Get out your reading lists! New titles coming soon from S.K. Ali, Sonia Patel, Claire Legrand, and so many others.
The 2019 Outstanding International Books list, developed by the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY), represents literature from every continent.
February's LGBTQIA+ new books include a graphic novel retelling of Little Women, a summer romance, multiple fantasy titles, and a middle grade book with a genderfluid main character.
Get out your reading lists! New titles coming soon from Shaun David Hutchinson, Stacey Lee, Abdi Nazemian, Katie Henry, and so many others. Also, this batch of new books features some exceptionally awesome covers, including a girl in a hot dog suit.
These forthcoming books from Penguin Random House will keep you busy this spring and summer. Novels about grief, secrets, guilt, breaking free, and so much more. Get ready to add a bunch of new titles to your TBR list!
Reflection Press has put together a well made infographic regarding representation and own voices in children's publishing. Add this tool to your collection of tools to discuss representation and collection development.
January's LGBTQIA+ new books include sequels, trilogy starts and finales, a Muslim girl with a secret, and a middle grade debut.
2019 is just around the corner and I can't wait for a new Raina Telgemeier, a middle grade #metoo, a few books about eating disorders, and so many more titles. Get your TBR list out for these can't-miss forthcoming books!
Like many of you (I’m guessing), I keep multiple reading-related lists. I keep track of what I read each year. I keep track of what ARCs I’ve gotten and hope to read. I keep track of what books I either want to get when they come out or hope to track down as ARCs but haven’t […]
One of the reasons that I do this blog is that it allows me to create and curate a resource for myself. That’s right, I use this blog as a resource just as much as I hope others might. It works as sort of a journal, a manual if you will, to help me be […]
The kid likes one thing, the parent wants another. How should librarians proceed?
Looking for new titles to add to your Halloween-themed book displays and programming? Check out these recently reviewed spine-tingling works for tweens that will spook and terrify.
What should teens read after they’ve enjoyed the adaptations of The Hate U Give, To All the Boys, and more?
Civic responsibility, activism, and activists, are highlighted in this this list of recently published titles.
Children's literature scholar Debbie Reese highlights recent picture books, fiction and nonfiction, that celebrate American Indian heritage.
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.
News and reviews of the week from Teen Librarian Toolbox and around the web.
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.
While classroom and school libraries share the larger goal of advancing literacy, they often serve different purposes—and compete for the same resources.
Boyd discusses the connection between street lit and challenged books, while Winner describes the frequently challenged LGBTQ-themed picture books that he shares with his elementary students.
When it comes to questions about climate change, it’s imperative that we urge children and teens to seek answers that enlighten, inspire, and stimulate them to get involved as responsible inhabitants of this planet.
Six recent titles that will entice even the most nonfiction-resistant readers.
Three titles with music-themes perfect for booktalking, displays, and programs.
More books are being adapted to graphic novels—and vice versa. These trends are expanding audiences and creating opportunities for creators. Here's what's hot right now.
Four fiction and nonfiction titles bring Jane Austen to children of all ages and reading levels.
Circulation numbers often jump after a weeding project—because students and teachers can more easily find the books that interest them.
Authors Angie Thomas and Alexandra Bracken, as well as actress Amandla Stenberg, offer hints about their upcoming films.
The smart and tough-minded screen adaptation of emily m. danforth’s acclaimed novel arrives this summer after premiering on the festival circuit. Here's our movie review.
Two big-screen extravaganzas by award-winning directors take on two popular novels with mostly with positive results, though one filmmaker had arguably a higher mountain to climb.
A picture book essential both for its counsel and for its representation of a family confronting police brutality with young children.
Writer Don McGregor redefined the "Black Panther" comic series in the 1970s with an all-black cast. He talks to SLJ about his work, returning to the character, and the upcoming film adaptation.
Author R.J. Palacio's voice is heard loud and clear in the exceptionally sharp movie version of her popular 2012 novel.
Fans of Brian Selznick's book will have little to complain about in this often enthralling adaptation.
Two book-to-screen adaptations recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Another crop of notable nonfiction featuring often unheard voices, from a title that unpacks myths about the transgender experience to a book on those who have been wrongfully convicted.
From the heroine of a retelling of The Tempest to a typically awkward seventh grader, the protagonists of these coming-of-age novels all face the trials and tribulations of the coming-of-age process.
This week, we explore a motley crew of fan favorites, from Alex Award winners to a legendary editor and more.
A popular high school senior relives the same day over and over again, caught in a repetitive time warp.
Sarah Hill looks back on the column to see just how many of the Alex Award winners were covered in AB4T and spotlights four can't-miss nonfiction titles.
Now more than ever in America, young girls, people of color, and LGBTQ people need stories relevant to their lives. The following titles highlight these voices.
Director J.A. Bayona unleashes the destructive, tough-talking, and tale-spinning colossal, based on author Patrick Ness’s 2011 novel.
Nineteen excellent adult books perfect for teen readers, selected by the Adult Books 4 Teens columnists and reviewers.
The film remarkably retains the book’s essence, even though the main character is a few years older on screen, as played by Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse.
Historical fiction may not be every teen’s idea of a gripping read, but these titles are bound to immerse readers—and may even please educators, too.
This is a quietly triumphant adaptation of Tim Crothers’s nonfiction account of a Ugandan teenage girl from the slums who becomes an international chess champion.
With Halloween right around the corner, Sarah Hill compiles a list of compelling titles that are grim and gritty, covering everything from an out-of-control infectious disease, a no-holds-barred look at the science of war, and the return of Typhoid Mary.
Librarian Amy Martin highlights a strong new crop of self-published children's books, including a middle grade family drama and several picture books about black hair.
You'll find something to entice your teen readers, whether they can't tear themselves away from coverage of the Olympics are jonesing for an immersive historical read.
Teens will appreciate this genre- and format-spanning assortment of tales about love gone wrong; included are Daniel Clowes’s romantic time-traveling adventure, a thriller about Mata Hari, and Rebecca Traister’s astute feminism perspective on marriage and relationships.
Mark Flowers pulls together an assortment of short story collections—some dealing with horror and the suspense, others taking on fantasy and myth—from Joyce Carol Oates, Helen Oyeyemi, Patricia A. McKillip, and David Schow.
Join Mark Flowers on a global literary voyage, as he surveys titles set in India, Lithuania, Finland, and Lebanon.
Whether nonfiction or novels, these selections highlight the stories of girls and young women who grapple with their sexuality, deal with issues such as immigration and sexism, and consider their own identities.
Check out SLJ's March 2016 starred titles, from Corinne Duyvis's sophomore effort, On the Edge of Gone, and Stonewall-winning Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book About Bodies, Feelings, and You.
In the inaugural Indie Voices column, librarian Amy Martin curates a strong list of self-published titles that depict and celebrate diversity.
Mark Flowers shares works in which the protagonists have an inescapable confrontation with the reality of becoming adult and making adult decisions, including Keija Parssinen's The Unraveling of Mercy Louis and Mitchell Hogan's A Crucible of Souls.
Adult Books 4 Teens features six debut novels for adults with teen appeal—with an emphasis on “novels,” since all of these first-time novelists have already established themselves in other forms or writing. These offerings range from a "Stephanie Plum" series read-alike by a Hollywood screenwriter to literary postapocalyptic titles.
Adult Books for Teens columnist Mark Flowers compares two recent biographies on the notorious baseball player, one of which has lots of appeal for teen readers.
Author Jesse Andrews judiciously prunes and adds some quirk to the smirk in his screen adaptation of his 2012 debut novel. The result is an amicable, lively enhancement of his book, which in numerous ways it surpasses.
While the setting for The Appetites of Girls is specifically Brown University in 1993, the emotions and issues explored throughout the book are universal. “AB4T” blogger Diane Colson goes behind-the-scenes with author Pamela Moses who is intimately familiar with this college environment.
Like a magic potion, the big budget, special effects extravaganza Seventh Son, based on Joseph Delaney’s The Last Apprentice takes a dash of this and a pinch of that for a concoction that’s more mild than potent. It’s the perfect formula for a B-movie on a wintry afternoon.
Halfway Home: Drawing My Way Through Japan By Christine Mari Inzer Naruhodo Press $11.95 ISBN: 978-0-9907014-0-8 Ages 12 and up On shelves now There’s been a lot of talk about the role of the reviewer when it comes to self-published books. Horn Book Magazine makes a point of not reviewing self-published fare of any sort. [...]
With the holiday season approaching, we present a handful of picks that give a new spin to the definition of family and offer plenty of food for thought. The full versions of these reviews originally appeared on the Adult Books 4 Teens blog.
Amy Cheney, YA Underground columnist, dreams of ghostwriters for gangsters, hopes for more diverse reads for her kids in the margins, and bemoans a recent cover redesign that "could be the death knell for reluctant readers."
BiblioBoard® and Library Journal (LJ) have partnered to launch SELF-e™, an ebook discovery service connecting self-published authors with public libraries and their patrons.
While wondering around Artists Alley at Wondercon 2014, I came across a table that had prints and playing cards of dragons. I love dragons, so I had to stop. Among the artwork for sale was a picture book about dragons and books, so I had to pick it up. Dragons in the Library By Jessica [...]
Morning, folks! I do believe my comments feature is busted at the moment, so please don’t be alarmed if you can’t get anything to go through. It’s frustrating for me as well. Feels like an echo chamber in here. Hm. Well, as you may have heard, A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy will [...]
After a successful first year, In the Margins Committee founder Amy Cheney highlights some of the recent must-have titles for libraries in urban areas that might not be on the radar of the library community at large.
When Janna Morishima, formerly of Graphix and Papercutz comics, introduced me to Hamster S.A.M., she described it as a “outrageously silly, slapstick humor” that any emerging reader will enjoy. And her take on the comic is very accurate. Hamster S.A.M. is a delightful read. To hear more about this self-published comic, which you may have [...]
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