King Alice iis the first book Matthew Cordell wrote and illustrated since last year’s Caldecott-winning Wolf.
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From advertising to book-making to producing animated digital shorts: Is there anything this Latinx author-illustrator can’t do?
Pride is a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, set in the rapidly-gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood. Marie Marquardt speaks to
Can YA fantasy speak truth to power? Author Sayantani DasGupta addresses that question and more with Elana K. Arnold, Betsy Cornwell, Kiersten White, Anna-Marie McLemore, and Mimi Yu.
Betsy Bird doesn't know which way the awards committee will go in a "crazy year."
A quick recap and description of titles up for the National Book Award.
Lesson plans and ideas for preK to eighth grade.
Aaron Zenz has placed third and second in ArtPrize. Now he's going for the win.
The incredible life story of Hedy Lamarr is now a children's picture book. And Betsy Bird gives us a look at the cover of the February release.
The second-generation Cuban American author talks to SLJ about her sophomore YA novel, path to publication, and advice to aspiring teen writers.
Betsy Bird can't help herself—she has to share the press release for this "too cool" exhibition coming to the Eric Carle Museum.
Some "non-traditional" Newbery-worthy titles. Do they have a chance?
Dedicated to supporting freedom of speech, blended heritage, open borders, and educational rights, the author saw The American Library exhibit at the Cleveland Public Library.
This cadre is made up of Latinx women and non-binary creators with debut and sophomore fictional books for children and teens releasing between Fall 2018–2019.
Listen to Sara K. Ahmed's talk at Nerd Camp Michigan. Colby Sharp says, "It is important."
In the UK, Mr. David Mackintosh is a well-known graphic designer, art director, author, and illustrator. If the pages in this trailer are any indication, he'll be famous here soon, too.
For these authors, visits to school libraries are all about the interaction with students.
Six questions for Sharon Creech, plus a passage from her latest novel.
In a series of vignettes depicting the experiences of Syrians before and after they choose to flee that country, and information on the refusal of many countries to accept these victims of violence, Brown has created a heartbreaking global and personal story.
Listen to Travis Jonker chat with 2018 Pura Belpré award winners Ruth Behar, Pablo Cartaya, Celia C. Pérez, and Juana Martinez-Neal.
Featuring young protagonists and realistic scenarios, these inviting picture books demonstrate how kids can make choices that positively affect their classroom community and beyond.
Marsh, author of the newly released Nowhere Boy, describes her experiences as an immigrant abroad and how children's literature can break down the proverbial walls
Betsy Bird looks at some of the best fictional picture books with photographic illustrations.
The YA author talks about the inspiration for her latest and what she hopes readers will take from her haunting story.
Betsy Bird talks to Ellen Klages about her new middle grade book, Out of Left Field, which takes feminism to the sports world.
Courtney Summers discusses how her latest YA subverts the “woman in danger” trope and more.
Chessy Prout, sexual assault survivor and advocate, discusses her debut and the #IHaveTheRightTo movement with journalist and coauthor Jenn Abelson.
Ngozi Ukazu's Check Please is a sensitive, incredibly funny sports story.
SLJ reviews the blockbuster Netflix adaptation of Jenny Han's YA series opener—epistolary style.
After her successful #KidsNeedBooks campaign, author Ann Braden and partners are piloting #KidsNeedMentors to facilitate ongoing author/educator/child relationships.
The NYT bestselling author, former school librarian, and SLJTeen Live! keynoter chats about beauty and power and gives advice to her teenage self.
In anticipation of the free August 15 event, here’s our interview with opening keynote speaker Elizabeth Acevedo.
We check in with Sabaa Tahir, author of the “Ember Quartet” and keynote speaker at our August 15 event on all things teen.
A South Carolina police union denounces local high school's summer reading list for featuring the acclaimed and best-selling books by Angie Thomas, Brendan Kiely, and Jason Reynolds, because of their "anti-police" message.
PreS-Gr 2 –A young boy skateboards across the Brooklyn Bridge to the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.
Inspired by Jacqueline Woodson's "Brown Girl Dreaming," three middle schoolers and their classmates created a project to impact the lives of younger students and literacy rates in Cleveland.
Gr 4-7 –Poets Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth join Alexander in honoring writers, from Rumi and Basho to Terrance Hayes.
Scientist Marie Miranda Cruz makes her debut as a middle grade novelist with Everlasting Nora.
Gr 9 Up –Twenty-one YA authors—including such well-known figures as Ellen Hopkins, Maurene Goo, and Printz award-winner Nina LaCour, as well as two unpublished authors selected from a call for submissions—reflect on their early lives and what it means to be a woman in the United States.
Gr 4-7 –Summertime in small-town Indiana only heightens 10-year-old Caleb’s frustrations with feeling ordinary.
On Saturday, June 23, at Pigeon & Prince in New Orleans, Random House Children's Books hosted a breakfast in celebration of the forthcoming anthology We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices.
Gr 3-6 –The Knights of the Round Table share a secret: they spend most of their time fighting with each other for the fun of it because the kingdom has too few dragons to battle.
The creators of A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns, a hip, matter-of-fact primer, talk about the emotional impact of being misgendered and more.
Trailers for The Hate U Give and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before have recently debuted. Check them out here.
The renamed award has been recast to honor authors of “books that demonstrate integrity and respect for all children's lives and experiences."
Gr 9 Up –This collaboration with We Need Diverse Books features 13 standalone stories from award-winning and best-selling authors including Melissa de la Cruz, Sara Farizan, Eric Gansworth, Malinda Lo, Daniel José Older, Jason Reynolds, Aminah Mae Safi, Gene Luen Yang, and Nicola Yoon.
Members of the Kid Lit community put out a call to action to colleagues and readers. ALA president Jim Neal adds his voice to the outcry.
A playful bug book from Eric Carle; two friends liven up a rainy day indoors with a hearty dose of make-believe; a dinosaur loves wordplay and helps build young readers' vocabulary; and adorably unconventional animals with Jess Keating in this month's Popular Picks!
A refreshing anthology for teen readers; more middle grade adventures from Kekla Magoon and Matt Phelan; Hesselberth's feline-centered nonfiction title explores the science of maps.
COLBY: Today’s young readers continue to be captivated by Katherine Applegates stories. I am grateful that they have her books in their heart. In Today’s episode of The Yarn, Katherine talks about how the idea of this book came out of today’s political climate. Subscribe below to catch every episode. Click here to subscribe […]
Inject some entertaining challenges into your summer reading lists, programs, or displays with these puzzle, seek-and-find, and participatory storybooks.
Gr 1-4 –Readers are treated to a colorful historical account of a well-known board game, and the socioeconomic factors that affected its development.
We rounded up picture books, middle grade novels, and YA titles from the past year that either center the Caribbean American experience or are written by authors of Caribbean descent.
These films take inspiration from their source material without necessarily replicating the books to the last detail.
When last we saw our hero he was walking and talking with Joseph Bruchac in an epic three paneled addition to this series. Now Steve Sheinkin is back and he’s talking with that Newbery winning, Animorph creatin’, remarkably prolific Katherine Applegate. Today, Katherine and Steve discuss characters, plot, outlining, and how close she came to […]
Authors Angie Thomas and Alexandra Bracken, as well as actress Amandla Stenberg, offer hints about their upcoming films.
Download this nifty visual and chronological representation of the history of young adult literature and the Margaret A. Edwards award in the context of literary, economic, and political milestones.
Did you catch our behind-the-scenes live video chats with book creators during Book Expo? In case you missed them, we've rounded up some of our recent talks with Kwame Alexander, Eoin Colfer, Ngozi Ukazu, and more.
PreS-Gr 1 –Who doesn’t love getting new shoes? This simple joyous celebration of a trip to the shoe store is narrated by an anonymous young child.
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge By M.T. Anderson Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin Candlewick Press $24.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-9822-5 Ages 10 and up On shelves September 25th In my job I read a lot of books written for kids and middle schoolers. To guide this reading I take into account a lot of professional reviews from sources […]
PreS-Gr 2 –This book combines two of children’s favorite fixations—“Elephant & Piggie” and dinosaurs—into a funny story that plays around with a relatable problem.
“I’ve never set out to teach a lesson, to lecture anyone,” says the author of more than 40 books.
Angela Carstensen takes a look back at three decades of YA—its evolution, groundbreaking titles, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award that honors its authors.
Yuyi Morales closed out School Library Journal's Day of Dialog with this keynote address.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, so I wanted to take a moment to share some quick reviews with you. Some of these titles are already out, a few more of them are digital ARCs I have downloaded off of Edelweiss. A few of the titles don’t even come out until October of […]
Gr 2-5 –A child’s fascination with swimming in the ocean leads to important work in his adulthood.
High school sophomore starts literary and arts festival for teens that she hopes can become a national YA tour.
Today at 1 p.m. EST, SLJ editors Shelley Diaz and Kiera Parrott—aka the "Book Nerds"—revealed the cover of Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess's latest book, Swing (Blink), on Facebook Live.
The debut author and creator of the "Mark Does Stuff" universe chats about his road to publication, teen activism, and what he’s working on next.
Okay. So I kinda sorta intensely love this. First off, remember Cheryl Klein? A.k.a. the continuity editor of Harry Potter? A.k.a. one of the best editors of our age who not too long ago left Scholastic to work for Lee & Low Books? I’ve known Cheryl for years. We used to do Kidlit Drink Nights […]
I’d like to offer a word of warning to my mother with this one. Somehow, this ended up being our longest episode. Mom, if you listen to this on the treadmill, you might do yourself a serious injury. It’s a whopping 48:17 (and that’s edited down!). I guess it’s not surprising when you do a […]
The bookseller looks to capitalize on interest and excitement surrounding YA novels and authors.
Parent with Caldecott concerns, a librarian fears "Vincent and Theo" content issues (again), and an administrator who cracks down on students' rights: Pat Scales sets them straight.
Colby: I had the opportunity to interview Kate Messner for The Yarn in St. Louis during the NCTE Annual Conference last fall. Talking to her about her innovative 2018 middle grade novel was enlightening. I hope you like the episode! After the podcast interview, I did a video interview with Kate. Check that out below. Subscribe […]
Messner discusses the real-life inspiration behind Breakout and how she collaborated to craft thoughtful, authentic characters.
A day in the life of an ice cream truck; Mariko Tamaki's take on Supergirl; three dinosaur tales on DVD; a heartwarming return to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; and much more in our May Popular Picks!
New picture books from Cynthia Alonso and Philip C. Stead; a documentary on HBCUs; teen-friendly poetry from Rupi Kaur; a graphic novel guide to they/them pronouns for young folks and adults alike.
School and public librarians struggle with how to handle the books of Bill Cosby, as well as authors Sherman Alexie, Jay Asher, and James Dashner, who have been accused of sexual harassment.
Sheba Karim discusses her riotously funny novel Mariam Sharma Hits the Road and what it's like to write a road trip book from the perspective of a marginalized character.
I’ve been thinking about people I’ve interviewed over the years, both in person and on this blog. Generally, the in-person interviews are where the big names come out to play. Your Neil Patrick Harrises. Your Art Spiegelman / Francoise Moulys. Your Katherine Paterson/Lois Lowry/ Rebecca Stead / R.L. Stine mash-ups (not the mix you were […]
We've rounded up some of our recent YA favorites by and about people from the Asian/Pacific Islander diaspora. From a Korean-inspired sci-fi to the conclusion of Jenny Han's romance trilogy, these works will keep all teens reading the whole month (and beyond).
Looking for titles to highlight in May for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month? These 20 works, from recent award winners to debut middle grade outings, cover a diverse array of genres, time periods, and formats.
The debut YA author and actress shares what inspired her to write this tale of grief, family, and identity.
Dan Santat's picture book that tells the story of overcoming fear and anxiety is honored.
I’ve never really commented on the recent news articles and discussions about sensitivity readers and their work with children’s books. I suppose that’s just because they make a fair amount of sense to me. If you’re writing about someone unlike yourself, you should be told up front what you are and are not doing wrong […]
New YA audiobooks from Holly Black and Erika L. Sánchez; "Animorphs" creator Katherine Applegate's middle grade series debut; picture book explores a saffron summery treat;
Awards, a grant opportunity, and the chance for students to ask Ken Burns about the Vietnam War.
Deb Pilutti, maker of such fine books as these . . . . . . visited our school last week. It was a great day. Let’s take a look. We try to begin the hospitality outside the building. Author visit suggestion: make some bootleg coloring pages for kids featuring characters from the author’s books (you’ll […]
A bilingual animal adventure; life advice from Cookie Monster; R.L. Stine's ill-fated romance; a lyrical dedication to dreamers from Jason Reynolds; and much more in this month's Popular Picks!
Gr 7 Up –Reynolds dedicates this lyrical masterpiece “to the dreamers, to the courageous, and everyone who wants to be,” though in his author’s note he admits the book-length poem began as a letter to himself “to keep from quitting.”
Monday, April 30, is Día, a national library program that fosters literacy for all children from all backgrounds.
PreS-Gr 1 –“Do not try this at home!” cautions Willems as he proceeds to tell the story of a hungry little purple creature that eagerly eats its way through the alphabet, though not without consequence.
Tea-making dragons, competitive ice skating, and a dinosaur flying under the radar in New York City are among the subjects of the young people's selections nominated for the 2018 Eisner Awards.
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