Age Level

Five debut authors tell SLJ about creating funny, joyful, and serious stories, and their hope that young people take pride in who they are.

The RISE annual list is out; Jacqueline Woodson adds Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence to her many honors; K.C. Boyd named winner of the EMIERT Distinguished Librarian Award; and two new lines of books will bring "Chicken Soup for the Soul" to kids in this edition of News Bites.

With protagonists who are 18 and older, more and more young adult books are examining early adulthood. These realistic, historical, fantasy, and thriller novels will appeal to teens, with characters navigating the messiness of life after adolescence.

Cicely Lewis partners with Lerner Books to develop Read Woke Books.

Many tweens and young teens will see themselves in these middle grade and YA selections.

Debut novelists and former We Need Diverse Books mentees Diana Ma and Angeline Boulley discuss their writing challenges, their families’ reactions to their novels, and using the YA genre to discuss identity and culture.

Three YA authors tell SLJ about their favorite childhood books and take a deep dive into the main characters in their debut novels.

The author of The Project discusses false assumptions about cult members, the truths of surviving trauma, and how this “crossover” book really is YA.

These fiction and nonfiction titles take on the embarrassment and discomfort associated with menstruation—while urging readers to take pride in their bodies and combat the stigma related to periods.