Virginia Isaad (
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega (Holiday House, 2021).
Crystal Maldonado, 32, is a first-time author who grew up yearning to see a girl who looked like her in the mainstream: plus size and a woman of color. Now she’s made her own dream come true with her debut young adult novel,
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega featuring a “fat brown girl” as the lead character. The coming-of-age story has Puerto Rican teen Charlotte “Charlie” Vega coping with a fatphobic mom and her own insecurities about her body as she experiences the highs and lows of young love. With all the typical struggles of a teenage girl – boys, school, bullying – Charlie is also grappling with self-love while exploring romantic love with one her classmates, Brian Park. The book brings to life the representation Maldonado wished for that undoubtedly other young girls dealing with similar struggles can related to.
Children s and YA Books for Valentine s Day 2021 Compiled by Emma Kantor | Jan 25, 2021
The pandemic continues to put a wedge between family and friends through the necessity of social distancing, while bringing us closer together through shared hopes and fears. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’ve gathered a list of new and forthcoming books for young readers that affirm the value of love in its many forms.
Picture Books & Board Books
Jane Porter, illus. by Maisie Paradise Shearring. Candlewick, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-1123-8. Ages 3–7.
Dimitri, who has dark hair and light tan skin, spends his first day at a new preschool telling everyone and everything “I love you.” But when no one returns his declarations, he feels dejected until his mother imparts a lesson: “When you tell people you love them,” she says, “even if they don’t say it back or show it, they feel it. That’s just the way love is.” A gentle, resonant narrative for ch