Just Published
GLITTER by Babygirl Daniels
January 3, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Asia Smith walks through her life with a silver spoon in her mouth, thanks to her father, who spares no expense when it comes to his baby girl. But when he dies tragically, her extravagant lifestyle is brought down a notch. She struggles to adjust to her new life with Auntie Joy. Asia thinks that entering high school will help her return to normal. She’s excited about attending the hypest school in Detroit along with her best friend, Tracey. They’re closer than ever and loving their freshman experience – until they fall for the same boy. Tracey turns her back on Asia, and things get complicated. Asia... [Read the full story]
Interviews
Q & A: Shelia M. Goss
October 26, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Tell me a little about yourself. How did you get started writing? The Lip Gloss Chronicles is my first young adult series. I am the author of six women’s fiction books. Besides writing, I love to read, travel and meet new people. One of my favorite things to do when I go to a new city is visit the aquarium and the area’s botanical garden. I started off writing when I was about nine years old. I’ve always had a vivid imagination and I’ve channeled that into writing stories. Do you have a special routine when you write? Yes. When I’m working on a manuscript, I like... [Read the full story]
News
The Real World (Boston Globe)
August 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Teens say they’re reading urban fiction because it reflects life in the city. Should parents be concerned? The genre is not new: Authors such as Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim began writing about the world of pimps, gangsters, and drug dealers in the 1970s. But recently a younger generation of writers such as Teri Woods, Carl Weber, and Nikki Turner have begun delving into urban fiction. Some started as self-published authors who sold their books from the trunks of their cars. The books quickly won great acclaim among readers, allowing the new authors to establish independent book companies... [Read the full story]
Resources
Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice by Denise E. Agosto and Sandra Hughes-Hassell
February 1, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Urban Teens in the Library is the perfect solution for the concerns and uncertainty many librarians face when supporting this group of patrons and students. From a team of experts who have researched the information habits and preferences of urban teens to build better and more effective school and public library programs, this book will show readers: * the importance of moving beyond stereotypes and revamping library services * the value of street lit and social networking * how a library website can meet the information needs of teens. This groundbreaking book is relevant to all librarians... [Read the full story]
Fiction
PATTERSON HEIGHTS by Felicia Pride
Avery Washington has spent his entire life in Patterson Heights, a Baltimore neighborhood with a mean rep. It’s a good place to grow up—it has heart and soul as well as a few street hustlers, and plenty of solid families just like his. Then one day, his older brother Rashid ends up in the wrong place at the...
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INDIGO SUMMER by Monica McKayhan
Fifteen-year-old Indigo Summer’s world finally seems to be going in the right direction: She hooks up with the star linebacker on the high-school football team, gets a date for homecoming and makes the high-school dance squad all in the same week. But sometimes things are just too good to be true. After football...
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SUMMER OF SECRETS by Paul Langan
A frightening ordeal at the end of the school year has turned Darcy Wills’s world upside down. With her ex-boyfriend miles away in Detroit and her beloved grandmother gone, Darcy is more alone than ever. Darcy turns to her remaining friends to discover one of them has an even bigger secret. Now, forced into a crisis...
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JOSEPH by Shelia P. Moses
For Joseph Flood, life is tough. Tough because of Mama’s addiction to drugs and alcohol. Tough because daddy is away with the army fighting in Iraq. Tough because it looks like there’s no way out once you’re living in a homeless shelter in a North Carolina ghetto neighborhood. And tough because Joseph...
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SECRETS IN THE SHADOWS by Anne E. Schraff
Roylin is living a nightmare – and it’s all his fault. It started when the new student, Korie Archer, arrived in his history class. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and unlike most people at Bluford High, she seemed to like him. But when Roylin tried to impress her, he made a terrible mistake....
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BANG by Norah McClintock
I stare at him. He stares right back at me. Then he turns away. What a jerk, I think. He doesn’t even know me and he’s coming on all heavy with me. I raise my hand and point at him. I make like I’m pulling the trigger of a gun. Bang, mister, I say to myself. Now who’s taking up space? Find more teen urban fiction...
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ENAKO BLUE by Brenda Woods
Who was Enako Blue? She was beautiful and good-hearted. She was Monterey’s best friend. She was the only girl Jamal cared about, the one who saw through his player act. She was the one who understood the burden of Eddie’s family. She was the best singer anyone had ever heard, with a voice like vanilla incense,...
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Interviews
Tell me a little about yourself. How did you get started writing? The Lip Gloss Chronicles is my first young adult series. I am the author of...
Mr. Volponi is a writer, journalist and teacher living in New York City. For six years he taught incarcerated teens on Rikers Island to read...
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Nonfiction
Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice by Denise E. Agosto and Sandra Hughes-Hassell
Urban Teens in the Library is the perfect solution for the concerns and uncertainty many librarians face when supporting this group of patrons...
Street Lit: Teaching and Reading Fiction in Urban Schools By Andrew Ratner
New book out for teachers on urban fiction – In response to concerns about teacher retention, especially among teachers in their first...
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