The Thursday Book Beat: Blogger Asks “Where Are All The Disabled Characters?”

Photograph by Ardo Omer. Books. Reading. Thursday Book Beat.

Blogger Asks Where Are The Disabled Characters At?

Megan Quibell AKA TheBookAddictedGirl writes in The Guardian on the importance of representation in books and the lack of disabled characters as the leads of their own story.

Which is why I want to set you all a few challenges. I want you to read something with a main character like you. I want you to read something with a main character who is the complete opposite of you. And finally I want to see if you can find any more books with a disabled character (because I really can’t). And then you report back to this site childrens.books@theguardian.com – maybe even send in some reviews – and tell us.

This sounds simple enough. I’ll be accepting this challenge. Will you?

Daniel Handler AKA Lemony Snicket Launches Initiative That Supports Indie Booksellers

A lot of AKAs in this week’s book beat.

Yes, Handler is launching Upstream which basically gets writers to partner up with an indie shop “to sign stock of their books to keep on hand”. As a pro-indie reader, I think this is a fab idea. VIVA LA INDIE!

The Huffington Post Predicts Four Trends For YA 2015

Crimes & Cons, Retellings (Fairy tales), Quirky & Moving and Dealing With Loss are the four trends predicted for young adult in 2015. I find that the last two are pretty vague and could encompass most books since they’re more theme or tone/style rather than a genre or specific premise. Agree? Disagree?

Awards

Finalists for the National Book Award’s Young People’s Literature Has Been Decreed

*trumpets play*

We Need Diverse Books Announces Award In Honour of Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers passed away this past July and will be honoured in via an award and some grants in his name from the We Need Diverse Books crew. WNDB was created when the first annual BookCon in New York this past May was severely lacking diversity in its line up. The award “will recognize published authors from diverse backgrounds who celebrate diversity in their writing and ‘[allow] children to see themselves reflected back'”. There is currently no amount for the award but the grants will be given “to up-and-coming, unpublished writers and illustrators who are creating diverse works”. They’ll be awarded 2,000-5,000 each and it’ll be for those who need financial support in getting published. Great job, WNDB.

Give yourselves a well deserved pat on the back.

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Ardo Omer

Ardo Omer

Former WWAC editor. Current curmudgeon and Batman's personal assistant. Icon art by Diana Sim.

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