The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson

 Welcome Back, Booklovers! I met Shauna at a book event back in March and decided to add The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster to my TBR and went in without really knowing much about it. So keep reading to hear my full thoughts.

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster is about a biracial woman named Mae who is about to get married and feels out of place both in her own white family and the one she's marrying into. Her father passed years earlier and she's never had a connection to his family. When her grandmother passes she decides to take a trip to the South for the funeral and try and reconnect.  Secrets are revealed, longtime grudges are exposed and Mae must confront some harsh truths in between attempting to keep family traditions alive.

The book sets itself apart from similar books by having the harder conversations around biracial heritage and the way individuals navigate that identity that is different than someone whose parents are the same race. Which I appreciated because so often it's not discussed and it's presented as if there's no difference. Mae and her father had a habit of just shrugging off the racism of her white family over the years and she has to finally acknowledge the harm behind that and learn to stand up for herself. There were some very honest and uncomfortable conversations about race here. So many books I pick up that discuss racism and have Black and biracial characters in mostly white spaces still don't talk about the way in which those characters enable the white people around them by keeping quiet. Mae has to really reckon with the privileges she has due to her proximity to whiteness.

There's also a very good exploration here about how to navigate relationships with family after the death of the relative that was connecting you. Having firsthand experience actively navigating that I found that part of the story to be very well done. It didn't expect one of the big twists here and it was refreshing to see the conversations around it. My biggest gripe is there's no recipe for the much talked about mac & cheese!

A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I read Riss' I'm Not Supposed to Be in the Dark last year and while it was a decent read for me and I liked her writing style I was curious to see how she would do with an older audience. I received a copy of A Love Like the Sun from Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

Best friends Laniah and Issac have kept close over the years so when Issac finds out Laniah's  hair product business is failing he uses his influencer fame to get her brand attention by pretending she's his girlfriend. Suddenly her business is booming and Laniah is having to confront the feelings she's always felt for him. 

Many authors are making the transition from YA to Adult recently but I must admit not many making the transition so seamlessly. Some author's writing styles stay exactly the same and their book ends up feeling like YA with slightly older characters. Romance is a hard genre to stand out in with the constant releases both traditionally and indie, especially when the story is slow burn. But I think Riss' rhythmic writing stands out as well as the authenticity of her characters. The conversations here felt real like I was peaking into these people's lives. There's high sexual tension between Laniah and Issac that just works.

Riss wasn't afraid to have a conversation about her biracial main character being in the natural hair community and how some women might question her credibility when it came to doing 4c hair. She also wasn't afraid to shy away from showing the reality of chronic illness and loosing a parent as well as dealing with a diagnosis. And it's done in a way where it's not the entire focus. So readers get to enjoy the lighter moments and the build up of Laniah and Issac's relationship as they navigate industry events and the expansion of Laniah's business. Since there is actually benefit to keeping up the charade, the fake dating aspect works in this capacity instead of feeling like it was just thrown in to check off trope boxes.

Museum Recs!

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm always keeping my eye out for picture books that feature Black kids going to different places especially places we don't always see them depicted in media. A few weeks ago when I was taking my niece to a museum for a Juneteenth celebration I thought about how important free events like that were so kids can visit these museums. Which then had me thinking about how you don't see many books featuring Black kids visiting museums. Which meant I had to use my library apps to do a little bit of digging to find some books.

Miss Edmonia's Class of Wildfires

Miss Edmonia (a nod to American sculptor, Edmonia Lewis) and her class of elementary aged WILDFIRES are spending the day at the art museum. Follow Kara-Clementine and Attilio as they explore the museum's collection and discover the character traits that make them special.

Museum Mix-Up

J.C. can't wait for his class field trip to the Famous Black Americans Museum. Even better, Dad is coming too--as a chaperone. But then J.C.'s group gets separated from the rest of the class. Can J.C. help save the day and find his classmates?

The Noisy Classroom Goes to the Museum

Ms. Johnson is a bit, well, odd. So when she announces she’s taking the class on a field trip to the natural history museum, one young girl can’t help but worry. Everyone at school already knows Ms. Johnson, but what will strangers think of her? As the day of the field trip draws nearer, the girl and her friends decide to hatch a plan for their teacher’s sake.

Malola's Museum Adventures : Career Day

When Malola is tasked with sharing with her class what she wants to be when she grows up, she runs to the one place she knows will help her—her favorite room in her favorite museum. But when she asks her favorite paintings what she should be when she grows up, she doesn’t expect them to come to life and take her on a journey to find the answer!

Follow Malola as she travels through a magical exhibit of paintings and learns about the many inspirational women who came before her, paving the way for her to be anything and everything she wants to be.

Ana & Andrew: A Day at the Museum

Ana & Andrew are excited when Grandma comes to stay. During her visit, the family tours the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture and learns about important African American achievements.

Interview with Author Justin Colon

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I was able to read The Quaken ahead of it's release and I can tell you my nieces loved it! I was was able to ask author Justin Colon all about The Quacken, Summer Camps, and what we can expect next from him.

What is The Quacken about?

Something strange is happening at Cucumonga Campground. From bicycles and canoes to socks and sneakers, things are vanishing without a trace. Even more foreboding is the many ‘Do Not Feed the Ducks’ signs posted everywhere in sight and the endless warnings from campers to avoid the ducks at all costs. Could all this be connected to the looming rumors? After all, legend has it that a creature lurks in the lake. A fearsome, ferocious, frightening creature. Some say it swallows canoes. Campers. Even whales. WHOLE! In spite of all this, new camper Hector feeds the unbearably cute (and hungry) waterfowl, inadvertently releasing a gigantic beast of legend . . . and it wants to eat him! 

What was the process like pitching The Quacken?

Pitching The Quacken is what made the creation process both difficult and easy. That’s because I put the cart before the horse and pitched it to agents and editors as part of a Twitter pitch contest before even writing the story. The pitch immediately garnered requests, leaving me with the added challenge of having to produce a polished story that not only stayed true to the original pitch, but delivered the goods. Compounding that pressure, my soon-to-be agent, who was already reviewing additional materials she had requested from me, expressed strong interest in The Quacken during a Zoom chat. When I revealed the writer’s sin I committed, she asked me to send her the manuscript when it was ready. The call ended, and my offer of representation, partially contingent upon The Quacken, was on the line. In the end, I’m happy to say it all worked out. 

What made you decide to become a picture book author?

I began reading picture books to my little brother, who my family adopted as a baby (he’s a pre-teen now). Every night, we read a handful of board books and picture books together (The Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle was a shared favorite). Looking back, that was a really special time in our lives, especially mine.

I quickly found that I enjoyed the picture book format. It’s filled with incredible imagination, humor, poignancy, language and visuals. But, as many [unfortunately] do, I incorrectly and unfairly judged and dismissed picture books as baby work—something I could produce easy-peasy almost overnight. My plan was to write and sell one book, check that accomplishment off my list, and call it a day. 

I vastly underestimated the format, the immense skill it requires, and the many, many challenges of securing representation and publication. I’ve also since come to realize that often when something looks easy and/or effortless it’s because someone has invested lots of time and energy into perfecting a skill set. This is something I should have already known coming to publishing from the acting world. 

Of course, picture books weren’t a ‘one and done’ deal for me. I fell in love with the format itself, the storytelling challenges and opportunities it afforded me, and the expanding and evolving skill set it required of me. Not to mention, the community of children’s book creators is super generous and supportive. I also love the impact these stories have on readers’ lives (as well as my own). 

Picture books were a detour for me. I didn’t plan to make a career out of them. But life has an uncanny ability for redirecting us. I can’t imagine my life without children’s books, this community, and this newfound career. 

Name 5 recent picture books you enjoyed.

Solar Bear 

Author: Beth Ferry

Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel

Spider in the Well 

Author-Illustrator: Jess Hannigan 

More Dung! 

Author-Illustrator: Frank Weber

Milly Fleur’s Poison Garden

Author-Illustrator: Christy Mandin

Pig Town Party 

Author-Illustrator: Lian Cho 

Wolfgang in the Meadow

Author-Illustrator: Lenny Wen 

Okay, you got me. I named six titles. Can you blame me? There’s a lot of great books out there! I think these books are definitely worth checking out. 

Have you ever been to camp?

I was a Boy Scout, so camping came with the territory. In addition to the usual monthly camping trips my troop took, we embarked on an annual summer trip, venturing by car then ferry, to Camp Yawgoog, an 1800-acre camp in Rhode Island where Boy Scout troops from across the country came together to spend the week. It was divided into large sections, with each troop having their own campsite name. I was in Camp Sandy Beach and our troop’s site was called Back Woods. 

We bunked in groups of four in lean-tos (open cabins with three walls and no front). We ate as a troop at an assigned time within a large mess hall, and each day a different boy scout was responsible for being their table’s server. They lined up and retrieved the trays of food and drinks, brought them to their table, and stayed behind to clean up the mess after the rest of the troop had left. There was also the singing of many boy scout songs during meal time. The troops spelled the word “bananas” out letter by letter, repeating this faster and faster until a numerical countdown, which grew in volume and energy, ended with everyone shouting “GO BANANAS!” in unison. For someone who was introverted and pretty serious, it was an experience.

During the day we could go our separate ways and do different activities. I spent mine exploring the grounds and taking every class I could squeeze into my schedule with the hopes of racking up merit badges. I also practiced my marksmanship at the rifle range. I should mention that technology wasn’t huge at this time, so it was a time to disconnect from the outside world and be more present and in tune with nature and each other.

What inspires you? Do you have any tips for finding inspiration when it comes to writing?

I find inspiration through observation of the world around me, animated television shows and movies (especially cartoons), live-action television shows and movies, GIFS and memes, random images, other books, language (including puns and portmanteaus), art, random activities. Pretty much anything and everything.

Inspiration often strikes when I least expect it. However, I don’t wait for those moments, because they’re often few and far between. Instead, I actively scout for inspiration. I’ll write down any random thought or idea I have—sometimes on a piece of scrap paper, sometimes in my book of super-secret ideas (it’s mostly just a bunch of scribbles). I’ll even doodle random images. There are often times when the visuals come to me before the language. When that happens, I dummy out/draw up the spreads as I envision them. I also like to think of the story’s potential hook and takeaway as I develop it, allowing me to really hone in on the point of the story and what will hopefully make it stand out in a crowded market. 

You founded The Kidlit Hive, what is its purpose and why is it important to you?

My goal through The Kidlit Hive is to assist children’s book creators on their publication journey via affordable and accessible online webinars, classes, and editorial services. I work with writers ranging from those who are brand new to publishing and want to draft their very first manuscript to those who are agented, award-winning, and multi-published.  My goal is to use the information, insight, and skill set I’ve acquired along my journey to provide guidance, direction, momentum, motivation and inspiration, along with confidence and clarity, to the clients I work with. 

Through my editorial services, I critique manuscripts, craft pitches for them, provide comp titles and mentor texts, assist with agent and editor list, brainstorm and rank ideas and manuscripts, and more. It’s exciting to see clients secure representation, publication, awards, and mentorships with manuscripts we worked on together. But most rewarding is when I see the emotional impact these services can have on clients, developing their skills and stories and re-invigorating their creative well and love of writing for children. 

You’re also an actor! What drew you to acting?

I’ve always been a storyteller, and with acting I get to be a direct vessel through which part of the storytelling happens. It’s an incredible experience dissecting a script, developing a character, and diving deeper into my emotional life, experiences, and imagination to help bring a character, story, and world to life. It can be exhausting, and yet, it’s often energizing. When I’m on a set or stage, or even an audition room, I get an indescribable rush. The second the camera’s rolling or the show starts, something inside me changes. I’m making strong choices, acting on instincts, and surfing a wave of adrenaline. 

I attended a rigorous conservatory-style program for acting, earned my way into SAG-AFTRA, and was starting to audition for exciting roles and projects. My career was just gaining momentum just as the pandemic hit. Unfortunately, things haven’t rebounded for me since (or many of us, I suspect). But I look forward to being back on sets on day (hopefully soon).

What can we expect next from you?

My sophomore picture book, Impossible Possums (illustrated by James Rey Sanchez) publishes on October 22nd through Disney Hyperion. The Zombees (illustrated by Kaly Quarles) publishes in 2025 through Simon and Schuster. Impossible Possum for Mayor (the sequel to Impossible Possums) also publishes that year. Vampurr (illustrated by Lenny Wen) publishes with FSG/Macmillan in 2026. 

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Masquerade was one of my anticipated reads for this year. The premise of a reimagined precolonial Africa just spoke to me as someone who has been asking for more of that in books for some time.  I received an arc from Macmillan in exchange for review.

Ododo is taken from her home in Timbuktu after it is conquered by the warrior king of Yorubaland and chosen to be his bride. Ododo decides to lean into her new role and use it to her advantage to move up in society. But she soon discovers she's in over head and there are sacrifices she'll need to make on the way to the top.

This book was very mis-marketed. And thought the publisher and author took a gamble with that I do think people will go in expecting one thing and be disappointed. There was a lot of flip flopping with the promotion of it between if it was supposed to be a historical fiction or a fantasy and I feel like it lands somewhere in between. This world didn't fully immerse me in the time period it was supposed to be set in especially with modernisms slipping in. But it also did not have any type of magic in it to be considered a fantasy thought the world feels very similar to several African inspired fantasies I've read.

 With the comp to The Woman King and the emphasis on Ododo being a smart and ruthless heroine I expected exactly that. However what I received was a naive young woman who believes she should be in power but her overly trusting nature despite being shown time and time again no one was her friend made it hard for me to root for her. She just never came across like the capable leader we were to believe she would be and I had a hard time believing people would easily fall in line with her. I can see why readers were saying this feels more like YA because we do have a sheltered teenage main character who is overly trusting pretty much down to the end. 

However despite my frustrations with Ododo I do think the twists and turns of the story were compelling. The book is written in a way where you have to keep reading because you're wondering how Ododo is going to make it through. The court intrigue aspect is what really drove the story and I did like when she used gossip from the women to aid  I would've liked to see her be more ruthless and calculated. Most books inspired by Hades and Persephone either go the romance route or point out how problematic the tale is while this one tried to play up both sides. 

Ariel Blake's narration really elevates this book and brings the story to life. It's a good story but there's so much being held back.