At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Kern Carter!
About the Author:
KERN CARTER is the author of Boys and Girls Screaming, along with two self-published novels, Thoughts of a Fractured Soul (novella) and Beauty Scars. In addition to his writing, Kern is a filmmaker and also teaches professional writing at a local college, committed to supporting emerging writers and helping them find their voice. He lives in Toronto.
Fast Five with Kern Carter:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
This is a tough question, so I’m going to cheat and give a couple of different answers. If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live part of my life in Grenada. My mother and grandmother were both born there and the stories they tell me speaks to my soul. The other place I would live is in Laguna Beach, California. I spent a few days there and you’re literally in between the ocean and these gorgeous mountains. I didn’t want to leave.
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
One thing that instantly makes my day better is eating my first meal. I absolutely love food, good food, and eating usually puts me in the best mood.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Dinner is definitely my favorite meal. There are so many options and I get the most excited thinking about all the different possibilities. Plus all of my favourite dishes are dinner dishes.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
The best concert I’ve ever been to was Kanye’s West’s Yeezus tour. I’ve never seen a production like that in my life. I also want to give a shoutout to Jill Scott. I saw her perform in New Orleans and her show was probably the most memorable. Her voice and stage presence was all she needed to command the audience.
Who do you consider a fashion icon?
When I was growing up, I remember waking up on Saturday mornings and flipping the TV to a show called Raw hosted by Jeanne Beker. Jeanne would take you behind the scenes of fashion shows all across the world and do these unscripted, random interviews and it was my first exposure to that level of fashion. So to me, Jeanne Beker is a fashion icon because she gave kids like me access at a time when it was limited.
Books by Kern:
And Then There Was Us By Kern Carter 232 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781774883402 | Tundra Books Coi is just eighteen years old, but has already survived years of physical and verbal abuse from her mother. After being kicked out of her mother’s house at age fourteen, Coi has lived with her father, and together they’ve created a peaceful life. That peace ends suddenly when her mother dies. While Coi struggles to find kindness in her heart for the woman who only hurt her, she starts having lucid dreams, forcing her to relive moments of abuse and emotional trauma that eventually led to Coi’s abandonment. Her mother’s passing also reopens the door to her mother’s side of the family, including her beloved younger half-sister, Kayla, her stepfather and her grandmother. Each of them challenge Coi’s long-held views about her mother, especially Kayla, who, Coi realizes, is taking their mother’s loss hard. As she reconnects with her family, Coi learns to see parts of her mother she never experienced, and for the first time since she was abandoned, opens her heart to forgiveness.
Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. These titles are now available in stores and online!
And Then There Was Us By Kern Carter 232 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781774883402 | Tundra Books Coi is just eighteen years old, but has already survived years of physical and verbal abuse from her mother. After being kicked out of her mother’s house at age fourteen, Coi has lived with her father, and together they’ve created a peaceful life. That peace ends suddenly when her mother dies. While Coi struggles to find kindness in her heart for the woman who only hurt her, she starts having lucid dreams, forcing her to relive moments of abuse and emotional trauma that eventually led to Coi’s abandonment. Her mother’s passing also reopens the door to her mother’s side of the family, including her beloved younger half-sister, Kayla, her stepfather and her grandmother. Each of them challenge Coi’s long-held views about her mother, especially Kayla, who, Coi realizes, is taking their mother’s loss hard. As she reconnects with her family, Coi learns to see parts of her mother she never experienced, and for the first time since she was abandoned, opens her heart to forgiveness.
And Then There Was Us is also available today in audiobook!
What Does Little Crocodile Say At the Birthday Party? By Eva Montanari 40 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover ISBN 9781774881576 | Tundra Books What sounds does Little Crocodile hear at their own birthday party? The decorations go whirr whirr The band goes ooom pa pa The wish goes whoosh The cameras go click The balloon goes pop And the crocodile says . . . WAHHHH! In this charming book of sounds, Little Crocodile experiences the highs and lows of a birthday with friends and family, ultimately enjoying their day . . . after a small meltdown, of course! Little ones will delight in the adorable illustrations and fun read-aloud, and parents will delight in the sly humor and familiar emotional rollercoaster of a toddler’s day.
We can’t wait to see you reading these titles! If you share these books online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.
February is Black History Month and we encourage you to visit your local bookstore or library to check out books and to learn more. In the meantime, we have compiled our reading recommendations for you. For more book lists, check out our past listings.
And Then There Was Us By Kern Carter 232 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781774883402 | Tundra Books Available April 9, 2024 Coi is just eighteen years old, but has already survived years of physical and verbal abuse from her mother. After being kicked out of her mother’s house at age fourteen, Coi has lived with her father, and together they’ve created a peaceful life. That peace ends suddenly when her mother dies. While Coi struggles to find kindness in her heart for the woman who only hurt her, she starts having lucid dreams, forcing her to relive moments of abuse and emotional trauma that eventually led to Coi’s abandonment. Her mother’s passing also reopens the door to her mother’s side of the family, including her beloved younger half-sister, Kayla, her stepfather and her grandmother. Each of them challenge Coi’s long-held views about her mother, especially Kayla, who, Coi realizes, is taking their mother’s loss hard. As she reconnects with her family, Coi learns to see parts of her mother she never experienced, and for the first time since she was abandoned, opens her heart to forgiveness.
Friday I’m in Love By Camryn Garrett 288 Pages | Ages 12+ | Paperback ISBN 9780593435137 | Ember Mahalia Harris wants. She wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend, Naomi. She wants the super-cute new girl Siobhan to like her back. She wants a break from worrying – about money, snide remarks from white classmates, pitying looks from church ladies . . . all of it. Then inspiration strikes: It’s too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if she had a coming-out party? A singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms. The idea lights a fire beneath her, and soon Mahalia is scrimping and saving, taking on extra hours at her afterschool job, trying on dresses, and awkwardly flirting with Siobhan, all in preparation for the coming out of her dreams. But it’s not long before she’s buried in a mountain of bills, unfinished schoolwork, and enough drama to make her English lit teacher blush. With all the responsibility on her shoulders, will Mahalia’s party be over before it’s even begun?
Goddess Crown By Shade Lapite 288 Pages | Ages 13-17 | Hardcover ISBN 9781536226522 | Walker Books US Kalothia has grown up in the shadows of her kingdom, hidden away in the forested East after her parents were outed as enemies of the king. Raised in a woodland idyll by a few kindly adult caretakers, Kalothia can hunt and fish and fend for herself but knows little of the outside world. When assassins attack her home on her sixteenth birthday, she must flee to the king’s court in the West – a beautiful but lethal nest of poison, plots, and danger, overseen by an entrenched patriarchy. Guided by the Goddess herself, can Kalothia navigate this most worldly of places to find her own role? What if she must choose between her country and her heart? Excitement, romance, and a charismatic heroine shine in this first book set in the unforgettable kingdom of Galla.
Her Good Side By Rebekah Weatherspoon 304 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover ISBN 9780593465301 | Razorbill Sixteen-year-old Bethany Greene, though confident and self-assured, is what they call a late-bloomer. She’s never had a boyfriend, date, or first kiss. She’s determined to change that but after her crush turns her down cold for Homecoming – declaring her too inexperienced – and all her back-up ideas fall through, she cautiously agrees to go with her best friend’s boyfriend Jacob. A platonic date is better than no date, right? Until her friend breaks up with said boyfriend. Dumped twice in just two months, Jacob Yeun wonders if he’s the problem. After years hiding behind his camera and a shocking summer glow up, he wasn’t quite ready for all the attention or to be someone’s boyfriend. There are no guides for his particular circumstances, or for taking your ex’s best friend to the dance. Why not make the best of an awkward situation? Bethany and Jacob decide to fake date for practice, building their confidence in matters of the heart. And it works – guys are finally noticing Bethany. But things get complicated as their kissing sessions – for research of course! – start to feel real. This arrangement was supposed to help them in dating other people, but what if their perfect match is right in front of them?
House of Marionne By J. Elle 432 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover ISBN 9780593527702 | Razorbill BURY YOUR SECRET OR DIE FOR IT. 17 year-old Quell has lived her entire life on the run. She and her mother have fled from city to city, in order to hide the deadly magic that flows through Quell’s veins. Until someone discovers her dark secret. To hide from the assassin hunting her, and keep her mother out of harm’s way, Quell reluctantly inducts into a debutante society of magical social elites called the Order that she never knew existed. If she can pass their three rites of membership, mastering their proper form of magic, she’ll be able to secretly bury her forbidden magic forever. If caught, she will be killed. But becoming the perfect debutante is a lot harder than Quell imagined, especially when there’s more than tutoring happening with Jordan, her brooding mentor and – assassin in training. When Quell uncovers the deadly lengths the Order will go to defend its wealth and power, she’s forced to choose: embrace the dark magic she’s been running from her entire life or risk losing everything, and everyone, she’s grown to love. Still, she fears the most formidable monster she’ll have to face is the one inside.
The Davenports By Krystal Marquis 384 Pages | Ages 12+ | Paperback ISBN 9780593463345 | Dial Books The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in a changing United States, their fortune made through the entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Now it’s 1910, and the Davenports live surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, finding their way and finding love – even where they’re not supposed to. There is Olivia, the beautiful elder Davenport daughter, ready to do her duty by getting married . . . until she meets the charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight and sparks fly. The younger daughter, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love – unless it’s with her sister’s suitor. Amy-Rose, the childhood friend turned maid to the Davenport sisters, dreams of opening her own business – and marrying the one man she could never be with, Olivia and Helen’s brother, John. But Olivia’s best friend, Ruby, also has her sights set on John Davenport, though she can’t seem to keep his interest . . . until family pressure has her scheming to win his heart, just as someone else wins hers.
The Eternal Ones By Namina Forna 480 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781984848758 | Delacorte Press Available February 13, 2024 Mere weeks after confronting the Gilded Ones – the false beings she once believed to be her family – Deka is on the hunt. In order to kill the gods, whose ravenous competition for power is bleeding Otera dry, she must uncover the source of her divinity. But with her mortal body on the verge of ruin, Deka is running out of time – to save herself and an empire that’s tearing itself apart at its seams. When Deka’s search leads her and her friends to the edge of the world as they know it, they discover an astonishing new realm, one which holds the key to Deka’s past. Yet it also illuminates a devastating decision she must soon make . . . Choose to be reborn as a god, losing everyone she loves in the process. Or bring about the end of the world.
The Little Mermaid: Against the Tide By J. Elle 320 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781368077224 | Disney Press After the death of Ariel’s mother, the queen of the sea, the seven daughters of King Triton have grown estranged at best. It’s been years since Ariel’s older sisters have visited home. But this year’s Coral Moon is fast approaching, and it’s a special one for Ariel. Finally fifteen, she will be dubbed the Protector of her very own ocean territory as is tradition, and her sisters have agreed to visit for the celebration. But the ceremony is halted when Mala, one of the most renowned daughters of Triton, is abducted. The only clue to where she might have been taken is a hastily scribbled seaweed note, which says, “What could have saved Mother could save me, too.” To rescue Mala, Ariel must work together with her siblings, traveling to various seas, outsmarting dangerous ocean creatures, and delving into forbidden waters to find the truth of what happened to their mother. But as Ariel and her sisters begin uncovering new secrets about their family and their kingdom, Ariel will have to face the loss of a mother she never had a chance to know and discover what it means to be both a good sister and a strong leader. And the clock is ticking, because on the day of the festival, when the moon turns a true shade of coral, her sister will be lost, like her mother, forever.
There Goes the Neighborhood By Jade Adia 432 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover ISBN 9781368084321 | Disney Hyperion Rhea’s neighborhood is fading away – the mom-and-pop shops of her childhood forced out to make space for an artisanal kombucha brewery here, a hot yoga studio there. And everywhere, the feeling that this place is no longer meant for her. Because while their little corner of South L.A. isn’t perfect, to Rhea and her two best friends, it’s something even more important – it’s home. And it’s worth protecting. But as more white people flock to their latest edgy, urban paradise for its cheap rent and sparkling new Whole Foods, more of Rhea’s friends and family are pushed out. Until Rhea decides it’s time to push back. Armed with their cellphones and a bag of firecrackers, the friends manipulate social media to create the illusion of gang violence in their neighborhood. All Rhea wanted to do was protect her community. Her friends. Herself. No one was supposed to get hurt. No one was supposed to die. But is anyone ever really safe when you’re fighting power with fear?
Thieves’ Gambit By Kayvion Lewis 384 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover ISBN 9780593625361 | Nancy Paulsen Books At only seventeen years old, Ross Quest is already a master thief, especially adept at escape plans. Until her plan to run away from her legendary family of thieves takes an unexpected turn, leaving her mother’s life hanging in the balance. In a desperate bid, she enters the Thieves’ Gambit, a series of dangerous, international heists where killing the competition isn’t exactly off limits, but the grand prize is a wish for anything in the world – a wish that could save her mom. When she learns two of her competitors include her childhood nemesis and a handsome, smooth-talking guy who might also want to steal her heart, winning the Gambit becomes trickier than she imagined. Ross tries her best to stick to the family creed: trust no one whose last name isn’t Quest. But with the stakes this high, Ross will have to decide who to con and who to trust before time runs out. After all, only one of them can win.
