6.17.2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Dancing with the Devil and Other Tales from Beyond
VOYA writes, "The stories range from genuinely frightening to gloriously gruesome, but all of them are memorable."
The Lemon Tree Caper: A Mickey Rangel Mystery
Kirkus Reviews calls it a "brisk novella," which it's not, but I'll take it. I mean, it's not a novella, it's a chapter book, a bilingual one at that; the 2nd installment in the Mickey Rangel mystery series.
A Good Long Way (Pinata Books, 2010)
Alicia Sondhi in ForeWord Magazine: "A poignant, brief novel that leaves a lasting impression, A Good Long Way is a meaningful read for teens by an author with a deep understanding of the struggles and rewards of growing up."
The Case of the Pen Gone Missing: A Mickey Rangel Mystery (Piñata Books, 2009)
This book "...will engage intermediate readers in both languages, English and Spanish, and offers multiple possibilities for school projects, group discussions and read-aloud sessions." --Kirkus Reviews ***NOW OUT!!!*** (to order, click on cover above)
¡NEWS!
Contact Me
The Whole Sky Full of Stars (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 2007)
Junior Library Guild Premier Selection--2007
The Jumping Tree (Delacorte/Random House, 2001)
New York Times Book Review: Patrick Markee: a "warm coming-of-age novel" … Saldaña "immerse[s] the reader in the texture and detail of hardscrabble family life in a Texas border town."
Finding Our Way: Stories (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 2003)
My second book, a collection of short fiction, also aimed at the YA market.
About Me
- Rene Saldaña, Jr.
- Originally from Nuevo Peñitas in South Texas (a suburb of Peñitas Viejo), I now live in Lubbock, TX, with my wife Tina; our sons, Lukas, Mikah, and Jakob; our cats ISBN (pronounced Isben), Cotton, and Gordon; our recently adopted dog, Sadie; and our rabbit, Zoe; where I teach at Texas Tech University (in their College of Education).
The Time In Lubbock, Texas Is…
The Time in Jönköping, Sweden is…
Notches on the Reading Stick
- 0704/2011--Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers (must read) juvie, friendship, "out in the world"
- 05/12/2011--The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine (good read!!!) family, homelessness, international adoption
- 04/26/2011--Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (must read!!) dealing with death of a friend, single father/daughter relationship, alcoholism
- 04/12/2011--Tofu Quilt by Ching Yeung Russell (must read!) poetry, writing, Hong Kong
- 02/25/2011--The Summer of El Pintor by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman (good read!!!) mystery, female sleuth, family
- 12/18/2010--Winter Eyes, poems and paintings by Douglas Florian (good read!!!) winter, poetry, Florian
- 12/17/2010--Across America, I Love You written by Christine Loomis and illustrated by Kate Kiesler (good read!!) poetry, geography, growing up, America
- 12/17/2010--Hot Day on Abbott Avenue written by Karen English and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe (must read!!!) picture book for older readers, friendship, the neighborhood
- 12/17/2010--Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems by Kristine O'Connell George (must read!) poetry, middle school, friendship
- 12/16/2010--Looking for La Unica by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman (must read!!) mystery, female sleuth, secret messages
- 12/08/2010--You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys by Sharon Flake (okay read) teen boys, urban fiction, African American
- 12/03/2010--Lawn Boy Returns by Gary Paulsen (must read!!!) short novel, finances, comedy
- 12/02/2010--Strong Right Arm by Michelle Y. Green (must read!!!) biography, baseball, Negro Baseball Leagues, women in sports
- 11/28/2010--Dizzy In Your Eyes by Pat Mora (good read!) poetry, love, friendship
- 11/24/2010--Calvin Coconut: Zoo Breath written by Graham Salisbury and illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers (must read!!!) series, pet ownership, friendship
- 11/23/2010--Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia (good read!!!) novel, high school girls, girl on girl violence, different points of view
- 11/23/2010--We Could Be Brothers by Drrick Barnes (must read!!!) novel, African American men, community support, gun violence, redemption
- 11/23/2010--Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword written and illustrated by Barry Deutsch (must read!!) graphic novel, Jewish customs, female hero, fantasy
- 11/22/2010--Feynman written by Jim Ottaviani and illustrated by Leland Myrick (must read!!) graphic biography, physics, atomic bomb
- 11/22/2010--More Than Friends: Poems from Him and Her by Sara Holbrook and Allan Wolf (must read!) poetry, poems in voices, love, poetry forms
- 11/21/2010--Level Up written by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by Thien Pham (must read!) graphic novel, gaming, education, father/son relationship, friendship
- 11/21/2010--Anya's Ghost written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol (must read) graphic novel, supernatural, friendship
- 11/16/2010--Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta written and illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (good read) graphic novel, series, quirky super hero
- 11/08/2010--Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing by Gary Soto (must read) poetry, love poetry, poetry in different personas
- 11/05/2010--Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Terry Widener (must read!!!) picture book biography, women's rights, baseball
Places To Visit
- Ada, Alma Flor
- ALAN Online
- Alexie, Sherman
- All About Adolescent Literacy
- Anderson, Laurie Halse
- Awesome YA Resource
- Babymouse!
- Bookwink Video Blog
- Brown, Monica
- Children's Book Press
- Cinco Puntos Press
- Cook, Sally
- Crowe, Chris
- Draper, Sharon
- Flake, Sharon
- Glenn, Mel
- Holm, Jennifer
- Larson, Kirby
- Lee & Low Books: Children's Books that Make a Difference
- Lesesne, Teri
- Lewis, J. Patrick
- Long, Loren
- MacPherson, Dwight
- Magic Inkwell Comics
- Morales, Yuyi
- Park, Linda Sue
- Philbrick, Rodman
- Piñata Books/Arte Público Press
- Rafael Lopez
- Roberts, Diane !!!
- Salisbury, Graham
- Smith, Cynthia Leitich
- Smith, Jr., Charles R.
- Stead, Rebecca
- Teenreads.com Reviews
- Trueman, Terry
- Vardell, Sylvia
- Venkatraman, Padma T. (blog)
- Venkatraman, Padma T. (web site)
- Wong, Janet
- Zusak, Markus