Never Too Many To Read : Blog Tour: Fresh Ink...Review & Giveaway!

An excellent new anthology to tell you about today...keep reading to learn more and to enter to win a copy!

About the Book:

Title: FRESH INK Anthology

Author: Lamar Giles, Nicola Yoon, Malinda Lo, Melissa de la Cruz, Sara Farizan, Eric Gansworth, Walter Dean Myers, Daniel José Older, Thien Pham, Jason Reynolds, Gene Luen Yang, Sharon G. Flake, Schuyler Bailar, Aminah Mae Safi

Pub. Date: August 14, 2018

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 208

Find it:

Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

In partnership with We Need Diverse Books, thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors come together in this remarkable YA anthology featuring ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print.

All it takes to rewrite the rules is a little fresh ink in this remarkable YA anthology from thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors writing today including Nicola Yoon, Jason Reynolds, Melissa de la Cruz, and many more, and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. This collection features ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print. It will give readers the opportunity to discover how the next chapter is up to them.

Careful--you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written--whose next chapters are up to you.

Because these stories are meant to be read. And shared.

Thirteen of the most accomplished YA authors deliver a label-defying anthology that includes ten short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play. This collection will inspire you to break conventions, bend the rules, and color outside the lines. All you need is fresh ink.

“I absolutely love this mix of established and newer talents, and I’m really intrigued and excited by the mixed formats.” –BookRiot

“A powerful and varied collection…”—Booklist, starred review

“The stories are distinct in themes, subjects, genres, and formats, creating an inclusive, authentic, and incredible collection”—School Library Journal, starred review

READ AN EXCERPT HERE!

Title: Fresh Ink

Editor: Lamar Giles

Authors: Nicola Yoon, Malinda Lo, Melissa de la Cruz, Sara Farizan, Eric Gansworth, Walter Dean Myers, Daniel José Older, Thien Pham, Jason Reynolds, Gene Luen Yang, Sharon G. Flake, Schuyler Bailar, Aminah Mae Safi

Format: Hardcover

Source: Blog Tour

Fresh Ink is a fantastic anthology filled with not only a variety of diverse short stories, but also a play and even a graphic novel. The anthology as a whole is not only entertaining, but also provides a little bit of something for every reader especially those looking for diverse reads.

In the letter to the reader, editor and cofounder of We Need Diverse Books, Lamar Giles, points out the lack of diversity in YA books and his own disappointment as a child who read. In the 12 entries in this anthology each author provides readers with varying POVs, genres, and styles that also include different races, genders, and sexualities.

In each of these stories, many of the themes are universal despite the genre with the characters facing their own set of problems or issues that everyone can relate to regardless of race, gender or sexuality. Each short story left me wanting to read more and were left a bit open-ended providing readers with the opportunity to expand on or imagine what might happen next. This might either disappoint or inspire some, it all depends on your perspective.

I enjoyed the opportunity to explore and read about characters different from me as well as characters I could relate to. I also loved the idea that others were getting the chance read about a character they could relate to on a deeper level. The inclusion of diverse authors brings an authenticity to the stories and the characters.

As with most anthologies, you are bound to have stories or entries that seem stronger than others and those that seem weaker. But as with all books, what doesn’t work for one reader might work for another. That was the case for me with Fresh Ink...some stories captured my attention more than others. That being said, I was particularly moved by TAGS, the play by Walter Dean Myers, for some reason and plan to check out more of his other work. In fact, I plan to check out work by ALL of the authors in this anthology and encourage you to do the same.

Fresh Ink is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. It entertains while also bringing attention to the lack of diversity in YA publishing by simply existing. I definitely want to read more stories and books like the entries in this book.