Looking for a break from the paranormal genre? The only monsters you’ll find in these books are of the human variety—a maniacal kidnapper, an abusive boyfriend, elitist survivors, and one’s own memory.
Teens Review the Latest from Patrick Ness, Susan Beth Pfeffer, and Others
By on September 15, 2013 Leave a Comment
‘Splintered’ Fan? Prepare to Get ‘Unhinged’ in January
By on September 14, 2013 Leave a Comment
If your teens went crazy over A.G. Howard’s debut YA novel Splintered, it’s a sure bet that the second book in the just-announced trilogy will have them Unhinged.
UK Study Links Kids’ Pleasure Reading to Strong School Performance
By on September 13, 2013 Leave a Comment
The University of London’s Institute of Education (IOE) has released a study showing that children who read for pleasure are likely to do significantly better at school than their peers. The study, which is one of the first to examine the effect of reading for pleasure on children’s cognitive development over time, finds that children who read for pleasure made more progress in learning math, vocabulary, and spelling between the ages of 10 and 16 than those who rarely read.
Los Angeles School Employees Charged in Textbook Theft Ring
By on September 13, 2013 Leave a Comment
Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged 12 school employees, including two librarians, with stealing at least thousands of textbooks from their school districts—four of the nation’s poorest—for a book buyer, who allegedly paid them $200,000 in bribes, the Los Angeles Times has reported.
Horror in YA Lit is a Staple, Not a Trend
By on September 13, 2013 5 Comments
Though R. L. Stine and Christopher Pike may be our quickest associations with teen screams, horror encompasses a wide array of books. Teen librarian and blogger Kelly Jensen highlights the latest titles in teen fiction that are bound to give readers nightmares.
Queens (NY) Librarian Reads to Alligator to Reward Summer Reading
By on September 13, 2013 2 Comments
New York City children’s librarian Susan Scatena of Queens Library at Whitestone this week has fulfilled the promise she made to her young patrons at the start of the summer by reading a story aloud to a live alligator. The unusual storytime fulfilled Scatena’s half of the pact she made with the children that at least 300 of them would register in her summer reading program and read at least 4,000 books. In fact, they exceeded their goal; 344 children registered and read 4,595 books.
Romance & Mayhem: Young Adult/Teen Book Buzz
By on September 13, 2013 Leave a Comment
Tuesday, October 1, 2013, 3:00-4:00 PM ET Doesn’t it seem that wherever romance goes, mayhem follows? And we all know that life as a teenager is full of both of these!
Join SLJTeen’s Dodie Ownes as she moderates a free one-hour webcast featuring titles presentations from Soho Teen, Tor Teen, and Harlequin Teen,who will offer sneak previews of their new titles for Fall 2013 and 2014. You won’t believe some of the cover art—shocking, sexy, and sensational—that will have your young adult readers picking the book display clean. Register Now!
Pick of the Day: Out of This Place (Audio)
By on September 13, 2013 Leave a Comment
Three friends who want to leave high school and move on describe their anguish in Emma Cameron’s novel, Out of This Place, written in verse. Three narrators tell the story from alternating points of view. Read this starred review
Small Stories, Big Characters: A Chat with Author Kevin Henkes
By on September 12, 2013 Leave a Comment
Beloved children’s book author Kevin Henkes has nearly 50 titles to his name, ranging from picture books to novels for young readers. On the heels of his turn as opening keynote speaker at our annual Day of Dialog (DoD), Henkes is joining SLJ again, this time for an exclusive live webcast. As we look forward to hearing him speak and answer questions from kids, parents, and teachers, we sat down with Henkes for an in-depth chat about his career so far, his creative process, and his next projects.
Embracing Diversity in YA Lit
By on September 12, 2013 2 Comments
From social media to publishing industry-led initiatives, the call for diversity in children’s and young adult literature has steadily grown into a loud roar in the past months. As part of School Library Journal’s SummerTeen virtual conference, the “Embracing Diversity” panel featuring Karen Arthurton, Jonathan Friesen, James Klise, and Amanda Sun, led to a lively and ongoing conversation about the importance of not only publishing books for kids by and about diverse people, but also getting them in the hands of readers. SLJ spoke to industry professionals who are raising awareness on the need for different perspectives in young adult books, and compiled a list of resources to find these titles.
