SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: MapMaker
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.lisamooreramee.com/
CITY: Fremont
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 346
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Los Angeles, CA; married; children: two.
EDUCATION:San Francisco State University, B.A.; California State University, East Bay, M.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and former publishing executive. Previously worked for the Walt Disney Company.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Lisa Moore Ramée is a California native and the author of books for middle-grade readers. She holds a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University and a master’s degree from California State University, East Bay. Previously, she worked as a publishing executive and has also worked for the Walt Disney Company.
In 2019 Ramée released her first book, a novel for middle graders called A Good Kind of Trouble. In an interview with a contributor to the Query Tracker website, Ramée discussed the book: “It’s about growing up and figuring out how race factors into that, and how friendships change and how judging people by their appearance is never a good idea.” She added: “This book has had a long journey. It’s actually the first book I ever wrote and queried, and that was nine years ago, but it’s been set aside, and rewritten and rewritten. It’s truly the book of my heart so I could never quit it.”
The protagonist of A Good Kind of Trouble is Shayla, a twelve-year-old African American girl. Her two best friends are Julia, who is Japanese American, and Isabella, who is Puerto Rican. Referring to their multicultural backgrounds, they call themselves the United Nations. Now that they are in junior high, circumstances begin putting a strain on their friendship. Shayla and Isabella clash over a boy, while Julia’s social circle begins expanding. Meanwhile, Shayla, whose nickname is Shay, becomes focused on a trial involving the police killing of an unarmed African American man. After the officer’s acquittal, Shay decides to become more involved in activism and begins attending protests with her family members. She uses her new insight into the African American experience to develop a friendship with a boy named Bernard, who is her lab partner. She slowly understands that systemic bias has made Bernard lash out and that he is not an inherently mean person.
Referring to the not guilty verdict in the shooting of the African American man, School Library Journal reviewer Kristin Lee Anderson commented: “The author does a beautiful job illustrating the pain a family goes through in the wake of such a ruling.” Anderson also categorized A Good Kind of Trouble as “highly recommended.” A critic in Kirkus Reviews described the character of Shayla as “awkward, endearing, and memorable.” The same critic called the book as a whole “a timely, funny, and unforgettable debut.” “Shay’s journey is an authentic and engaging political and personal awakening,” asserted a Publishers Weekly writer. Tiffany Flowers, contributor to Booklist, suggested: “This is a solid story for middle-schoolers dealing with issues such as friendship across racial lines.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 15, 2018, Tiffany Flowers, review of A Good Kind of Trouble, p. 97.
Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2018, review of A Good Kind of Trouble.
Publishers Weekly, December 24, 2018, review of A Good Kind of Trouble, p. 63.
School Library Journal, February, 2019, Kristin Lee Anderson, review of A Good Kind of Trouble, p. 57.
ONLINE
Lisa Moore Ramée website, https://www.lisamooreramee.com/ (April 18, 2019).
Query Tracker, https://querytracker.net/ (May 22, 2017), author interview.*
Lisa Moore Ramee wrote her first book in second grade. It took some time before she got around to writing her second one. A Good Kind of Trouble, her debut novel, published in Spring 2019. Something to Say came out in July, 2020 and Mapmaker will hit shelves in 2022.
Outside Lisa’s childhood bedroom was a hallway lined with bookcases. It was like having a magical portal to thousands of other worlds right outside her door. She read everything. Fantasy, contemporary, adventure, mystery, classics, romance. Kids books, adult books—some that her mother took out of Lisa’s room and hid because they were too mature.
And when Lisa wasn’t reading, she was in her room pretending. Picturing herself in the stories she read. Instead of writing fan fiction, she practiced fan drama. Creating complicated further adventures of her favorite characters, with herself planted right in the midst of it. Things went a little sideways when in fifth grade, after reading Harriet the Spy, she started carrying around a notebook, and scribbling thoughts about her classmates. You can guess what happened. The notebook was found, friendships were broken. Lisa learned a valuable lesson: keep the notebook at home.
Skip ahead many years later and while getting her MA in English Literature, Lisa discovered her words didn’t need to stay hidden any longer. And could even be a source of joy.
She started writing short pieces and even got a few published online and then tried her hand at a novel. The first one was an adult horror story, due to her long love of Stephen King novels, but she couldn’t quite capture the darkness King is such a master of. She sputtered around with other tales and finally settled on a book about a young girl struggling to figure out how race impacted her life. As a Black girl going to predominantly white schools, Lisa had similar questions growing up, and although A Good Kind of Trouble isn’t auto-biographical, it does capture some of the confusion and questions Lisa had about friendship and romance and race at that time.
Originally hailing from Los Angeles, CA, Lisa now lives in Northern California with her husband, two kids, big cat, and more yard than she can control.
writing a report? here’s some faqs!
Birthday: November 29th
Left-handed
Baby of the family—two older sisters and one older brother
Favorite color is orange but really all fall colors are great
No favorite book or song, just depends on the day/mood.
Did not want to be a writer originally—although did write first book in second grade. Wanted to be an actress. But then got on stage and had crippling stage fright.
Favorite meal as a kid: fried chicken, chicken-flavored rice-a-roni, and salad with Italian salad dressing.
Favorite meal as adult: tie between meal above and home-made spaghetti.
Yes, hair is naturally curly.
Full-time job working in higher education in addition to writing full-time.
Married, with two fantastic kids who love to read.
Cats, but I do love dogs too!
Coffee always over tea.
It may be better for you, but not a big fan of dark chocolate, milk chocolate? ADORE it. White chocolate is not chocolate at all.
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press kit
Short Bio
Lisa Moore Ramée still calls Los Angeles home even though she now lives in the Bay Area. She counts coffee as one of her best friends and is a devout believer in dreams coming true. Her debut novel, A Good Kind of Trouble, is a Walter Dean Meyers Honor book and an Indie bestseller. She is also the author of Something to Say and MapMaker. Visit her website at lisamooreramee.com
Long Bio
Lisa Moore Ramée was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in Northern California, with her husband, two kids, obnoxious cat and more yard than she can control. She earned a BA in Speech Communications from San Francisco State (go Gators!) and a MA in English Literature (focusing on Creative Writing) from Cal State East Bay. She worked for several years in publishing at the Walt Disney Company, first in Disney Comics, and then with Licensed Publishing. While there, she co-penned The Little Mermaid, Jr. Graphic Novel and the writing bug took up permanent residence. She is a devotee of Top Chef and Project Runway and would like to work either (or both) in a plot one day in order to be invited onto the shows as a guest judge. A Good Kind of Trouble, her first novel, received critical acclaim, garnered three starred reviews (PW, Kirkus and SLJ) and became a bestseller. It appeared on numerous “best of” lists for 2019. Something to Say received three starred reviews (Kirkus, SLJ and BookPage), was an Indie Next Pick and a Kirkus best of 2020 book.
Four Questions for Lisa Moore Ramée
By Erin Fry | Jul 09, 2020
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Though her first book, A Good Kind of Trouble—a novel about a girl navigating middle school, friendship, and race—was roughly 20 years in the making, Lisa Moore Ramée’s second book, Something to Say, has arrived only a year after her debut. Something to Say stars Jenae, a girl who prefers to be alone and invisible until a new kid at school refuses to let her be either one. But when they are paired up for a project, Jenae’s fear of public speaking means she may have to risk everything to avoid speaking up. Ramée spoke with PW about her inspiration for the book, how she stayed positive during her long path to publishing, and her advice for young readers who may have something to say in this ever-changing world.
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You mentioned in your biography that you once hoped to be an actress but had a case of stage fright. Jenae, your main character in Something to Say, also has a fear of public speaking. Are there any aspects of acting that you feel help you as a writer? And how did that early stage fright experience inspire this character?
As a child, I would play act in my bedroom, singing into my hairbrush and playing all the parts. I imagined myself winning numerous Academy Awards. I really wanted to be an actress. Right up until the moment I joined a drama club in high school and actually had to be onstage.
That’s when I realized that I had this crazy stage fright. I was adamant that I was never getting up in front of people again. However, at some point in life, we’re almost always forced to give a speech. That moment came in college and, like Jenae, I wanted to die.
Years later, as I was working on this book and developing Jenae’s character, it made sense to me that, because she was someone who wanted to be invisible, one of the worst things you could ask her to do would be to stand up and give a speech. Fortunately, I had those feelings to draw from as I wrote that scene.
Interestingly, though, this story seems to revolve around finding power in speaking up, even when it feels frightening. What would you say to encourage a young reader who, like Jenae, has felt safer when they’re invisible and is truly afraid to speak up but feels passionately about something?
Part of what inspired me to write this story is that I did not always have the courage to speak up. I think that what I would hope for a young person or anybody reading the book is that they recognize a couple of things. First, it’s hard to speak up. Quite simply, it’s just not an easy thing for many of us to do.
However, if someone feels like they want to speak up, but maybe not in a “shout out loud” way, there are quieter but still effective ways to share their voice. It can be as simple as writing a letter to someone in city or state government expressing their opinion. Maybe they aren’t comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, but they can find the courage to pick up the phone and call a council member.
What we’re seeing in the world right now is that if enough voices carry a message then the people in power are forced to listen. It is important not to think, “Someone else will take care of it, or someone else will do it.” Find those little ways to contribute your voice.
Finally, if someone wants to be a part of something happening in their community, they might consider asking their parents something like: “Hey, is there something we can do as a family? Can we work together?” It can be really hard to stand up for something alone but by joining a movement of people, they can be comforted and supported by that larger group.
A key subplot of this story is the fight within this diverse community to rename the middle school that Jenae attends for civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez instead of actor John Wayne. Can you tell us about how this came to be a part of Jenae’s story and what message you hope your readers take from it?
Before I wrote this book, I had been seeing similar fights play out in the news. Then, in a town close to where I lived, some community members wanted to change the name of the local middle school to honor a Filipina woman who had been significant in their cultural history. The city council was against it. The school was currently named after a founding father of their city. Ultimately, a big local fight ensued. I was drawn to the idea that a city government would so strongly support holding on to history more than listening to voices of people in their community. It was something I knew I wanted to explore in a story.
I had a personal connection to this issue as well. When my grandfather was still alive, he lived with us at my mom’s house. The man was in love with Western movies. It was the greatest gift of all time to him when cable television developed a Western channel. I’m sure this made me an odd child, but I enjoyed watching those old Westerns with him. I especially loved John Wayne. There was something about him—that gunslinger, save-the-day attitude that made him really cool. Then my brother said to me one day, “You know, John Wayne is racist.”
I was shocked. I didn’t want to believe it. But there was printed evidence of the statements that he had made against Black people, against Native people, and about white supremacy. I thought about John Wayne Airport near Los Angeles and began to wonder if he was someone we should honor like that. It raised a difficult question for me: can you still enjoy the work of someone who has done something society has agreed is wrong?
I loved being able to bring this question into a book. I knew the school would be named John Wayne Junior High, but I had to think long and hard about who the community would be fighting to name it after. I asked myself: what does this community look like? I’m from Los Angeles. It seemed to me that the community would be looking to name the school after someone like Sylvia Mendez. I thought, who better? Such a wonderful historical figure who not enough people know about. I wanted to bring her story into this book and hopefully shed some light on the fact that there actually was a school integration case before Brown vs. Board of Education.
You’ve described your publishing journey as being a contender for a “Longest Ever” Award. Can you summarize that journey and share what rewards along that path kept you following it?
I am not someone who grew up saying, “I want to be a bestselling novelist.” It wasn’t until after college that I started thinking about writing. I had started working at Disney Comics. It was a new unit and we were developing a product called Junior Graphic Novels. But we had no money in the budget to hire a writer so I thought, how hard can it be? And there was nobody smart enough to say: that’s a dumb idea, you’re not a writer, you’re an account executive.
But I would go into my office, close the door, and write this graphic novel. It was the best experience. I thought, I don’t want to see another spreadsheet in my life. All I want to do is this.
I went back to school and got a Masters in English literature. I wrote my first novel, an adult horror novel because I was a big Stephen King fan. At about that time, my daughter was starting junior high and was dealing with issues surrounding race that appalled me because I thought we were in a better place as a society than we were.
I started writing the book that became A Good Kind of Trouble. I sent out maybe seven or eight letters to agents and I got requests for full manuscripts. I had no idea what that meant. But it was enough to give me a little taste of hope: that the idea—a girl trying to figure out what being Black meant and how it impacted her relationship with her friends—was compelling enough for people to want to read the manuscript.
I entered Pitch Madness. Agents liked my pitch. None of them signed me. I did #DVPit. Nobody signed me. I was getting the message that the idea was something that people liked, but my writing was not. By that point, I was getting tired. I didn’t know if I wanted to keep doing this.
Then, I heard author Traci Chee talk about how she approached her writing like a job. I hadn’t done that yet. I checked out a bunch of successful middle grade books from the library and used them like textbooks, studying voice, studying sentence structure to see what it was that I was not doing. I decided: I’m going to make this happen. I queried a bunch of agents. I got a lot of full requests. And then I got an offer. I danced like a fool around my family room so hard that I literally twisted my ankle.
I did my due diligence. I sent out letters to all the people who had the book and let them know I had an offer. And I ended up having a total of 11 offers. I went with Brenda Bowen because she and I got along really well immediately. She also wanted to get the book out quickly. We subbed the book right around Memorial Day and it sold just a few weeks later.
Even now, as I work on the next book, I know I can always improve. If you’re a querying writer and you’re getting rejected, don’t be afraid to ask yourself the hard questions. Your idea might be fantastic, but your writing might not be strong enough. I did the work to make my book stronger. And it paid off.
Something to Say by Lisa Moore Ramée, illus. by Bre Indigo. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, July 14 $16.99 ISBN 978-0-06-283671-7
THU, OCT 13, 2022
Interview with the Author: Lisa Moore Ramée
By: Sally White
Interview with the Author: Lisa Moore Ramée
Author Interview
Map it Out
We were thrilled to include acclaimed author Lisa Moore Ramée's latest middle grade novel, MapMaker, in our 'Map It Out' themed box. MapMaker is "an absorbing, imaginative adventure about a Black boy who has the magical ability to bring maps to life."
Read on for our interview with Lisa as she answers our questions on the inspiration behind the story, creating your own world, and more!
Hi Lisa! MapMaker is a great story that is both fantastical and very relatable. How did the idea for this book first come to you?
I have sort of a weird fascination with maps. Maybe because I didn’t travel much, and exploring maps was my way of going somewhere. I especially loved ancient maps and the idea of people making guesses on what might be in unexplored realms. And the other thing I’ve spent way too much time thinking about is wishes --and how to get them right if you ever meet a genie. So when a friend asked me what would I write if I could write about anything, my two favorite things immediately came to mind. That was the beginning of the concept. I just needed the right person/character to explore these ideas with and I found a role model of sorts in one of my favorite books growing up: The Phantom Tollbooth. I started asking myself, what would that book look like if the main character had been Black? And if you added dragons. All of that combined together to birth the idea for MapMaker.
We loved the cast of characters you created for this book! Which one do you see yourself in the most?
Definitely Walt. Although, ironically I felt too tall growing up, not too small, like Walt does. But I relate so much to feeling like you’re not good enough and that your siblings are a bigger deal than you are. I am also very much a scaredy cat about a lot of things and often wish I could be a bit more daring. I would like to be more like Van, which is why she was so fun for me to write about.
If you could create your own world, what are some of the “must have” things you would include in it?
My world would include family and friends, tons of books, sunflower seeds, tall trees, sunshine, butterflies, ladybugs, witches, crystals, deep green lakes, balloon arches, paint and COFFEE.
Do you have any new projects we can look forward to seeing from you?
I’m working on a new middle grade (mostly) contemporary story about two best friends, Emmett and Will (Will is short for Willow but don’t make the mistake of calling her that) who are both keeping an important secret from each other. There’s a mysterious new girl, a magician that has fallen out of the limelight, and big discussions about what are the absolute worst things to eat. I’d tell you more, but I’m still trying to figure it all out.
Which books would you say turned you into a lifelong reader?
I have always been a reader. I’m an introvert and reading quietly in a corner is my favorite pastime. Absolute favorites that I’ve read over and over are: The Phantom Tollbooth, The Hobbit, The Long Secret, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, The Skin I’m In, A Gift of Magic and all the Nancy Drew mysteries!
Thanks, Lisa!
AN INTERVIEW WITH LISA MOORE RAMEE
Lisa Moore RameeAuthor bio:
Lisa Moore Ramée was born and raised in Los Angeles, and she now lives in the Bay Area of California, with her husband, two kids, and two obnoxious cats. A Good Kind of Trouble was her debut novel.
Something To SayBook description:
From the author of A Good Kind of Trouble, a Walter Dean Myers Honor Book, comes another unforgettable story about finding your voice—and finding your people. Perfect for fans of Sharon Draper, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds.
Eleven-year-old Jenae doesn’t have any friends—and she’s just fine with that. She’s so good at being invisible in school, it’s almost like she has a superpower, like her idol, Astrid Dane. At home, Jenae has plenty of company, like her no-nonsense mama; her older brother, Malcolm, who is home from college after a basketball injury; and her beloved grandpa, Gee.
Then a new student shows up at school—a boy named Aubrey with fiery red hair and a smile that won’t quit. Jenae can’t figure out why he keeps popping up everywhere she goes. The more she tries to push him away, the more he seems determined to be her friend. Despite herself, Jenae starts getting used to having him around. But when the two are paired up for a class debate about the proposed name change for their school, Jenae knows this new friendship has an expiration date. Aubrey is desperate to win and earn a coveted spot on the debate team. There’s just one problem: Jenae would do almost anything to avoid speaking up in front of an audience—including risking the first real friendship she’s ever had.
An Interview With Lisa Moore Ramee:
Did you always want to be an author?
No, actually I wanted to be an actress…until I discovered in seventh grade that I had horrible stage fright. Then I wanted to be a fashion designer. (I still sometimes dream of that!)
Were you one of those kids that wanted to read everything?
Yep! Reading was my absolute favorite thing to do. Anything I could get my hands on. In fact, more than once, my mother took away a book I was reading that she felt was too adult. I loved a good story. It could be a mystery, a love story, a thriller, or just about growing up.
How did you finally decide what to write about? Was your approach to look back at your own life growing up?
When I first started writing, I tried to copy my favorite author at the time, who happened to be Stephen King, so I was trying to write horror. But eventually I started thinking about some of my favorite books as a kid and was more interested in writing stories like that. And I was definitely inspired by my own life, especially with issues of race, but also found a lot of inspiration from my daughter’s life who was the age of my main character when I was writing A Good Kind of Trouble.
How have you found writing in a pandemic? Do you have more time at home and therefore more time to write? Or are you so busy with your own kids at home that it is too hard to focus on your writing?
Well, I work full time for a university, so finding time to write even pre-pandemic was a juggling act. My children are grown so thankfully I’m not tasked with trying to get them to focus on online schooling like so many parents are right now. My writing schedule has remained pretty much the same even during the pandemic. I work at my “regular” job during the week and spend all weekend on writing.
You have very strong characters in your books. How do you craft them? What techniques do you use to make your characters authentic?
Thank you! I do consider myself a character writer versus a plot writer. I struggle mightily with plot! But my characters are real people to me. And the trick is letting myself be quiet enough to listen to them. I talk for them aloud to “feel” if I’m getting them right. I’m not interested in their favorite color or their zodiac sign, but I do need to know things like what they would wear to school and what their favorite subject is. But also there are things about your character that you need from them in order to make the story work, so I can’t have them run completely wild.
The main message in Something to Say appears to be about the importance of being seen and heard and how that can change a person. Are you also emphasizing the importance of hearing from people of color?
As a writer of color it is always my hope that I am forwarding the message that we have a voice to add to the conversation and in Something to Say in particular there is a very strong message of the importance of listening to the people of color and highlighting what is important for them in their community. It’s important to note that it’s less about taking away from someone else but rather adding in our voices.
In addition to finding one’s voice, are you also focusing on whether people should be held accountable for what they have said in the past?
Oh absolutely! It’s a tricky argument of course because we want to allow people the opportunity to learn and grow and I believe if someone has said something problematic we should listen if they apologize and say how wrong they were. (This is very different from people who did problematic things.) In the case of John Wayne, who factors into Something to Say, he was given the opportunity to say if he was misquoted or didn’t believe what he stated in the interview he gave, and he stood by those words.
Do you have advice for young authors?
My biggest piece of advice for anyone who wants to write well is to READ! A well-written book is going to teach you so much. Read the book once for enjoyment and then read it again to figure out what the author did to make you care, or make you laugh, or give you a fright. The other thing is to listen to criticism. Now you don’t have to necessarily follow any suggestion you get, but at least listen to it. Don’t feel you have failed if someone tells you a way your work can improve. Writing is hard, and first drafts are NEVER perfect. That’s true for every writer. Don’t be afraid to get it wrong a few times as you work towards getting it right. And don’t be afraid of a blank page. Just throw some words out there!
MapMaker. By Lisa Moore Ramee. Sept. 2022.320p. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, $17.99 (9780063039421). Gr. 3-6.
Blackbird Bay is dull as ditchwater according to our hero, Walt, and compared to his former life in L.A., it might be. With a twin sister, Van, miles ahead of him physically and a dad who is always reminding him to practice football, all Walt wants to do is hunker down in his room, mapping his fantasy world, Djuraba. When he's told that he possesses the power to draw changes into places, he goes adventuring with his new friend Dylan and the infuriating Van to check this out, only to get stuck in his fantasy world. There he encounters an evil mapmaker whose plans could ruin Djuraba and the world! Can he use his newly discovered abilities to get them home and save both places? Ramees fast-paced novel centering on a Black protagonist engagingly leaves gaps for the reader to fill in with their own creativity and imagination, and themes of pushing against gendered expectations give the story emotional weight. A perfect fit for fans of Kwame Mbalia's Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (2019).--Beth Rosania
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Rosania, Beth. "MapMaker." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 22, 1 Aug. 2022, pp. 73+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A714679594/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e608da12. Accessed 16 Mar. 2023.
Ramée, Lisa Moore MAPMAKER Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Children's None) $17.99 9, 20 ISBN: 978-0-06-303942-1
A young Black boy has the power to create worlds from maps he draws.
Walt is a Black seventh grader whose family recently, to his dismay, left Los Angeles for rural Blackbird Bay in Northern California. While his father pressures him to play football, Walt's passion is maps--he even draws his own intricate map of Djaruba, the world he's made up. This passion leads to Walt discovering he has the magical power to create real worlds from the maps he makes. When Djaruba springs to life, Walt is able to escape his dull and frustrating life in Blackbird Bay and visit his invented world filled with colorful landscapes and entities bloomed from his imagination, including dragons he can ride. Walt brings his twin sister, Van, and new friend, Dylan, along. But he has to be cautious because using his magic has a cost each time. On top of that, Walt learns that rather than create worlds, mapmaker Statica has been using his powers to destroy them, eliminating one world every year until he gets what he wants. It turns out that what Statica wants is influence over Walt. With the full extent of Statica's power unknown, it's now up to Walt to figure out how to save Djaruba--and even his real world--from destruction. Walt is an appealing hero to root for. Readers will be absorbed as they explore fantastical worlds through his curious and enthusiastic eyes.
An exciting and imaginative read. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Ramee, Lisa Moore: MAPMAKER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A711906453/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ba80259f. Accessed 16 Mar. 2023.
Ramee, Lisa Moore SOMETHING TO SAY Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Children's None) $16.99 7, 14 ISBN: 978-0-06-283671-7
A new friend brings Jenae new challenges that move her out of her comfort zone.
On the first day of junior high, Jenae doesn’t have any friends, and she feels invisible. Then she meets redhead Aubrey, who is also black, and he’s a huge fan of “Astrid Dane,” Jenae’s favorite YouTube show. Aubrey is loud and un–self-conscious while Jenae just wants to fade into the background. A class debate assignment is Jenae’s worst nightmare but a dream come true for Aubrey, who aspires to join the debate team. When they partner up, can Jenae face her fear of public speaking—and will her friendship with Aubrey survive? Jenae’s funny, candid voice makes her instantly endearing. Readers will also relate to her relationships with her tough-but-loving mother, her big brother, and her grandpa, who encourages Jenae to speak up. Fans of Ramee’s A Good Kind of Trouble (2019) will appreciate the subplot involving a controversial proposal to change the name of Jenae’s school, from John Wayne Junior High to Sylvia Mendez Junior High, to honor the Mexican American girl who integrated a California school years before Brown v. Board of Education. Indigo’s grayscale illustrations punctuate the generously leaded text.
A timely, entertaining, unforgettable story about family, friendship, and finding your voice. (Fiction. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Ramee, Lisa Moore: SOMETHING TO SAY." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A622503064/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e0aeb3cf. Accessed 16 Mar. 2023.
RAMEE, Lisa Moore. Something To Say. 384p. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. Jul. 2020. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780062836717.
Gr 3-7--Jenae likes to be invisible. She's starting junior high school without any friends, and she's just fine with that. Her plans start to fall through, however, when she meets Aubrey, a new boy from Chicago with flaming orange hair and a larger-than-life personality. Bonding over their favorite YouTube star, the two form a friendship. As part of an assignment for English class, Aubrey and Jenae are tasked with debating the school's proposed name change from John Wayne Junior High to Sylvia Mendez Junior High. Jenae would rather do anything than stand up in front of the class and speak, even though this cause means a lot to her. She also has her family to worry about: Her grandfather Gee suffers a stroke and loses the ability to speak, her father doesn't seem to have the time for her, Mama wants her to be bold and outgoing, and her brother Malcolm is home from playing college basketball due to a sports injury. Ramee (A Good Kind of Trouble) offers a strong representation of social anxiety in Jenae, and creates a dynamic and realistic cast of characters. The debate over the school's name change will prompt readers to reflect on timely social justice topics. VERDICT This is a compelling story about friendship, fighting for what you believe in, and finding your voice. A first purchase for middle grade collections. --Katharine Gatcomb, Portsmouth P.L., NH
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Gatcomb, Katharine. "RAMEE, Lisa Moore. Something To Say." School Library Journal, vol. 66, no. 6, June 2020, p. 64. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A625710120/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c4c80dc1. Accessed 16 Mar. 2023.