News

What do The Joy Luck Club and Holes have in common? Both inspired Nedda Lewers' newest MG Egyptian-American inspired fantasy series for kids!

"Ryan is a young alligator, not the buddha." Bob Shea is our guest today and he's talking up the sequel to his highly beloved Chez Bob.

Have you missed hearing the voice of the ineffable Christopher Paul Curtis recently? Then read his incredible essay-response to my interview questions and bask in his words once more.

As more students take advantage of dual enrollment programs during a time when more states are adopting restrictive laws about access, academic freedom, and the right to read, we need new policy-focused partnerships between high school and academic libraries that will support student success and maintain institutional integrity.

As an author, how do I approach the potential for pain in the lines I write? How, as a reader, do we make these mostly well-intended but sometimes trivial-feeling statements actually hold meaning for us?

Big news for Svetlana Chmakova fans: JY will publish the second volume of The Weirn Books in October 2024.

The First Amendment is a crucial defense against book bans, particularly those targeting LGBTQ+ stories, critical race theory, and BIPOC authors. However, schools often navigate around these protections through "educational discretion." Beyond the First Amendment, the Education Amendments to the Civil Rights Act's Title VI and IX provide avenues to challenge bans based on race and sex discrimination. A notable case in Georgia's Forsyth County School District demonstrates how these civil rights statutes can combat bans, offering a more direct path to restoring banned books. This approach highlights the importance of considering discriminatory impacts over intent in the fight against book bans, providing a potentially more effective strategy for upholding students' rights to information.

Iran's first superstar, Googoosh, at last gets her first picture book biography and I'm on hand to interview author/artist Azadeh Westergaard about what writing such a book entails.

It’s crucial to empower teens to find their voice and their community while advocating for their rights. It’s just as crucial to highlight queer joy and friendship, especially when readers are coming of age during turbulent times.