By Kara Yorio

A book inspired a Virginia science teacher to make these DIY air filtration boxes, while colleges have embarked on large-scale projects to put Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes into public schools to slow COVID transmission and help with overall air quality.

Author Cynthia Levinson knew that  Jewish artist and activist Ben Shahn would be a great subject for a children's book. Her work, The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art, won the 2022 Sibert Award.

The author spoke to SLJ about Unspeakable, the impact of the Youth Media Awards, white supremacy, and late illustrator Floyd Cooper.

Individual award committees seek the best book that meets the criteria they've been handed. But, in the context of the times, the 2022 Youth Media Awards winners list made a collective statement to those across the country trying to ban books.

Donna Barba Higuera's Newbery win was just one of multiple awards for her novel, while Watercress, Firekeeper's Daughter, Unspeakable, and Last Night at the Telegraph Club also had a big day at the 2022 Youth Media Awards.

Chin's watercolor illustrations of Andrea Wang's personal text about a Chinese immigrant family picking watercress by an Ohio roadside earned the prestigious award.

Higuera's novel, which combines Mexican American folklore with science fiction, earned her the 100th Newbery Medal and the Pura Belpré Youth Author Award.

The Native American author had the idea for Firekeeper's Daughter, a modern-day thriller, nearly 40 years ago.

As attacks on library collections escalate, school boards and parents circumvent the established process.