"A book for this generation of Oakland youth." -- Oakland Councilwoman Lynette McElhaney"The Tale Behind Richmond Tales" in California Educator Magazine, February 2015 (pp. 50-51)November 5, 2015 by Rochelle Spencer, Los Angeles Review of Books
"Leave it to an artist to spin a city's lost stories and a tale of two young people troubled by deportation, incarceration, street violence and a dearth of justice into a story of hope, change and dignity. Such are the crosscurrents -- migratory, turbulent, evocative -- flowing through writer Summer Brenner's place-based novels for young readers: Ivy, Homeless in San Francisco; Richmond Tales, Lost Secrets of the Iron Triangle and her new book, Oakland Tales, Lost Secrets of The Town. " - Lou Fancher, San Jose Mercury News Read more...
"If there's an Oakland teen in your life, consider giving him or her a copy of Oakland Tales. (The index alone is a short course in Oakland history.) - C.J. Hirschfield, Oakland Local
It's amazing to observe 120 kids all reading the same material on their own and loving it! -Cecilia Bolton, Teacher, Van Buren Elementary School, Stockton, CA
From youth:
I myself am a big fan of historical fiction books like this one. Also I love learning more and more about the city where I live. This book encompasses both of these aspects to make it the near perfect genre for my reading. I have already recommended it to my dad and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in "the town" and likes history stories with a deeper message of the current world. -- Ian Prchlik, 8th grade, Montera MS, Oakland, CA
I felt I was inside the book. -- Abdullah Braimah, 7th grade, American Indian Model Schools, Oakland, California
Oakland Tales changed where I think I am in the Oakland community. Before I thought I'm just something, but now I know I'm a part of Oakland. . . . A city isn't a city without its people, and I am one of them. -Samuel Yasnogorodskiy, 7th grade, Montera MS, Oakland, CA
Honored by the Oakland City Council
Honored with a Partner-in-Preservation award from the Oakland Heritage Alliance (2015)
Selected for the "Common Core" for all OUSD middle schools
Selected by the California Teachers Association for "Read Across America" (2015)
Several theatrical performances (co-produced by Word For Word Theater Company)
Performed by Skyline High students (under direction of Awele Makeba) at the Bay Area Book Festival (2015)