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A teen reader tells you in their own words why they like the works of YA author A. S. King.
Comics are a form of literature both near and dear to my heart. This past year I had the pleasure of heading up the children's committee of the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. Here are the winners in the children, middle grade, and YA categories.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo has had an incredible year. It’s been a New York Times bestseller. It’s won all the awards. Now the cover of the book is causing a stir. It appears that the cover image was plagiarized. Appears? Make that WAS: This is so disappointing/maddening/illegal. Now it’s in the hands of […]
TLT teen contributor Elliot shares their post Pride thoughts.
To celebrate this podcast being picked up by SLJ, Betsy and Kate tackle Sendak's best known book. Does it deserve its everlasting fame and glory? Find out for yourself! And believe me, there is a special kind of challenge in finding new things to say about this old chestnut.
Travis: It’s a pleasure to share this conversation with Newbery Medal winner Meg Medina taking us behind the scenes of Merci Suárez Changes Gears. It was recorded in front of a live audience at the 2019 American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington D.C. We hope you enjoy the episode: Subscribe below to catch every […]
“When problems occur in history, we send you back in time to make sure history happens the way it is supposed to,” says Professor Wolf of Britannica’s new Guardians of History. Your voice launches the immersive audio adventure that is one part Oregon Trail, one part Back to the Future, one part Choose Your Own […]
After Part I and Part II, today is the dramatic conclusion to my 2019 ALA Annual Conference experience. Sunday began with the Coretta Scott King breakfast. It’s when all the CSK winners accept their awards. There was a lot of love in that room, and the speeches were as moving as they come. An ALA […]
I've become very curious about the release of another Mister Rogers picture book biography. In fact, I had lots of questions for both the author and the illustrator. So before we get to the business of the cover reveal, let's ask those two some questions about what really is going on here
This Week at TLT Book Review: Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets by Gayle E Pitman The Weight of Our Words: Reflections on how we talk about mental health and why it matters Book Review: Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson Teen Services 101: What Keeps Teens Coming Back to the Public […]
After experiencing an early victory (click here to read Part I), everything else is gravy. What follows are details about that gravy. Here I am at The Yarn HQ. My first full day of conferencing was pretty Yarn-centric. As you saw in the last post, the day began with Dave Eggers. Following Dave was: Yep, […]
Today I will display for you all those books that are making me prick up my ears and eyes in some way. Some of these are reprints or books that are coming out in new formats or with new titles. For the most part, however, these are all new to me. Are they good? Are they bad? Only one way to find out!
I had one goal for the 2019 American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington D.C. My goal was to experience, for the first time, the landmark dedicated to my favorite president, Abraham Lincoln. You know the landmark I speak of: Sure, I was also there to interview some children’s book makers for The Yarn podcast […]
Today we're talking about mental health with a personal and stark reminder that what we say to our teens can have enormous impact.
Today we're talking about mental health with a personal and stark reminder that what we say to our teens can have enormous impact.
While normally we might post our podcast episodes on Mondays, it seemed that for this book, of all books, a Tuesday debut was the most appropriate. When my mother suggested we do a David Wiesner title, specifically this one, I pooh-poohed her. Silly mother. Surely we’d already done it. Turns out, not so much. So […]
Ho ho ho! They complain that Christmas arrives in stores earlier and earlier every year. Well I'm about to make such stores look like late lucys because today we're celebrating my holiday-themed picture book collaboration with Dan Santat, coming out (interestingly enough) in September! Enjoy our goofy interview with one another.
What keeps teens coming back for more in the public library? It's complicated, but probably not as complicated as we think.
Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to go to BEA (Book Expo America). Of one of the many highlights of this event for me was meeting George Takei, who was there promoting his new graphic novel They Called Us Enemy. You see, I am a long time Stark Trek everything fan and this was […]
The other day the editors at SLJ put together a great roundup of things they’re excited about at the upcoming American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington D.C. They gave me all sorts of good ideas. Here are a few additional things I’m looking forward to this weekend. Interviews for The Yarn Podcast ALA is […]
I haven’t yet made it to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA and this video isn’t helping! Making the place look all wonderful and increasing my jealousy of those who have visited. With guest appearances by Ekua Holmes, Brendan Wenzel, Tom Lichtenheld, and many more.
Over the last few years, I’ve noticed an uptick in books that reference themselves. You could call them meta, you could call them descendants of a classic, or you could call them ‘This Book’ books. Here are all the recent (2019 or 2020) examples. *NOTE* This Book is Literally Just Pictures of Cute Animals . […]
"This is like Schrödinger's 's Cat. The hole both is and is not there when the digging takes place." Kate and I discuss that old Ruth Krauss chestnut and figure out if it has any pertinence for the 21st century child.
An interview with Melanie Gillman, author of 'As the Crow Flies' and 'Stage Dreams.'
This Week at TLT What’s new in LGBTQIA+ YA June and July 2019 Teen Services 101: So You Want to Do Teen Programming, but What About the Books? Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2019 Showcase: Books featuring beasties, a killer flu, a changeling, and pirates Teen Services 101: What Do We Know About Teen Programming? Sunday Reflections: […]
It is my supreme pleasure to introduce you to a charming picture book slated for 2020. Too early, you say? Nonsense. It is never too early to get excited by a book. Particularly when it's coming from a recent Caldecott Honor winner . . . .
Today as part of our ongoing discussion of Teen Services 101, we're talking about all the ways you can tie books directly into teen programming.
Funny Nonfiction isn't particularly common, but it most certainly exists. But how do you go about it? Let's look at some of the funnier books of 2019 and see how they tackled the challenge.
As the first picture book on Stonewall, timed for the 50th anniversary, Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution provides teachers, librarians, parents, and children with an entry point into the history of the Gay Rights Movement, to be explored in the context of other books, those written and yet-to-be-written, and digital texts as well.
In case you missed them, here are a few of my favorite children’s literature/publishing tweets from the last week or so.
I don't truck with YA. Not my bag, baby. But, of course, it's so difficult to determine where a book falls on the Middle Grade/Young Adult spectrum. That's why, when I hear that Lisa Brown, one of my favorite people, is doing a graphic novel, I drop everything and pepper her with questions. I'd hold back but darned if her answers aren't so good . . .
NYC Book Expo 2019 has come to a close. And while it ran for 3 days, piggybacked by Book Con, at the Jacob Javitz center in NYC, I was only able to attend 1 day. I would have surely enjoyed another day, and would have probably seen so much more, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and came home with piles of books to read.
Iran. For whatever reason, Iranian children's books and creators from Iran are on the rise. Today, I'd like to give a bit of a rundown on these books. They vary in content and style. Some are folktales and others are contemporary. Some were published in Iran first, and some were published here in the States.
RECOGNIZE Do children’s book authors and illustrators deserve more pub? Julia Donaldson says so. Click here to read. THE ACTUALLY VERY GOOD DAY Judith Viorst on happiness. Click here to read. (via Austin Kleon) BGHB The Boston Globe/Horn Book award winners have been announced. Nice work BGHB. Click here to read. JUDITH KERR In case […]
This Week at TLT Book Review: Brave Face: A Memoir by Shaun David Hutchinson Book Review: Keep This to Yourself by Tom Ryan Cindy Crushes Programming: Find a Good Book with Miss Cindy Writing Myself a New Story, a guest post by Jasmine Warga Teen Services 101: Serving Teens, Challenges and Rewards Around the Web […]
This is a powerful and painfully honest memoir that looks at surviving while finding your place, your people, and self-acceptance.
"It's almost as if he grew a tree in a garden and didn't allow any of the leaves to grow on it at all, it's just the bare bones of a tree, and asked me to come in and decorate the tree. But without that strength of that tree, nothing would hold up on it." LeUyen Pham and Victoria Stapleton talk about the fabulous picture book Bear Came Along.
Today librarian Cindy Shutts is sharing with us how she turned reader's advisory into a simple yet fun and effective program.
While I was on Spring Break, the Eisner nominations were announced. The Eisner Awards, which is in its 31st year, are named for famed graphic novelist/artist Will Eisner.
As part of our ongoing Teen Services 101 series, today we're looking at the challenges and rewards of serving teens in our public libraries.
There’s a new book out about children’s literature legend Margaret Wise Brown. Today I talk with the author, Mac Barnett, and the illustrator, Sarah Jacoby, about how this book came to together. First up, Mr. Barnett Hi Mac! Margaret Wise Brown. MWB. When did it first occur to you that you should write a bio […]
"It's like the Where's Waldo of literature!" This week we're celebrating another cult classic picture book just as its author releases his adult collection MacDoodle Street. It fails the stranger danger test magnificently, sure, but we can all get behind its "inspired sense of the absurd."
Offering hope for a more socially conscious, kinder tomorrow, New Kid should be required reading for every middle schooler before the start of every school year. The latest lesson plan from "The Classroom Bookshelf."
The Lion Forge Free Comic Book Day giveaway comic contains a new story by Brenna Thummler with the same characters as her graphic novel Sheets. In A Sheets Story, Marjorie, her father, and her younger brother visit her grandmother, who wants to sew with her. Her ghost friend Wendell has tagged along as well. It’s […]
Can you guess the classic children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads or Amazon? I sat through enough pee and poop references without flinching until page 129 where one officer holds up a pile of poop in his hand and then another officer instinctively high-fives the hand full of poop creating a huge […]
Wrack my brain though I have, I can't think of a picture book that specifically discusses the mispronunciation of the protagonist's name. I mean, we've had lots of name-related picture books. My Name Is Yoon. Chrysanthemum. The Name Jar. Alma. But about the way you say it specifically? Hmmm.
The basics of teen development and Generation Z, part of "Teen Services 101," an ongoing series on the blog "Teen Librarian Toolbox."
This Week at TLT Post-It Note Reviews: Books for younger readers featuring graphic novels, a handbook for being awesome, middle school woes, and interdimensional demon-slaying Book Review: The Haunted by Danielle Vega Cindy Crushes Programming: Cindy’s Favorite Tabletop Games Dear Society: Sheltering Teenagers Helps No One (Thoughts from a Young Adult), a guest post by […]
PICTURE BOOKS ARE SHOCKINGLY GREAT I love them too, kid. I love them too. I CAN PLAY THE TUBA Ann Patchett, well-known for her books for adults, has written a picture book. I’m always fascinated to hear how authors who write for grown-ups end up writing for kids. Patchett’s story begins with a chance encounter […]
Quick reviews of some recent and forthcoming middle grade titles, including a graphic novel with multiple LGBTQIA+ characters.
Who would be your Top Five aspirational blurbees? The five people you'd like to receive blurbs from for your books. They wouldn't have to work in the children's book field, necessarily. It would just be neat if they said something nice about your book.
Ramona's not the only one calling aspects of Mike Mulligan into question anymore. This is a tale of "a man obsessed with his steam shovel," as well as muffs, dabbing, how precisely a steam shovel would work, and the weird placement of the acknowledgement to Dickie Birkinbush, mid-book.
If you wanted more translated children's books here in America, what kinds of concrete proposals would you give to publishers, translators, and non-profits?
HOW YOU GET SMART By reading children’s nonfiction, of course (side note: A Fuse #8 Production been telling us this for years). The proof? The guy who’s on the most lucrative Jeopardy hot streak in history. Click here to read. DO YOU LIKE CASE COVERS? Mel at Let’s Talk Picture Books has added to her […]
HOW YOU GET SMART By reading children’s nonfiction, of course (side note: A Fuse #8 Production been telling us this for years). The proof? The guy who’s on the most lucrative Jeopardy hot streak in history. Click here to read. DO YOU LIKE CASE COVERS? Mel at Let’s Talk Picture Books has added to her […]
Cli Fi helps us explore and teach climate change to teens to help raise awareness and inspire action. Here's a look at Cli Fi and some recommended books to share with teens.
Though this novel is funny and highly readable, the tragic trans narrative makes it one to skip.
Today is Earth Day and we're kicking it off here at TLT by introducing you to Sarah Mulhern Gross and her new regular feature, #ReadWild. We're going to be having an ongoing discussion about connecting teens with nature, discussing issues like climate change, and sharing titles that help you do both.
"Picture books are especially great in that way because they can be as funny for a toddler as they are for an older sister and the parents and the grandparents, too. If the whole family can share a good laugh, that's pretty life affirming, no matter what’s going on in the news that day." We talk with Adam Rubin about his latest book and why humor is key.
Kyle Lukoff discusses his trans boy picture book When Aidan Became a Brother and explains why, to make use of a Rudolph metaphor, "we're all jerk reindeers AND misfit toys at the same time."
"The pee is simply the warm, wet catalyst that exposes the characters personalities." Zach and Bob discuss unicorn pee, the difficulties of painting wet pants, and how kindness is king.
Ideal for explorations in science, language arts, and social studies, for whole class and small group explorations, and for quiet rereadings by shell-lovers and beachcombers, Seashells: More than a Home has many roles to play in the classroom and beyond.
This look at the school experiences of LGBTQ youth in schools, the challenges they face, and the support they need should be required reading for anyone who works with students of any age.
I can think of no better time to present to you the truly wonderful smattering of science and math titles for kids out in 2019 that struck me as worth knowing. They look to the skies, the plants, even inside our own craniums, so as to teach and instruct our young readers. Let us thank them, then, by taking a gander at their contents.
The Berrybrook Middle School series by Svetlana Chmakova continues with a fourth book.
One of the most fundamental tasks of adolescence is to figure out a self-identity. And often, this involves the deconstruction of faith.
We’re ending a busy week with some big news: Art Baltazar, half of the Art-and-Franco team who gave us the Tiny Titans and lots of other super-cute all-ages comics, is going solo with a trilogy of graphic novels titled Drew and Jot, to be published by BOOM! Studios under their kid-friendly KaBOOM! imprint. The first […]
Story Seeds, a new storytelling podcast, is looking for creative and outgoing kids between the ages of 7-12 to feature on their show. The podcast matches kids' story ideas with the imagination of children's authors.
A teacher and comics creator shares some tips on how to have fun at a comic con.
Louisa May Alcott's best known work is having a bit of a Renaissance. Now, in 2019, two books have come out, set in the modern day, based on the original book. But you wouldn't necessarily know one was Little Women-based unless you were told. Say, by your friendly neighborhood children's literature blogger. More to the Story is the latest book by Hena Khan.
Since it began in 2016, Illustoria magazine has been one of the coolest around. Billed as a mag “for creative kids and their grown-ups”, every issue is bursting with visual delights. Today the folks at Illustoria have some news to share: moving forward they will be published by McSweeney’s, the San Francisco publishing house founded […]
So you want to write about YA literature. What books are you using as your examples and why?
So you want to write about YA literature. What books are you using as your examples and why?
Ms. Cassandra Federman is on hand to answer a question or ten about the creature in question and her own book. Along the way she clarifies for me the difference between a manatee and a beluga whale, the trend of 4th wall busting characters, and her own history of rescuing manatees.
Convention season has begun, and that means the comics news cycle is heating up. Here are some news flashes from around the comicsphere. First Second has been breaking some news lately: They did a cover reveal for their book Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigaration at Paste Magazine, and they gave the AV […]
Author Hal Schrieve writes about the way that queer people and many others are seen as monsters; the threat of breaking violent systems through survival, solidarity, and love; and hir forthcoming novel, Out of Salem, a Teen Zombie Werewolf Witchy Faerie fantasy murder mystery.
This is roundabout the time of year when I start stretching the old award-season muscles. I'm going to pull out the books for you that I think have a darn good chance. At the very least, they're contenders, if not outright winners. Something to guide your reading then.
We all need to be aware of this and other symbols associated with white nationalism and make sure that we aren't being unwitting purveyors of this message.
It was a pleasure to present to the Oakland County Reading Association today with John Schumacher. If you were in attendance – thank you for coming! Click here to view the handout from the presentation.
As Steve wrote me, "Jerry Craft came to our local bookstore last week to talk about New Kid, and I nabbed a quick interview for the comic." Perfect! I don't know about you but we're all big time New Kid fans at my library. Haven't seen it yet? I recommend you remedy this situation, pronto. In the meantime, here's Jerry.
From the inspiring true stories of the Apollo 8 astronauts and a pioneering woman mathematician to tales of a middle school girl struck by lightning and a young elephant who loves to build towers of wooden bricks, this year’s Mathical Book Prize winners offer young readers a glimpse of the exciting—and sometimes unexpected—ways that mathematical ideas fit into the world around them.
STUDIO YUYI Want to see inside Yuyi Morales’ treehouse studio? Click here. TALKING ABOUT SEUSS The most must-read item of the week is one I think a lot of people would like to ignore: a report of the racism contained in the work of Dr Seuss. We all know about it in If I Ran […]
This powerful, harrowing, and compassionate story humanizes addiction and will challenge readers to rethink what they may believe about addicts.
Author Victoria Lee joins us to talk about sexual abuse, mental health, survivorship, and the importance of feeling seen.
First off, there's a book about Charles Blondin? Yes indeed. As of October 2019, you'll be seeing Donna Bowman and Adam Gustavson's King of the Tightrope: When the Great Blondin Ruled Niagara.
Victoria Stapleton (of Little, Brown & Co.) interviews the illustrious artist Eliza Wheeler in a casual "Book Chat" about her upcoming book, WHEN YOU ARE BRAVE.
YA author Lizzy Mason joins us to talk about self-harm, addiction, recovery, and the importance of being open about mental illnesses, especially with teens. Her debut novel, The Art of Losing, tackles these same subjects.
Debut novelist Lizzy Mason presents a realistic look at addiction and its impact on lives that is somber but ultimately hopeful. This well-written debut has lots of layers and will be an easy one to recommend to fans of contemporary YA. Hand this one to character-driven readers.
"A country needs ideas from everywhere, just like mushroom rhizomes help the forest to grow. Below the surface." I speak with artist Étienne Delessert about his show of international children's illustrators.
when the very nice people at Macmillan asked me if I wanted to do a bit of a cover reveal for Matthew Cordell's newest book, do you know what I said? I said yes, please, and thank you, because I am a polite soul. And heck, why not throw in a little interview with Mr. Cordell for spice?
We know that Girls Run the World, but they also save the world too. I’m not talking about Hermione, although I love her and Harry Potter wouldn’t have been able to defeat Voldemort without her. I’m talking about the girls who literally saved the world. They might be a spy, or a princess, or a […]
Dark Horse announces 'Extraordinary: The Story of an Ordinary Princess,' Cassie Anderson's adaptation of M.M. Kaye's 'Journey with Princess Basil,' and the second volume of Anderson and Matt Mair Lowery's 'Lifeformed'
Today is Presidents Day and I’m here celebrating with a bowl of plain oatmeal, or as I like to call it, “The Champaign of Breakfast foods.”� It got me thinking about books coming out in 2019 that have to do with presidents. Turns out, some pretty interesting stuff. Let’s have a look. Did I miss […]
Interviews? They're cool. But interviews between authors and illustrators in the form of a comic? Much, much cooler. Betsy Bird brings you Andrea Tsurumi and Gideon Sterer as they discuss their book Not your Nest.
This Week at TLT New books alert: Writing advice, Latinx teens on a road trip, Muslims in love, and so much more Fight the Power: Music as a Social Force, a guest post by Lisa Krok Cindy Crushes Programming: Hosting a Fortnite Party, by Cindy Shutts Feminist AF: The Amelia Bloomer Project, by Ally Watkins […]
Now that the Newbery and Caldecott medals have been handed out, how are the winners faring on the New York Times bestseller lists? First up, Caldecott winner Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall: It hit the list last week at #8. This week, it fell off, but that may be because copies became scarce after all […]
If you know Aaron Becker's name it's probably from that magnificent quest trio of picture books, Journey, Quest, and Return. Becker took a seemingly simple form, the picture book, and gave it breadth and depth without sacrificing child-interest and focus. But apparently that wasn't enough of a challenge because now he's created a board book and it's a doozy of a marvel.
This empowering and inspiring book did the impossible: it made me nostalgic for my own teen years as a young feminist.
Abrams Children’s Books has announced a new series of biographies for middle grade readers: First Names. Eight books are planned and will cover historical and contemporary figures in a highly illustrated format, with titles on Harry Houdini and Amelia Earhart due August 2019.
A lesson plan for Sophie Blackall's award-winning picture book.
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