On the Block: Stories of Home

by Ellen Oh (Editor)

From We Need Diverse Books comes a heart-warming middle-grade anthology that follows the loosely interconnected lives of multigenerational immigrant families inhabiting 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 Literature12 Families. 12 Cultures. 1 Building.Welcome to the Entrada, home to these everyday Americans, includingthe new kid on the block, who is both homesick and curiousa 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 uplifting 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.

Genres: Middle Grade, Short Stories, Contemporary, Friendship, Realistic Fiction, Anthologies, Family

208 pages, Library Binding

First published October 22, 2024

About the author

*Hi friends! I'm not often on Goodreads so if you want to keep up with me, the best place to do so is on instagram! I'm at elloecho!

Ellen Oh is a former adjunct college instructor and lawyer with an insatiable curiosity for ancient Asian history. She loves K-pop, K-dramas, and eating good food that someone else cooks for her. She is fueled by Diet Coke. Ellen is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in children’s literature. Originally from New York City, Ellen lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband, three children, two dogs, and has yet to satisfy her quest for a decent bagel.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun anthology with 10-15 page stories that focus on a different kid and their adventures. I love the slice of life style stories and seeing other characters pop up in someone else's chapter, as well as all the little elements of culture from language to traditions to food. It's a great way to expose younger readers to other cultures and to let them see themselves in a story.

[Danielle Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute collection of stories about kids in the apartment building.

Read by multiple narrators. #booksin25

[Kellee Moye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology from We Need Diverse Books is one of my favorites I’ve read yet. I loved the wide representation in the book, how it all took place in the apartment building, and the stories intertwine but can also stand alone. And no wonder it was amazing–look at that list of authors that contributed! (I’m lucky enough to have been asked to write the educators’ guide for it, so keep an eye out!)

[Karen Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to The Entrada! You’ve come home.

On The Block: Stories of Home is an anthology of twelve connected vignettes, edited by author Ellen Oh, that portray the diverse families in residence at the New York apartment building known as The Entrada. Each chapter, appropriately titled by the apartment number of each new middle-grade-aged narrator, is a lovely gem and tells of the young resident’s life in the days leading up to the building’s first community potluck.

The stories explore the cultures and concerns of the new young immigrant, and while their origins are global, their hopes and fears are universal and relatable to all readers. I loved that the connections among the families while beginning with a common address, became personal through the friendships of the building’s child population. I enjoyed the concurrent points of view of events or encounters among the children, two or more people observing the same event but “seeing” or interpreting something from it that was entirely different. And I’m not talking about the paranormal activity threaded through some of the tales, though there is that!

Food is a common thread running through the collected tales. There are numerous scenes of family meals, and some of their favorite dishes may be unfamiliar to many readers. However, they are tempting just the same because of the authors’ tantalizing descriptions. The story culminates in the building’s big community potluck on a wonderful summer Saturday evening.

At the end of the book are the contributing authors’ biographies, including the titles of their previous works. That information alone is gold and could provide additional stories for the targeted age group to enjoy.

I recommend ONE THE BLOCK to readers of middle-grade fiction, especially those interested in getting a peek into a different culture.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw the authors who contributed to this collection of short stories, I had no doubt that it would be a must-buy for my middle grades library. Even with those high expectations, "On the Block" blew me away with its stories about the complexity of family, the difficulty of finding yourself as a child of immigrants, and the way that we can build community even when we feel alone.

"On the Block" was tenderly written and at points, I laughed, cried, and sat back to appreciate how fully these authors capture the middle school experience. Ages 10=14 is such a time of growth and personal discovery and it was so gratifying to see that time period captured in many of its forms by authors who have such talent.

Each of the twelve stories in this collection will touch readers in some way, but particular favorites for me included Hao's ghost hunting adventure, Yaniel's popsicle bridge experiment, and Desiree's decision that maybe, just maybe, the monsters in the basement aren't as scary when you have someone to battle them with.

"On the Block" is the perfect collection for fans of Kwame Alexander, Jasmine Warga, and Reem Faruqi. It would also be a great read-alike for any student or reading circle that has already enjoyed Jason Reynolds' "Look Both Ways." "On the Block" is an instant classic that students, teachers, and librarians will all agree is a contender for middle grades novel of the year! Special thanks to NetGalley and to Crown Books for Young Readers for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this novel!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as I saw that Ellen Oh was releasing another anthology, I requested an ARC of the book immediately. After reading (and loving) You Are Here earlier this year, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this second collection of short stories, all set in a single apartment block and told from the perspectives of multiple adolescents (each written by a different author). Even if I hadn't read Oh's first anthology, how could I possibly say no to this superstar line-up of middle grade and YA authors? Adrianna Cuevas, Adam Gidwitz, Erin Entrada Kelly, Jasmine Warga, and on and on...say no more!

While I felt that You Are Here was a slightly more cohesive collection (the stories truly felt like they related to and built on one another), the writing in On the Block was still tremendously strong. My favorite chapters were those written by Erin Entrada Kelly and Jasmine Warga. I will absolutely be recommending this book to my middle school students. On the Block includes important themes, including immigration, xenophobia, community, and found family, and I believe it would be an excellent addition to any middle school library or curriculum.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reader copy!

[YSBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

A follow-up to Ellen Oh’s amazing and widely used short story collection, Flying Lessons, On the Block takes a somewhat unique and in my opinion extremely successful approach to a short story collection. Telling the stories of the wide range of multigenerational immigrant families that live in The Entrada apartment building in Queens, NY, the book changes perspective with each chapter, but the characters live on as they interact with and exist in the lives of their neighbors. We continue to hear about their food, their music, and neighbors' impressions of them, and often see them interact with the other characters from a different point of view. Written by some of the leading diverse authors of our time, (Tracey Baptiste, David Bowles, Adrianna Cueves, Sayantani DasGupta, Debbi Michiko Florence, Adam Gidwitz, Erin Entrada Kelly, Minh Le, Olugemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Andrea Wang, and Jasmine Warga) the voices feel authentic, with references to cultural traditions, food, music, and family dynamic that make this book feel extremely personal and relatable. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twelve different short stories feature a diverse cast of characters--youngsters living with their families in the Entrada, a six-story apartment building. Each protagonist faces some sort of relatable life challenge, including being misunderstood, a first crush, making friends, being heard, and even dealing with an artistic ghost. Not surprisingly, there's even a grouchy neighbor who complains about the cooking smells from someone's kitchen. Since the stories interlock in some surprising ways and some of their parents also face challenges, this collection is rife with discussion possibilities as well as providing avenues toward acceptance, empathy and risk-taking. Because each story is short, readers can consume the stories gradually or educators can share them one story at a time, but they also are interesting enough to hold readers' attention all the way through. These culturally rich accounts are easy to digest, and there isn't a weak one among the entire collection. Refreshingly, there are no troubled teens, addiction or crime mentioned on this particular block.

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 A relevant and diverse anthology with meaningful stories. We have many characters, Lila I the first she is moving to a new home, and her parents reassure her that the changes will be easy to deal with. She explores the building with curiosity, noticing small details. This one is a great start and makes us curious to learn more about the others living in the other apartment.

Each story brings focus to a character, but the stories are relatable and about culture, identity, and community.

"But sometimes, sadly, one person's American Dream comes true by extinguishing someone else's."

Being kind and choosing the right thing to do instead of repeating the family's mistakes.

Sometimes, the stories are about one simple gesture, like riding a bike, but they mean much more: gaining confidence and having the support and love of family.
Great characters and meaningful messages. Sense of belonging, too. Diversity in culture.
I love the name of the building, which, in my native language (European Portuguese), means entrance.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lila has just moved to the Entrada from Trinidad, her parents keep telling her that things will be better in America, she doesn't see it that way. Lenny's parents own the building, and makes the mistake of telling that to the kids, now they think he's saying he's better than them. Amira finds a stray dog, Yaniel is making everyone eat popsicles to help him collect enough sticks to build his bridge project. 12 stories that all take place in the same apartment building.

The children are about the same ages, and many go to the same school. Like Flying Lessons each story is written by a different diverse author, including Ellen Oh, Minh Lê, David Bowles and Erin Entrada Kelly. I loved how, like children interact, they were in each other's stories, and some stories even intersected. Brilliant. A super fun read, I can see this being used in a classroom setting, great themes of family, friendships, and the immigrant experience, along with culture and apartment living. Most of the children are immigrants or from immigrant families

[Jame_EReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

👦🏻reviews: This is a solid 5 star book. It captures everyone’s interesting livelihood and their cultural differences in one building. This is so NYC’s tenement housing for different immigrant families. While reading, I was wondering what each apartment was cooking, speaking and planning for their next day. I remember visiting a family friend’s NYC apartment few years ago and while walking through the hallway, I smelled different aromatic dishes from each doorway. An old Korean grandma preparing her lunch, an El Salvadoran man walking up to his door with his pupusas and an old Filipino couple cooking adobo. I was wondering what if I knocked on their door and asked for a spoonful of their dish and how much I could taste their delicious food. This book is so fascinating and informative about how a Chinese family differs from the other neighbors’ cultures and traditions. I know I’ll read this again someday because it gave a great insight to how others experience the same difference way of life.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MG story collection from @weneeddiversebooks @elloecho that is full of diversity, culture and family.
🏢
@megmedinabooks kicks this anthology off with her foreward about shared experiences growing up in an apartment as a child. She is the 24-25 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature appointed by the @librarycongress Being able to read about 12 different families living their lives in an apartment, sharing their stories at the Entrada was joyous to read.
🏢
Authors of this short story book include: @adriannacuevas @traceybaptistewrites @davidobowles @sayantanidasguptabooks @debbi_michiko_florence @adam_gidwitz @erinentrada @bottomshelfbks @andreawhywang @jasminewargabooks @olugbemisolarhudayperkovich

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent middle grade book about the life of the kids in an apartment building -- and their families and neighbors. It's a multicultural building, and you learn, among other things, about ethnic cooking preferences and many words for grandmother.

Each chapter is a different story, but the characters do know or run into each other, so the stories become connected by the end of the book. Each character is a person you care about and are interested in, and their perspective provides a layer of life to the building and the neighborhood that their parents may be unaware of. The dilemmas are real, and the resolutions realistic.

Excellent for both independent reading and reading aloud. Highly recommended.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of short stories, all taking place in the same apartment building, with kids from all walks of life that readers young and old will enjoy reading. Each story follows a different family, and see things through the lens of the children. From people just moving in, to a family that owns the building, we get to look beneath the surface and learn so much. The authors really bring the vibe of the apartment to life, and I enjoyed learning little snippets about the different cultures represented. The kids are all unique, with different home lives, personalities, dreams, and worries. While these are short stories, and you can read them one at a time, I found it hard to stop reading once I started, curious about what the next one would bring. Cannot recommend enough!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stories by different authors--each with their own main character--each character interacting with one or more of the other authors' characters. It's an interesting idea, and the stories are good. I especially liked the final story. My quibble--to determine who wrote what, you have to check which number story it is--look at the back cover dust jacket flap to see which author corresponds in that that place--and if you want to know more about the author and what else they wrote--look them up in the notes in the back. It was a bit frustrating. Most collections like this list the author at the top of their story. Maybe I'm just being picky?

[Sara Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the WNDB anthologies - a great chance for young readers to sample the writing of different diverse authors. Sort of literary speed dating. My favorite is Flying Lessons - those stories are not interconnected like in On the Block so the authors had free reign to write whatever they wanted, leading to memorable, innovative stories.

In On the Block, the stories all take place in one apartment building, filled with a diverse set of neighbors. The need to connect the stories gives the book a cohesive quality, but the stories are less free-ranging than Flying Lessons. Still a great way to meet some authors that might be new to young readers.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the Block: three stars. Cool to have each story depict a different family in the same apartment building. The interconnected nature of the stories was done in a slightly odd way, though--some chapters had a totally self-contained story arc with a main character who only rarely appeared elsewhere in the book, while other chapters felt like only the first half of a story, with the character playing a major role in a different character's chapter in order to conclude their arc. Some chapters' writing styles were pretty engaging/fun, others less so (though that's not unusual for anthologies).

Good for fans of "Flying Lessons & Other Stories" or "The Door Is Open".

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subtitle Stories From Home sold me on this book. The stories all feature "families" grown from the many differing people and cultures that live in one apartment building. While I've never lived in an apartment building quite this large, I have been a part of a military family that moved every few years and lived within a mixed culture that shared their hearts and became family. It's rare to read the depth to which strangers so quickly become a part of our sense of "home". This book stirs the senses and brings these families into our collective memory. They become home.

[Martha Bode · Rating 4 out of 5]

12 families, 12 cultures, and 1 building connecting them together in an interconnected anthology. This is from the ‘We Need Diverse Books’ organization, and I went to find out more from their website. WNDB “aims to create a world where every reader can find themselves in the pages of a book.” Mission accomplished with this anthology - even though the stories are not as connected at first as I was expecting. This may be that multiple authors had to join up characters and storylines with different tones and styles. It does connect in a heartwarming end :) Very appropriate for young readers.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love an interconnected short story collection and this one was a delightful mix of community and character. The middle grade authors are phenomenal in their own right and combined it's a stellar book about The Entrada, an apartment complex that shows the complexity of experiences and relationships of those that are living there whether they're new to the area or have been there for years.

It's sweet and authentically "stories of home" with little easter eggs in the stories to pull everything together. Oh spins gold!

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great collection of stories that needs to be added to every middle grade section of the library.
These have such great diverse representation. We see different families and different circumstances and each story is touching and beautiful.
Ellen Oh, is such a great author fighting for diversity and diverse rights of books to be put on shelves. This book is one of those books and will make a difference for many students.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

[Holly Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy Ellen Oh story collections. I love each individual story and how they all weave together. But the best part is the diverse voices. I learn so much. I love the way they each speak their truth and care deeply about others. Mr.McConnell (I think) shows how we act when we are hurt. It takes a lot of people to help heal. It was heartwarming how they were willing to help.

[Jenn Hopp · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Surrounded by Seb's vision of the world, I drift off into a deep sleep. It's the first time in years that I've fallen asleep this easily...and that night, my dreams are bright and beautiful, alive with possibility and swirling with color."

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how these stories interconnect. I want to talk craft with these authors-- how did they coordinate all the details? So many authors, and the stories all work together and build on each other in lovely ways. I want to live in this apartment building!

[Jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haha, did a YA fiction because I was feeling nostalgic about reading a hard copy book and this was one of the more interesting titles that smacked of a quick, light read.
A block of public housing flats with most of its inhabitants immigrants. A feel-good, teach doing of good kinda read.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it one chapter a day to your young students.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another strong, enjoyable collection of short stories from widely diverse authors.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
Great anthology - would love to live in that apartment building

[Beatriz Pascual Benlliure · Rating 5 out of 5]

#WNDB (we need diverse books)

[Ms. Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing short story collection from WNDB. Every single story was great and they worked so well together!