What’s new from West 44 Books Editor Caitie McAneney

Friends,

Our West 44 YA verse titles have a special place in my heart. West 44 believes in amplifying the voices of authors from marginalized communities, especially BIPOC and LGBTQIA+. Verse is a popular yet unique format that provides more white space and more opportunities to keep turning the page. By combining diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, I believe that our selection of books is exactly what every school and library needs for their young readers.

Our titles for Fall 2022 include:

• They Better Leave Sandra Alone or Else, a timely Izzy Jeen the Big-Mouth Queen chapter book that deals with bullying, racism, allyship—in an age-appropriate way
• Marvella Finds Her Magic, an own-voices chapter book debut featuring a strong biracial girl who has new-found magic powers, which will especially engage and inspire Black and Latina elementary readers
• Dandelion Travels, written by 19-year-old poet Angel Barber, an own-voices, important YA verse debut about life as a Black queer teen with themes of gender fluidity, racism, and gay romance
• Kiki in the Middle, a YA verse novel, looks at both sides of the police violence debate through a lens of Greek-American family life, art, and activism
• Right on Cue, a debut own-voices YA verse novel by poet Sabine Bradley that gives an authentic voice to the more than 400,000 youths in foster care
• The Dragons Club, an own-voices YA verse novel by Cyn Bermudez that covers sibling drug addiction and codependence, which will speak to teens in households with substance abuse—nearly half of U.S. families
• Things That Burn, a YA verse novel, covers teen climate anxiety and the real-world consequences of climate change
• To Be Maya, the own-voices debut verse novel from Claudia Recinos Seldeen about dating as a first-generation Guatemalan-American teen

Happy reading,

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