Kathy Ishizuka

Curricular bazaar Teachers Pay Teachers has never been more popular. But questions about quality, cultural insensitivity, and plagiarism beg expert guidance. Consider your librarian.  

Our most viewed stories reflect a significant, collective journey. 

In an unprecedented year, managing the pandemic dominated attention. SLJ covered the gamut, from publisher policies adjusted to accommodate remote learning, to tips on running a virtual book club for middle schoolers. Despite all, fostering literacy and celebrating great books persisted as key topics of interest for our readers.

Serving on the front lines, engaging with the public, libraries can be a critical asset to mental health.   

Here we are. Well into a new school year—sort of. The fall has brought no relief from uncertainty, and we have a ways to go. So we asked, and Jarrett Krosoczka and Jerry Craft were on board to illustrate our October 2020 issue.

Ten longlisted titles are all newcomers to the National Book Awards and include three debuts. 

Seven months of learning loss. That’s the impact wrought by the pandemic, and low-income, Black, and Latinx children stand to suffer the most. Some cities are adapting the pod concept, working with community partners to serve at-risk students.

"Now is an especially critical time to inform readers," writes Kathy Ishizuka, SLJ editor in chief. "That means publishing stories centered on the people who power libraries and schools. We are here for it, and we hope you are, too."

“He taught me that it is OK to get into ‘good trouble,’ and we all have a moral obligation to speak up and fight against injustices,” says school librarian K.C. Boyd. We remember Rep. John Lewis, including his full address at the 2016 SLJ Summit.