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Contrary to what most historical novels depict, people from marginalized groups have existed throughout the ages, and their stories were not solely ones of hardship. These authors are correcting that representation in historical fiction.
IMLS-funded free, online professional development racial equity curriculum is now available; Dav Pilkey and Scholastic try to "Do Good"; youth writer awards announced and more in this edition of News Bites.
The music and lives of four jazz greats in words and pictures.
Inspiring projects, discussions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and creating with—not just consuming—augmented and virtual reality were just some of the highlights of ISTE 2019.
Authors Kwame Alexander and Jacqueline Woodson were among those who helped celebrate the golden anniversary of the awards.
Using numbers from the Cooperative Children's Book Center, this infographic—updated from 2015—illustrates representation in children's literature.
From mysteries to summer adventures to first loves, these 12 titles validate queer youth, and youth in queer families, who are navigating those ever-confusing years before young adulthood.
When the Ground Is Hard is the tale of an unlikely friendship that blossoms between the societal slabs of systemic racism, colorism, and classism in an Apartheid-era Christian boarding school in Swaziland. Award-winning crime fiction writer Malla Nunn talked with SLJ about the personal experiences that shaped this tightly woven, thoughtful, and timely YA adventure story.
“Every LGBTQ kids’ book that manages to make its way onto a bookstore or library shelf is a life raft,” says Melanie Gillman, creator of the graphic novel As the Crow Flies. Columnist Brigid Alverson considers LGBTQIA+ themes in the graphic format, with recommended titles for young readers.
Award-winning writer, hip-hop professor, and author of The Roots of Rap, Carole Boston Weatherford talks to Tiffany D. Jackson about Jackson’s new book Let Me Hear a Rhyme, a love letter to 1990s Brooklyn and the hip-hop generation.
Cicely Lewis chooses books for her nephew, her graduating seniors, and young friends facing the larger world.
Summer activities at the Dakota County Library will include a sensory-friendly petting zoo and music, American Sign Language initiatives, and programming in the new Calming Space.
From romance to fantasy to memoir, these books represent a rich scope of experiences.
Hafsah Faizal and Nafiza Azad are debut Muslim fantasy authors, and both of their #OwnVoices YA novels are out this week. Here, they talk to each other about world-building, intersectional feminism, subverting stereotypes, and more.
Education may be part of the solution to stopping the incidence of anti-semitic harassment, vandalism, and physical assaults at schools.
High school English teacher Jarred Amato has guided his Nashville students and helped create a national, student-led, grassroots literacy and community service movement around middle grade and YA titles by authors including Kwame Alexander, Nic Stone, and Jason Reynolds.
More logged minutes mean more donated books in this year's Scholastic summer reading challenge; Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards announced; Library of Congress puts rare Chinese books online; and more in this edition of NewsBites.
Don't miss these 12 stellar middle grade and YA audiobook selections.
A 90-minute version of SLJ's workshop will be available to attendees of Scholastic Reading Summits held in Chicago on June 20 and Austin, on July 16.
The Lit Bar is the first bookstore in years in the Bronx, and its owner has big plans for her business and the community.
Stories hold a lot of power. Stories tend to be a form of escape for so many people; but just as often, they serve as a way for people to see their own experiences reflected by authors and writers who have gone through the same thing. People who offer comfort to readers who are confused or hurting or scared. I struggled for a long time. Because rarely were there books I could turn to.
Stories give us a place in which to locate our shared histories; stories are an affirmation of our selves. Stories of the past give birth to the narratives of today. Stories of the present allow dreams of the future. The stories I read gave me the courage to write my own tale.
A lack of diversity in children's literature and media, especially in fantasy, has created an "imagination gap," according to Ebony Elizabeth Thomas.
Kweli's Fourth Annual Color of Children's Literature Conference had a powerful lineup of speakers and panelists including Jacqueline Woodson, Rudine Sims Bishop, Emily X.R. Pan, Samira Ahmed, and Ibi Zoboi.
Sixty-four poems explore living between cultures, the pleasure and pain that memories can bring, and the power of poetry to express joy, loss, and pride.
While no one book list can adequately explore all the variations in culture and traditions embodied within the broad category of the “Asian/Pacific American Experience,” readers who identify as Asian American and/or Pacific American—especially as first-generation Americans—will find reflections of their own stories in these novels.
Trauma-informed approaches can help librarians better understand and respond to young patrons' behavioral issues.
New research "joins a wealth of other findings suggesting that racial bias is contributing to disciplinary disparities."
The debut author of the middle grade novel Chula the Fox, which recently earned an SLJ starred review, talks process, #OwnVoices, and learning from loss.
Our job, as writers, publishers, editors, librarians, and teachers, is to share with young people stories that heal, uplift, celebrate, and empower. The power of story is the power of finding one’s own voice.
Librarians represented at SXSW EDU, as SLJ's School Librarian of the Year honorees, Ali Schilpp, Cassy Lee, and Michelle Carton, presented the session "Going Global with the School Librarian of the Year" in Austin.
Lety is a story about Lety Muñoz, an English Language Learner (ELL) and immigrant, who volunteers at an animal shelter and becomes a shelter hero.
Rabble rousers and rebels rub shoulders with artists and adventurers in these eminently browsable collective biographies.
New books about women in STEM feature inventors, architects, naturalists, and computer and space scientists.
The founding members of the group, all librarians, hosted "Reading my World: Diverse Books for Birth to 8."
For many young LGBTQ people, Max and Jordan from The Music of What Happens may be the best mirror of their own lives that they’ve ever read. It may be the first time they’ve seen themselves in a story, and that’s a lifeline.
Teens Mena and Zena Nasiri started Girls of the Crescent to donate books with female Muslim main characters to local school districts, libraries, and mosques.
In Anh Do's chapter book series, WEIRDO, the author created a character whose first name is Weir, and whose last name is Do. He’s a school kid who feels like he doesn’t always belong, but who learns to embrace his uniqueness.
Paper published in Research on Diversity in Youth Literature questions representation in Dr. Seuss books.
People with disabilities remain underrepresented, or misrepresented, in children’s literature.
When I was in the seventh grade, or eighth, or maybe it was ninth, I was presented with a brief bit on Reconstruction. The gist: Reconstruction was a terrible time in American history, terrible in part because a number of black men held political office and, boy, oh, boy, did they made a mess of things with their corruption, their ignorance.
Recently published books celebrating African American women and girls highlight their important contributions to the arts, activism, literacy, politics, science, and other fields too numerous to name.
Nature, childhood, family, community, and dreamers are just some of the subjects honored in these titles to share all year long.
There’s little time left to apply for the Library of Congress Librarian-in-Residence program, and more in this edition of NewsBites.
Librarian Cicely Lewis, whose new column debuts in SLJ in March, was recognized by YALSA for her Read Woke initiative.
Winner of a 2019 Coretta Scott King Author Honor, The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson is part historical fiction novel, part mystery, full of masterful plot twists and clever riddles. The latest lesson plan from "The Classroom Bookshelf."
I’ve been in love with writing stories since I was a tiny ten-year-old girl with a curious mind and big opinions. In those three decades, it has been through writing that I’ve come to understand the world and my connection to it.
The 2019 Outstanding International Books list, developed by the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY), represents literature from every continent.
The In the Margins Book Awards honor the best books published over the preceding 18 months that appeal to the reading needs and wants of teens from marginalized backgrounds. The committee selected three top titles in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, and Advocacy. They also released their full Top 10 list.
I was five years old the first time someone called me "filthy" because of my dark skin. I went home and spent the rest of the day trying to scrub the brown off my body. I turned to books early on, finding an escape in the pages that I couldn’t get on the playground—never stopping to notice how no one in the stories ever looked like me.
A new app and database from YALSA lets users access nearly 4,000 YA titles, plus awards, a new children's imprint, and more in NewsBites.
On the Diverse Books Survey page, users can access related content, newly updated, as well as our Diverse Books Survey report.
Including the Asian Pacific American Librarians Award and Sydney Taylor Book Award winners did not overcome the disappointment felt by many when ALA did not announce the affiliates' honor books during the ceremony.
Elizabeth Acevedo, whose debut novel won over the publishing world, critics, and award committees in 2018, continued her streak as The Poet X nabbed the Michael L. Printz Award and the Pura Belpré Author Award at the 2019 Youth Media Awards ceremony on Monday.
The Youth Media Awards provided surprises, a diverse list of winners, and some committee decisions to debate.
Teaching ideas for Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina, winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal.
Claire Hartfield and Ekua Holmes are author and illustrator winners, respectively, in this 50th anniversary year for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards.
SLJ's reviews of the Youth Media Award winners (YMAs) announced at a press conference at the American Library Association’s midwinter conference in Seattle.
The 2019 Newbery Medal-winning author talks about her reaction to the phone call, writing about Latino families at this time in our country's history, and the power of the award.
What does the power of story mean to me? Entertainment. Expression. Escape. But, that’s only scratching the surface. The power of story is so much more. To borrow some gamer lingo, story can be “OP”—as in overpowered. And, that is a good thing.
A selection of picture books that represent a panorama of people working and playing together while respecting differences and honoring similarities.
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.
Young people have always used a language of their own. But does that language belong on the page? Is it literary?
I was the child born into the loving arms of storytellers. Just weeks before I came into this world, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his landmark “I Have a Dream” speech as 250,000 believers listened to Martin’s hope for a better tomorrow. It was August 28, 1963.
It's a summer session of architecture, music, culture, and fun.