2 Books Published by Caribbean Reads Publishing on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

Click for more detail about Musical Youth by Joanne C. Hillhouse Musical Youth

by Joanne C. Hillhouse
Caribbean Reads Publishing (Sep 15, 2019)
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2nd place in the 2014 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature.

#12 in Amazon Hot New Releases – Teen and Young Adult Performing Arts Fiction

Music, Discovery, Love. Can one summer make the difference of a lifetime?

Zahara is a loner. She’s brilliant on the guitar but in everyday life she doesn’t really fit in. Then she meets Shaka, himself a musical genius and the first boy who really gets her. They discover that they share a special bond, their passion for music, and Zahara finds herself a part, not just of Shaka’s life, but also that of his boys, the Lion Crew. When they all get roles in a summer musical, Zahara, Shaka, and the rest of the Lion Crew use the opportunity to work on a secret project. But the Crew gets much more than they bargained for when they uncover a dark secret linking Shaka and Zahara’s families and they’re forced to confront some uncomfortable truths about class, colour, and relationships on the Caribbean island of Antigua.

“There are no missteps in this tender coming-of-age romance, only an enthusiasm for love and life that reverberates triumphantly, as both Shaka and Zahara battle their demons with hope’s persistent chorus.” —CaribbeanBeat Magazine.

Musical Youth is a beautifully crafted novel with the leitmotiv of music running throughout it. This is a powerful and credible story of young love between two likeable heroes.” —Burt Award for Caribbean literature.

Musical Youth is a compelling read because Hillhouse has managed to make readers really care about the characters and their struggles.” —Trinidad Guardian.


Click for more detail about Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure by Joanne C. Hillhouse Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure

by Joanne C. Hillhouse
Caribbean Reads Publishing (Nov 30, 2017)
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Beautifully illustrated by Trinidadian artist Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné, Lost! is inspired by the story of an Arctic seal which found itself in the Caribbean seas a few years ago. The book pulls children into a fun adventure about kindness and friendship that will leave them with a greater appreciation of our marine environment. Lost! includes a fun maze which gives children a chance to help the lost seal find his way home. Kirkus Reviewers dubbed the book “appealing…, all the more so for being based on real life” and praised it for giving children “…a chance to learn more about the work of environmentalists and Caribbean sea life.” –Kirkus Reviews Marine educator, Carole McCauley, who has worked in both the Caribbean and the US, declared Lost!

“A wonderful and inspiring story for all ages.”

In the book, Dolphin, much like his real life counterpart, the young male hooded seal Wadadli, finds himself stranded in the Caribbean Sea, and far from his home in the North Atlantic. Wadadli was rescued by the Coast Guard of Antigua and Barbuda, while the fictional seal, Dolphin, has a little help from a new underwater friend.