By Kara Yorio

The Youth Media Awards ceremony returned in person as children's literature celebrated its biggest day, honoring the best titles of the year.

In this story of a little dog stressed out by the sights, sounds, and feelings of the city on a summer day, Salati wanted to share a universal experience of feeling overwhelmed that would resonate with kids. 

The author says her novel loosely based on the Maroon communities of escaped formerly enslaved people will give young readers a connection across cultures and experiences and help restart the difficult conversation around slavery. 

Tahir's novel, which she once thought was "too niche" and "too weird" to be published, earned the Printz Award on Monday. 

It's the fifth year the Sydney Taylor Book Awards will be announced at the Youth Media Awards, an inclusion that has vaulted books with Jewish content into a broader spotlight.

New Jersey school librarians spent years advocating for information literacy standards in the state's K–12 curricula. Their efforts paid off when the governor signed the bill into law this month.

As campaigns step up efforts to pull books from school and public library shelves, it's critical to have tools to defend titles.

The free online course for high schoolers features a powerful list of guest speakers, including author Ashley Hope Pérez, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, and student activist Jack Petocz.

Join bloggers Steven Engelfried and Emily Mroczek-Bayci for a conversation of Newbery contenders and a vote for the "Heavy Medal" winner.