On the Block: Stories of Home
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
ISBN 13: 978-0593648445
October 22, 2024
Cover art by Risa Rodin. Jacket design by Katrina Damkoehler.
From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind Flying Lessons & Other Stories, comes an inspiring middle-grade anthology that follows the loosely interconnected lives of multigenerational immigrant families, the residents at the Entrada apartment building. Edited by Ellen Oh, a founding member of WNDB.
12 Families. 12 Cultures. 1 Building.
Welcome to the Entrada, home to these everyday Americans, including
- the new kid on the block, who is both homesick and curious
- a Popsicle-bridge builder, a ghost hunter, and a lion dancer
- their families, friends, and neighbors from all around the world!
Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, this anthology features award-winning authors Tracey Baptiste, David Bowles, Adrianna Cuevas, Sayantani DasGupta, Debbi Michiko Florence, Adam Gidwitz, Erin Entrada Kelly, Minh Lê, Ellen Oh, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Andrea Wang, and Jasmine Warga. These inspiring stories celebrate family, friendship, culture, and American immigrant life today.
⭐️ Booklist starred review
⭐️ Kirkus starred review
⭐️ Publishers Weekly starred review
“Though each story was written by a different author… they nevertheless coalesce into a rich depiction of a loving community. With candor and sensitivity, the authors take on both lighthearted issues such as burgeoning romance as well as more serious ones, including bigotry and the harsh realities of the American dream. A superbly rendered love letter to identity and heritage.”
~ Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Memorably realized and intersectionally diverse characters each lead upbeat stories in this rollicking collection, which maintains an air of positivity, empathy, cooperation, and inclusion throughout…. will leave readers wanting more.”
~ Publishers Weekly, starred review
“From first crushes to family dynamics to a not-spooky ghost story, this middle-grade anthology is a mosaic of experiences, people, cultures, and friendships.”
~ Booklist, starred review
“The beauty of their shared home does not come from any single person, but instead from the sum of their experiences.”
~ Meg Medina, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
The book is also available in e-book and audiobook formats.
You can read an excerpt here.
The story I wrote for this anthology is titled “Apt. 6A” and features Ro Chen, a Chinese American middle schooler who suddenly finds herself enrolled in a summer Chinese school program learning traditional Chinese dance. She would much rather be learning the lion dance like her little brother Ezra, but Ro’s parents tell her that girls aren’t allowed in the class. What lengths will Ro go to in order to show the teacher that lion dance is for everyone?
