SLJ

What’s captured reader attention the last seven days? Top picks in middle grade and graphic format books, along with the political climate and the potential impact on schools and libraries.

Utah has added Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott to its list of books banned at all public schools; the Texas state board of education wants legislation giving it  control of school library collections; and Crank by Ellen Hopkins remains on South Carolina high school shelves, but students will need parental permission.

Parents and patrons want the LGBTQIA+ romance by Alice Oseman removed; a Tennessee district orders the immediate removal of 150 books; and a school board is set to review collections in a Virginia district in search of "sexually explicit" material that goes against policy.

March 2025  will be five years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We will mark the anniversary by sharing your memories of spring 2020 and the months that followed or thoughts on the impact that you still see today.

The South Carolina Board of Education allowed three classics to remain in libraries and classrooms but removed seven titles from all public schools; Arizona district pays nearly $90,000 to settle book ban lawsuit; 25 books and graphic novel series removed from a Pennsylvania district. 

In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. In the latest installment, Wen-yi Lee shares about The Dark We Know. 

From puppy love to the latest collection from fan-favorite Junji Ito, these 10 new manga releases are bound to be a hit with readers of all ages.

More than 10,000 book bans in public schools in the 2023–24 school year represented a nearly 200 percent rise in book bans. The new Index of School Book Bans offers a state-by-state and district-by-district database of book bans searchable by author and title.

This thankful season, children can read all about dinosaurs, crayons, and even turkeys enjoying food, fun, and family.