Happy June everyone!  This is Gemma Doyle, member of the 2019 Rainbow Booklist Committee and New England resident who is extremely happy that summer has finally arrived.

Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland: I started reading this book without knowing anything about the plot, and I really liked the writing and I loved Jane’s character and the tiny bits of the world we were seeing… and then realized what the book was about.  The problem: I am not a fan of zombies.  At all.  I love paranormal, but somehow zombies have always been a bridge too far for me (which is a shame, because zombies were really big for a while, and I’m sure there are a ton of great books I would love except for the… you know.)  Here’s the thing about <i>Dread Nation</i>, though: while the “shamblers” are front and center as the main villains in the plot, the book really isn’t about them.  It’s about Jane and her frenemy Katherine and a large cast of interesting characters of color, and how they interact with each other and deal with the shambler menace that’s always there, threatening. The human villains (and there are a lot!) take precedence, and that makes the story rich and powerful.  This is the first book in a series, and I cannot wait to read the next one.

Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack (Illustrated by Stevie Lewis) This is a picture book about a Prince and Knight working together to defeat a dragon (spoiler: they don’t kill the dragon) and (also spoiler) falling in love at the same time.  The story and the art are super cute and this is the kind of children’s book that appeals to parents, too – especially when they have to read it 14 or 15 times in a row.  (Always a thing…sigh.)

Enjoy the rest of June!