On the Block - by Ellen Oh

About the Book

A collection of twelve stories about the residents of the Entrada apartment building and how their lives are linked as multigenerational immigrant families.

Book Synopsis

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.

"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

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.

Review Quotes

★ "A superbly rendered love letter to identity and heritage." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "[A] rollicking collection, which maintains an air of positivity, empathy, cooperation, and inclusion throughout.... will leave readers wanting more." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "These stories ebb and flow together in such a way that the reader feels like a resident of the Entrada themself, and thus feels part of a vibrant, loving community where everyone can belong." --Booklist, starred review

★ "A genuine celebration of family, friends, and the immigrant experience." --School Library Journal, starred review

"An engaging, thought-provoking collection that can be read from front to back for a more novelistic approach or experienced (and savored) by dipping in and out." --The Horn Book

About the Author

Ellen Oh is an award-winning author and editor of middle-grade and young adult novels, including Haru, Zombie Dog Hero; Finding Junie Kim; The Dragon Egg Princess; the Spirit Hunters trilogy; and The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee. She has also edited and contributed to On the Block: Stories of Home, You Are Here: Connecting Flights and Flying Lessons & Other Stories. She is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in children's literature. Ellen lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband, three human children, and two dog children.