Tag Archives: Musical Youth

Read and Win! Summer competition

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Antiguan and Barbudan teens have a great opportunity to get creative this summer and a chance to win prizes.

Teens in Antigua and Barbuda, this one’s for you! As part of the Cushion Club Wadadli Pen Summer Reading Challenge, Antiguan and Barbudan teens, 12 to 18, are being invited to read Musical Youth, a Best of Books’ teen summer pick, post a musical or otherwise creative review to the social media platform of your choice, and send the link to submissions@caribbeanreads.com

Here’s what you do:

  1. Read Musical Youth (available at local bookstores)
  2. Review the book in your most creative way – write an essay, a poem, a song, create a video, however you love to express yourself best.
  3. Post your review on your favorite social media site, using the hashtags #musicalyouth #caribbeanreads
  4. Email your name, age, contact information, and a link to the review to submissions@caribbeanreads.com
  5. Possibly Win a prize!

Rules:

  • Submissions must be received by August 31, 2015.
  • Open to residents of Antigua and Barbuda aged 12-18 only.
  • Winners will be announced in September 2015 and the top three chosen entries will receive prizes courtesy of CaribbeanReads Publishing and Joanne C. Hillhouse.
  • There is no limit to the number of entries that one teen can submit.
  • Original entries only. By entering you are indicating that the submission is your own original work.
  • Each participant submitting an entry agrees to use of his/her name and/or entry by CaribbeanReads for promotional purposes in any medium without additional compensation.

More Information

This is a challenge within a challenge.

You don’t know about the original Cushion Club Wadadli Pen Summer Reading challenge?

Here it is in 50 words or less: Read as many books as you want, write a really-really-really short review of each book read, email your list of books completed and reviews to cushionclub@yahoo.com at the end of August. Maybe win a prize. There are discounts and minimum requirements; search “reading challenge” at the Wadadli Pen website (http://wadadlipen.wordpress.com) for details.

The Map Shop and the Best of Books helped compile the reading lists, so you know the books can be sourced in Antigua and Barbuda. The Best of Books and Cindy’s Bookstore are offering 20 percent discounts to anyone “taking the challenge”. Now, Caribbean Reads Publishing and Joanne C. Hillhouse – publisher and author, respectively – have made the challenge just a little more “Musical”. As Musical Youth, second placed for the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature in 2014, is targeted at teens; they want to know what teens think of this book. This additional prize – sponsored by the publisher and author of Musical Youth – will go to the most creative review.

 

 

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Zahara like Sahara

Zahara like Sahara.

This is the first line of Joanne C. Hillhouse’s new young adult novel Musical Youth.

Zahara is the name of the female protagonist and this is the rhyme taught to her when she was a child. The name is lovely, intriguing. It has an African feel to it and a distinct musical lilt, which is fitting. Musical Youth’s Zahara shares her name with a South African singer-songwriter, poet, and brand ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital. Perhaps young Zahara’s mother was a fan of the South African musician. Whether this was the case or not, the name is fitting as Zahara turns out to be a boss guitarist, singer, and song writer even as a teenager.

The name is fitting on a more basic level. Apparently it is of Arabic and Hebrew origin, and means “flowering; shining”. Readers will judge for themselves, but when you read Musical Youth and you are swept along on Zahara’s journey from wall flower to stunning guitarist, those words, “flowering and shining” may seem like the perfect description for this intriguing young lady.

What do you think of the name? Any questions for the author on her choice?

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Joanne talks about the characters in Musical Youth

Still from ABS InterviewIn a recent interview with ABS News, Joanne C. Hillhouse, author of Musical Youth, promotes the upcoming CODE sponsored writers’ workshop and talks about Zahara, the main protagonist in the book.

Watch the interview here.

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