Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for Aug. 26, 2022 is Flying Lessons and Other Stories (Matt de la Peña).
Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold short-story collection celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us. It was edited by Ellen Oh and features stories by some of the best children’s authors including Kwame Alexander, Meg Medina, and Jacqueline Woodson. Flying Lessons and Other Stories was published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, and was a featured text in 2021-2022 for “Conversations in Common,” a project among schools and agencies in Sonoma County, Calif. to “elevate civic dialogue in our classrooms and community while addressing critical issues of equity, diversity and belonging for students and families.” Today’s reading selection is from “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium,” by Matt de la Peña.