Dashka Slater's Blog

When I was at NCTE last month, I heard from a shocking number of teachers that their use of one or both of my nonfiction narratives, The 57 Bus and Accountable, was either being challenged by parents or second-guessed by administrators who were worried about being challenged by parents. These are books that were written in the hope that they could be used by teachers as a tool for having important conversations. I have heard from literally hundreds of teachers over the years who have used my book to do precisely that. What they tell me is that the resulting conversations were profound, moving, and eye-opening for all involved.

But to get to that point, you need buy-in from the community, particularly parents who may fear that the topics are too controversial or too difficult or too mature for their child. What I hear over and over again is that schools that engage directly with their school communities around my books have been able to get the necessary buy-in from their students' families and thus have even richer conversations that also involve parents. Parents who are adamantly opposed to their child reading my book can opt out, confident that other arrangements will be made for their student. This is fine too. Open dialogue and transparency doesn't mean you get everyone to agree with you. But it does mean that you don't allow one or two families to make decisions for everyone.

So, how do you get that buy in? Below you'll see what I believe is a model letter home, written by Grant Althouse, the principal at Kent Middle School in Kentfield, CA. Kent did an all-school read of Accountable with their 7th and 8th graders, and from what I saw when I spoke at their school recently, they handled everything beautifully. After I asked his permission to share the letter, Grant graciously offered to be a resource to other schools considering using Accountable. If you want to speak with him directly, please use the Contact Me link on this website and I will provide the introduction.

October 29, 2024

Greetings 7th and 8th Grade Families,

This year, Kent Middle School plans to read the book Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed by Dashka Slater as our All School Read for 7th and 8th grade students.  Our 5th and 6th grade students will be reading the book Finally Heard by Kelly Yang.  Both books explore the impact of social media use and addiction on adolescents and teens, a timely topic that is due for attention in our middle school community  The purpose of this note is to introduce the book Accountable to our school community, provide the rationale for Kent choosing the book this year, and to caution parents/guardians about some of the content within the text and explain how we will navigate through the content with our students.

Accountable is a thought-provoking book that explores the complexities of online behavior, bullying, and accountability among adolescents and teens. It recounts a real-life incident from 2017 where a high school student in Albany, California created a racist Instagram page that contained highly offensive and hateful posts, that was ‘followed’ and ‘liked’ by a number of peers. The book examines the consequences for both the victims and perpetrators, diving deep into issues of ethics, responsibility, and the impact of social media on real life. Through multiple perspectives, Slater helps readers understand the motivations and pressures that influence teen behavior, while also exploring the concepts of implied consent, bystanding, allyship, and advocacy in the social media world.  On January 22, 2024, Accountable won the American Library Association Award for 2024 excellence in nonfiction for young adults, a national award that honors the best nonfiction books for young adult readers.

While I wish it wasn’t relevant for our students to learn about the incident outlined in the book, unfortunately, we have discovered over the years that racist and hateful language is present in our school community as well, and we are doing everything in our power to address it.  In 2023/24 we administered a school safety survey to learn students' self-reported sense of physical and emotional safety at school.  The results of that survey are linked here for your reference.  Important findings from this survey reveal that 78% of last year’s 7th graders encountered a racist ‘joke’ at least once a month while almost 30% of last year’s 8th graders encountered racist ‘jokes’ almost every day or multiple times a day.  All grades last year reported that the most common places to hear racist and/or hurtful language are at school or online with school being the number one location for all grade levels (78% of 7th graders and 72% of 8th graders) and online being the second most common location for all grade levels (52% of 7th graders and 65% of 8th graders).  As you will see in this linked video produced by our Student Led Anti-Racism Movement group (SLAM!), our students attempted to teach other students at our school some of the background, history, and impact of terms like the n-word, anti-LGBTQIA+ language, ableist language, and anti-Semitic language in response to incidents at our school surrounding these concepts.  Further, TUHSD, the High School district that receives our students following middle school encountered much turmoil during the 2023/24 school year as the district and fellow students responded to the sharing of a video of white high school students using the n-word.

It would be ideal if our community’s middle school was sheltered from the racial turmoil and misunderstanding that plagues our society at this time, but unfortunately the above examples suggest that we are very much experiencing an impact.  While some of our 7th and 8th graders do not have personal devices or their own social media accounts, any student who is friends with another student with a phone and/or social media has access to social media.  Reading a book like Accountable provides a safe space to introduce difficult, real concepts in a structured and supported environment with adult facilitation and guidance before students experience complicated topics like this to navigate on their own in real life with their peers.

Accountable does contain a content warning for content that may be deemed inappropriate for young readers.  Profanity is regularly used by teens in the book including 'f--k,' 's--t,' 'a--hole,' 'bitch,' and ‘hell.'  The book also has references to teen drug use, thoughts of suicide, child abuse, physical violence, and descriptions of racist images.  The age recommendation is 12-18 for many online bookstores (Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Linden Tree) and some publishers (Macmillan), though a Common Sense Media reviewer recommends the book for ages 14+.  Kent Middle School does not promote the use of profane language nor the teaching of unnecessary controversial content, yet recognizes our students’ ability to understand context and the complex realities that require nuanced and intentional teaching to address complicated issues during unprecedented times.

We plan to approach sensitive content in the book cautiously and intentionally.  We will be reading the book by 7th and 8th grade advisory groups, and advisory teachers will be reading the book aloud to students utilizing a teaching and discussion guide that will prompt teachers to substitute offensive words and pause to provide context, check for understanding, and respond to student questions.  When asked for feedback, our teaching team universally supported moving forward with Accountable for our students, given that the right support and time is provided to do this well.  An introductory video composed and recorded by assistant principal Ms. Holmes and I will introduce the text to our 7th and 8th graders, provide some context for why we are reading the book now, and set expectations regarding the manner in which our students engage with the content, their teachers, and each other around the book.

We believe that we can work together to ensure that each 7th and 8th grader learns valuable insights from experiencing and discussing Accountable, insights that may not only improve climate and interactions in and around our school, but also lessons that may shape online communication and behavior in profound ways going forward.  That being said, for families who may not be ready for their child to read a book with the content I’ve described, we will have a 7th and 8th grade group reading the book Ultraviolet by Aida Salazar as an alternate choice.  If you request to have your child read this book instead of Accountable please contact me directly and we will include your child in the alternate group.

The Kent All School Read has been intentionally chosen each year to address timely topics in our community and the world.  In 2018 we read Refugee by Alan Gratz during the Syrian refugee crisis.  In 2019 we read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba when young climate activists like Greta Thunburg’s voices were being elevated worldwide.  In 2020, we read This Promise of Change by JoAnn Allen Boyce for a look at the history of school desegregation following George Floyd’s death.  In 2021 we read My Underground American Dream by Julissa Arce during a time when immigration policy gripped the attention of many Americans.  In 2022 we read Rolling Warrior by Judy Heumann, which provided us an opportunity to learn more about disability rights, and in 2023 we read Turtle Boy by Evan Wolkenstein, our first foray into a fictional text for our All School Read about resilience and overcoming adversity.  This year Finally Heard and Accountable will allow us to harness national attention on youth phone and social media use to help our children learn to be their best selves both in person and online.

Our All School Read 2024 will conclude on Friday, December 13th with an author visit with Dashka Slater, one visit for 5th/6th graders and one for 7th/8th graders.  Ms. Slater’s visit will focus on how an investigative journalist and writer gathers facts and stories to compose a work of narrative nonfiction like Accountable.  The themes of social media use and online mistreatment of others will be discussed as a part of both presentations, keeping in mind that our 5th/6th graders, and some 7th/8th graders, will not be familiar with some of the more advanced content from Accountable.  Additionally, we will be hosting a principal’s coffee on Friday morning, December 13th from 8:45 to 9:45 am for a discussion between Dashka Slater and interested parents in our community on similar themes as the student assemblies.

Thank you for your partnership as we work to prepare our children to thrive in the 21st-century world they will inherit from us.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have about the content of this message.

Grant Althouse, Principal

I'm thrilled to announce that Wild Blue is a February Amazon pick for best books for children age 6-8!

The book will be out on February 14 and I am thrilled by all the love it's received so far. Learn more -- and keep the love going by preordering your own copy -- here. Why pre-order when the book will be out in fewer than two weeks? Robust pre-order sales help a book get noticed by retailers and that’s particularly important for quiet, lyrical books like Wild Blue. Plus you’ll get the book that much sooner.

Get Your Free Downloadable Escargot Valentines Here!

Perhaps you knew this already, but there’s a very beautiful French snail who wants you to be his Snailentine. He’s chosen you because you are exceptionally kind and funny and smart and good-looking and because he himself has impeccable taste. He has asked me to tell you that your tentacles are very long and wavy, your shell is very clean and cozy, and your French accent is magnifique.

If you aren’t sure who your snail admirer is, allow me to introduce him. His name is Escargot and (with a tiny bit of assistance from me), he has written three books: Escargot, A Book for Escargot and his exciting new Snailentine adventure, Love, Escargot.

And because he loves you and wants you to be happy, Escargot has a gift for you: adorable free snailentines that you can download and print and give to everyone you know. Because, as Escargot explains, “Your snailentine should be somebody who makes you feel magnifique!”

But perhaps you think you have nowhere to send your beautiful snailentines?

Au contraire!

Everyone likes to know that they’re appreciated. So why not sign up to send your Escargot valentines to isolated seniors living in care? This cool organization will provide you with addresses – just sign up by February 5 so you have time to mail them out.

Perhaps after receiving your snailentines you find yourself so in love with Escargot that you must hold him and squeeze him and cover him with kisses. Perhaps you are dejected because you think this is an impossible dream that can never be fulfilled.

Au contraire!

Escargot is so eager to come home with you that you can get 25% off your very own cuddly squeezable Escargot plush toy or plush toy and book combo with the code ESCARGOT PLUSH. Perfect for you or your Snailentine, or both!

And if you just need to wallow in adorableness, please check out this video of a young Escargot fan saying “au contraire.”

I vividly remember the day my father took the training wheels off my bicycle. I got on my bike, wobbled three feet down the driveway, and promptly toppled over, skinning both my knees in the process. In my memory, the Flaxington girls who lived next door watched the whole thing with derisive smiles. One was my age, the other was older, but they both already rode bikes without training wheels, which was one reason I was eager to shed mine. I’d watched the older kids pedal by our house on their bicycles and I’d marveled at their grace and effortlessness, the tiny swivels their tires made as they sped past our house. I would do that too! Except, when I tried, I ended up splat on the pavement with bloody knees.

The memory of that failure — and my lifelong love of cycling — inspired Wild Blue, my new picture book from Candlewick Press, which releases on February 14. Kayla, the main character, has to learn to tame her new bicycle despite a very rocky start.

As I remember it, weeks passed before I tried my bike again, although my parents have assured me that we were back at it the next day. All I know is that I somehow did learn to ride a bike without training wheels, emulating my mother who made cycling look incredibly cool.

Kayla gets back on the horse too, after watching the other bike riders at the park with the same fascination I remember feeling as a child. How free they looked!

Cycling has always embodied freedom for me. The wild rush of movement, the sensation of the wind blowing past, the flow of the landscape around me. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a city street, a coastal trail, or a country backroad — I rarely ride without grinning wildly (except when struggling uphill).

I’d never ridden more than thirty miles in 2012 when I signed up for Ride for A Reason, a 100+ mile ride from Oakland to Sacramento to raise money for the Oakland schools. That first year I did the 68-mile version on Violeta, my old steel-framed Bianchi. Now I do long rides on Scarlett, my sleek carbon-frame Roubaix. I’m not very fast no matter which bike I ride, and I’m not getting any faster as the years go by. But the feeling of freedom never fades.

All those moments of failure, falling, and freedom went into Wild Blue a book about the wild possibilities that open up when you push past your fears and embrace adventure. It is truly a book of my heart, particularly as it is dedicated to my dear friend and cycling partner Rebekah, who died just before the book went to press.

It would mean the world to me if you took the time to pre-order it now, as pre-orders have an outsized impact on how a book fares once it's released.

Here’s what the critics are saying:

This picture book, in which a girl trades in her training wheels for a daunting two-wheeler, is a subtle but effective demonstration of how exposure therapy can conquer fear. . . . The acrylic-ink illustrations and sunset hues brilliantly enhance the Old West metaphor, as the landscape shifts incrementally from urban to rural. The ending, in which Kayla walks with, pats, sings songs to, and murmurs encouragement to Wild Blue, is a great example of step-by-step learning. — Booklist

Slater does an excellent job inhabiting that space between imagination and real life that allows two things to be true: Wild Blue can be simultaneously a horse and a bicycle. . . . Readers will appreciate Kayla’s commitment to her imaginative life, along with Slater’s twist on the familiar learning-to-ride-a-bike story: in the end Kayla denies that she’s tamed her new bicycle, instead insisting, “She’s still wild…but so am I.”—Horn Book

Viewers taking on a daunting new skill may relate to and benefit from Kayla’s imaginative methods. — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A new tale with a classic feel that will buoy many young riders. — Kirkus

It's been a long time since I first got on a bike, but the thrill hasn't worn off. The thrill of inhabiting Kayla, a determined little girl with a vivid imagination, hasn't worn off either. You'll get to see her tackle new challenges in the upcoming sequel, Deep Blue.

I can't tell you how excited I am that my favorite French snail is back for his third adventure. Sydney Hanson has outdone herself with the adorable illustrations and Escargot himself is thrilled to have the chance to receive more kisses from readers. You can pre-order it now wherever books are sold but I hope you'll order it from your local independent bookstore or from bookshop.org.

Want to hear when Escargot and I are coming to your neighborhood? Make sure to sign up for my mailing list!

As the author of a frequently challenged book, I'm sometimes asked for a statement. Feel free to use this to fight book bans in your area.

My name is Dashka Slater. I am a journalist who also writes books for children and young adults including The 57 Bus. Every time a book is banned, whether it’s mine or someone else’s, I feel a deep sorrow. Book banning is fundamentally un-American, a betrayal of our most basic freedom — the freedom to think, to read, to discuss, and to arrive at our own opinions. Parents have always been free to make decisions about their own child’s reading material — I have no quarrel with that. But the book banners want to give one parent the power to decide what all children can read. I don’t expect everyone to like my book, but I do expect everyone to have a chance to read it and decide for themselves. The freedom to draw your own conclusions is the foundation of a democratic society.

That is the first reason that the recent wave of book-banning breaks my heart. The second is that books offer a chance for kids to see themselves reflected and affirmed, to know that they’re not alone, that their experience matters. Books also offer kids a chance to learn about people who are different from them, to develop empathy and interest in the experiences of people they might not have thought about before. I receive letters from both kinds of kids every week — kids who are excited to see some aspect of themselves reflected in my book and kids who tell me that they are nothing like either of the kids in the book and loved learning about someone else’s perspective and experience.

But my favorite letters of all might be from parents. Parents often write me to say that their child gave them The 57 Bus as a way of opening up a conversation about an aspect of their lives that they wanted to talk about but weren’t sure how to bring it up. These parents often say that say that my book helped them understand something about their child and made their family closer. Why should those families be robbed of that experience just because another family has made a different choice?

Books have the power to foster connection, communication, and empathy, to make us better people. Not every book is for every reader, but every reader deserves the freedom to make that choice on their own, without the interference of government officials or meddling busybodies. If you don’t like my book, all you have to do is return it to the library and let someone else decide check it out. Then go back to the shelf and find a book that speaks to you. That's the beauty of a library. There's something there for everyone.

As of this writing, The 57 Bus has been banned or challenged in more than nine states, including Idaho, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Kansas, and Tennessee. The reasons given vary, but usually the book is accused of being "obscene," despite the fact that there isn't any sex in it at all. So why is it being challenged? Well, it's about a nonbinary kid and Black kid, and it talks about race and gender and justice.

“Good for you,” people often say when I tell them how frequently my book is challenged. “Wear it like a badge of honor.” But while my status as a banned book author certainly puts me in terrific company, it would be a tremendous mistake to see book-banning efforts as something benign or amusing. So far this year, 1,651 different titles have been challenged, including 27 instances in which police reports were filed against library staff because of the books available on their shelves.

That's a quote from an article I wrote about being the author of a banned book, in which I tell the story of how my book was investigated by the Sheriff of New Hanover county in North Carolina, who wanted to file criminal charges against librarians who had it on their shelves. You can read about that here. I also spoke to the East Bay Yesterday podcast about the attempts to suppress, ban, outlaw, or hide my book. It's a fun, free-ranging interview about the book itself, book bans, and my hometown of Oakland, California. Listen to it here.

If you are a parent, teacher, or librarian in a district with a pending book ban or challenge, I wrote a statement that you are welcome to read or submit to your district's school board or administrator. If you are new to this issue, and want to understand what's going on, please take a look at PEN America's most recent report. It's alarming.

But here's the most important thing to know. Book bans are fundamentally un-American and deeply unpopular. ,Every Library reports that a mere 8% of voters believe “there are many books that are inappropriate and should be banned.” 95% of Democrats, 80% of independents, and 53% of Republicans are against book bans and will consider book bans when voting. So why are so many states and school district's banning books? Because decision makers haven't heard nearly enough from people who care about books, people who love libraries, people who believe in the freedom to read, people who support exposing kids to books that reflect the diversity of our society, people who oppose censorship. So if you are appalled to hear about the book banning efforts in schools and libraries across America, make sure you vote for candidates for your school board, library board, city council, and state legislature who support the freedom to read. We need your help.

The sequel to The Book of Fatal Errors releases on February 15, 2022 and the first review is a flat-out rave, with Kirkus calling it "an exciting, engaging read." Here's a bit more from the review:

Full of magical creatures, action, and adventure, this is an entertaining duology closer. With the unexpected return of familiar characters, betrayals, and a few twists, the story will keep readers on their toes. Rufus and Abigail learn real-world lessons, such as what it means to sacrifice, persevere, and be true to themselves.

The pandemic resulted in me having to cancel most of the events planned for promoting the first book in the series, which releases in paperback on the same day as the sequel. That makes me especially excited to be able to promote both books in the Feylawn Chronicles series together in February. What kind of Feylawn swag would you like to see? What kinds of events and promotions? Let me know using the contact form on my website!

It all started when I heard about a teacher who was using Escargot as a mentor text to teach persuasive writing. Escargot, of course, tries to persuade the reader to choose snails as their favorite animal, and when I looked at the text again, I thought, "What a great use of this book!"

That thought must have been in the back of my mind when I wrote A Book for Escargot, in which Escargot teaches the reader how to write a story. This is a lesson that I've taught myself for years, in a four-session workshop I do in with third graders in Oakland. It's one of the most enjoyable things I do in a life that is pretty full of enjoyable experiences, and I am always eager to share the joy of watching kids invent stories of their own.

I teamed up with my husband, a retired English teacher who has taught persuasive writing for years, create the lesson plans and graphic organizers. The graphic designers at Macmillan made them pretty. They look gorgeous, but more to the point, they're useful -- or at least I hope they are. I would love your feedback, so please let me know if you use them in your classroom!

You can find the Persuasive Writing lesson plan for Escargot here and the Creative Writing lesson plan for A Book for Escargot here. And of course you can find the Escargot activity kit here.

Send me your feedback by clicking here.

Exciting news for anyone shopping for the holidays! I’ve arranged with my neighborhood bookstore, A Great Good Place For Books, to offer signed and personalized copies of ALL my books so that you can shower your loved ones with autographed books and support a small bookstore hit hard by the pandemic, all in one series of clicks. I have books for everyone on your list from infant to adult – including my 2020 releases A Book for Escargot and The Book of Fatal Errors– so consider your holiday shopping complete!

Ordering is simple!

Peruse my website to read reviews and summaries of all my books and then order them from A Great Good Place For Books' website. Once you've placed your order, use the comment box to specify that you want your books signed and/or personalized (just tell me who it’s for and I’ll take care of the rest), and they will mail a signed book to your door.

(I’m also offering signed and personalized copies of my two out-of-print titles, which I will ship to you myself.)

Plus, I have exciting news for Escargot fans-- there is now an adorable Escargot plush toy available for purchase from Merrymakers. That means you can safely cuddle, kiss, and share a salad with your very own Escargot plushie during the pandemic. I don’t know about you, but this year has me needing some extra snuggles and Escargot has declared himself more than equal to the task of providing affection to every weary and isolated soul. The popularity of this plushie has made it a bit hard to find, so if you can't find them at Merrymakers, make sure to give them your email address so they can let you know as soon as they get a new shipment. I've also seen some in stock at Bas Bleu. Walmart & Target will also let you know when shipments come in.