Portland is home for me, and I have such love for that city. Watson: I am very sad and angry over what’s happening in Portland right now.
What has it been like for you to read about the protests and unrest happening there in recent weeks? Books like Ways to Make Sunshine, last year’s Some Places More Than Others, and the award-winning Piecing Me Together shine a spotlight specifically on the Black community in Portland. They both make mistakes and are figuring out who they are in a society that has a lot of expectations of girls.Ĭhapter 16: Speaking of Portland, you have often written about and spoken about (including in your 2018 Coretta Scott King Award acceptance speech) your love for that city.
They aren’t fragile girls - or perfect girls.
Ramona was definitely an inspiration for Ryan’s determination and strong will. Both characters are dealing with the financial strains on their families, and they are both navigating relationships with older siblings and old and new friends. It means a lot to me when people compare Ramona and Ryan. I loved that there was a character who lived in my hometown. Those books were special to me because I knew the names of the streets and related to Ramona’s world in a very specific way. The setting of those books is Portland, which is where I grew up. Ren ée Watson: Yes, I grew up reading the Ramona series (and all of Beverly Cleary’s books). Does that have any special meaning to you? As a child, did you read Beverly Cleary’s books? The book has received stellar reviews and is the first in a series, so fans of the book can expect even more engaging stories about Ryan and her family.Ĭhapter 16 talked with The New York Times bestselling author via email to ask about the new book, her three productive years with the I, Too Arts Collective in Harlem, and more.Ĭhapter 16: Ryan Hart, the protagonist of Ways to Make Sunshine, has been compared to Ramona Quimby more than once. Ways to Make Sunshine features the irrepressible Ryan Hart, a Black girl living in Portland, Oregon, who navigates fourth grade and works hard to stay upbeat after her father is laid off from his post office job. Her newest novel, Ways to Make Sunshine, is her first book for the chapter book-reading elementary set and comes complete with spot illustrations from artist Nina Mata. Her 2017 YA novel, Piecing Me Together, was recently optioned for a film adaptation. Coretta Scott King Award winner and Newbery Honor author Renée Watson has written across the entire spectrum of children’s and young adult literature.
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