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Author Evan Roskos digs deep into real-life adolescent issues in Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets , including high school expulsion, self-abuse, stalking, and cliques. SLJTeen talked to Roskos about his emotionally moving and ultimately redemptive debut YA novel.
Meg Medina knows firsthand about bullying—the topic of her young adult novel. In ‘Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass,’ the author explores its consequences when 15-year-old Piddy Sanchez becomes victimized at her new school.
On the heels of being named the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award yet again, this time for I , Too, Am America, prolific illustrator/author Bryan Collier invited us into his home and studio in Hudson Valley, NY, for a tour and interview about his life and art.
On October 24, Kate, a hard-working attorney and single mother, is called away in the middle of a crucial meeting to pick up her 15 year-old daughter at her fancy private school in Brooklyn. Amelia has been suspended for plagiarizing an English paper. When Kate arrives at Grace Hall she learns that Amelia has jumped from the roof, committing suicide. Adult Books 4 Teens blogger Angela Carstensen recently talked with debut author Kimberly McCreight about her debut novel, Reconstructing Amelia.
Artist and author Molly Idle talks about her latest book, her life, and her obsession with Prismacolor pencils.
When asked for quality nonfiction titles, Barbara Kerley’s name comes immediately to mind. Recently the author updated her website with references to the Common Core State Standards. We had a chance to talk about those changes and her work.
Alyssa Victoria Gardner is a 16-year-old skateboarder, artist, devoted child, and the great-great-great granddaughter of Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865. Her mother, Alison, has spent the last decade in Soul’s Asylum, where she eats only food served in teacups and spends her time talking to flowers and insects. Alyssa also hears insects talking, but has not told anyone—since she doesn’t want to follow the same path as her mother. After a visit to Soul’s Asylum that’s particularly disturbing, Alyssa starts to put disparate clues together and realizes that the only way to save her mother and her own sanity is to find the rabbit hole and put Wonderland back together again. In Splintered, which SLJTeen calls “satisfyingly sensual, delightfully dark, and absolutely riveting,” YA debut author A.G. Howard puts a modern-day twist on Carroll’s classic.
Slate senior editor Emily Bazelon has two new professions to add to her resume this year: acclaimed book author and school bullying expert, as positive reviews for her first book, Sticks and Stones , have been pouring in. In a recent interview with SLJ , Bazelon helps debunk some of the popular myths about bullying; offers insights and advice for educators, parents, and kids; and shares some of her most surprising discoveries while researching the book.
SLJ caught up with prolific author and history buff David Baldacci for a candid interview about his new YA book The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers: Day of Doom (Scholastic), his writing inspirations, the importance of museums and libraries, his lifelong passion for literacy, and his belief that literacy is the key to ending poverty in America.
Michaela MacColl is a history scholar drawn to strong female characters, both historical and literary. Her latest novel, Nobody’s Secret, features the poet Emily Dickinson, on the trail of a murderer.
Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate offers a behind-the-scenes look at how she created The One and Only Ivan, a modern-day classic.
It’s Nevada, 1869, and 15-year-old Jim and his injured horse, Promise, are struggling to make it across the 40-Mile Desert. They’re rescued by Mutt, Golgotha’s Native American deputy, who encourages Jim to settle in his town. And it’s a good thing he agrees, because along with the sheriff and a few other key residents, they are about to fight a great battle to save the Earth, heaven, and hell—one whose seeds were planted when the world was first created.
Earlier this month, authors Jeanne Birdsall, Rebecca Stead, and N.D. Wilson met informally with librarians to discuss middle grade fiction ahead of the NYPL’s children’s literary Salon on the topic. Afterwards, SLJ followed up with the authors for more details. This is what they told us.
It took many by surprise when Nick Lake’s ambitious young adult novel In Darkness (Bloomsbury) was named for the Printz Award at last month’s Youth Media Awards. Although filled with vivid details of oppression, poverty, and violence, Lake sees the book as a hopeful one with an important message for its teen readers, “this idea of darkness being only a temporary thing,” he tells SLJ.
Author Andrea Cheng’s latest book, ‘Etched in Clay,’ charts the courageous life of Dave the potter, a 19th-century slave who became an accomplished artist.
In addition to best-selling mysteries and thrillers for adults, James Patterson also writes for young readers, and he’s extremely proud of his “Middle School” series. The latest entry, I Funny, is told from the point of view of a middle schooler who uses humor to help him cope with a physical handicap and the loss of his family. In this case, laughter really is the best medicine for Jamie Grimm, the narrator of I Funny.
Author and illustrator Jonathan Bean takes readers through his creative process behind his latest title, “Building Our House.”
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first Clifford book, Clifford the Big Red Dog. How big is he? Very big. More than 126 million Clifford books are in print in 13 languages. And an animated Clifford TV series is in its 12th season on PBS Kids. Earlier this year, I spoke to Norman Bridwell about his remarkable career.
Monday was a very good day for Benjamin Alire Sáenz. His sensitive young adult novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, was named for three Youth Media Awards, distinctions that left him both stunned and grateful. SLJ caught up with Sáenz for a revealing chat about his reaction to the YMA wins, his personal inspirations for the book, his writing process, and his next YA project.
Author Tanya Lee Stone talked to Curriculum Connections about the importance of visual storytelling in her work “Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles: America’s First Black Paratroopers.”
