WLT is joining the BookTube world! The show is WLT Book Buzz, hosted by two former interns who now work in children’s book publishing. After watching Laura Hernandez and Bunmi Ishola read more books than anyone else we knew, we convinced them to discuss their reading in a short monthly program. Though not exclusively about children’s and young adult lit, these two voracious readers will cover many children’s and YA books with an international focus that incorporates their (and our) commitment to reading diverse authors.
Laura Hernandez lives and writes in Brooklyn, New York. Working in the book-publishing industry has only made her book-hoarding tendencies worse. She takes at least one international trip a year and has visited over twenty different countries so far. But when she’s not reading or traveling, she’s galavanting around New York City in search of foodventures and whimsy. You can find her on Instagram: @laura_louda and @booklynbites.
Bunmi Ishola is a former journalist turned middle-school teacher who works in children’s book publishing. She’s constantly guilty of tsundoku, but that hasn’t stopped her from buying more books. She loves to travel and has been to over twenty countries and every continent except Antarctica (she’s saving that for her fortieth birthday!). When she’s not reading, buying books, or traveling, she’s probably watching something on Disney+, HGTV, or Food Network. You can find this former WLT intern on Instagram: @bunmi_ishola.
Join Laura and Bunmi on our YouTube channel, worldlittoday, where you can subscribe for free. Their first show is up, and they discuss 32 books by AAPI writers. The list of books makes a handy to-read list:
Books Mentioned in WLT Book Buzz episode 1:
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The Ocean Calls, by Tina Cho and illustrated by Jess X. Snow
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My First Day, by Phùng Nguyên Quang and illustrated by Huỳnh Kim Liên
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Other Words for Home, by Jasmine Warga
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Front Desk, by Kelly Yang
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Under the Broken Sky, by Mariko Nagai
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Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhhà Lại
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
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Mulan: Before the Sword, by Grace Lin
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Stand Up, Yumi Chung!, by Jessica Kim
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All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team, by Christina Soontornvat
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When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller
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Written in the Stars, by Aisha Saeed
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Six Crimson Cranes, by Elizabeth Lim
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Reflection, by Elizabeth Lim
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A Pho Love Story, by Loan Le
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A Taste for Love, by Jennifer Yen
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A Very Large Expanse of Sea, by Tahereh Mafi
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When Dimple Met Rishi, by Sandhya Menon + bonus books
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A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman
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Know My Name, by Chanel Miller
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The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State, by Nadia Murad
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Saving Fish from Drowning, by Amy Tan
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The Magic Fish, by Trung Le Nguyen
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Good Talk, by Mira Jacob
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Boxers & Saints, by Gene Luen Yang
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Pie in the Sky, by Remy Lai
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Prairie Lotus, by Linda Sue Park
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A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park
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Seesaw Girl, by Linda Sue Park
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Project Mulberry, by Linda Sue Park
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When My Name Was Keoko, by Linda Sue Park
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A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park