"My idea of a perfect afternoon is sitting on the beach with a stack of new magazines and nowhere to go," commented Veronica Chambers on her Web site. But it is doubtful Chambers would simply have a relaxing day at the beach. More likely she would be gathering new ideas for stories, or perhaps reading her own articles in these same magazines, for Chambers, since the early 1990s, has established a long list of credits, both in magazines and in book-length works, writing for an adult and young adult audience. In magazines from Essence to Vogue she has covered topics including social issues and fashion. In her books she often explores the Latino-black experience. Works such as Mama's Girl, Double Dutch: A Celebration of Jump Rope, Rhyme and Sisterhood, Marisol and Magdalena: The Sound of Our Sisterhood, Quinceanera Means Sweet 15, and Amistad Rising: The Story of Freedom, all...