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Cin's Mark
Ever since his uncle committed suicide, thirteen-year-old Taj has been trying to hold his family together. He’d do anything to see his mother happy again so when Taj meets a strange woman in Woodlands Cemetery, he carefully considers her curious directions to a magical door that will let Taj and his mother escape this world’s misery. All he has to do in return is find something precious that was taken from the woman over a hundred and fifty years ago. But can Taj reach the portal once the vengeful ghost’s wrath is unleashed upon the city?
- GenresFamily
104 pages, Paperback
Published October 30, 2018
4 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Zetta Elliott
80 books440 followersI’m a Black feminist writer of poetry, plays, essays, novels, and stories for children. I was born and raised in Canada, but have lived in the US for 30 years. I earned my PhD in American Studies from NYU in 2003; I have taught at Ohio University, Louisiana State University, Mount Holyoke College, Hunter College, Bard High School Early College, and Borough of Manhattan Community College.
My poetry has been published in New Daughters of Africa, We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, the Cave Canem anthology, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Check the Rhyme: an Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees, and Coloring Book: an Eclectic Anthology of Fiction and Poetry by Multicultural Writers.
My novella, Plastique, was excerpted in T Dot Griots: an Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers, and my plays have been staged in New York, Cleveland, and Chicago. My essays have appeared in School Library Journal, Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly. My short story, “The Ghost in Her Bones,” was published in a 2020 special issue of Obsidian.
My picture book, Bird, won the Honor Award in Lee & Low Books’ New Voices Contest and the Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers. My young adult novel, A Wish After Midnight, has been called “a revelation…vivid, violent and impressive history.” Ship of Souls was published in February 2012; it was named a Booklist Top Ten Sci-fi/Fantasy Title for Youth and was a finalist for the Phillis Wheatley Book Award. My short story, “Sweet Sixteen,” was published in Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance in July 2012. My YA novel, The Door at the Crossroads, was a finalist in the Speculative Fiction category of the 2017 Cybils Awards, and my picture book, Melena’s Jubilee, won a 2017 Skipping Stones Honor Award. I received the Children’s Literature Association’s Article Award for my 2014 essay, “The Trouble with Magic: Conjuring the Past in New York City Parks.”
I am an advocate for greater diversity and equity in publishing, and I have self-published numerous illustrated books for younger readers under my own imprint, Rosetta Press; 3 were named Best of the Year by the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature, and Benny Doesn’t Like to Be Hugged is a first-grade fiction selection for the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Dragons in a Bag, a middle grade fantasy novel, was published by Random House in 2018; the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) named it a Notable Children’s Book. Its sequel, The Dragon Thief, was named a Best Middle Grade Book of 2019 by CBC Books. The fifth book in the series, The War of the Witches, will be published in January 2024. The prequel will be self-published in 2024.
Say Her Name, a young adult poetry collection, was published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in January 2020; it was named a 2020 Book of the Year for Young People by Quill & Quire and a 2020 “Best of the Best” YA Title by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association; it was also a nominee for the YALSA 2021 Excellence in Nonfiction Award and a Top Ten title for Rise: A Feminist Book Project. Say Her Name won the 2021 Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry.
A Place Inside of Me: a Poem to Heal the Heart from FSG was named an ALA Notable Book and a Notable Poetry Book by the National Council of Teachers of English; it won a 2021 Skipping Stones Honor Award and Noa Denmon won the Caldecott Honor Award for her stunning illustrations. Moonwalking (FSG 2022), a middle grade verse novel co-authored with Lyn Miller-Lachmann earned four starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection; it made the NYPL and Bank Street College of Education’s Best Books of 2022 lists, was one of Kirkus Reviews’ 100 Best Middle Grade Books, and made the 2023 Notable Books for a Global Society list. The National Education Association has selected Moonwalking for its 2024 Read Across America program.
I was honored to
My poetry has been published in New Daughters of Africa, We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, the Cave Canem anthology, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Check the Rhyme: an Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees, and Coloring Book: an Eclectic Anthology of Fiction and Poetry by Multicultural Writers.
My novella, Plastique, was excerpted in T Dot Griots: an Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers, and my plays have been staged in New York, Cleveland, and Chicago. My essays have appeared in School Library Journal, Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly. My short story, “The Ghost in Her Bones,” was published in a 2020 special issue of Obsidian.
My picture book, Bird, won the Honor Award in Lee & Low Books’ New Voices Contest and the Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers. My young adult novel, A Wish After Midnight, has been called “a revelation…vivid, violent and impressive history.” Ship of Souls was published in February 2012; it was named a Booklist Top Ten Sci-fi/Fantasy Title for Youth and was a finalist for the Phillis Wheatley Book Award. My short story, “Sweet Sixteen,” was published in Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance in July 2012. My YA novel, The Door at the Crossroads, was a finalist in the Speculative Fiction category of the 2017 Cybils Awards, and my picture book, Melena’s Jubilee, won a 2017 Skipping Stones Honor Award. I received the Children’s Literature Association’s Article Award for my 2014 essay, “The Trouble with Magic: Conjuring the Past in New York City Parks.”
I am an advocate for greater diversity and equity in publishing, and I have self-published numerous illustrated books for younger readers under my own imprint, Rosetta Press; 3 were named Best of the Year by the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature, and Benny Doesn’t Like to Be Hugged is a first-grade fiction selection for the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Dragons in a Bag, a middle grade fantasy novel, was published by Random House in 2018; the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) named it a Notable Children’s Book. Its sequel, The Dragon Thief, was named a Best Middle Grade Book of 2019 by CBC Books. The fifth book in the series, The War of the Witches, will be published in January 2024. The prequel will be self-published in 2024.
Say Her Name, a young adult poetry collection, was published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in January 2020; it was named a 2020 Book of the Year for Young People by Quill & Quire and a 2020 “Best of the Best” YA Title by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association; it was also a nominee for the YALSA 2021 Excellence in Nonfiction Award and a Top Ten title for Rise: A Feminist Book Project. Say Her Name won the 2021 Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry.
A Place Inside of Me: a Poem to Heal the Heart from FSG was named an ALA Notable Book and a Notable Poetry Book by the National Council of Teachers of English; it won a 2021 Skipping Stones Honor Award and Noa Denmon won the Caldecott Honor Award for her stunning illustrations. Moonwalking (FSG 2022), a middle grade verse novel co-authored with Lyn Miller-Lachmann earned four starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection; it made the NYPL and Bank Street College of Education’s Best Books of 2022 lists, was one of Kirkus Reviews’ 100 Best Middle Grade Books, and made the 2023 Notable Books for a Global Society list. The National Education Association has selected Moonwalking for its 2024 Read Across America program.
I was honored to
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 30, 2018
Loved it!
Review here: https://youtu.be/zy8NkgYumgo
Review here: https://youtu.be/zy8NkgYumgo
May 26, 2019
One of my favorites of 2019. It might seem strange to say that something that I liked about the book is that it doesn't wrap up neatly, but I feel this as I can imagine where it might go next, or I could be wrong. Either way I don't need to know as the story is compelling enough and so much happens in these just shy of 100 pages and that's what I take with me.
Taj is doing all he can to help his mother cope with the loss of her baby brother and on a visit to the cemetery he comes in touch with a strange woman and a little boy. They offer Taj and his mother a chance to get out of their neighborhood and have a fresh start. Taj just has to help the woman with a task first. She needs to "bury the dead" and needs Taj's help in finding the bones.
Zetta Elliott incorporates real locations and historical events in West Philly "to create a recognizable world where the dead simply won't stay silent". The theme of medical experimentation and exploitation of black people is key to the story but there are also the accounts of friendship that Elliott depicts so well in all her long form tales.
I looked back to some comments I made earlier about the book and I write that it should be read in one go and then you can look back to read some more. I stand by this, especially if you're using it in a classroom. There is so much to pull from but you need to be immersed fully before going back to delve deeper into what's inside.
Taj is doing all he can to help his mother cope with the loss of her baby brother and on a visit to the cemetery he comes in touch with a strange woman and a little boy. They offer Taj and his mother a chance to get out of their neighborhood and have a fresh start. Taj just has to help the woman with a task first. She needs to "bury the dead" and needs Taj's help in finding the bones.
Zetta Elliott incorporates real locations and historical events in West Philly "to create a recognizable world where the dead simply won't stay silent". The theme of medical experimentation and exploitation of black people is key to the story but there are also the accounts of friendship that Elliott depicts so well in all her long form tales.
I looked back to some comments I made earlier about the book and I write that it should be read in one go and then you can look back to read some more. I stand by this, especially if you're using it in a classroom. There is so much to pull from but you need to be immersed fully before going back to delve deeper into what's inside.
December 14, 2022
This book is perfect for a spooky feel around Halloween! Taj, a 13-year-old boy, fears he will be separated from his mother due to a significant amount of factors, they are poor and his mother is depressed due to the death of family members. He starts to walk his neighbor's dog through the cemetery to help with money. He counters a woman and a little boy in the cemetery while visiting. The woman needs to bury the dead and exchange for Taj helping her, she will grant him and his mother a chance to start over. The author, Zetta Elliot is excellent at capturing a moment in history and turning it into a creepy twist. This book is a great read for ages 10-14 and teachers could incorporate this book around Halloween to talk about certain political issues. An example of this would be that one of the characters is non-binary and corrects another on pronouns. This is a great book filled with diversity!
December 31, 2018
A meaningful, historical ghost story. Taj, the main character captured my heart immediately. Walking alongside him are two very good friends as he interprets encounters with ghosts in a graveyard. I can't say more without giving away plot details, but I feel a sequel might be coming! Love Zetta Elliott's books!
October 12, 2021
This book was out of my comfort zone, however, it was not a bad decision. I enjoyed how the author was able to include so many diverse elements in her book! It deals with real life situations with a supernatural twist, it was an easy and fast read once you got hooked!
April 4, 2019
Loved it. I especially liked how Cin.. brought the house down. I did want to see what happened to Taj, though.
February 5, 2020
Ending felt rushed.
February 5, 2023
A short ghost story that was surprisingly a good read. I only have it 3 stars because it left a lot of things unanswered but overall good.
December 5, 2021
Cin Mark was very purposeful, and I wasn’t sure I would like it just by looking at the cover. I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, so I gave it a go, and Taj was a great friend and son. He did everything to hold his family together since his dad passed away. I did not want this book to be over. I wanted to see what happened to Taj. I ended up loving this book. I think it was remarkable how the ghosts were in the graveyard. I believe this would be a great book to read to
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews