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With her new graphic novel series “The Weirn Books,” creator Svetlana Chmakova steps away from the sunny classrooms of Berrybrook Middle School to another school in a darker realm.
The bestselling author counters those accusing her of being transphobic, while actor Daniel Radcliffe urges "Harry Potter" lovers to hold on to their individual, "sacred" connections to the story.
Jason Reynolds and Ibram Kendi, co-authors of Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, kicked off SLJ's Day of Dialog. Here is the entire keynote conversation.
Kwame Alexander, Jason Reynolds, and Jacqueline Woodson have organized a Kid Lit Rally for Black Lives on Facebook Live on Thursday. It will include other children and teen literature authors and a conversation for young people and as well as a second one for parents, librarians, and educators.
The multi-talented 2020 Edwards Award winner is interviewed by legendary comic artist Stan Mack.
In a new series of articles and virtual sessions, the authors will guide a conversation about the future of public libraries, culminating in a practical plan to reenvision youth services.
Here are the most popular blog posts of the week.
The winners of the 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards are Saturday by Oge Mora, King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender, and Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace by Ashley Bryan.
The Ickabog, a standalone title, will be released chapter by chapter into July and published traditionally in November. The bestselling author has created an international competition for children to illustrate it.
With news of Tom Low's death this week, people in the publishing world mourned the loss of the man who co-founded Lee & Low Books to combat the lack of diverse literature for children and opened a new world of possibilities for authors, educators, and readers.
The UK-based author/illustrator spoke with SLJ about the anticipated sequel to his delightfully eccentric fantasy Malamander.
Book access inequities existed in our communities long before COVID-19. What can we learn now that will improve access for children and teens in the future?
In her newest middle grade offering, Erin Entrada Kelly explores the 1986 Challenger launch and subsequent tragedy through the eyes of three siblings navigating their own difficult journeys. SLJ spoke with the author about her research process and keeping history alive for future generations.
Employees with disabilities and chronic illnesses have long fought for basic accommodations now granted to millions of workers from home. Here's what else is needed.
Taking pride in a job well done is a professional triumph—and when the hard work is honored with an award nominated by one’s esteemed peers, the gratification is that much sweeter. Here’s what three past winners have to say about the award and their dedication to their work.
Authors, including Kelly Yang and Dhonielle Clayton, have become victims of racist comments on Zoom, Instagram, and other digital platforms used to connect educators, students, and creators during this unprecedented time.
Padma Venkatraman created #AuthorsTakeAction and middle grade and YA authors joined in the cause to impress upon their readers the importance of following social distancing guidelines.
The death of Tomie dePaola this week left fans and friends seeking solace in their memories and in the comfort and joy of his books.
The "Dog Man" and "Captain Underpants" author, country music icon, and Reading Rainbow legend start initiatives this week to help students, parents, and educators.
Lewis is the school librarian at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, GA, and creator of the Read Woke movement.
Lewis's Read Woke challenge prompts young readers to embrace social consciousness. Her students say she changed their lives.
The at-home program offers downloadable superhero-themed activities, previews of graphic novels, and how-to videos from DC's roster of middle grade authors and illustrators, including Minh Lê, Gene Luen Yang, Shannon and Dean Hale, Meg Cabot, and Amanda Deibert.
Children's authors and illustrators are creating resources and reaching out to educators to help during the coronavirus school closures.
The new DC title, which will be released on December 1, will profile female public figures including Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, Serena Williams, and Greta Thunberg.
Legislators in Tennessee want to create a parental oversight board to decide what children can and cannot access at their local public library; Jeff Kinney to hit the road for Rowley; and grants and professional opportunities in this edition of News Bites.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, founder of the 1619 Project, spoke to Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi about their collaboration on Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You.
Spending summer days in libraries, Eileen Robinson fell in love with reading. Teenage Eileen soaked up Judy Blume, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Stephen King, and Charles Dickens. In college, she devoured Shakespeare, Joan Didion, Classical Greek drama, and the Harlem Renaissance masterworks.
SLJ Editor-in-Chief Kathy Ishizuka on libraries and literacy.
The debut author spoke with SLJ about the risks and rewards of creativity, taking a chance on yourself, and the significance of father figures in her middle grade novel.
School Library Journal and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute have announced a new funding program aimed at getting literary fiction and nonfiction inspiring a love of math into the hands of K–12 students in Title I schools. The Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards are available to school libraries in qualifying schools in the U.S.
A principal’s effort to limit student speech comes every January.
When school librarian Lisa Egan was offered a visit from movie stars to help her connect with students and generate interest in her library, she jumped at the chance and hosted a Q&A with Greta Gerwig, director of the film "Little Women," and its stars, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen.
Newly inaugurated into the role, Reynolds promised to build on the efforts of his predecessor, Jacqueline Woodson.
Author Jason Reynolds has been named 2020-21 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He follows Jacqueline Woodson in the role.
School Library Journal welcomes a new contributor, award-winning teacher and author Donalyn Miller.
Ishizuka has been innovating at SLJ since 2004, serving most recently as Executive Editor. Concurrent with the EIC position, she assumes the role of Partnerships & Innovation Director for Library Journal and SLJ.
The librarians huddled around a table at SLJ’s annual Leadership Summit probably hadn’t played with wooden blocks since they were in grade school themselves.
La Sala sat down with SLJ to talk about giving power to underdogs, how drag queens are the ultimate world-builders, and the 10 years it took to write his debut novel...which he finished out of spite. "It was a selfish desire to correct many things I thought could be done a lot better, and a lot gayer."
Best wishes to SLJ's reviews managing editor in her next chapter.
Lewis, a Georgia high school librarian who challenges students to “Read Woke,” has been awarded the inaugural National Teacher Award for Lifelong Readers.
Author Andrew Clements is being remembered by educators, fans, and peers; the Library of Congress presents Rosa Parks through her own writings, photos, and memorabilia; Science teachers can earn a prize valued at $5,500 in an engineering contest; and more in this edition of News Bites.
Censorship expert Pat Scales provides advice on a teacher's claims of a “political hoax,” a warning to avoid books with the N-word, and other challenging situations.
Scholastic has long embraced the power of story through our simple mission to encourage the intellectual and personal growth of all children, a growth that we believe begins with literacy. We know that stories empower, stories transport us to new worlds and introduce us to new characters, but perhaps most important of all, stories have the power to connect us.
"But Where Are You Really From?" Julissa Arce On Writing for and About Latinx Youth in the Trump Era
The author of Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought for Her American Dream discusses being questioned and othered throughout her life—and how that shaped why and how she writes for young people.
Best-selling YA author Ahmed discusses the brutal realities of everyday racism and xenophobia, what it means to be an American, and how librarians and educators can step up and speak out on behalf of marginalized youth.
Sera Reycraft’s American journey began in a United States Department of Defense school in Korea. At age ten, her mother married her stepfather, an American government official living abroad.
Memorabilia and objects have long inspired the work of writers and artists. Here are stories about particular items that have stirred their imaginations or brought a period, person, or idea into sharper focus.
When I was young, I was bullied and isolated and felt no hope for my future. It was through reading that I felt I had friendships with the characters, that I felt someone saw me and loved me, even if none of my peers did. As an author now, I can see that someone did see me and love me—the authors of those books, who had perhaps once felt the same pain that I did.
One of the reasons I wrote The Forgotten Girl was so that little girls who look like Avery and Iris and little boys who look like Daniel can see themselves on the page, and not have to spend their lives proving they are worthy of recognition from people who should realize their greatness anyway.
Speaking about the librarians who stayed past their regular hours at the Enoch Pratt Free Library to help him with schoolwork, the longtime Baltimore congressman got emotional. “There are a lot of good people who really care,” he said.
Now I know that I identify as aromantic bi-gray-asexual, and I never would have known if not for writing Tarnished Are the Stars. There’s inherent power in seeing yourself in the pages of a book, but there is power, too, in writing yourself onto those pages, in making sure your story is told.
In this essay, debut author and political theory scholar Rosaria Munda delves into gender politics—both the ways in which we’re indoctrinated into a certain world view by society, and how she has consciously challenged that view through her life, and through the writing of her first novel, the critically acclaimed Fireborne.
Kevin Noble Maillard’s debut children's title is a poetic picture book tribute to a family tradition and a food with origins in the diaspora of Native peoples in the United States.
Award-winning New York Times bestselling author Jandy Nelson interviews author Helena Fox on her critically-acclaimed debut novel How It Feels to Float. Covering topics of inspiration, mental health, sexuality, and writing, these two women deliver a thoughtful and lyrical conversation for readers to reflect on.
On July 9th at Nerd Camp Michigan, Scholastic sat down with New York Times Bestselling, award-winning author Jason Reynolds to discuss the Power of Story.
The forthcoming "Hunger Games" release has a title and a cover, Jeff Kinney lets Rowley pitch in to help educate kids about recycling, and more in News Bites.
Randy’s latest book, Patron Saints of Nothing, is a powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder. It has received five starred reviews and was selected for the National Book Award Longlist.
Truly Madly Royally follows goal-getter Zora Emerson, who, at a la-dee-da university’s summer program, meets and falls for an actual prince. She has to learn to navigate a privileged world so different from her own, while sticking to her mission to build an aftercare program for the children in her town.
It was a salute to picture book art and children's literature in general at the annual award and fundraising event.
Actor and activist George Takei is as impassioned as ever about social justice. The author of They Called Us Enemy, his graphic memoir, Takei spoke to Brigid Alverson about the Japanese American experience and how the lessons of history can inform the current struggle for democracy.
Prolific, award-winning author and illustrator Mordicai Gerstein has died.