*Maui organizations to donate to: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-EcCQwM6Kiaet2pEdix_yGyXpYM2JIEUDJl51cDnaPM/edit?usp=sharing
*Donate here to help the actors/writers/etc. who are striking: https://entertainmentcommunity.org/
*Support victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/earthquakes-turkey-syria/
https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/
*Floods in Pakistan: https://twitter.com/aribah_x/status/1565409594314203138
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/pakistan-flood-relief-fund-1/
*Water crisis in Jackson: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mississippirapidresponsecoalition
*Clean water for Ukraine: https://gofund.me/2d9cba35
*Info + ways to fight back against anti-gay and trans bills: https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/15/politics/anti-transgender-legislation-2021/index.html
https://www.popsugar.com/news/how-to-help-trans-youth-texas-48728496
*Donate in support of Ukraine: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=9366
Support refugees from Afghanistan: https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/afghanistan
https://www.fatherly.com/news/afghan-humanitarian-aid-charities-donate/
Support refugees around the world: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=4665
*Funds and charities to donate to in support of the Black community: https://bestlifeonline.com/charities-for-black-history-month/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/03/us/charities-donations-black-history-month-iyw-trnd/index.html
*Donate to COVID relief + vaccinations worldwide: https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/covax/donate
https://www.directrelief.org/emergency/coronavirus-outbreak/
https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=7779#group-470
***
Mentioned:
King and the Dragonflies liveshow with @OliviasCatastrophe : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWo7op6vjFw&
@CozyReaderKelly
Daja’s Book liveshow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HML3yKqcMo
Content Warnings:
The Reading List: Suicide (off-page but extremely prominent), grief, cancer, depression
King and the Dragonflies: Grief, homophobia, racism, child abuse (off-page), outing
Like a Charm: Grief, ableism, emotional neglect
It’s All In How You Fall: Brief reference to sexual abuse, lots of talk about food/diet
A Monster Calls: Grief, cancer, bullying
Jimmy’s Blues and Other Poems: N-word, racism, homophobia, slur for Romani people, references to slavery
Swordheart: Grief, acephobia, violence, murder, kidnapping, references to torture
The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House: Racism, misogyny, n-word, references to: lynching, slavery, violence
A Man Lay Dead: N-word, xenophobia, references to blackface
The Castle Corona: Grief, poverty
Daja’s Book: Grief, fire, drought
source
I'm finally getting back to watching some booktube videos. Yay!
King and the Dragonflies is definitely up there as one of my favorite contemporary middle grade books. So well done.
I loved A Monster Calls. I wonder if some of that though was due to the circumstances in which I read it. It was right after my mother-in-law died of cancer, and it felt very cathartic.
All I have to say about Swordheart is BLAH! I really want to pick up another T Kingfisher soon so that I can get away from my negative thoughts on that particular book.
I am glad to hear your thoughts on Castle Corona. It was on a list of possible read alouds for the Middle Ages curriculum I'm working through with my 8 year old. I hadn't originally planned to read that one, because I didn't know much about it. But we might have to slot it in sometime.
Definitely agree with everything you said about Like A Charm, I still enjoyed it, but there were bits that definitely could have been done.a bit better, which I'm sure will come in time if Elle writes more fantasy!
bestie june is like carefree summer haha season and you were just reading the SADDEST books
This purple/blue is such a gorgeous colour on you, Cara! 💜
I read A Monster Calls when I was a young teenager and I did find it very compelling at the time, but I'm not sure how I'd find it now in comparison to other books I've read that deal with these topics!
I've had The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House on so many monthly TBRs, I so need to get to it!! I've heard other people discuss Audre Lorde but I've never actually read anything of hers, so I'm so looking forward to it! (Well, looking forward isn't quite the right term, but you know what I mean!)