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Gerald McDermott, award-winning author, illustrator, and filmmaker who died on December 26 at age 71, will be fondly remembered for his unique style of vibrant, visual storytelling, which has inspired and engaged generations of kids. Highlights of McDermott’s career, which spanned a 49-year period, include a Caldecott Medal, two Caldecott Honor books, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.

Teenager Aliera Carstairs has a pretty good head on her shoulders. She doesn’t have much patience for angst or drama; she describes herself as “A smart, lonely girl with a singular talent for swordplay.” By swordplay, she means fencing, which she is serious about and which forms the motif for both Yolen’s first book, Foiled, [...]

Looks like the National Book Awards are taking a page out of the Oscars’ handbook.  Which is to say, if people like nominees for awards so much, why not give them MORE nominees?  Says PW, “In an effort to broaden the reach and impact of the National Book Awards, the National Book Foundation will select [...]

New York City’s Carnegie Hall hosted bestselling YA author John Green and his brother Hank this week at "An Evening of Awesome," a special performance to a sold-out crowd. The event, which featured numerous special guests and a surprise appearance by Neil Gaiman, was lived-streamed through a special partnership with Tumblr.

Author John Green, brother Hank Green, and special guests the Mountain Goats celebrated the anniversary of ​The Fault in Our Stars​ (Dutton, 2012) with an evening at Carnegie Hall.

My father is a Marine, so by the time I was eight I was quite adept at packing up my things. I vividly remember when we moved to Beaufort, SC. It was 1996, and it was the first time I ever took advantage of a move. Instead of trashing my old clothes and childish toys, I fixed up parts of my personality that needed improvement and tried out some new traits. I asked people to call me “Al”, giving the role of tomboy a spin. I also spoke up a little more and put myself in more social situations. I used this experience to invent a whole new me.

In November, Sarah reviewed Drowned Cities, from her admittedly biased perspective. At the time, she praised the thematic depth: “It … explores what it means to be human, our inescapable need to create packs — and why we have to leave them. Bacigalupi scrutinizes humanity’s tendency to act monstrously, our insistence that we are civilized [...]

With the ALA Youth Media Awards just around the corner, Junior Library Guild takes a look at some star-studded titles.