Related
Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Nominations are now open for December. In Steven’s November 14 post, he mentioned that for November, 49 Heavy Medal readers each put three titles forward. November 21 post, Roxanne tallied that 18 titles reached top contender status (4 nominations or more by 59 Heavy Medal readers). We are now calling for […]
BOOM! Studios jumps on the graphic nonfiction bandwagon with 'Seen: True Stories of Marginalized Trailblazers,' a graphic novel series that will debut in September 2020.
Here are 5 TV shows currently on TV and how they can inspire you tween and teen programming.
In 2019, these were the math books that really made me sing. Whether you're dealing with shapes or number lines, it's all on display right here.
Fortunately, I got Kate to read my favorite Remy Charlip book. Unfortunately, she had a take on it that I was not expecting. Take a deep dive into a book that defies logic repeatedly.
Nothing worse than seeing your pet favorite picture book disappear into the mists of time. Of course, every once in a while they get resurrected in some form. Today we celebrate the books that crawled their way back onto bookstore and library shelves in 2019. The few. The brave. The worthy.
The Archie folks compile some comics from Christmases past into an inexpensive comic.
This Week at TLT Escaping from Reality Shows us How to Change It, a guest post by Ryan La Sala Cindy Crushes Programming: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Escape Room Penguin Random House Spring 2020 Showcase Take 5: YA Lit for Teens That Love to Bake Sunday Reflections: Teachers, Please Stop Giving Kids Homework Over School […]
Every publisher that dares to bring into this world a book that either originated in another country or was illustrated by a person who is not a citizen of The United States of America knows, in their heart of hearts, that no matter how grand the book, it will never win the top award for […]
The Texas Library Association's 'Little Maverick' graphic novel list offers over 50 great titles for elementary school readers—and we've added links to reviews and previews to make the browsing even easier.
The list of nonfiction Newbery contenders seems to be growing. Deborah Heiligman's TORPEDOED is a recent standout, but it's not the only one.
Next week, John Schumacher and I are teaming up to count down our 20 favorite books of the year. See you soon.
Judging a picture book based on humor alone really comes down to the sense of humor of the reader. On that note, let me state clearly that the books you'll see here were just the ones that highly amused ME this year.
Travis: Colby and I were sad to hear that the great Andrew Clements passed away. We decided to share our 2018 episode with Clements again. In the episode, Colby talks with Clements about how he got into writing, the inspiration behind Frindle, and his book The Losers Club. We hope you enjoy the episode.
Six more Baby-Sitters Club books and a spinoff series are on the way.
Ryan La Sala joins us to talk about his debut novel REVERIE and how escapism can be dangerous and just a distraction, but also how it produces a functional blueprint for the ways in which our world could and should be changed.
Recently updated and expanded for the 2019 gift-giving season, here is my collection of children's literature illustrator shops on the world wide web.
The reason I celebrate rhyming picture books on lists like today's is that they have a tough road to hoe. Scansion alone sinks many a vessel. Today, we raise a glass to the books that pull it off and pull it off well. The few. The proud. The successfully rhymed.
This action-packed adventure graphic novel is book 9 in the series. It revolves around adventurer John Wesley Powell, who would come to be known as one of the most heroic adventurers in American History. As a young man, he wandered all over the United States exploring. In 1869 he organized the Colorado River Exploring Expedition, […]
YA Librarian Cindy Shutts walks us through another Escape Room, this one inspired by popular Netflix show and comics series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
It’s time to take a look back at the year that was in children’s lit miscellanea.
The other day I had the unique pleasure of promoting some of my favorite 2019 books of the year with a room full of librarians. As in any kind of promotion, you tailor your talk to the needs and wants of your listeners. And what do librarians need at any and all times? Readalouds! Now […]
Olive, the high-spirited heroine of Kayla Miller's 'Click' and 'Camp' graphic novels from HMH Books for Young Readers, will return in a third installment next year.
The book mail is really piling up at my house! Check out these forthcoming books and don't miss the Twitter giveaway!
It's Giving Tuesday. Here are some of the literacy-focused organizations doing good work. Pitch in a few bucks to support them.
An array of holidays! We've got some Thanksgiving, some Valentine's Day, some Halloween, and even a collection of different Jewish holidays all together. Some are books that were intended for a certain holiday. Others will simply fit in well when you do your holiday displays.
Reviewers have called Planet Earth Is Blue poignant, intricate, masterful, authentic, and exceptional -- does it have a shot at the 2020 Newbery?
How do animals and plants survive weather extremes like cold, heat, and drought? The concept of dormancy and variations of this biological process, which include diapause, hibernation, torpor, brumation, and estivation, are the subject of an engaging work of expository nonfiction by Marcie Flinchum Atkins. Employing a patterned text, figurative language, and series of lively verbs, Flinchum compares and contrasts different forms of dormancy in mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and even in plants.
Here's a Take 5 list of YA literature that features teens that love to bake.
Time is running out to get a gift for the insufferable librarian in your life. With help from Etsy, the 2019 edition of the Librarian Lump of Coal Gift Guide has your back.
Before I discussed this book with Kate I actually Googled, "A Kiss for Little Bear weird" and found nothing. As such, let THIS be the first online article or posting to declare this book to be downright peculiar.
Remember, only some picture books truly work well when adapted to a board book format. I also like to include on this list those books that have been out-of-print for a while and have come back. Enjoy!
Check out this week's new releases in comics and manga with super powered picks from Action Lab Entertainment and BOOM! Studios.
Betty's cousin Jessica drops in, Sam Hill makes a rare appearance, and Josie and Alan M just can't get any alone time in this week's preview of 'Betty & Veronica Friends Jumbo Comics Digest' #276.
What better way to kick off 31 days of my favorite children's books of the year than with the most successful (I'd argue) format?
Coming off of Thanksgiving break and seeing the amount of homework the teens around me have to do, I have a plea for teachers: please don't assign homework over school breaks.
This Week at TLT RevolTeens: The Lies We Tell and the Teens We Hurt New books alert: An alternative history fairytale, a romance, middle school friendship, and more! If You Like The Good Place, Read This Crash Course: Recent poetry books for younger readers Cindy Crushes Programming: DIY Lip Scrubs Around the Web Active Shooter […]
This book doesn’t look like anything but itself. It doesn’t read like anything but what it is. It is not flashy but it is weirdly engrossing. I think it could have been truly great, but there’s no shame in being merely grand. A book that bucks conformity with every pretty page. Swings big. Aims for the stars.
Wait, wait – before you get into that green bean casserole – I have something to say. Thank you for reading, commenting, and sharing the things I write here. I appreciate it. Okay, carry on.
It's almost here! My desperate attempt to celebrate the books I've loved best in a given year the only way I know how . . . with lists!
Today we have something special. Our past two Caldecott Medal winners, interviewing each other about their lives, work, and how the most prestigious award in picture books has changed their lives.
When I found out bestselling author Rick Riordan was creating his unique imprint for middle-grade readers; I was very excited. Since the imprint’s launch, one of these latest debut novels: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia, is such a fantastic, remarkable story. It is a blend of African folklore, African […]
Christine Lively talks about the barriers we put up that prevent teens from changing the world.
Brigid, Esther, and Lori reflect on the graphic novels they are thankful for this year.
Sit back and enjoy Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids List (2019 Edition). We may not have the size or girth of a Chicago Public Library or NYPL, but when it comes to lists, we can play with the big boys just fine.
Book mail is slowing down a bit right now, but here are the titles that have shown up at my house recently. I can't wait to read the college tour-set romance!
Rare is the occasion when I can share a book for kids and a book for adults that give off that Cover Curiosity vibe. That's what we have today.
Have we found the most distinguished book for children this year? Presenting "Infinite Hope" by Ashley Bryan.
Are your teens fans of the tv show The Good Place? Have we got some reading recommendations for you! YA Librarian Cindy Shutts joins us to share a pretty comprehensive list of YA readalikes.
This year marks the end of the 2010s. On social media, a lot of people are sharing pictures of themselves from 2009 and 2019 to mark the passing of time. I even did it. So why not do a children’s literature version? Seems about right.
When Kate challenged me to find a classic Thanksgiving book, she made the mistake of saying off-handedly, "Oh, it could just be about food too." Ah HAH! Food, eh? Well, we'd already done Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, so that could leave only one other famous food-related piece of children's literary history. That's right. Time to down some Green Eggs and Ham.
Check out this week's new releases in comics and manga with holiday picks from Archie Comic Publishing and IDW Publishing
The classic Looney Tunes characters take a walk on the weird side when they reminisce about a time when basketball was wilder—and more surreal.
Archie and Chuck solve a mystery at Riverdale High in this week's Archie Comics preview.
Travis: Today we’re proud to share the fourth and final episode in our miniseries with Genesis Begins Again debut author Alicia D. Williams. In this episode, Alicia gets honest about her struggle to overcome inadequacy, how she got into writing, and her journey to publishing her debut novel. I think everyone (and especially aspiring writers) […]
In School Librarian Saturday, I’m going to share the websites, databases, apps, and other stuff I use with students in my K-3 teacher-librarian role, under the cover of internet darkness (see: the weekend). Today we have a website that allows students to create their own comics, called Make Beliefs Comix. What It Is: A website that […]
A half dozen possible Newbery contenders are announced today as the Heavy Medal Early 6. These titles will definitely be on our full discussion list which will be announced in December. We also take a look at Picture Book Biographies that could make that list.
Today, I am happy to announce that Phoebe Wahl has an author/illustrated title on the horizon by the name of The Blue House. Touching on the subject of housing insecurity, it manages to be both homey and realistic. Ms. Wahl was kind enough to speak with me about the title, showing why it's an important contribution to today's literary landscape.
HMH launches a new graphic novel imprint, IDW plans to translate some graphic novels into Spanish, and JY reveals Svetlana Chmakova's next book.
Today we have an exclusive preview of 'Drew and Jot: Dueling Doodles,' by Art Baltazar, the Eisner Award-winning artist for Tiny Titans and many other popular children's comics.
Colby: One of my favorite events each year is the National Council For Teachers of English Annual Conference. This year’s event is in Baltimore, and I am so excited to attend. For the last several years, I’ve spent some of my time at the conference interviewing creators for The Yarn. Below you will find a […]
Read and find out which titles are front runners for the Heavy Medal, Mock Newbery, Award?
The final post in my Crash Course series of books for younger readers looks at recent poetry collections.
Author, Sarah Scheerger has written a timely relatable story told in diary form with eight diverse students writing their experiences as the school year advances. That story begins at White Oak Elementary School. Ms. Graham is a teacher with unconventional teaching methods; one of them involves having a class frog named Kermit. The pacing is […]
Esther Keller looks at five graphic novels about navigating the highs and lows of middle school.
The other day I decided to visit Kidlit TV. It had been a little while since I’d last been there and I wanted to see what the site has been up to. A lot, it turns out. The site is full of great videos with children’s book creators. I find these sorts of things perfect […]
Now THIS sound interesting. On the heels of Christian Robinson's Another, (which received five starred reviews and a New York Times Best Illustrated Award) his next solo project is waiting in the wings. Called YOU MATTER, it goes on sale on May 5, 2020. What's it about?
Dark Horse is bringing back the first Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel in a new paperback omnibus edition.
Post four in my crash course series of posts about books for younger readers! Check out a dozen of the most popular series at my school!
oday, I'd like to pay homage to some 2019 picture books that not only know how to end, but do so in an entirely unexpected manner. You think you know what to expect from a book? Trust me when I say you'll never see where these books are headed.
I was among the fortunate who were able to attend the AASL National Conference in Louisville this week. We are all fortunate that a dedicated and hardworking social media squad had our backs. So whether you suffered FOMO over sessions you couldn’t fit in, or couldn’t get into, or if you couldn’t attend onsite, you are covered. […]
The highly anticipated final installment of the Arc of a Scythe series, The Toll, hit the street just two weeks ago and delivers a strong finish of a stellar series. Will Heavy Medal readers support it for our own Mock Newbery selection? Read the analysis and the comments!
If you're going to play a Game of Gnomes, you're going to need a Gnome Trophy. Here's how we made ours at TLT.
Want to keep teens coming back for more table top games? Try using an overarching theme like Game of Gnomes.
Beyond a focus on giving thanks in November, Thanku can be used across the school year for read alouds at the beginning and end of the day, poetry genre studies, as an exploration of theme across language arts, and as a window into small moments in writer’s workshop.
Check out this week's new releases in comics and manga with Disney picks from Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing.
We are here today to reveal the cover of It Is (Not) Perfect by the Geisel Award-winning team Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant. But first, I had a few questions for them . . . Travis: This new book is about the meaning of “perfect”. Are you perfectionists? How did this story come about? Anna: […]
"50% of this book is just depressed donkeys." Time to play a new game where you can guess what classic picture book Kate and I are discussing. What's your guess?
In School Librarian Saturday, I’m going to share the websites, databases, apps, and other stuff I use with students in my K-3 teacher-librarian role, under the cover of internet darkness (see: the weekend). Today we have a website that allows students to create a story, called My Storymaker. What It Is: A site created by […]
A brand spanking new exhibit is occurring at the Toronto Public Library. Opening tomorrow, it features the "best of the best" from the IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities, a multilingual reference collection located at North York Central Library, part of the Toronto Public Library system. But don't take my word for it.
Can you guess the classic children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads or Amazon? There was no depth…just a stupid kid who gets on a train with a stranger. Click here for the answer. Why do I share these? Click here. Previously . . . One Star Review Guess Who (#1) One Star […]
It's time for November Nominations! Heavy Medal readers are invited to submit two more Newbery-worthy titles to our list of nominated books.
My Crash Course series continues with a look at books with great stories and lots of illustrations that are perfect for kids who are growing in their reading fluency and ready to sit down and read a book on their own.
Once again, it’s the game that’s sweeping the country. I used this website to (virtually) create 3 LEGO book covers. They’re listed from least challenging to most challenging – see how many you can name. #1: Answer #2: Answer #3: Answer How’d you do? Previously . . . Name That LEGO Book Cover! (#1) Name That […]
Say you have a budget of $2,500 for a children's comic collection. What do you put in there? What would you deem absolutely essential and what would you disregard? How many of the materials would be brand new? How many would be older, but essential?
Jasmin Kaur is the author of the YA poetry & prose release When You Ask Me Where I’m Going . Today she joins us to talk about being a Sikh woman and writing Own Voices.
Want a book that’ll stick in your brain for long periods of time for all the right reasons? Chant along with me then . . . my footprints, my footprints, my footprints . . .
Who knew that when THE HATE U GIVE debuted two years ago, it will generate a film and numerous accolades to be on the New York Times Bestsellers List for more than 80 weeks. After I finished reading THUG, the first words out of my mouth was, what’s next? And watching many interviews with Ms. […]
Check out this week's new releases in comics and manga with picks from First Second and Marvel Comics.
I’ve been doing these seasonal previews for a while now, but today is something new: a 10 to Note that is 100% graphic novels. As I browsed through 1,289 titles (I’m counting), upcoming comics kept catching my eye. So sorry picture books, chapter books, middle grade and everything else, this one is for the GN […]
86% of translations are published by small presses. What is the state of children's literature today and how should it change? David Jacobson guests with some answers.
Whether you're looking to learn a bit more yourself, searching for a new book or series to hand to a young person in your life, or hoping to do some collection development, let's dive in!
The titular question of this picturebook is one that anyone who appears or sounds different in a given social community has probably heard. Though simple in its phrasing, the implications for asking and answering “Where are you from?” are anything but simple.
Archie wants his video of Santa to go viral and escapes detention with some fancy talk in this week's preview.
We’d not done a Pinkwater book before, and this is a heckuva way to begin. It’s a glorious celebration of disappointing the homeowner’s associations of the world. It also apparently has to do with Nickelodeon, how to keep a pet alligator, and magical mystery lemonade.
I’m back with another Crafting Community post. This time, we were hosted by the wonderful artisans of Fire Me Up Studios in my library’s town. A pottery studio along the lines of Paint Your Heart Out if you’ve ever been to one, they also teach pottery classes along with painting and other art forms. Crafting […]
articles