What I heard from the very successful authors who participated in this conference time and time again during their talks is that their books appeal to all kids, not just Latino, Asian-American, or African-American kids. That it’s the universality of their stories that continues to add to their large pool of readers. This is not a watering down of culture or message as some may lead us to believe; none of these authors deny or in any way attempt to hide who they are from readers; in fact, most of them have made serious attempts to aid readers in having a better understanding of their backgrounds and the impact those backgrounds have had on them, often through the characters they create.
