Diary of Latoya Hunter

My First Year in Junior High

Look inside
Latoya Hunter's Diary is an intimate glimpse into the thoughts of a 12-year-old girl as she experiences her first year at a junior high school in the Bronx. Although the events of the year are individual--the murder of a neighbor, her sister's pregnancy, a trip to Jamaica (the country of her birth)--the emotions are universal.  She feels ambivalence about school and boys, conflict with a strict mother over freedom and time, and struggles with peer pressure. Latoya's voice is affirmative, inspiring, moving, human, and real. It rings through the despair that surrounds much of public education in America today, reminding us of the vulnerability, humanity, and potential talent of the children who depend upon it for so much.

"A powerful reminder of how much decency and hope reside even in those communities that have been the worst victims of social neglect, racism, and the self-absorbed politics and economics of the past decade."
--The Washington Post

A teacher's guide for this title is available. Please click on "Teacher's Guides" above.

About

Latoya Hunter's Diary is an intimate glimpse into the thoughts of a 12-year-old girl as she experiences her first year at a junior high school in the Bronx. Although the events of the year are individual--the murder of a neighbor, her sister's pregnancy, a trip to Jamaica (the country of her birth)--the emotions are universal.  She feels ambivalence about school and boys, conflict with a strict mother over freedom and time, and struggles with peer pressure. Latoya's voice is affirmative, inspiring, moving, human, and real. It rings through the despair that surrounds much of public education in America today, reminding us of the vulnerability, humanity, and potential talent of the children who depend upon it for so much.

"A powerful reminder of how much decency and hope reside even in those communities that have been the worst victims of social neglect, racism, and the self-absorbed politics and economics of the past decade."
--The Washington Post

A teacher's guide for this title is available. Please click on "Teacher's Guides" above.

Author

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more