A couple of days ago, I had another one of those “You need to read more!” talks with my youngest son and daughter. The surest way to build vocabulary is to read, read, READ. The competition to enter selective enrollment programs in the Chicago area is tough. One cannot afford to leave any points on the table if you’re to have any chance, at a chance, to get into the best schools in the area.
A good way to encourage more reading is to recommend books that they would like to read which can be a bit challenging when the readers are urban kids of color and the story protagonists are often anything but. While that is not a major stumbling block in my household, it may be for many. So I found this New York Times article, Books to Match Diverse Young Readers, a list of 16 of the best in literature for young readers who are not necessarily white  and suburban, quite timely indeed. And in this age of digital entertainment, it is good that most of these are available as eBooks as well as print!
- Esperanza Rising
- The Great Wall of Lucy Wu
- Ellray Jakes Is Not a Chicken
- My Name is Maria Isabel
- Chickadee
- Liberty Porter, First Daughter
- How Tia Lola Came to Stay
- Alvin Ho
- Kickoff
- Cupcake Diaries: Mia in the Mix
- Inside Out & Back Again
- Indian Shoes *
- Sassy: The Birthday Storm *
- The Year of Miss Agnes
- Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel *
- STAT: Home Court
* currently only available in print