#the revolution of birdie randolph

[aroaessidhe]

2022 reads // twitter thread  

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph

YA contemporary about a girl’s family & relationships

her estranged aunt returns to chicago to stay with her family, and she’s secretly dating a boy who she knows her protective parents won’t approve of

as she becomes closer to both of them, family secrets rise to the surface and turn her life upside down

[simmysunset]

new books!!!

i got a bunch of new books yesterday for my birthday, thanks to my parents! they took me to 2 indie bookstores, so i got to pick out a whole bunch. i thought i'd share what i got in case anyone was curious.

Galatea by Madeline Miller

Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Crave by Tracy Wolff

The Queen's Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

The Little Things in Life by Catherine Hapka and Mike Wall

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

i think i'm most excited for Legends & Lattes and The Queen's Assassin, but for very different reasons lol. i've heard a lot that Legends & Lattes is a very cozy and chill book, which i never read lol. i'm always reading very intense books with lots of high stakes, but i'm really excited for this because i've been really stressed lately and a chill book seems like exactly what i need right now. as for The Queen's Assassin, that sounds like it is really up my ally with a lot of intensity and action going on. it sounds great, so hopefully it lives up to my expectations!

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

Mitchell from The Revolution of Birdie Randolph is asexual!

[echoazure]

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

“Just because my mom wants to act like we’re perfect doesn’t make it true.”  My voice is shaky and my heart is thumping hard, like there’s something bubbling under the surface- something that makes me want to tell him to shut up, something I know isn’t right.  But I don’t understand why.

[richincolor]

We have two books on our radar this week! Are they on your TBR list?

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Nicola Yoon comes a novel about first love and family secrets from Stonewall Book Award winner Brandy Colbert.

Dove “Birdie” Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: She quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she’s on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past…whom she knows her parents will never approve of.

When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into the family’s apartment above their hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded–she’s also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for addiction. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she’s known to be true is turned upside down.

Color Me In by Natasha Díaz Delacorte

Debut YA author Natasha Díaz pulls from her personal experience to inform this powerful coming-of-age novel about the meaning of friendship, the joyful beginnings of romance, and the racism and religious intolerance that can both strain a family to the breaking point and strengthen its bonds.

Who is Nevaeh Levitz?

Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocates to her mom’s family home in Harlem and is forced to confront her identity for the first time.

Nevaeh wants to get to know her extended family, but one of her cousins can’t stand that Nevaeh, who inadvertently passes as white, is too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices they face on a daily basis as African Americans. In the midst of attempting to blend their families, Nevaeh’s dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. Even with the push and pull of her two cultures, Nevaeh does what she’s always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.

It’s only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom’s past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has a voice. And she has choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she find power in herself and decide once and for all who and where she is meant to be?

[asreadbydana]

September 2019

📚 Books Read

1. The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket  ★★★☆☆ (🎧)

2. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway ★★☆☆☆

3. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★

4.  Wilder Girls by Rory Power ★★★★☆ ½

5. Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 4 by Bisco Hatori ★★★☆☆

6. The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert ★★☆☆☆ ½

7. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo ★★★☆☆ (🎧)

8. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon ★★★☆☆ (🎧)

9.  The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson ★★★☆☆ ½

10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas ★★★☆☆ ½ (🎧)

11. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson ★★★★☆

12. Caraval by Stephanie Garber ★★☆☆☆ ½

italics = reread

📝 Blog Posts

• Stacking the Shelves: June + July 2019

[curlyhairedbibliophile]

Book Birthday | The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

Dove “Birdie” Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: She quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she’s on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past…whom she knows her parents will never approve of. When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into the family’s apartment above their hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded–she’s also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for addiction. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she’s known to be true is turned upside down.

Release date | Aug 20, 2019 Goodreads

[purpledropintheuniverse]

Currently-reading. Got it for my bday and finally getting around to read it. Such a good read. Wish I read it sooner though.

[thefandomnet]

10 YA Books By Black Authors We Want To Read In 2019

[lodgeveronicaa]

Please feel free to recommend books, tv shows/movies, etc.

[writingwithcolor]

37 Gorgeous Illustrated Book Covers Featuring People of Color

With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo

This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

Internment by Samira Ahmed

This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. ChoiFor

The Closest I’ve Come by Fred Aceves

My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

Calling My Name by Liara Tamani

Like Water by Rebecca Podos

Imagine Us Happy by Jennifer Yu

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Black Enough, edited by Ibi Zoboi

Ronit & Jamil by Pamela L. Laskin

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

Color Me In by Natasha Díaz

I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn

I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

All of Us with Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil

The Girl King by Mimi Yu

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

[pussreboots]

[quietya]

Black Lives Matter: A Reading List

On this blog, we believe Black Lives Matter. I’ve been quiet here because I’ve just been absorbing and listening and loud on other platforms. But I wanted to take the time and share some books by Black authors that may not be on your radar, books besides The Hate U Give and Dear Martin and Children of Blood and Bone (though I hope you’re reading those too, you’ve probably heard of them at this point). It also won’t just be books about Black pain because Black people have a huge range of experiences and they all deserve to be heard.

All the links in this post will go to Mahogany Books, a Black owned bookstore in Washington, D.C. that does ship. If I can’t find it on their website, the link will go to Semicolon Bookstore, another Black owned indie bookstore, this one located in Chicago’s, Bookshop page. Please note that many books are currently backordered because there’s a huge rush on books by Black authors (especially anti-racist books) right now and there was already a paper shortage and delays in printing because of COVID-19. If that’s the case, check your local library’s digital resources or check other bookstores since they all have varying stock.

Non-Fiction

We Are Not Yet Equal by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell and Aurelia Durand All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson Stamped by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Contemporary and Historical

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess The Wicker King by K. Ancrum Inventing Victoria by Tonya Bolden Saving Savannah by Tonya Bolden Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert Pointe by Brandy Colbert The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis When the Stars Lead to You by Ronni Davis I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett Endangered by Lamar Giles Fake ID by Lamar Giles Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles Overturned by Lamar Giles Spin by Lamar Giles A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson This is My America by Kim Johnson You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Kim Jones and Gilly Segal If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann 37 Things I Love (In No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon Light It Up by Kekla Magoon By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery Home and Away by Candice Montgomery Slay by Brittney Morris Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe Girls Like Us by Randi Pink Sorry Not Sorry by Jaime Reed All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds For Every One by Jason Reynolds Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri L. Smith Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith Jackpot by Nic Stone Odd One Out by Nic Stone All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani Calling My Name by Liara Tamani On the Come Up by Angie Thomas Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson This Side of Home by Renee Watson Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon American Street by Ibi Zoboi Black Enough edited by Ibi Zoboi Pride by Ibi Zoboii

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Daughters of Nri by Reni K. Amayo The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton Mirage by Somaiya Daud The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow Pet by Akwaeke Emezi Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko Dread Nation by Justina Ireland Love is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams The Black Veins by Ashia Monet A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow Akata Witch by Nendi Okorafor Shadowshaper by Danielle Jose Older Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige Orleans by Sherri L. Smith Given by Nandi Taylor

This isn’t a complete list and I probably missed a bunch - especially since this list is very focused on mainstream publishing. I also added a few books that aren’t out yet, but are coming out this summer. But this is a starting place for whatever kind of YA book you want to read.

[throwdownyourheart]

📚 I know we just met, but I’d love the recommendation!

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert!

This powerful and quietly authentic story is about family and first love, and how they can each be your entire world while still being worlds apart.

Let me know what you think of it @infoglute!

[richincolor]

The Rich in Color bloggers got together and compiled a list of some of our favorite YA books that came out in the last year-ish for Black History Month. How many of these have you read? What are some of your recent favorite books by Black authors?

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett Knopf Books for Young Readers || Audrey’s review

In a community that isn’t always understanding, an HIV-positive teen must navigate fear, disclosure, and radical self-acceptance when she falls in love—and lust—for the first time. Powerful and uplifting, Full Disclosure will speak to fans of Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon.

Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She’s making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she’s HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.

Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real—shy kisses escalating into much more—she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she’s positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she’s terrified of how he’ll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.

Simone’s first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on…

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis Tor Teen || K. Imani’s Review

Westworld meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this stunning fantasy adventure from debut author Charlotte Nicole Davis.

Aster, the protector Violet, the favorite Tansy, the medic Mallow, the fighter Clementine, the catalyst

THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS

The country of Arketta calls them Good Luck Girls–they know their luck is anything but. Sold to a “welcome house” as children and branded with cursed markings. Trapped in a life they would never have chosen.

When Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by Arketta’s most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.

It’s going to take more than luck for them all to survive.

I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest Roaring Brook Press || Jessica’s Review

When Chloe Pierce’s mom forbids her to apply for a spot at the dance conservatory of her dreams, she devises a secret plan to drive two hundred miles to the nearest audition. But Chloe hits her first speed bump when her annoying neighbor Eli insists upon hitching a ride, threatening to tell Chloe’s mom if she leaves him and his smelly dog, Geezer, behind. So now Chloe’s chasing her ballet dreams down the east coast―two unwanted (but kinda cute) passengers in her car, butterflies in her stomach, and a really dope playlist on repeat.

Filled with roadside hijinks, heart-stirring romance, and a few broken rules, I Wanna Be Where You Are is a YA debut perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon.

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds Katherine Tegan Books || K. Imani’s Review

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.

He almost made valedictorian.

He almost made varsity.

He almost got the girl . . .

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Fruit Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.

But this love story is . . . complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Beautiful, radiant Kate. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do—and let go—to save the people he loves.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi Make Me a World

Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look?

There are no more monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. With doting parents and a best friend named Redemption, Jam has grown up with this lesson all her life. But when she meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colours and claws, who emerges from one of her mother’s paintings and a drop of Jam’s blood, she must reconsider what she’s been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption’s house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question-How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?

In their riveting and timely young adult debut, acclaimed novelist Akwaeke Emezi asks difficult questions about what choices a young person can make when the adults around them are in denial.

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert Little Brown Books for Young Readers || K. Imani’s Review

Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Nicola Yoon comes a novel about first love and family secrets from Stonewall Book Award winner Brandy Colbert.

Dove “Birdie” Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: She quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she’s on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past…whom she knows her parents will never approve of.

When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into the family’s apartment above their hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded–she’s also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for addiction. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she’s known to be true is turned upside down.

Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott Disney || Crystal’s Review

Say her name and solemnly vow Never to forget, or allow Our sisters’ lives to be erased; Their presence cannot be replaced. This senseless slaughter must stop now.

Award-winning author Zetta Elliott engages poets from the past two centuries to create a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls. Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, these poems pay tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists championing the Black Lives Matter cause. This compelling collection reveals the beauty, danger, and magic found at the intersection of race and gender.

Slay by Brittney Morris Simon Pulse || Group Discussion

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the Black man.”

But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”

Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?

[theheartofabookblogger]

How many books did you read in February? Any new favorites? I read 10 books last month—7 audiobooks and 3 graphic novels. My favorites were DAISY JONES & THE SIX and A CUBAN GIRL’S GUIDE TO TEA AND TOMORROW! ALWAYS AND FOREVER, LARA JEAN was a reread. 🎧Audiobooks🎧 -ALL YOUR TWISTED SECRETS -DAISY JONES & THE SIX -A CUBAN GIRL’S GUIDE TO TEA AND TOMORROW -THE REVOLUTION OF BIRDIE RANDOLPH -ALWAYS AND FOREVER, LARA JEAN -DEAR MARTIN -WHEN WE WERE EVERYTHING ✨Graphic Novels✨ -DISPLACEMENT -ONE YEAR AT ELLSMERE -DRAGON HOOPS