The Weekly 411 (6/19/26)
 |
| © Samantha LeDuc |
June 19, 2026 vol 25
The Weekly 411 gathers all the links added to Kidlit411 each week. To receive this post by email, sign up for our email updates. Are you on Facebook? Join our Kidlit411 group for conversations and camaraderie. We can also be found on Bluesky. This week's illustration is by Samantha LeDuc.
We are pleased to host a giveaway of the middle grade graphic novel, Through the Black Gate by Alfredo Cáceres (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) out on June 30. Enter to win a copy via the widget below.
About the Book: Thirteen-year-old orphan Irene believes her father’s soul is trapped inside her cat, Moses. Living at her caregiver Ruth’s hostel, Irene spends every waking hour studying a mystical book that her parents left behind in the fire that took their lives. Irene thinks the book can help her see them again, if only Moses will give her a clue. Then, just as a strange fog sweeps over their quiet Chilean town, a mysterious young musician named Francis moves into the hostel. Irene and her new roommate don’t particularly get along, but Moses soon leads them both through the fog to a strange tear in reality: an entrance to the Land of the Dead.
Believing this is the key to seeing her parents again, Irene and Francis cross to the other side. There, they encounter the Ferryman of the Dead, who is desperate to escape into the Land of the Living. The Ferryman offers to return Irene and Francis’s loved ones in exchange for their help. In the face of such a massive promise, Irene and Francis must decide whether to risk the fate of both the Lands of the Living and the Dead or be braver than they ever thought possible.
We are pleased to host a giveaway of the illustrated middle grade book, My Bicentennial Summer, by G. Neri, illustrated by Corbin Wilkin (Candlewick). Enter to win a copy via the widget below.
About the Book: The year is 1976, and America is throwing its biggest birthday party ever—its bicentennial. What better way to celebrate than with an eight-thousand-mile road trip? In this vibrant follow-up to his travelogue, My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More, author G. Neri recalls his family’s real-life journey in a station wagon crossing twenty-six states in seven weeks, from California to Washington, DC, with only the aid of paper maps and transistor radios rather than smartphones and GPS. Young Greg is entranced by the variety of accents, strange foods, natural wonders, and historical attractions, from the Grand Canyon to the Statue of Liberty. He meets Civil War reenactors at Gettysburg, protesters in Philadelphia, pioneer wagon riders in Valley Forge, and his own rambunctious Texan cousins. And he glimpses the darker side of traveling as a family of color, pondering whether “We the People” includes people like him. Engaging text, sidebars, photos, and dynamic illustrations by Corban Wilkin create a personal snapshot of this extraordinary moment in US history, when a weary, post-Vietnam nation embraced the spirit of celebration. Back matter includes an author’s note, history and travel facts, and recommended reading.
About the Author: G. Neri is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More; Hello, I’m Johnny Cash; When Paul Met Artie: The Story of Simon & Garfunkel; Ghetto Cowboy; Polo Cowboy; and Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrap the World: The Story of Two Groundbreaking Environmental Artists. His books have been translated into multiple languages in more than twenty-five countries. He is a multiple National Science Foundation grantee and a founding co-chair of the Antarctic Artists and Writers Collective. He received an honorary doctorate from the State University of New York (SUNY) for his writing and his contributions to polar science outreach. He lives with his family on the Gulf Coast of Florida. He can be found online at gneri.com.
About the Illustrator: Corban Wilkin is an award-winning illustrator of several graphic novels and comics, including My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More; Grand Theft Horse; and The Time Traveling Dino Detectives of Antarctica, all by G. Neri. His illustration work also appears in magazines, video games, and animations. He lives outside London.
Comments
Post a Comment