Age Level

Alex Gino issues an apology and new title for their award-winning book, the Obamas are bringing Blackout to Netflix, and a lot of publishing news in this installment of News Bites.

With diverse characters dealing with authentic, real-life issues, these 12 hi-lo titles will appeal to a plethora of ­interests and are recommended for collections serving tweens and teens.

These titles should appeal to fans of this live-action movie about the iconic Disney villain.

The New York Times bestselling author helps readers become aware of issues facing endangered species in the middle grade adventure series opener The Islanders, coauthored with Angela May.

From biographies of Olympians to fictional mysteries and romance, get young readers excited for the Tokyo Games competition and drama with these titles.

Summer is the perfect time for series and serial podcasts across genres to keep kids entertained and engaged.

These scary stories should tide tween horror buffs over until spooky season.

The young people featured in these middle grade novels are intrepid, confronting racism, grief, queer identity, and more. They’re relatable teens and tweens, making mistakes and stumbling as they find themselves. Looking for more summer reading recommendations? SLJ is publishing lists all summer long—from family stories to mysteries to teen reads. 

Book clubs focused on Black authors and characters have helped readers find community during the pandemic and given writers and their work some extra attention.