Derrick Barnes is an American author. He is known for writing several popular series of children's books and is a former staff writer for
Hallmark
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term '' hallmark'' can a ...
greeting cards. In 2018 Barnes received several awards that include the
Newbery Honor
Newbery is a surname.
People
* Chantelle Newbery (born 1977), Australian Olympic diver
* David Newbery (born 1943), British economist
* Eduardo Newbery (1878–1908), Argentine odontologist and aerostat pilot
* Francis Newbery (disambiguation), ...
and
Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award re ...
for his 2017 book '' Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut''.
Barnes' books celebrate African American culture and feature positive images of black children in everyday life.
Career
Barnes began his writing career in 1999 as the first full-time black male copywriter for Hallmark. In 2003, he left Hallmark and moved to
Scholastic
Scholastic may refer to:
* a philosopher or theologian in the tradition of scholasticism
* ''Scholastic'' (Notre Dame publication)
* Scholastic Corporation, an American publishing company of educational materials
* Scholastic Building, in New Y ...
.
In 2011, Barnes began working part-time in the
Kansas City Public Library
The Kansas City Public Library is a public system headquartered in the Central Library in Kansas City, Missouri.
The system operates its Central Library and neighborhood branches located in Kansas City, Independence, and Sugar Creek. Founded ...
's outreach department. As part of the library's "Stories to Go" program, Barnes was hired to travel to sites such as schools, daycares, and churches reading to children, and share stories with them.
Books
In 2004, Scholastic published his books ''The Low-down, Bad-day Blues'', and ''Stop, Drop, and Chill''. Barnes' first young adult book, ''The Making of Dr. Truelove'', was published in 2008. The story, about a 16-year-old boy and his pursuit of the girl of his dreams, revolves around relationships and sexuality, and the book was ranked as one of the top 100 books for teens by the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...
.Fuller M Derrick Barnes. ''Critical Survey of Children’s Literature: Biographies''. July 2017:1-2. Accessed November 1, 2018.
''Ruby and the Booker Boys''
Barnes' popular series of books entitled ''Ruby and the Booker Boys'' covers the story of Ruby Booker, a sassy third grader trying to make a name for herself in the shadow of her three older brothers. The series started with two books published simultaneously in 2008, ''Brand New School, Brave New Ruby'' and ''Trivia Queen, 3rd Grade Supreme.'' The sequel ''The Slumber Party Payback'' was released the same year, and ''Ruby Flips For Attention'' was released in 2009. Critical reviews of the series highlighted Barnes' ability to create positive stories for young readers. ''Critical Survey of Children's Literature'' wrote, "The warm and gentle themes and images of the Ruby series—a loving family, quirky but confident children, a vibrant sense of community spirit, a joy in diversity—provide a literary reflection of an African American reality not often represented in children’s literature or popular culture."
''We Could Be Brothers''
''We Could Be Brothers'', a hardcover novel written for young teenagers, tells the story of two middle-grade boys with two different upbringings who both attend the same school. The book explores coming-of-age themes, including race, self-respect, women, and what it means to grow up as a black kid in American society. It was published by Scholastic in 2010. Critics praised its story line and its focus on the themes of friendship and community.
''Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut''
Barnes' first picture book, '' Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut,'' illustrated by Gordon C. James, was published in 2017 to critical acclaim. The story is about a young black boy and his experience getting a haircut in a barbershop. It explores aspects of African American culture, and celebrates themes of self-confidence and pride. ''Crown'' was well received, featuring at the 2018 ALA Youth Media Awards and winning several awards including a 2018 Newbery Honor (for content), a
Caldecott Honor
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...
(for illustrations), a Coretta Scott King Award (for both author and illustrator), the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award (writer and illustrator), and the $50,000
Kirkus Prize
The Kirkus Prize is an American literary award conferred by the book review magazine '' Kirkus Reviews''. Established in 2014, the Kirkus Prize bestows annually. Three authors are awarded each, divided into three categories: Fiction, Nonfiction ...
.
''The King of Kindergarten''
The picture book ''The King of Kindergarten'' illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton was released in July 2019.
''I Am Every Good Thing''
Barnes' 2020 book, ''I Am Every Good Thing'', won the 2020 Kirkus Prize for young people's literature, as well as The NCTE
Charlotte Huck Award
The Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children, established in 2014 and organized by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), is an annual American literary award for children's fiction books. According to NCTE, the "awar ...
.
Influences
Barnes has identified
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...
and
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, H ...
as influences, saying that "Hughes and his Simple short-story series helped him learn about dialogue and character development, while the liner notes of Wonder's albums inspired Barnes to manipulate language the way the songsmith did to add rhythm to his writing style. He recounts reading the liner notes as a seven-year-old child, enthralled by the language."
In an interview with
The Kansas City Star
''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...
, Barnes explained that there aren't enough books about kids of color by people of color. "I want to leave behind a body of work my children can be proud of, but I also want to change how children see themselves in this world. I want to thwart those negative images and make sure they know they are loved."
Personal life
Barnes grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, reading many picture books from a young age. Barnes graduated from
Jackson State University
Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of stude ...
with a degree in Marketing. Barnes, his wife Dr. Tinka Barnes, and their four sons currently reside in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
.
List of works
* ''The Low-down, Bad-day Blues'' (2004)
* ''Stop, Drop and Chill'' (2004)
* ''The Making of Dr. Truelove'' (2008)
* ''Ruby and the Booker Boys'' series:
** ''Brand New School, Brave New Ruby'' (2008)
** ''Trivia Queen, 3rd Grade Supreme'' (2008)
** ''The Slumber Party Payback'' (2008)
** ''Ruby Flips For Attention'' (2009)
* ''We Could Be Brothers'' (2010)
* '' Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut'' (2017)
* ''The King of Kindergarten'' (2019)
* ''Who Got Game?: Baseball'' (2020)
* ''I Am Every Good Thing'' (2020)
* ''The Queen of Kindergarten'' (2022)
* ''Victory. Stand!-Raising My Fist For Justice'' (2022)