Like Vanessa

Like Vanessa
Author: Tami Charles
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2019-03-05
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1580898998

Middle graders will laugh and cry with thirteen-year-old Vanessa Martin as she tries to be like Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America. In this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin's real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with a mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa's view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own self-worth is more than the scores of her talent performance and her interview answers, and that she doesn't need a crown to be comfortable in her own skin and see her own true beauty. "It's such an honor to be the focal point of this wonderful book! Without a doubt, it will be inspiring to a new generation of young, talented girls well on their way to promising careers." --Vanessa Williams, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist, New York Times Best-Selling Author, Fashion Designer and star of Television, Film and the Broadway Stage "Like Vanessa has it all and then some! Gritty, poetic, emotionally true, Tami Charles wrings out every hope, every stumble and every triumph of a girl on an uneasy road to possessing her self, her strength and her own beauty. An unforgettable debut." --Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven ♦ "This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances."— Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW ♦ "Charles evades the clichés and imbues Vanessa with an inner life that's so real and personal it's hard to deny the charm, heartbreak, and triumph of her story. . . . Superb."— Booklist STARRED REVIEW ♦ "Like Vanessa is an emotionally potent, engaging young adult story with a heroine whom it is impossible not to root for. The life lessons that Nessy learns are relevant and worthwhile for everyone."— Foreword Reviews STARRED REVIEW

All Because You Matter (An All Because You Matter Book)

All Because You Matter (An All Because You Matter Book)
Author: Tami Charles
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2020-10-06
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1338674749

A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to black and brown children everywhere: reminding them how much they matter, that they have always mattered, and they always will, from powerhouse rising star author Tami Charles and esteemed, award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier. Discover this poignant, timely, and emotionally stirring picture book, an ode to black and brown children everywhere that is full of hope, assurance, and love.Tami Charles pens a poetic, lyrical text that is part love letter, part anthem, assuring readers that they always have, and always will, matter. This powerful, rhythmic lullaby reassures readers that their matter and their worth is never diminished, no matter the circumstance: through the joy and wonder of their first steps and first laughter, through the hardship of adolescent struggles and the pain and heartbreak of current events, they always have, and always will, matter. Accompanied by illustrations by renowned artist Bryan Collier, a four-time Caldecott Honor recipient and a nine-time Coretta Scott King Award winner or honoree, All Because You Matter empowers readers with pride, joy, and comfort, reminding them of their roots and strengthening them for the days to come.Lyrical, personal, and full of love, All Because You Matter is for the picture book audience what The Hate U Give was for YA and Ghost Boys was for middle grade: a conversation starter, a community touchstone, and a deep affirmation of worth for the young readers who need it most.

Muted

Muted
Author: Tami Charles
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 512
Release: 2021-02-02
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 133867353X

A ripped-from-the-headlines novel of ambition, music, and innocence lost, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Jason Reynolds! Be bold. Get seen. Be Heard.For seventeen-year-old Denver, music is everything. Writing, performing, and her ultimate goal: escaping her very small, very white hometown.So Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean "Mercury" Ellis. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights -- plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it.Until they're not.Denver begins to realize that she's trapped in Merc's world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken.Inspired by true events, Muted is a fearless exploration of the dark side of the music industry, the business of exploitation, how a girl's dreams can be used against her -- and what it takes to fight back.

I Love Tami

I Love Tami
Author: I Love Tami Publishing
Publisher:
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2019-08-12
Genre:
ISBN: 9781089860945

There is ample room inside for writing notes and ideas. It can be used as a notebook, journal, diary or composition book. This paperback notebook is 6" x 9" (letter size) and has 150 pages of white, lined paper (date line to the left or right).

The Map of Me

The Map of Me
Author: Tami Lewis Brown
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages: 135
Release: 2011-08-30
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0374356866

The note Momma left on the fridge says only: "I HAVE TO GO." But go where? Twelve-year-old Margie is convinced that Momma's gone to the Rooster Romp at the International Poultry Hall of Fame, in search of additions to her precious flock of chicken memorabilia. And it's up to Margie to bring her home. So she commandeers her daddy's Faithful Ford, kidnaps her nine-year-old sister, Peep, and takes to the open road. As she navigates the back roads of Kentucky with smarty-pants Peep criticizing her every move, Margie also travels along the highways and byways of her heart, mapping a course to help understand Momma—and herself.

Fractured Bonds

Fractured Bonds
Author: Claudia A. Niemeyer
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 562
Release: 2001-09-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0595200087

This book relates some of our experiences during 30 years as foster parents. The reality of what these children endured before and after placement in the foster care system is heartbreaking. After all these years, my husband Ron and I cling stubbornly to our belief that time and man can change, but God and truth will not.My goal is to inform the public, about the foster care system. I hope to sound the alarm loud and clear, that the current foster care system is not working. I want to bring attention to the powerless children, within the system, being tossed about in the waves of loophole laws, uninformed policy makers, non-committed decision-makers, and non-motivated and often disinterested birth parents. Court mandated and enforced accountability must take place at all levels involved!

Love Don't Live Here

Love Don't Live Here
Author: Therone Shellman
Publisher: Third Eye Publishing Inc.
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2006-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780977100415

"Love Don't Live Here," the first book from a generational series. A story about two young women in their early 20's and takes place during the early 1970's into the 80's. Barbara loves her boyfriend Trini dearly but finds out the hard way when he leaves her while she's six months pregnant, that love is not always what it seems. Having to raise their son Jermaine by herself poses to be a great task. Like Barbara, Beverly also becomes a single mother but through different circumstances. Her boyfriend Malik, a conscious young man in his early 20's and is a member of the Black Panther party, winds up getting killed during a bank robbery. This leaves Beverly to fend for herself and two children, Derrik and Tinesha. Being a woman she knows what it takes to raise Tinesha into womanhood, but is lost when it comes to Derrik. The two women invite us into the world of relationships and single motherhood. In the end we all find out "it's about doing and being the best that one can be."

Home Front

Home Front
Author: Kristin Hannah
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 415
Release: 2012-01-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1429942215

"Home Front is Hannah's crowning achievement."—The Huffington Post In this powerhouse of a novel, Kristin Hannah explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war. All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . . Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then a deployment sends Jolene deep into harm's way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider, she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own—for everything that matters to his family. At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope. "Hannah has written a remarkable tale of duty, love, strength, and hope that is at times poignant and always thoroughly captivating and relevant." —Library Journal (starred review)