It's back-to-school time, and this year many parents need to shop for face masks as well as notebooks and pencils. For young people (and adults) who love books, movies, comics, and cartoon characters, there are many cool and creative face coverings available. Here are some of our favorites. 

With the release of "Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure," the best-selling author found a way to embark on an in-person tour despite the pandemic.

HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House and others have updated guidelines enabling educators and librarians to continue to read books aloud online. Publishers can contact SLJ with changes to their policies for inclusion in our COVID-19 Publisher Information Directory.

Many of the education and publishing events scheduled for the rest of  the year have moved online, allowing those who couldn't attend in the past a chance to experience the programs.

Pandemic and politically polarized nation be damned, educators adjust lessons to take on escalating rhetoric, mail-in ballots, accusations of voter fraud, and more. They remain fierce advocates for engaged citizenry and will demand civil discussion whether online or in-person.

Identifying community needs is crucial in a crisis. Participants proposed some recommendations in this next stage of the COVID-19 Reimagining Youth Librarianship project.

As access to physical books has become difficult during the pandemic, digital libraries, Zoom story times, and other resources help young students stay connected to books and stories.

In quarantine, read-alouds remain a powerful way to engage young readers and support their long-term reading growth.

Disappointed with remote learning last spring and worried about health concerns and more of the same online instruction in the fall, parents across the country are creating pandemic pods―small groups of children who will spend school days together with a private educator. Others plan to homeschool.