From Peter Rabbit to Harry Potter and Back

Dear Reader, 

I’ve had an incredible year. I don’t expect the world to like me or my books, but I have been completely overwhelmed by the love shown Dumplin’ in the last year. As we’re coming up on one year since publication and with Dumplin’ still on shelves, I must tell you that I have one deep regret. 

There is a line written into one of the final scenes of Dumplin’ that I didn’t think twice about when I was approving my final pass pages. Blame it on pop culture if you want. I blame it on my own ignorance, which doesn’t make it any less of a mistake.

In one of the final scenes of the book, Ellen, Willowdean’s BFF, has this line: “Oh my God,” says El. “I think you might be my spirit animal.” (page 361)

Since the publication of Dumplin’, I’ve watched lots of great and smart conversations take place about how this phrase is blatant cultural appropriation, and there is no denying that I messed up. I assumed that all I could do was own up to this any time a reader brought it my attention.

I was reminded of this when I saw a script for Dumplin’ and the phrase popped up again and I asked that it be removed. I felt it was the least I could do. Then last week, a person I follow on Twitter was reading Dumplin’ and said something about the line. I normally don’t interact with reader commentary if I have not been tagged, but I figured WTH since Jeanne and I follow each other and are fairly friendly. Angie Manfredi, a librarian I greatly admire, jumped in and asked if I thought about asking Harper to change the line in future reprints. Debbie Reese also reached out and shared with me an experience she had with an author who had changes made to future prints.

I have to be honest and tell you that this hadn’t even occurred to me as a possibility, but I am never opposed to asking. So I thought about how I would rewrite that line if I could and I reached out to my editor. My editor, y’all. Alessandra Balzer. She’s amazing. She and her assistant acted immediately and I am so happy to tell you that the line will be changed in future hardback reprintings and in every paperback.

I am ecstatic and thankful. It would be great if I hadn’t messed up in the first place, but that isn’t the case. 

The gist: The phrase “spirit animal” is not mine to use. I deeply regret having used it in Dumplin’ and I apologize to anyone I have hurt or belittled in doing so. I can’t say I won’t ever screw up again, but I can say that I’m listening and aware and willing to own my mistakes. Thank you to everyone who has helped me talk through this and has helped me correct this mistake.

“Every kid deserves to be the hero of their own story.” 

My publisher, First Second Books, is celebrating 10 years of making books. I first encountered them as an attendee at San Diego Comic-Con in 2009. I remember finding Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese, and how deeply it impacted me. It shifted my ideas of what comics could be. I’ve picked up a few of First Second’s books every year since, as a fellow exhibitor in San Diego.

I created this comic to illustrate how I see myself in each of their titles - and it was hard to narrow it down! I didn’t get to include This One Summer, Three Shadows, Same Difference, Battling Boy, Sailor Twain, Sumo, The Undertaking of Lily Chen…agh! I love them all!

As I wrote my forthcoming graphic novel, Pashmina, I had First Second on my mind. Their titles are diverse and literary. When my agent asked me about pitching, I told her that if First Second bought my book, I would be ecstatic… and I still am!

Here are some of the many books honored by the American Library Association with awards this morning, including the prestigious Caldecott Award (Finding Winnie, illustrated by Sophie Blackall) and Newbery Award (Last Stop on Market Street, written by Matt de la Pena).

Let’s celebrate all things girls’ stories. 

Because 2015 has been an amazing year for feminist YA fiction, I want to give away a 9-book collection of some of the best in female-driven narratives.

Enter to win this collection here: http://stackedbooks.org/2015/10/giveaway-a-2015-feminist-bookshelf.html 

“It’s art imitating life, really,” says Code Switch’s Karen Grigsby Bates. “All American Boys is a young adult novel that looks at a specific instance of police brutality from the perspectives of two high school classmates: Rashad, who is savagely beaten by a local policeman who (wrongly) suspects him of shoplifting and assaulting a white woman, and Quinn, who sees the beating and initially pretends he didn’t. It’s a fictional reflection of real-life police encounters with young black men that ended badly.”

Check out her full story here.

Amanda Palmer, eight months pregnant and exquisitely painted, recreates Damien Hirst’s Verity statue (top) in a performance art piece for the New York Public Library’s children’s book drive. Proud papa-to-be Neil Gaiman (bottom) extends a loving hand to this modern-day nude descending a staircase, after donating a copy of his own charming children’s book, Chu’s Day.