making (and keeping) friends, and dealing with your family. Millicent, a child genius who isn’t quite as expert at social relationships, tells her story in a fantastically distinctive and droll voice, with wit and heart. A light, fun book, but with real heart underneath.

The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce
If you’re a fan of epic fantasy, you’ve probably already heard of Tamora Pierce. But I wanted to give a particular shout-out to this series, because I think it’s perfect for a younger reader looking for adventure and magic. The series follows the interwoven stories of four kids being trained in magical arts, in a rich and ethnically-diverse fantasy world.

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Poetic and gripping, this is another book for younger readers that I think will appeal to older readers too (or at least, I loved it when I read it last month!). Lanesha is a fantastic heroine: brave, smart, and kind. Set against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina and its tragic aftermath, this story remains triumphant and uplifting. There’s also a thread of magic woven through, in the form of Lanesha’s ability to see and speak with ghosts.

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
This is a fabulous example of how a book about real-world issues can still be as gripping and exciting as any fantasy adventure. I especially love how we get the contrasting stories of two teen boys: one conscripted by the Burmese army against his will, the other a member of the ethnic minority fighting the army’s oppression. This is a book that makes devastating current events real and personal, through the strength of the characters and their compelling stories.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Darkly hilarious and heart-breaking. You don’t need to be a theater geek to sympathize with these characters: teens at a summer theater camp, who struggle with friendship, romance, and the passion to be great. I loved that these characters were flawed, that they did make mistakes and even failed spectacularly on occasion, but yet I still cared about them.

Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
This is a book (the first in a trilogy) for those who like a taste of the fantastic woven into the real world. I first picked it up because of the premise: a world where those who have magic must use it, or risk going mad. But the unfolding mysteries, the adventure that stretches from Sydney to New York, and the diverse cast of characters kept me reading all the way through the series.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
A book that does not sugar-coat tragedy or injustice, and yet still manages to be outrageously funny. The sarcastic, insightful voice of Junior, living on a reservation but attending an all-white high school, is what carries this book. Junior’s cartoons (drawn by artist Ellen Forney) are an added layer of awesome on what is already a fabulous book.

A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee
A secret organization of female spies in Victorian England! Mystery, adventure and romance! Mary Quinn is a smart and self-possessed heroine, and she must confront some difficult issues of identity as well as attend to her mission and solve a mystery. This is also the first in a series!

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Allison Goodman
This wonderfully complex Asian-inspired fantasy world drew me in with a host of fascinating characters, magic, adventure, battles, and of course, dragons. I particularly loved how rich the story was in terms of diversity: from Eon herself, a cripple who must disguise herself as a boy in order to train to become a Dragoneye, to Lady Dela, who was born with a man’s body. It’s a story that engages as pure adventure, but also raises some very interesting questions about gender, body, sex, and identity.

Earthseed by Pamela Sargent
A spaceship full of kids, created from genetic banks and raised by the sentient Ship itself, are on a mission to colonize a planet. I first read this as a kid myself – in fact it’s the first book I can remember reading that clearly included (ethnically) diverse characters. I must have read this one a dozen times, riveted by the adventures of a pack of kids with little adult supervision as they learned to function as a society (and learned the truth behind their mission). I’m not even sure if this one’s in print any longer, but if you can find yourself a used copy or get it from your library, check it out!

Deva Fagan is the author of The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle and the forthcoming Circus Galacticus. She lives in Maine with her husband and her dog. When she’s not writing she spends her time reading, doing geometry, and dressing up as imaginary people. Visit her at www.devafagan.com

San Francisco, California
Saturday, May 7 at 3 p.m.

Highlighting Asian American YA books with authors Malinda Lo, Cindy Pon, Gene Luen Yang, and J.A. Yang

Austin, Texas
Monday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m.

With authors Bethany Hegedus, Malinda Lo, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Cindy Pon, Dia Reeves, and Jo Whittemore, and moderated by Varian Johnson

Chicago, Illinois
Tuesday, May 10 from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.

With authors Malinda Lo, Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, Nnedi Okorafor, and Cindy Pon

Cambridge, Massachusetts
Thursday, May 12 at 7 p.m.

With authors Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, Deva Fagan, Malinda Lo, Cindy Pon, and Francisco X. Stork.

New York, New York
Friday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Highlighting LGBT YA books with authors Cris Beam, David Levithan, Malinda Lo, and Jacqueline Woodson. Books available for sale from TBA.

Saturday, May 14 at 1 p.m.

With authors Matt de la Peña, Malinda Lo, Kekla Magoon, Neesha Meminger, Cindy Pon, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Jacqueline Woodson

San Diego, California
October 2011

Highlighting YA fantasy and science fiction with authors Paolo Bacigalupi, Holly Black, Malinda Lo, and Cindy Pon

You can find more information about the tour and it’s venues on the Diversity in YA Tour Page.

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Steph Su
2. Guest Post: Christina Gonzalez
3. Guest Post: Cindy Pon
4. Guest Post: Dia Reeves
5. Author Guest Post: Y.S. Lee