Kara Yorio

Shelley Diaz returns to SLJ to become reviews editor.

The award-winning author partnered with Adventure Academy, a subscription-based digital education platform, to inspire kids to write.

With the release of "Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure," the best-selling author found a way to embark on an in-person tour despite the pandemic.

Many of the education and publishing events scheduled for the rest of  the year have moved online, allowing those who couldn't attend in the past a chance to experience the programs.

Pandemic and politically polarized nation be damned, educators adjust lessons to take on escalating rhetoric, mail-in ballots, accusations of voter fraud, and more. They remain fierce advocates for engaged citizenry and will demand civil discussion whether online or in-person.

Disappointed with remote learning last spring and worried about health concerns and more of the same online instruction in the fall, parents across the country are creating pandemic pods―small groups of children who will spend school days together with a private educator. Others plan to homeschool.

School librarians are preparing despite many still not knowing whether they will report in person for the first day of classes. Learn how they are adapting and some of the many contingency plans they have made for the 2020-21 school year.

As schools prepare multiple plans for the start of the academic year, some librarians around the country already know if they go back in-person this year, their spaces have already been slated for classroom use in an effort to meet social distance requirements.

Back to school will look different at individual schools across the country. Here are guidelines issued by educational organizations and individual states. Where will libraries fit into the plans?